Counterpoint: Work Hard Play Hard is an Unsustainable Mindset
Leaders, coaches, and parents push the work hard play hard mindset far too excessively. Yes, it has a time and a place. However, this is a short-term mindset not a mindset for the long-term, and herein lies the problem. When people use the work hard play hard mindset as their long-term approach to work, burnout becomes inevitable.
The whole idea of working hard so you can play hard later orients your mind to not enjoy the work. It’s counter to the mindset of enjoying the process, and it focuses too much of your attention to what comes after the work.
A better mindset for the long term is to work hard and enjoy the work.
Understanding the Characteristics of What Makes Work Enjoyable
Intuitively, we all know there is a difference between work that’s just work and work we enjoy. However, we often miss the subtle difference between these two types of work. As a result, most people can’t seem to figure out how to do more of the work they enjoy and less of the work that’s just work.
I define work as the effort you provide when you have an expectation to get something tangible in return out of it. Based on this definition, there are three characteristics that make work enjoyable.
- The actual physical effort of the work is enjoyable.
- You like the person who is providing the tangible return on your work.
- You value what you are getting in return for your work.
If Two of these Three Characteristics Remain True, Work is Nearly Always Enjoyable
When all three of these characteristics are found, work is always enjoyable. What’s more, you could take away one, and as long as the other two characteristics remain true, the work is still nearly always enjoyable.
For example, you could not enjoy the physical effort of the work but still enjoy the work overall if you both like the person providing the return and value the return you get.
In addition, you can still enjoy the work if you don’t like the person providing the return if you enjoy the effort and value the return. Likewise, you could not value the return and still enjoy the work if you like the person providing you the return and you enjoy the physical effort.
Finally, it’s also important to note that the physical effort of the work could only be enjoyable because you like the people around you. Conversely, you could also not enjoy the physical effort not because of the effort in itself, but because you don’t like the people around you.
The next time you find yourself not enjoying your work, think about the relationship between these three characteristics and figure out how you can make at least two of them turn in your favor.