Are You Working for Free?
Here's something that has bothered me and a few friends for some time now - the idea that we are working for free. Seth Godin's post on the topic clarified some things for me.
In my day job - where I DON'T work for free, this is what I do (because I get paid for it):
* I show up at the appointed day/time, and if I don't, I get deducted money.
* I do what I'm hired for, or what is expected of me, whether or not I get praise for it (presumably because I don't need the praise, I need the money).
* I set goals a little above the usual and then strive to hit those goals so I may move forward, with the approval of my superiors.
* I seek approval from my superiors, which means I respond to their criticisms and evaluations.
* I follow the rules of my workplace.
* I expect my reward (my salary) at a specific time agreed upon.
The question comes in when I think about my side projects. I presumably don't get rewarded for my hard work on, let's say, writing on this blog, or maintaining a podcast, or holding free writing workshops, or learning Spanish. At least not with money. So there has to be something else I am getting out of all of this, because no, I definitely would not want to be working for free.
There are things I'd need to identify to make all of this worthwhile.
1) What I get in exchange for the hard work. It could be money, or experience, or some form of learning or education, a new skill, or new friends.
2) What my goals are as I "level up", which means I would have to re-assess these goals every now and again.
3) Who my "superiors" are, and what kind of approval I seek from them, what criticisms and evaluations I will respond to, and how they tie up to my goals.
4) What the rules are in my "workplace".
5) When I will receive my "rewards" for each of my projects, and what I would do if I don't.
6) What the "deductions" are, should I stop doing the hard work.
All of this was helpful because I do find myself always feeling like I'm wasting my time, or that I'm "working for free". You can't say you're working for free when you're not ACTUALLY doing work, or when you're not sure what your goals are.
So ARE you working for free? Is it all worth your time?
Should you work for free?
That depends on what you mean by "work" and by "free."
Work is what you do as a professional, when you make a promise that involves rigor and labor (physical and emotional) and risk. Work is showing up at the appointed time, whether or not you feel like it. Work is creating value on demand, and work (for the artist) means putting all of it (or most of it) on the line.
In my day job - where I DON'T work for free, this is what I do (because I get paid for it):
* I show up at the appointed day/time, and if I don't, I get deducted money.
* I do what I'm hired for, or what is expected of me, whether or not I get praise for it (presumably because I don't need the praise, I need the money).
* I set goals a little above the usual and then strive to hit those goals so I may move forward, with the approval of my superiors.
* I seek approval from my superiors, which means I respond to their criticisms and evaluations.
* I follow the rules of my workplace.
* I expect my reward (my salary) at a specific time agreed upon.
The question comes in when I think about my side projects. I presumably don't get rewarded for my hard work on, let's say, writing on this blog, or maintaining a podcast, or holding free writing workshops, or learning Spanish. At least not with money. So there has to be something else I am getting out of all of this, because no, I definitely would not want to be working for free.
There are things I'd need to identify to make all of this worthwhile.
1) What I get in exchange for the hard work. It could be money, or experience, or some form of learning or education, a new skill, or new friends.
2) What my goals are as I "level up", which means I would have to re-assess these goals every now and again.
3) Who my "superiors" are, and what kind of approval I seek from them, what criticisms and evaluations I will respond to, and how they tie up to my goals.
4) What the rules are in my "workplace".
5) When I will receive my "rewards" for each of my projects, and what I would do if I don't.
6) What the "deductions" are, should I stop doing the hard work.
All of this was helpful because I do find myself always feeling like I'm wasting my time, or that I'm "working for free". You can't say you're working for free when you're not ACTUALLY doing work, or when you're not sure what your goals are.
So ARE you working for free? Is it all worth your time?
I feel like I work for free a bit too much. Or I'm just not setting my goals right!
ReplyDelete