Comments on: The cult of overwork (again) http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/ Make Yourself and Your Business Happy At Work Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:38:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: transitvans http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-243661 transitvans Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:09:26 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-243661 This is a business economics principle - the company reaches a point where increasing inputs (in this case hours of work) results in a less than proportionate increase in output. In this case, this is so extreme that the extra input actually creates no extra output at all. This is a business economics principle – the company reaches a point where increasing inputs (in this case hours of work) results in a less than proportionate increase in output. In this case, this is so extreme that the extra input actually creates no extra output at all.

]]> By: Y dale con el culto al exceso de trabajo 2 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-235824 Y dale con el culto al exceso de trabajo 2 Tue, 27 May 2008 15:26:44 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-235824 [...] Original de Álex [...] [...] Original de Álex [...]

]]> By: Y dale con el culto al exceso de trabajo http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-235788 Y dale con el culto al exceso de trabajo Mon, 26 May 2008 16:10:45 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-235788 [...] Original de Álex   [...] [...] Original de Álex   [...]

]]> By: JB http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-235593 JB Thu, 15 May 2008 20:54:40 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-235593 The scenario outlined by Doug Strain is right out of the Kellogg playbook as written about in this article http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/2962 The scenario outlined by Doug Strain is right out of the Kellogg playbook as written about in this article http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/2962

]]> By: Patrick Bristow http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-233633 Patrick Bristow Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:36:09 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-233633 Great site and nice posts... I like it very much. But this post and it's predecessor I'm not in total agreement with. You mentioned having hobbies and other things are home. However, I have struggled to fit in hobbies, even when working 40-50 hour weeks, because they don't rank high on my priority list, especially when compared to my job. I took the job I have because it allows me to have an impact (e.g. being a Senator, the President, or whatnot). More time on the job means more time impacting the world around me, improving as much as I can. And in the same way public servants have term limits and so often work tremendously hard because they only have said influence for so long, my life also has an expiration date; I don't know what it is, but I want to use it to its fullest. Furthermore, I also find that my knowledge & abilities in a given field (and, by relation, the breadth of the "power" I possess to change the world around me), have a better-than-linear (exponential?) relation to the time I invest each week. In other words, while working 60 hours per week may not provide 1.5 times more output than 40 hours per week, I do find that if I use the extra 20 reading papers and books, learning more about my field, what I can accomplish in my 40 hours is far more than 1.5 times as useful. So, while I'm "working", it's not really "work", its a hobby; my work and my hobbies are one in the same. So, in short, I guess you could say that I feel that many people overwork for the wrong reasons, but working hard for the right reasons can be great if it suits you personally. Thoughts? Great site and nice posts… I like it very much. But this post and it’s predecessor I’m not in total agreement with. You mentioned having hobbies and other things are home. However, I have struggled to fit in hobbies, even when working 40-50 hour weeks, because they don’t rank high on my priority list, especially when compared to my job. I took the job I have because it allows me to have an impact (e.g. being a Senator, the President, or whatnot). More time on the job means more time impacting the world around me, improving as much as I can. And in the same way public servants have term limits and so often work tremendously hard because they only have said influence for so long, my life also has an expiration date; I don’t know what it is, but I want to use it to its fullest.

Furthermore, I also find that my knowledge & abilities in a given field (and, by relation, the breadth of the “power” I possess to change the world around me), have a better-than-linear (exponential?) relation to the time I invest each week. In other words, while working 60 hours per week may not provide 1.5 times more output than 40 hours per week, I do find that if I use the extra 20 reading papers and books, learning more about my field, what I can accomplish in my 40 hours is far more than 1.5 times as useful. So, while I’m “working”, it’s not really “work”, its a hobby; my work and my hobbies are one in the same.

So, in short, I guess you could say that I feel that many people overwork for the wrong reasons, but working hard for the right reasons can be great if it suits you personally. Thoughts?

]]> By: John Grabowski http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-207840 John Grabowski Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:36:34 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-207840 I once worked for an advertising agency that, due to hard times, also cut back from 40 hours to 32. We also accomplished the same amount of work, and when we went back to 40 there was some grumbling. So your experience is not unique. But this goes against the "wisdom" of business "management." I once worked for an advertising agency that, due to hard times, also cut back from 40 hours to 32. We also accomplished the same amount of work, and when we went back to 40 there was some grumbling. So your experience is not unique.

But this goes against the “wisdom” of business “management.”

]]> By: Squish http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-151994 Squish Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:02:01 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-151994 I agree that this can work in the short run, but have found in my own experience that long-term housekeeping and maintenance of certain programs falls by the wayside. SOPs get out of date, manuals don't get updated and corners may get cut. But my experience was only with one department going part-time, not an entire company. I agree that this can work in the short run, but have found in my own experience that long-term housekeeping and maintenance of certain programs falls by the wayside. SOPs get out of date, manuals don’t get updated and corners may get cut. But my experience was only with one department going part-time, not an entire company.

]]> By: Umamiblog » Blog Archive » It's actually a really really stupid idea http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-147429 Umamiblog » Blog Archive » It's actually a really really stupid idea Sat, 01 Sep 2007 10:47:32 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-147429 [...] And he’s not the only one to start attacking our culture of multitasking. Alexander Kjerulf of Positive Sharing talked about a CNN study into the work and time habits of 12 reasonably well known leaders. [...] [...] And he’s not the only one to start attacking our culture of multitasking. Alexander Kjerulf of Positive Sharing talked about a CNN study into the work and time habits of 12 reasonably well known leaders. [...]

]]> By: David http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-81243 David Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:41:16 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-81243 I lived something very similar a few years ago. Fortunately for me, it was simply a job to get me by while I tried to get on with the company where I really wanted to work. This particular manager had the "be present x hours, provide x productivity, perform any additional tasks I assign, and spend 20% of your time documenting what you did for every second of the day" mentality. Not only did I leave after a relatively short period of time, I encouraged the only other employee in the same job role to do so as well. Shortly after he left, this location closed permanently. The person that I encouraged to leave and I were not central to the well-being of the location, but the manager ran the whole show. Darwinism at its best. Now, both the employee that I encouraged to leave and myself have worked for several years for the company where I wanted to work. I lived something very similar a few years ago. Fortunately for me, it was simply a job to get me by while I tried to get on with the company where I really wanted to work. This particular manager had the “be present x hours, provide x productivity, perform any additional tasks I assign, and spend 20% of your time documenting what you did for every second of the day” mentality. Not only did I leave after a relatively short period of time, I encouraged the only other employee in the same job role to do so as well. Shortly after he left, this location closed permanently. The person that I encouraged to leave and I were not central to the well-being of the location, but the manager ran the whole show. Darwinism at its best.

Now, both the employee that I encouraged to leave and myself have worked for several years for the company where I wanted to work.

]]> By: Thinking Different » Whatever’s Interesting http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/comment-page-1/#comment-68868 Thinking Different » Whatever’s Interesting Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:53:56 +0000 http://positivesharing.com/2006/04/the-cult-of-overwork-again/#comment-68868 [...] Check out The Cult of Overwork, Top 5 Business Maxims That Need to Go and More Bad Business Advice That Needs to Go. [...] [...] Check out The Cult of Overwork, Top 5 Business Maxims That Need to Go and More Bad Business Advice That Needs to Go. [...]

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