Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity.
Tao de Ching (Steven Miller translation)
I had begun to notice that the more humanely I treated myself and others, the more productive we all became.
Kent Beck, “Extreme Programming Explained”
“We are made of time” as Oliver Burkemann says. Given how much time we are working, we are, in large part, made of work. A philosophy of work is a philosophy of life.
Our view of work starts with the basic recognition that we are “apes confronted with the cosmos,”[1]. As beings who have placed themselves in the cosmos, we may or may not need more from life than to spend it efficiently completing various tasks.
We are workers, yes, but on a more basic level, we’re humans, primates, mammals, and animals*.* At each of these levels, we have needs. Work is not intrinsically valuable, but it does have value insofar as it allows for achievement and fulfillment of these needs, and so supports us and enables us to thrive and prosper in the world as human beings.
As animals, our needs include nourishment, shelter, a sense of safety and stability, comfort and sleep. It’s important to acknowledge that these needs are central and having them fulfilled represents our core reasons for working.
On the more human / primate end of things, our needs include things like meaning, purpose, friends, challenges, actualization. As humans, we can appreciate the so-called “finer” things—things like art, literature, film, magic, music, and even things like games, puzzles and challenges.
If history is any measure, we can derive great joy from the act of overcoming challenges with people. When you overcome a challenge at work with a group of people, you are, in a way, placing your life in their hands. This act can create deep bonds of trust and love.
If the lower needs (i.e. sleep, nourishment) are not met, the higher, human needs (i.e meaning, connection) cannot exist or cannot sustain. Therefore, when in doubt, the lower needs should take precedent. A good question is: “what does the animal want?”
Although it’s reasonable to see that some might see work as a means to fulfilling only the most If we are expected to spend a large part of our time at work, it’s fair to ask that to fulfill more than
We don’t work with others a means to completing tasks, we complete tasks as a means of working with others.
How groups focus meaning
Existentialism - we only exist as part of a matrix
We follow a flavor of Kanban descended from Extreme Programming principles.