60 Hour Work Week

Hi, call me "J". I just finished university and am beginning the rest of my existence. I made this tumblog to help me deal with the paradoxes that I encounter in my life. Feel free to follow and discuss-I find most answers are best found found in the...

[60hourworkweek-blog]

Day 4

Got some stuff done. Was proud of my ability to bike as far as I did. I just wish I got to bed on time sooner. I’m not even sure how to comment on today.

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Days 2 and 3

Day 2 was a wonderful day full of 7 hours or work, and a lot of important things done regarding my summer. I’ve realized that my problem last year wasn’t so much that I needed to cut things out of my life, but instead I needed to sit down and face my fears about working. It’s satisfying to work, and I don’t think I’m addicted at all.

Day 3 presented a challenge but also some joy. I was able to hang out with friends, and have the experience matter. I went swimming, I drank beer, I talked to my boyfriend. I also was able to get a few important things done. There’s a few more things that I would have liked to get done, but overall, wasn’t a bad day.

[60hourworkweek-blog]

Day 1: 3.5 Hours. Hours remaining to work in this week: 26.5. XD

My first day wasn’t bad for a first day. 

What’s tough to know is how hard to be on yourself. Do you yell and scram and beat yourself up for the things that you did wrong? Or do you let it slide?

New try for today: I installed “Pocket” an app that works like “save for later” for Facebook, but works for the internet in general. I’ll see how this works for tomorrow.

Positives: Got to work spot, was decently efficient with my work. Battled through some emotional distractions. 

Negatives: I sat down and did nothing for an hour. Could have been better with managing distractions.

And, of course, I played too much Pokemon Go.

[ewoksarecute-deactivated2024072]

Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

[bodleianlibs]

The Three Graces of Oxford.

The University Church, the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library.

[60hourworkweek-blog]

Paradox #1: 60 Hour Work Week

In my heart, I’ve longed to kill myself over my work. Perhaps this is the trap of the “training montage”: we’re so used to watching film characters train and become the very best in a matter of 30 seconds-because watching someone create 500 mediocre paintings (v footnote below) would be boring compared to someone creating one very very spectacular painting and everyone freaking out and loving it. 

On the other hand, I have been a steadfast believer and speaker of the “30 hour work week.” Countless “self-development” books have purported how trapped and busy our lives all are, and most will recommend working less each week. Political reasons aside (I’ll write a future post about this), I’ve lived my life attempting to adhere to this limitation- and by and large have been dissatisfied with my existence. In here lies the paradox: I long for that romantic killing herself over her work, slaving over every minute detail- I believe that through 60 hours+ a week, I’ll be able to achieve everything I dream to in my existence. On the other hand, I believe that working 30 or more hours a week sucks your soul dry, and you become someone with no meaning, no friends, and no physical energy. I’m tired of living this way, and wish to experiment: what happens when I let myself work these 60+ hours? What happens when I allow myself to engage with my creativity fully, to get so wrapped up in what I do that I create for the sake of creating? Footnote: I say “mediocre paintings”, not “shit paintings” because “shit paintings” are funny and relatable-90% of consumers watching a particular film with a training montage are shit at whatever skill is being depicted.