These are my personal notes on the podcas Jobs and the Deep Life (Cal Newport)
4 Paradoxes of Work
#1. The Passion Paradox
The time-old advice that if you just follow your passion, everything will work out.
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| Work won’t even feel like work because it is also what you’re truly passionate about. | Day-to-Day of pretty much all jobs are pretty similar (spreadsheets, email, coding. Read: mundane) |
#2: Grand Goal Paradox
The idea that if you just get to a very prestigious level in your work you’ll be happy.
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| Highly regarded in you field garantees job security, allows you to work the way you’d want to. | Pursuit of “Grand Goals” trample other important life areas; accomplishment is rewarded with more work/stress |
#3 FU Money Paradox
Many of us understand the idea of having FU Money, which allows you to say “Fuck you” to whomever you want (like your boss), because you are so weathly you no longer depend on having a job.
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| You will never have to answer to anyone. | Actually achieving this is unrealistic for most, is only even possible in a small number of professions, and ofter requires large sacrifices such as your health & relationships. Even if you were to achieve FU money status, there is a lot of positives about being in a fulfilling career that FU money removes. |
#4. The Bohemian Paradox
The idea that W2 Jobs suck the life out of you, that instead you should just do a bunch of freelance work and short-term gigs. (in many ways, the opposite of the FU paradox)
| Expectation | Reality |
|---|---|
| You’ll be happier, have maximum flexibility, and not stressed over a single source of income. | You can become more stressed by giving up many of those same W2 benefits, which are quite good for quality of life (expected income in regular intervals, health insurance) |
The Alternative way to think about work
The first step is to really understand what kind of life you want, which Cal refers to as Lifestyle-Centric Planning. And come up with a number—the amount of money you need to achieve this (I think of it as a yearly salary, which includes saving enough such that my net worth also grows year over year).
From there, first invest in skills and career capital in order to get to the number you set, and then begin trading higher income for more flexibility/time/whatever helps achieve the life you set out for yourself.
Job a a Tool
When thinking of places to work, it’s useful to asses Them based on 3 criteria:
- How much money it generates
- How much time it requires
- How much flexibility it provides you
Depending on your values, as well as other life events, there may be different priorities for each of these attributes.
Conclusion
This is one of my favorite podcasts of all time. I find myself especially referencing it whenever someone is feeling unsatisfied with their jobs or directionless about where they want to be next. The understanding of the Four Paradoxes is especially helpful in thinking more realistically and less romantically about jobs and their use.