Boundless #14 | Questioning Work
#1 Questioning Work: Does Our Modern Conception Of Work Undermine Itself?
When I was little I was sure I was going to be an NBA player. My backup plan, when asked, was to be an accountant, but I had no real idea what that meant. I thought my Aunt was really cool and she happened to be an accountant. It all seemed pretty simple, but luckily I could enjoy the naivete of childhood while focusing on my below-average jumpshot.
As a child, you can mostly ignore the world’s deep obsession with work, but it is always there looming. While you are playing with your friends, the adults can worry about how someone’s confidence will translate as a future business owner or another’s dexterity ensures that child’s future as an architect. As you get older, the game gets real.
And for some, that game becomes deadly. In 2013, an intern at Bank of America Merrill Lynch died after working 72 hours and having a seizure in the shower. Yet, everyone involved in the case was hesitant to blame work for this outcome. Here is the coroner:
“He was a young man living life to the full and he was clearly enjoying his time in London and, whilst it’s possible that fatigue brought about the fatal seizure, it is also possible that it just happened. And it is something that does just happen.“
In Japan, there is no pretending. There is a well known work for death from overwork — karoshi. In 2015, there were 1,456 cases in Japan files dainst employers that referenced “karoshi.”
While it is clear that we should not want work to kill people, it is less clear the destructive damage that our modern conception of work has on our world and on the average “worker”. Our modern conception of work is based on a flawed conception that work is and can be a full-time job that is stable, provides meaning, community, purpose, comfort, pays for you healthcare and retirement. If this conception of work applied to everyone, perhaps it might be a great thing. For everyone unable to secure such magical employment, they are left to deal with the unintended consequences of our unquestioned faith in work....
Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself
#1: Seth Godin's 30-minute podcast episode on freelancing is a must-listen if you are ready to pursue self-employment
#2 Doubling down on questioning work, this captivating TED Talk from Andrew Taggart on the concept of "Total Work" is a great appetizer or dessert to my above article.
Thoughts
I haven't sent an update in the last couple of weeks. Judging by lack of e-mails, I'll assume everyone survived.
I am a bit averse to the idea of continuously showing up in your e-mail box without offering some sort of value. With that in mind, you will only receive this e-mail if I have something to share that I think you will find useful or interesting so I'm not going to aim to send this every week, but instead only when I think you might find it useful.
#BoundlessPod- Nita Baum on how to "be free" through self-employment
Nita Baum is a rock star self-employed freelancer. She has been working on her own for over a decade and now splits her time across many domains, describing herself as an "entrepreneur, co-creator, facilitator, mentor-coach, and community-builder." A lot of her current work focuses on supporting and working with people who are carving their own paths as freelancers, which evolved from her helping hundreds of people informally over the year. In 2013, she turned this into a business, launching b*free in 2013 as a platform "by freelancers for freelancers" to help people with the transition to self-employment as the future of work evolves.
#ICYMI - Links, articles, and content from past weeks
Blog Posts
Podcast Episodes:
Damien Peters, financial blogger, on building a remote business from Spain
Connor Gillivan on entrepreneurship, selling on Amazon and working with freelancers
Jen Morilla on breaking plates and traveling the world with purpose (Episode 14)
Romy Rost on leadership, freelancing & coaching as a skill (Episode 13)
Tanya Alvarez on resilience, entrepreneurship & community (Episode 12)
Pauri Pandian – Tennis as a career, coaching & healthy masculinity (Episode 11)
Tools:
Future of Work - The Mindset Shift We Need To Do Things That Matter
Career Transition Playbook: A 50+ page workbook that will help you take action on a massive change in your career and your direction
Support
Since going out on my own, I have been averse to the idea of "building a business" and "monetizing" my work. I am driven by helping others and try to devote my energy to being generous and creative - wherever that takes me.
I have embraced Patreon as an experiment for people to support me in continuing to do this work. Think about it as Kickstarter for creators, but focused on supporting one's life. I don't think its the perfect platform, but I am intrigued to hear what people think?