write down your work “why” everyday

i started a new practice where every day, i write down my “why” for work, at the top of my work journal.

(it’s part of my work journal entry template)

some examples

• help the team align on X so W is less stressed about our project
• solve XYZ because it’s basically puzzles and it’ll be fun, I like puzzles 😄
• finish XYZ before the evening so I can go on my date happily, feeling like work is taken care of
• work hard on XYZ so our team is ahead of the deadline and everyone is less stressed

it’s like that old parable of the bricklayers

three men are laying bricks

one is asked what he’s doing, he says laying bricks

i forget what the second one says

The third one when asked says, “I’m building the house of god”

my why’s haven’t been as hype as that but i believe its really important to connect with the why behind your work (making money to feed your kids?)

i originally started this to help hedge against procrastination. understanding the why behind what you’re doing can help fight deep procrastination

also i went to a law school grad and a med school grad this month. I loved how the keynote speakers would hype up the professions

and writers also tend to hype up their profession and write entire books abt writing being cool

“Career exaltations“

anyway i want to romanticize my career and see it as meaningful too

oh last thing I’ll call out - my why changed every day. Kinda like the Japanese concept of ikigai as i understand it. I think that’s natural / makes sense