The last few weeks have been pretty crazy at work, so I am taking it a little "easy" today and not getting too deep into anything too heavy. It is Friday after all and you know, I have already worked four days out of the five, so 80% is a passing grade, isn't it?
How much can really be expected from an individual?
I do have things to do, and I am not doing nothing - the needle is still moving.
Last week was the end of my bonus period quarter and this week, on top of my normal job, has been spent preparing for the last quarter of the year, which ultimately is a lead into Q1 2024. This is a very important period, as it sets the company up for the entire year in terms of strategy, process and messaging, where my role is supporting through the enablement of various teams in the Sales department. Enablement in companies is often a lot of hand-holding.
At least for some people.
While there are many who are self-motivated and willing to build their skills, there are still those who need to be dragged kicking and screaming to the gallows of their job requirements. In sales for instance, even the most experienced sales people will lose effectivity over time if they aren't able to increase their industry knowledge to incorporate the changing needs of companies. Selling business to business is different to retail, but things like the conditions of the economy still affect the decision-making.
And, effectivity is far more important for a business, in that that a tool has to do the job they need, which will affect in at least one of two major directions. It needs to make them money, or it needs to save them money. This might not be a direct impact, it could be steps removed, where for example, a system that mitigates risk can "potentially" save money by stopping an event from happening.
Essentially speaking though, every spend by a company has some kind of underlying goal to affect the bottom line and increase profits. It isn't always about pushing people to their breaking point either, because that will only get productivity up to a point, before the costs of damage control bear down, as well as the rampant costs associated with a terrible working environment.
And while sitting here doing little productive, I was wondering what my own life might look like if I ran it more like a business and thinking about bottom line. There are obviously limitations here, but what if all disposable income was spent on increasing productivity and every purchase either had to make or save? How much do I buy that isn't required? How much is a cost without an ROI? How much is just a cost?
If looking at the food intake, I'd have to consider the optimal amount of energy and nutrients required for my condition, with the goal of improving my condition. Suffice to say, there is a lot of "opportunity" in this area, as I am definitely not eating optimally. In some areas, the costs for food would go up, but I think in a lot of areas, they would go down, as I would cut out the majority of crap. The overall saving would likely be minimal on the food itself, making the benefit more of an indirect value-add to the way I feel and therefore, my productivity in other areas. The biggest impact area would be the away from home food though - far too much is spent here, with far too little return.
When it comes to non-edible items, there would also be a lot of potential to redirect income, where most of the clothes I buy (I don't buy much or expensive) don't necessarily add anything to my life experience, nor do they bring a return. However, I might change the type of clothes I buy and wear in order to make a different impact on my audience, which could see gains in other areas too. Of course, dressing differently doesn't change anything unless the behavior supports the change, but it still has an impact.
Then there are the tech purchases, where again, I don't spend that much on these things too often, but more often than a company would. Generally, they are more "last legs" for a lot of the tech, unless it adds to the productivity model. Some organizations can't afford to not have good equipment and increasingly, the "tool stack" is cited as a reason to leave a company, if it isn't up to user needs. Still, overall, most of what I would buy, doesn't do much for me or my productivity.
Then there are premises costs, which over the last few years with the purchase of an old house and renovations, has been astronomically high. This is also an investment with a potential return, but if we had been looking at only ROI value, we would have likely shifted our focus areas, used different materials and probably done less. Premises are a very large overheard for a business, which has been increased recently since they are generally set up for increased productivity, but a lot of people aren't actually using them, and are instead staying home.
Optimization of these kinds of resources in personal life doesn't necessarily meaning wiping out enjoyment to save money as most people see it, as it could actually lead to improvement of experience. A lot of what we buy isn't likely returning the impact we think it is, if we were to investigate it, yet do we actually think that much about it? How much streaming content is optimal before it starts becoming a cost? How many new gadgets are needed, or holidays? It is kind of like going out drinking with friends. a few drinks can add to the experience, but one or two too many and, things can go downhill, fast.
Optimization of personal experience is about finding that edge between the amount of work that needs to be done to enable enough leisure activity. Even with all the money one would ever need, a "good life" likely contains a level of work, a level of purpose, event though materially, there are no limitations.
So many people look at work as a negative these days, rather than an opportunity to improve their life experience. They seem to believe that a company owes them purpose of some kind, and are entitled to all kinds of conditions to improve their experience, without factoring in that ROI. The company have human resources that they invest into to affect the bottom line and over the years, this has increasingly shifted to improve working conditions too, but there is still a line. At some point, employees get too expensive to maintain for what they offer and therefore, a company will have to cut back people, because they have a responsibility to their shareholders to do so. That is the nature of the investment beast.
Yet, most of us don't fully grasp this because we ourselves are so wasteful with our own resources and so blind as to the effects they actually have on our experience. We are looking to get out of having to do work, rather than trying to find the right work to do.
Often what needs to be done is not what is wanted to do, so it requires forcing it to some extent. This is helped by understanding the bigger picture, which a lot of us ignore. However, sometimes, what needs to be done is to step away and have an easier day to let the mind refresh a little and then, come back more productive tomorrow.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]