Newsletter 04 - Focus and the meaning of work

Introduction

This article records and reflects on the life from 2024-08-26 to 2024-09-01.

Spent some time redeploying the blog. Finally finalized the trip itinerary to Hulunbuir for the National Day holiday, going to see the autumn in Inner Mongolia with friends from Beijing. The department-organized software design training P2 has ended. Although the two sessions together were only four days, I gained a lot. However, this is just the beginning, and there is still much to learn afterward. Went to a hit-or-miss restaurant during restaurant week, and for Chinese cuisine, it’s essential to check the dishes and online reviews carefully.

Training, focus, and self-learning

I’ve always been uninterested in technology-related training in China. This prejudice mainly stems from previous online training sessions. Setting aside professional ability, the teaching quality was too poor, the PPTs were in the same style as those used by my university professors, making it impossible to engage. I once thought these trainings were just a tax on one’s intelligence. However, this offline training gave me a good feeling. Setting aside the teacher’s level, I have a few thoughts just on the offline training:

• Long-lost focus: Offline ensures more focus from participants. Unlike online, offline gatherings in a fixed space passively remove many distractions, leading to higher concentration and better learning outcomes. As adults, what we lack most is focus; especially since starting work, we are constantly interrupted by many things, making it a luxury to maintain concentration.

• More interaction: Offline ensures more interaction. Learning is not just about passively attending classes or reading books; it should also involve doing and active thinking to better retain knowledge.

• Study partners: Offline unintentionally provides many study partners.

Initially, I thought my gains from the training were due to the teacher’s abilities, but actually, it wasn’t that significant. It was more about the offline format ensuring a baseline level of training effectiveness, which is unparalleled online.

Blog migration

Previously, the blog was deployed on GitHub Pages, which was sometimes unstable to access domestically. Later, after reading this article, I considered trying the Pages feature provided by Cloudflare, as the domain name was also purchased on this platform. At the same time, my digital garden of “der Garten” was already deployed there with good experience. Therefore, I decided to migrate the blog there too. Actually, a lot of the content in the blog setup was copied from Pseudoyu.

I reorganized the repository, separating configuration and writing, so it’s not messy and aligns with my recent repository management principles. Also, I moved the image hosting to Cloudflare. The previously used Alibaba Cloud domain was never properly managed, fearing bandwidth theft, and wasn’t well maintained.

After a trial run, the effect is quite good, and there shouldn’t be any major changes again. The commenting system will be set up later when more content is written. Hopefully, I’ll write more, making the effort worthwhile.

The meaning of work and personal value

Recently, I listened to a very inspiring podcast from “Reality In Between” titled E042 The Meaning of Work: From Alienated Labor to Personal Freedom. The program discussed in-depth the meaning of work and labor. The role of work in modern society has undergone significant changes, shifting from a simple source of income to a key way to reflect personal value and social contribution. It also discussed the development of work ethics and welfare systems, and how to find the true meaning of work in a rapidly changing economic environment. Finally, the program emphasized balancing personal interests, social needs, and long-term goals in career pursuits to maximize the value of work and achieve personal comprehensive development. It’s worth a listen.

# The Meaning of Work
- Calvinist View
    - Work as a means to prove God's grace
    - Secular achievement as a sign of success
- Development of Work Ethics
    - Protestant work ethic: diligence, frugality, rationality
    - Origin of the capitalist spirit
- Problems in the Modern Work Environment
    - Alienated labor: alienation from the labor activity, from others, from labor products, and from oneself
    - David Graeber's critique in "Bullshit Jobs"
- Countermeasures
    - Best strategy: invent work for oneself
        - Goal: explore real needs, self-supply
        - Example: Scott Adams, creator of "Dilbert" comic
    - Middle strategy: find work with high autonomy and a strong sense of control
        - Based on: the need for autonomy
        - Example: Google's 20% time policy
    - Worst strategy: find jobs that free you from financial constraints 
        - Standard: annual income meets or exceeds certain levels
        - Method: acquire passive income sources like real estate, equity, etc.
- Summary
    - The importance of proactivity
    - Finding and cultivating proactivity and a sense of control in any work environment
    - Maintaining an active attitude towards one's work, even in unsatisfactory or alienated environments