Real Work vs. Fake Work

“Never Confuse Movement with Action” – Ernest Hemingway?

David Jones, from the New Age Industrialist newsletter, posted a compelling graphic that lamented the prevalence of what it called “fake work.”?

The graphic described this “fake work” as…well…mental self-pleasuring.?

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This so-called “fake work” is described as long morning routines to “prepare” (think along the lines of sauna sessions, meditation retreats, or cold tub plunges), reading books to make you feel like you’re making progress, and planning all day because it’s easier to say than do.

This “fake work” is seen in the proliferation of “hacker” type books, podcasts, and YouTube videos, all dedicated to talking about getting the work done. If you’re like me, your “personalized” video suggestions are littered with the usual hodge-podge of “My Perfect Morning Routine (supported by science),” “My Top 5 Favorite Productivity Tools,” or my personal favorite – “How to Achieve More by Doing Less.”?We watch and feel productive.

The reality is we procrastinate and never produce.?

This is contrasted with “real work,” defined as what “moves you forward.”?If you do real work, you will:?

1. Start right away and take breaks when necessary?
2. Read fewer books but actually apply the lessons?
3. Draft a quick plan and refine it after you start working on it

When I first stumbled onto this graphic, I was seated on my couch, surrounded by a half dozen unread books and staring at my partially completed to-do list. This proposed distinct dichotomy of doing “Fake” work or “Real” work didn’t sit well with me. It hurt my feelings a little bit.?

I’ve been in both extremes— doing without thought or thinking without doing.

I’ve carefully crafted and created the “perfect morning,” but I’ve also been in a season of chaotic completion, adding up the checkboxes without much thought.?

I think the magic is in the tension of these things. The key is understanding where you’re at on the continuum and ensuring you’ve not fallen into the equally destructive ditches on either side.?

The Tension Framework?

I’m continuing to work on a “tension” framework to help us find the answers when we hold seemingly opposable ideas, like planning and producing.

The answer to so-called “fake work” isn’t to stop a morning routine. Saunas, cold plunges, and 4-hour workweeks are not the enemy. Instead, it’s to ensure that your morning routine results in actual real production.?It leans into the tension of both planning and production, refusing to accept two poor options.

If you don’t lean into this tension, you’re left with three sub-part results. Here are the options for those who fall outside of the triumph of Tension:

1. Chaotic: High producer, but never stopping to plan. In “fake work” vs. “real work” this person will likely complete a significant amount of work but never stay on task because they lack a foundation of planning.?Chaos will eventually ensue without a clear direction.
2. Waste: This person is high on planning, but never follows through into producing. They’re good at describing what to do but never actually getting it done.?They watch the YouTube video and go through some motions, but there is never a result to be found. It’s a waste of effort.
3. Apathy: These people are truly just lazy. They're content where they're at and will rarely put up a fight. In the realm of “production” vs. “planning,” they’re just the lazy ones. They never get anything done, never plan, and never succeed.?

Each of us, at some point, will find ourselves with a tendency to be in one of these categories. It’s essential to be honest with ourselves about whether we are being productive or just keeping busy.?A few questions to identify your location on the grid:

1. Are you focused solely on producing results or have you paused to consider where you’re going?
2. Are you spending more time thinking about doing work or going through the motions, or should you find some time to produce something of value?
3. Are you simply just being lazy?

For those of us who love to dream, to imagine, and to visioneer: you don’t have to give up the YouTube videos, but if it never leads you to production, it might be time to shut down the laptop, stand up, and get to work.?

For real, this time.