The Distraction of Effort

We often think about work to be done from the standpoint of how hard it will be, and we usually equate how hard it will be to how many hours it will take, either to do the work or to become the expert.

Our industrial complex for the last couple hundred years has taught the average worker to think about their worth in terms of how much effort and time.

I get paid $X per hour, therefore, this is what it’s — and I’m — worth.

But in reality, the purchaser of the work doesn’t care about how hard it will be or how many hours it will take you. We care about the outcome.

If you’re paying someone to dig a ditch, you don’t care about how many rocks they’ll have to deal with. You care that when they’re done, you have a ditch.

If you’re paying someone to teach your children Algebra, you don’t care about the behavior they’ll have to manage. You care that when they’re done, your children understand Algebra.

If you’re paying an accountant to do your taxes, you don’t care about the nuances of the tax system they’ll need to know. You care that when they’re done, your taxes are filed correctly.

The effort required is a distraction when the outcome matters.

Doctor’s don’t deserve to get paid more because of the 12 years of schooling and residency they’ve put in. They deserve to get paid more when they’ve saved or enhanced a life.

When you’re deciding how much you’re worth, don’t get distracted by the effort required.