This is actually an exciting question, but it is also not entirely trivial. How much added value do I produce in/with my daily work? And if so, then for whom? For me, for my family, for my customers, for society, for my boss?
And at the same time, what does it cost… For me, for my family, for my customers, for society, for my boss?
Not a simple calculation and probably not a dilemma that can be solved so easily.
So perhaps a plea to keep busy with meaningful things. And before it gets too philosophical, you could also look at it from the other side:
How much time do I actually spend on things that don’t add value…?
– Meetings in which I don’t or can’t make a valuable contribution
– Documents I fill without knowing what happens to the data and who needs it
– Reading blog posts that don’t get me anywhere ☺
– Spending time with toxic people who are actually just exhausting
– Getting upset about things I can’t change or do away with
Okay, so maybe I’ve identified the problem, but what to do?
One question may be: Does everything I do have to be meaningful and value-adding?
No, of course it doesn’t have to.
However, if I get paid for it, that would be nice….