There’s been a lot of headlines about what’s going on at Twitter HQ since Elon Musk started running the company. I'm not playing armchair quarterback and telling you what I would do running a company, though I will say, "this ain't it." Musk sent an email to what’s left of the Twitter staff demanding to a commitment to hardcore work and long hours. The number of hours puts it is a poor metric of hard work.
I’m an INTJ, a child of refugees, and a Capricorn, hard work is in my DNA and personality. I would be lying to you if I didn't put in more than 80 hours a week and did all-nighters in my 20s—I definitely did. I don't recommend it. I'm not here to recommend what you should do with your life and can tell you it was fueled by something else. Work is not life. For many, it's a means to enjoy life. However, some, they found the Ikigai in their work. Make sure you're working hard for yourself.
All this hardcore work made me reflect on what hard work means. I'll share a bit about the theatrical parts of hard work, the elements of hard work, and the pursuit of something great.
When hard work is performative
Effectiveness over productivity
Humans are not meant to be productive like machines. Long hours make you less effective. It's the quality of hours you put in, not the amount. An exhausted version of you is likely going to introduce bugs in your code, miss details in your design, or lash out at your team if you're leading. If you think of Olympic athletes as the top performers in their profession, you’ll recognize they get the best training, nutrition, and rest.
Hustle has been appropriated
It makes me sad when influencers use hustle culture to manipulate young and early-career people into being conscripts for Silicon Valley. The origin of hustle is not capitalistic exploitations but a means of survival—the need to make a dollar out of 15 cents to pay the bills. People who work hard...work hard. They don't tweet about it. The people who tell you to put a lot of hours in are the ones who are going to gain most of it from you. They definitely want to change the world...their world.
Burnout will destroy you
Burnout takes a long time to heal, and you might not. I don't believe you can actually recover from burnout and carry the trauma for the rest of your life. Experiencing toxicity and burnout are the two main reasons people leave their profession. Without exaggeration, burnout can kill you.
The pursuit of greatness
Instead of hustling and flailing, pursue a path of greatness that’s worth hard work.
Hard work does not guarantee quality
You can work hard and still not create quality outputs. Just because you put 80 hours in on something doesn't mean it'll be good. Instead, focus on leveling up, developing mastery, and putting the hard work into that.
Invest hours in deliberate practice
If there's one place you can put a lot of hours into creating value, it's practicing with intention. As you practice, you'll accrue experience and skill—powerful assets that let you create better work without hustling and burning yourself out.
The elements of hard work
My perspective is there are three core elements that make working hard worth it: focus, passion, and dedication. These three elements infused make you work more effectively and smarter, not harder.
Focus
In order to work hard, you need to be attentive, and at your best. I do not believe in multi-tasking...yes, in general. The moment you do more than one thing at a time, the focus is eroding. You can multitask, but there is a cost to it—not worth it, in my opinion.
In my workspace, there are no notifications, social media, or anything that remotely distracts me. It's just me, and my tools. Could you imagine if the person building your house was checking Slack while setting the foundation of your new home, or a surgeon checking their Fantasy Football while repairing your ACL? In moments of hard work, it needs your undivided attention. Focus also entails the energy to be able to do so. If you aren't getting enough rest, or something is occupying your mental space, you cannot focus.
Passion
You have to have passion in what you choose to work hard in because in the end, it has to be worth it to you. Passion is what fuels you, and will get you through challenging times—nature's coffee. If you lost passion for something you're interested in, it's difficult to put any hard work in and may not be worth it. For me, my passion is creation, building, and learning. These are the three aspects that fuel what I do and connect with a new craft. I am passionate about design not because of the act of using Figma, but because creation that leads to building something that can create impact. I am passionate about learning and helping others learn because it can have a generational impact beyond my life.
Dedication
Hard work pays off, but there has to be a payoff. Find something worth dedicating to. Dedication gets you through the difficult times, and there will be. There will be wins and losses, and sometimes you'll have losing seasons—many of them. As a Raiders fan, I can tell you first-hand this is true. Dedication is that commitment to excellence that stops you from giving up hope.
Purpose and ambition in life looks different for everyone, and it's important for you to define what that means. Long hours do not equate to success. Grace Walker recently gave a talk, Small on purpose, about the life of a solopreneur and what success, looks like. Success looks different for everyone, and only you can define it.
I’ve seen many contemporaries leave the industry to never return—retired on a farm or finding a new profession. For many, it's by choice, and for others, it's the spark burning out. With nearly two decades in the tech industry, I need to be healthy and present enough to endure the next few. If you have ambitious goals, you'll need to work hard but don't let them destroy you. Play the long game and make every hour count and it invokes positive energy.
Hype links
Coho launched their new website (the former On Deck learning program crew)
A coworker recommended Margaret Kerrison’s book Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer's Guide and highly recommend it! A great read on world building.
I made a page on my website of links where else you can find me.