12 rules for work — an antidote for chaos

As I am apt to do once in a while I'll just wander a bookstore aimlessly; I'll meander through the various sections and let the countless titles wash over me. On one such sojourn there was a title that caught my eye — in part because there were dozens of books stacked waist high but also because the title was so intriguing.

12 RULES FOR LIFE — AN ANTIDOTE FOR CHAOS by Jordan B Peterson

I flipped through the book thinking to myself that I definitely have to read this; then I checked myself because I already have three books on the go. Setting the book down I walked away knowing I would be back to pick it up later. Quite frankly you can never have too many books on the go and I should just accept it.

Shortly afterwards I couldn't help but think about what the 12 rules for work would be. The urge became so strong I had to sit down and write out the first 12 rules that came to mind. This is what I came up with in the order that they came to mind:

1. Never forget work is much bigger than what you do.
2. Although you are good at what you do, remember that doesn't mean you are good at everything.
3. The person that you forgot about will throw a wrench into what you want to accomplish.
4. When someone asks if there are any questions... ask one.
5. Work is an intellectual pursuit, not an emotional one.
6. You know your business when you know your numbers.
7.  Nothing gets done without good people.
8. You will get nothing done without objectives and expectations.
9. It is better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.
10. Measure as much as you can.
11. Raise the bar once you think you know what you are doing.
12. People don't pay for easy.

In no way is this a definitive list or even a correct one — what the list does represents is the first 12 things that came to mind for me. I'm definitely going to think about this further and deconstruct why I instinctively believe these are, at the very least, 12 very important rules.

I will get back to you.

iamgpe

PS — I would like to thank Jordan B Peterson for the inspiration.

There is a reason why they call it work...

work [wərk] NOUN: activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.

The past couple of weeks have had me a "little" busy (as well as a little sick), and during all of it I was reminded about the definition of work — that sometimes it isn't much fun (although I suppose by definition that's what makes it work and not fun). I will say I'm a big advocate of finding something that you love to do so it doesn't feel like work, but in the end it is work and it'll feel very much like it sometimes.

My reminder came in the form of 41,000 rows on an excel spreadsheet which required a yes or no decision to be made for each row. Without getting into the detail, I saw no other way of approaching it other than line by line — if there is another way or some AI trick that would've made it easier I'm still a little raw to hear about it quite yet.

There is no intention to debate what work is or what work holds the gold, silver and bronze medals for being the most difficult — although for the sake of getting to the point let's just define work as something that involves mental or physical effort, and my excel spreadsheet leans more towards the mental type of effort (although I was sitting a lot and we all know that's really bad for you). On a more pithy note, I'd say work is the period of time between when you want to stop whatever you are doing and when it's accomplished — and the longer that period of time, the harder the work becomes.

You get tired (physically or mentally), your concentration fails as your mind wanders, and your "will to finish" waivers — all of this influencing how long it takes to accomplish what you need to accomplish (which in turn makes you all the more tired). It becomes a vicious circle that requires even more energy to fight through something that seems to have no end in sight. In this dynamic, work is ultimately resolved in a very binary way — you either accomplish what you set out to accomplish, or you quit. 

It does become that simple — Accomplish or Quit.

There is no real accomplishment that comes without work and sometimes it comes down to four simple words,

"I will not quit"

iamgpe

"No... I'm good... I've got it... I can take it from here."

I suppose I simply want to pose this question... "Considering you didn't know how to do it in the first place and needed help, why would you believe you know what to do next?" The question isn't to anyone in particular — although I suspect you may have asked or been asked this question in one form or another. (Or at the very least, thought it of asking it).

I don't mean for this to be a harsh question or suggest that professional or personal development doesn't have you step into the unknown sometimes with nothing more than the sheer will to succeed. Maybe I'm simply struggling to understanding why a person(s) who didn't recognize there was a problem in the first place, didn't know how to develop a plan (and by extension the activities to implement the plan), would believe that all of a sudden they had the ability to deal with what comes next. 

Is it an issue of self-awareness, simple pride, or the old adage "you don't know what you don't know"? Being it's a human condition I suspect it's something rather complicated. What I do know is that even under the best circumstances it's difficult to get things done, and that's before you add in considerations like capability, competency and council. 

Capability, competency and council... important considerations to reflect on — particularly "self reflection".

• Do you have the capability to do what needs to be done? It is very difficult to understand and admit what you can and cannot do (or be). Sadly not everyone can be a rock-star, a CEO, or a rocket scientist — although remember, there are all kinds of other fulfilling things that you will be capable of doing.
• Do you have the competencies (or skills) you need? Do you know what your skills are, and have you aligned them with what needs to be accomplished? Do you know what you still have to get better at?
• Do you have a council (or network) in place that can help you with the above, as well as make your thinking and actions better (let alone right)?

I can't help but come back to self-awareness... self-awareness of your own capability, self-awareness of what you're good at (and what you need to get better at), and the self-awareness that you don't know everything and you need people's help.

I very much include myself in all of this.

iamgpe