What is the Real Work?

The Real Work is finding the 20% of inputs that drive 80% of results, and then focusing exclusively on those 20%.

The Real Work is creating systems today that will save you time, energy, money and attention in many tomorrows.

The Real Work is making it enjoyable.

The Real Work is coming to terms with your life’s finitude, your todo list’s infinitude, and the impossibility of ever squaring the two. (See “Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman)

The Real Work is taking care of your health and sanity so you can sustain a high-output career for the next 30 years, not the next 30 days or the next 30 hours.

The Real Work is having that difficult conversation you have been putting off.

The Real Work is developing radical self-awareness – and helping colleagues do the same.

The Real Work is deep observation, watching the illegible as closely as the legible.

The Real Work is doing one extra reference check, even when your gut feel is superb. Especially when your gut feeling is superb.

The Real Work is balancing optimism and paranoia.

The Real Work is being the kind of person who empties the office dishwasher when nobody is watching.

The Real Work is culture building.

The Real Work is balancing pride and humility – your own, and your company’s. Be proud of what you make, and humble enough to know you can still improve tremendously.

The Real Work is staying in the game for the long run, trusting compounding to do its magic.

The Real Work is solving problems before they appear.

The Real Work is making great documentation.

The Real Work is trusting your employees to do the right thing in your absence (and hiring accordingly).

The Real Work is questioning assumptions – not in the name of obnoxiousness, but in the name of improvement.

The Real Work is leading by example, without any expectation of followership.

The Real Work is being grateful for what you get to do, and who you get to do it with.

The Real Work is figuring out what your Real Work is.