How Much Work Is Enough?
Well, how much work is “enough”? And how much is too much? Or too little? As so many of us grapple with being “out of work” these questions take on more significance. And that’s good, because most of us look at “work” as “whatever the boss tells me I have to do.”
Work is both bigger than that and more important than that. How much of it you need in your life is not going to be the same as what your spouse, mom, kids, or best friend needs. Work is a uniquely personal thing, yet we don’t often look at it that way.
We all need to work. Much of it won’t be for pay. but it’s still effort expended toward something bigger than your personal comfort. So while we are waiting around for something that pays–or even better something that pays well–take a look at what work really means for you.
What’s the most important thing about work ? The chance to excel? The confirmation of competence that comes from getting paid? Money to pay the bills? The opportunity to make a difference or to solve a complex problem? Knowing what’s the most important thing about work for you gives you a much better shot at being satisfied when you work.
It also will give you good clues about “how much is enough?” If you are in it for the extrinsic motivators–a paycheck, a title, or recognition within a community, enough to get that will be all you need. If you are in it for the intrinsic motivators–the chance to solve a problem, make a difference or be part of a highly productive team, the limiits are higher. And the challenge of keeping your work in balance with the rest of the things you want in your life is greater.
But how much is enough? That, too, is personally defined. The crazy thing is that we are all married to this “fulltime” mindset without any real evaluation of what would work best for us as individuals.
A lot of us are working fewer hours–for less pay–because of the downturn. Do you like having that extra time for other things? Could you live on that number of work hours on an on-going basis?
Others of us are working ourselves to a frazzle because we’re among the few left on board after deep and repeated staffing cuts. Does the job do enough for you that you want to continue this pace?
Some of us were forced into retirement–or took it willingly. Is not working at all working for you?
We all need work. What kind and how much is a far more personal decision than we usually make it.
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Mary Lloyd is CEO of Mining Silver and author of Supercharged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote and Do What You Love.
Tags: Career strategies, Coping with change, living well as we age, managing stress, Skills, Work in Retirement