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How do people manage to work hard every day for years?
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Just a quick heads up so you know where I stand:
I have come a long way in figuring myself out. I understand that the most successful people work hard consistently and do not need a source of motivation. From my understanding, they rather have a very deep meaning and reasoning in what they do and works seems to important to not do it. (Less of the time it is because they love every single day of work)
Now I have mapped out for myself what happens when I am productive/work hard and what happens when I do not. And these are really great reasons. I have seen both sides, being lazy brings me closer to my personal hell in every aspect and being productive/working hard makes me literally step foot into paradise.
Here comes my problem:
I have done it time and time again. Working hard for 1, 2, 3 weeks and doing everything the way it should be and the way I want it to be.
But somehow, the longer I work hard, the more I seem to forget the reasons for doing so and I become lazy again. I do not know what it is.
It is definitely not a sensation of burn out, because I do not overwork myself. I take enough breaks, go outside, do sports, socialize and still get all my work done, but after a period of time, I seem to want to flee all my responsibilities and just lay in bed, watch movies and snack.
How do people stay consistently productive for years?
Edit 1: The work I am talking about is not for my main job, which pays the bills and gives me security, it would be for a side project which I am passionate about, but still is hard work.
Edit 2: My Resumé:
- Working consistently is more important than working hard, but still inevitable when trying to achieve something.
- Trying your best to enjoy the process makes it easier, but isn’t always possible - you have to overcome yourself many times.
- The longer you keep your routine going, the easier it will become in the future and will take less overcoming yourself.
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE GREAT INSIGHTS
Top Comment: If you build up a routine over the course of years, you can seem superhuman to someone else, because a lot of the things you're doing that seem to take a lot of energy is just habit. When you have a lot of these habits, the effects compound, and you can achieve a lot most days. Figure out your motivations. Find internal motivations rather than external ones and you will likely keep your work and habits up much better. ie. find motivation like genuinely wanting to get better at X because it helps you achieve your goals, rather than wanting approval from a parent because that makes you feel good.
[discussion] how did you learn to enjoy hard work?
Main Post: [discussion] how did you learn to enjoy hard work?
Top Comment: Probably not the answer you‘re looking for, but getting a routine is everything. Just stop going to the gym for 3 weeks and you will see how hard it is to pick it up again. So just do it every day until it becomes a habit. I really used to hate to practice guitar but now I just do it every day and mostly I even look forward to it. Maybe you’ll not be super hyped about it, but it gets way easier and enjoyable. It also helps me to do it first thing in the morning. Wake up, make coffee, sit down and start. No listening to music, no scrolling through social media etc.
Do you think that hard work is the most important thing to be successful in life?
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I see a lot of people saying that hard work isn't enough and I'd like to know if hard work is really the guarantee of having a good life.
Top Comment: It’s really funny how literally people take the word “work”. When I see something about hard work creating a good life I don’t think it’s talking about working hard at your job, it means working hard on your mindset, your beliefs, your health, your relationship with yourself and others, your life lol. Hard work does create a good life in my opinion. Especially putting the work in the right places.
What The Fuck is Hard Work?
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I was raised in a culture that is so obsessed with "working hard", I figured that somebody would know what the fuck that meant - but they didn’t, and if I asked them they’d say that I’m being cheeky.
Naturally because I did not know what I was supposed to do, I latched onto the behaviors of those people that others described as ‘Hard Working’, and these were people like:
- My father who was deep into the rat race and had to go to work early in the morning and come home late at night
- Those classmates that never did anything except study
- Relatives, friends and people in the social eye that had reached honorable positions (often by sacrificing health and social lives)
I was ready to do that, the problem was I did not know what to do after adopting that lifestyle.
I could study the whole day, cancel meeting friends, miss out on social gatherings, etc. and spend that time studying too - but I was not getting better marks than I got before. I was just giving up enjoyment with nothing to show for it.
It wasn’t until a week before my anxiety-ridden 10th Grade Board Exams that I realized:
Working hard doesn’t mean working all the time, it just means working consistently towards a reasonable goal or target - and that these goals/targets vary from person to person.
If you think about it, working hard is nothing except working with a good plan.
*Excerpt from What the fuck is Hard Work by Ishan Puranik*
Top Comment: Develop your skill in learning and you'll learn ways to make work easier. If your job involves math, you can build calculators in Excel that are specific to the job you're doing. If it involves design, you can learn how to reverse engineer the best designs you can find and turn them into templates. It all gets harder the less autonomy you have over your job. I'm an entrepreneur because I couldn't stand inefficiencies in my job that I didn't have the autonomy to fix.
[NeedAdvice] How to enjoy Hard Work?
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I have a problem and it’s destroying my mental health and at some point my life. I get away with doing the absolute minimum work last-minute and on the fly when it comes to literally everything.
I am 25. I started to notice this and things going south when I was 14 or 15 ish.
I just never study until the night before. I never learned to enjoy studying or working hard consistently. It was always grinding when I needed it last minute and I got away with it. And by “got away” I mean Bs, where as if I put in the effort, I could easily get As.
It’s the same with work. Maybe I am just slightly smarter than average or more clever, to pull it off. Or maybe people give me the benefit of the doubt. But I pull through somehow that’s “good enough” last minute. And I hate it. It’s caused me so much self loathing knowing that I could do bette. But for so long it’s the only thing I know how to do. I become apathetic and feel suicidal because of it.
