The 70-hour workweek

Now that the 70-hour workweek debate has cooled down, and having read the various perspectives on this topic, I thought I'd also chime in on the whole 70-hour workweek issue. Note that I call this an issue because it created this incredible polarization among the Indian working class, so at least some people have issues with this.

There's the obvious issue around extracting 70-hour work in a pay scale designed for a 40-hour week. Most startups also benchmark their salaries against larger companies that usually have fewer working hours - however intense they may be.

It is also quite clear that China has been working hard for years. Maybe most of the Chinese folks have put in the 70/80/90 hours. Closer home, many investment bankers, management consultants, and CXOs of startups & larger companies have been putting in long hours for years. I'd argue that most Indian businessmen (even small shop owners) have worked immensely hard for their success. On the other spectrum, our street hawkers, our cab drivers, and our delivery boys have also toiled hard to make ends meet.

I would take a tangential point of view on this whole thing. Almost all of you would agree that the number of hours is not a great predictor of success. By our capitalistic measures, that rickshaw driver putting in 14 hours a day and seven days a week isn't successful. He may be successful in his way, but Narayana Murthy will not talk about him. So, this topic doesn't warrant much deliberation. Let's agree that we have to be smart about what game we play along with how we play that game. At this point, some of you may cringe about everyone not having equal opportunities - but we can discuss that another time.

I want to argue that if anyone claims they've worked immensely hard for their success, they've perhaps attributed way too much to hard work and discounted the other elephant in the room - luck. Find me a legend who has just talked about hard work when asked about their success. They always talk about how lucky they've been. It's because they've run a race with competitors who have worked equally hard, but the successful ones have been a little luckier than the others.

I'd also argue that humans do not enjoy working hard. Well, it's not the path of least resistance to begin with. Humans love working hard to achieve their dreams. Because people do not necessarily have a goal apart from making money and living a comfortable life outside of work - being asked to work hard to achieve this breaks them.

If we put in the hours because our workplace needs it or our boss expects us to, or when it originates from fear, it will lead to burnout. Many youngsters these days complain of burnout, and it's because they work hard because of the workplace expectations, not because they want to. Quitting is not always an option, so they continue to work.

On the other hand, if someone has found their purpose and wants to dedicate their life to it, it's not called hard work - it's their calling. Their calling will pull in the hours required to serve it, and adding a number beside it belittling.

I believe that when people find their calling, the hard work dissolves, and there's no concept of work itself. The calling defines their days and their nights, all the relationships they have, and all the choices they exercise. Success is just an outcome, which becomes irrelevant because working on their calling gives them fulfillment. Yes, it does take a toll on the body and mind, but they also know when it's time for them to stop.

Of course, no human, with all their callings, can keep slogging forever. But I'd argue that the ones who have a purpose tire much later than the ones who don't. So then, my argument is to work hard to find your purpose, something that gives you joy, so that when you work on making your dreams come true, you don't feel like you have to work hard - and that working hard was the path of least resistance for you. Hopefully, you'll also get lucky along the way.

Finally, get to a level where you don't have to say you're working hard because the sacrifices is probably not going to be worth it anyway. Like a successful investor, Peter Lynch once said, “I loved what I was doing, but I came to a conclusion … What the hell are we doing this for? I don’t know anyone who wished on his deathbed that he had spent more time at the office.”