Notes

Where our time at work goes

Read on Substack · 2026-11-13

Full article

Outside work, along with travel, there’s much to read, learn, play and talk about. Earning, building, and having a life are things I’m trying to make room for together.

At work, some of that room is for building and doing things myself. Work my brain a little. Figure something out, put it to use, and see what happens. There’s a high in seeing something work that was, until recently, only a thought (now more than ever).

It’s also why I like smaller teams, where each person can carry meaningful responsibility. Where people understand what they’re working towards, can make decisions, and can rely on each other to follow through.

That makes me question where our time at work goes.

Boring work is subjective. Something that absorbs me for hours could bore someone else in ten minutes. Repetitive work for months is where I start having a problem. Once we’ve understood a task well enough to keep doing it the same way, why does it become a permanent part of someone’s job title? The stronger question is why we accept so much of it as permanent, without asking whether it still needs to be.

I’m not saying automate everything. Of course not. But the drive to evolve has to come from them.. How to evolve (outsource, automate, gamify) depends on you & your skills.

If someone starts a job enjoying 20% of it and spending the other 80% existing through it, or dreading it, that ratio shouldn’t have to stay fixed. They may not control every part of their job, but they have a responsibility to push for that change. To ask for help, find better ways of working, and move towards problems that stretch them and decisions with better stakes.

Otherwise, the reward for getting better is more of the work they were hoping to grow out of. AI calls it ‘high performer trap’, ‘the paradox of progress’ and i agree.

I’d also add - that some of the time saved should be allowed to stay free. A little breathing room helps me think, find a better way to solve something, and handle the unexpected. It also leaves me happier, with some energy for the rest of our lives.

That’s part of what I want getting better at work to make possible (and others too if they agree)

Connected ideas

These links connect the published piece to working idea notes. The article text above retains its published wording.

Related