Deep down, I don’t want “good enough”. I want great at least at something. I know I can’t get away with it at some point.
I hate knowing that I could be great if I worked hard consistently but I also hate the idea of hard work.
I don’t understand how people work hard. Is it for the journey or the destination? If it’s the journey, I don’t understand what is enjoyable about hard work. It just feels hard, bleak, and never ending.
Sorry if this doesn’t make any sense. I just think for too long I have chosen avoidance to do work until it started to become a problem (last minute) rather than consistent effort. I’ve tried habits and systems and starting small but no matter what, I don’t commit. Please help me.
edit: to clarify - I essentially want to understand: How do I enjoy the journey?
I can start doing 10m timer, then 30m, then 4hrs with breaks, but that all sounds exhausting. nothing but the destination makes me want to do it. and I don’t think that’s sustainable motivation anyways.
How do I make myself look forward to wanting to work on something 10m or 2hrs or 8hrs or x hrs per day?
Do I have to want the destination really really really bad? Is there something i don’t understand about the journey?
Top Comment: OP, the best way I've found is two part: Pick one thing to do your best on every day. Be consistent with that thing every single day. Don't worry about multiple habits or skills. Reflect at least once each day on why you want to be better at that thing. Force yourself to come up with a reason no matter how trite. Gratitude and appreciation need to be there in order to build your perspective. It will be easy to rationalize or minimize the significance as it starts to become routine. You might even become fixated on something else that is "more important." Stick to the thing that you consciously decided was worth your investment and care. Once you've attained the reason - the thing you have been reflecting on as why it was important to you - keep it as your focus for a while longer. Prove to yourself the value in your choice and effort. Practice the gratitude for becoming the better version of yourself even in only one way. Now choose another move forward. You will surprise yourself at how much you'll attain in a relatively short time.
If "working hard gets you nowhere" at a typical job, how did you "get somewhere"?
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We've probably all heard the phrases "work smarter, not harder" or "boss makes a dollar, I make a dime...". I swing between believing hard work WILL eventually pay off, and believing it will only ensure you are taken advantage of.
For example, a retail worker who goes above and beyond is LESS likely to get a promotion. Management needs hard workers in low level positions. Those shelves wont keep themselves stocked. Clean that spill while youre at it, too. Work overtime and holidays, or someone will take your potential hours.
On the other hand, many high-level employees see bonuses and raises every quarter while doing less than their job description entails. Their job is typically less demanding physically and mentally as well, sometimes to the point of ironic humour. Seven figure salary for simply showing up and doing the bare minimum.
Is success something you can achieve with hard work only? Or does luck, inside knowledge/relationships, and strategy also come into play? If so, how important are these compared to work ethic?
What other qualities besides 'hard work' determine whether or not someone will succeed?
How can people 'stuck' in low pay, low reward jobs find relief? Is there a strategy they can use to find better opportunities?
Top Comment: Luck, timing and social skills
People who work hard and succeed in life, what would you ...
Main Post: People who work hard and succeed in life, what would you ...
How do you define ‘hard work’?
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Do you base it on how much you accomplish?
Do you base it on how many hours you put in?
Do you base it on how stressed you feel?
I’m interested in hearing your take, because everyone says ‘running a business requires hard work’ but never elaborates on why or how.
Obviously, for the business owners in here, you know that building a business requires work, but if you enjoy the process.. does it feel hard?
Let’s discuss! what do you define as ‘hard work’?
Top Comment: Excellent question and discussion topic! I define hard work as the amount of effort put in. I could work 100 hours in a week doing a menial and mindless job, and I’d be far less exhausted than if I did 40 hours lugging shingles up a roof. When it comes to business, although there is immense effort, it is enjoyable because I like the progress..... Similar to the gym - it’s hard work but doesn’t mean you have to hate it. Focus and dedication matter too when it comes to business..... Just because you’re working hard, stressed to the max and clocking a lot of hours doesn’t mean you’re doing it on the right things that actually matter. Success is derived from hard work, but only from the right hard work
People of reddit is hardwork actually overrated?
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I have watched so many interviews and and read so many articles in the media about all these billionaires claiming "work smart not hard". How true is that according to you? Does hardwork actually not matter to become rich?
Top Comment: Hard work can be useful but results vary wildly. You probably won't see a benefit from busting your ass vs just doing your job right, unless stress and exhaustion are things you consider good. Smart work is what I'd call working in a more efficient (maybe novel) way or in a way that brings you closer to a goal without wasted/excess effort.
People no longer believe working hard will lead to a better life, survey shows -
Main Post: People no longer believe working hard will lead to a better life, survey shows -
Top Comment: Every single job I have worked since I was 16 has rewarded my hard work with more work. People know that you can be counted on, so you get more work or more critical work to do. The work gets done, and others enjoy a more peaceful job due to your efforts (usually at the same pay). Since promotions are somewhat political in nature and managers have somewhat short-term memory. Hard-workers who don’t toot their own horn are typically looked over and begin to grow bitter and find new work elsewhere. I’ve been at many different places of work (large and small) and my advice is that the only places I was well-compensated for working harder, was small-business. If you do not want to start your own business, then he next best thing is to find a small and growing business where your input is valued and you can grow with the company