2049: It's Time For Everyone to Redefine Work by Marc Bilodeau on Meaningful Work

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[00:00:57] terms at aka.ms slash college pc this is optimal work daily it's time for everyone to redefine work by Marc Bilodeau of Marc Bilodeau.com most people find little meaning in their work in fact a 2017 gallops world poll found 30 percent of u.s workers are engaged at their workplace the numbers are even worse internationally that's a real problem however i believe there is a

[00:01:26] solution instead of understanding why people are so disengaged from their work a better approach is to redefine work so they will become more engaged i love to work it's a big part of my life it defines who i am i will gladly work for 12 hours a day each day i wake up ready and eager to tackle my work who in their right mind would want to work this much well this guy i'm sure i sound like a crazy

[00:01:51] workaholic not even close my work has a lot more depth beyond my day job unfortunately most people think that work is their professional life and play is their personal life they separate the two of which play is a positive and work is a negative nothing can be further from the truth thankfully this is easily fixed when we redefine work redefine work when people ask what you do they're asking about

[00:02:18] a career job title and the responsibilities with it that's a social norm when adults meet for the first time or when building a professional social network however the question implies only that one's job constitutes a person's purpose and place in society for instance how do i stack up against you a person's work in a traditional sense is only a component of work is everything that progresses

[00:02:43] any project or goal such as a career family hobbies and personal interests however nothing should be part of a person's work without a clear understanding of its purpose for example my health is an important part of my work the purpose is to maintain a healthy lifestyle through activities i enjoy other parts of my work include my family a day job this blog learning esperanto several programming projects

[00:03:10] composing music and project tinyhome.io each one having a personally defined purpose i'm not advocating that everything related to our work will be enjoyable all the time in fact some tasks will require extra brain power and focus to complete yet these more difficult and necessary tasks should contribute to some greater purpose that is worthy of our time and energy time management time is the finite resource that binds

[00:03:37] us all in fact many people regularly complain they don't have enough time even with well-defined work we can still struggle furthermore there are always tasks that are hard to complete however creating multiple milestones to focus on each step separately can help set the pace for more difficult and emotionally draining tasks unfortunately it doesn't always solve a time management problem planning helps bring some order

[00:04:01] to the chaos although a schedule cannot account for 100 of a person's time it can provide a framework to meet all obligations there are several methods for planning some choose to set aside huge blocks of time to focus others break up their days into smaller chunks of time to focus on specific tasks regardless the most important thing is to focus only on the tasks at hand during these blocks of time it's critical to avoid

[00:04:27] any distractions such as smartphone notifications email social media and anything else that draws attention away from the tasks the goal is to produce quality results that complete tasks or move a larger goal forward at first it can be difficult to balance time it does take some practice however if a person is in a constant state of feeling like they're always behind then it's time to review the current priorities and

[00:04:51] once again redefine work perhaps it's time to find a new job or temporarily put aside a personal project work does not equal money when a person limits themselves to a work equals money mentality then they end up missing out work should bring joy and happiness to what we do whether we're compensated for it or not instead most people have job responsibilities that are mostly shallow work or repetitive tasks this can

[00:05:18] lead to burnout and boredom which could be a reason why so many people are disengaged only when people redefine the scope of a workday to include personal and professional endeavors will they be able to achieve their full potential and find meaning in their work it also fosters a more well-rounded skill set this makes us more marketable happier and fulfilled furthermore it can lead to new opportunities whether

[00:05:42] they generate income or not redefine work and go with a new perspective it's time to redefine your work and dig in there are always exciting tasks something new to discover and skills to learn the endless list of priorities and action items is always up to you to manage throughout a lifetime of different jobs interests and hobbies always bring the same focus and drive to each task be fully present remove distractions and put your

[00:06:10] best foot forward moreover each completed task is progress always feels good so the next time you think about work if you're doing it right it should bring a smile to your face and an eagerness to start working you just listened to the post titled it's time for everyone to redefine work by mark bilado of

[00:06:34] Marc Bilodeau.com girl winter is so last season and now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs you're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders that perfect hang on the patio sundress those sandals you can wear all day and all night and you've had enough of shopping from your couch done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open

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[00:07:24] at ollie.com that's o-l-l-y dot com and thanks to mark who has been a long-time listener of our podcast he started tuning in shortly after optimal living daily began back in 2015 and you can show him some support by coming by his site which i have linked in this episode's description and i'll share it again for you in a moment mark is a lifelong learner always improving himself and sharing what he knows and he

[00:07:51] helped us out by letting us know when things with our podcast were not functioning correctly he's into running healthy living tiny houses home automation esperanto beautiful data writing code and minimalism so come by marcbilodeau.com to learn more mark is spelled with a c and bilodeau is spelled b-i-l-o-d-e-a-u and again i do have that linked in this episode's description and with that we've wrapped up today's episode

[00:08:19] which i hope you enjoyed and i'll be back with you tomorrow and that is where your optimal life awaits