Why are millennials so lazy? Why do they expect everything on a platter? Millennials’ resumes are all about hopping from one job to another. Don’t they know about commitment?
How would they, they’re so used to having options and moving on at their convenience because of Tinder.
I’m one of those millennials — lazy and demotivated at work.
I didn’t enjoy doing grunt work after my family spent a fortune on a Master’s degree in England. $50,000 is a lot in my home currency in India. My family isn’t rich, and my dad worked bloody hard for it.
And what did my degree get me?
Jobs where I’m paid less than $1000 a month doing meaningless work. So where’s the return on the investment we made? Nowhere. At the time of writing this, we’re three months into the year and I’ve already earned my 9–5 annual salary.
But money is a secondary motivation. Let me lead you to why the great resignation is empowering and was much needed.
Work: Then vs Now
One of my tasks at work was to gather data, create pretty-looking presentations, and send emails to CXO level folks across the world. This was a big company, and these were important emails.
Well, one of the many important emails as it was one of the many updates they receive from teams across the world.
Even somebody in high school can do that. You don’t need one or two degrees for it. Surely not a Master’s.
Attending calls where you’re not required to participate, doing grunt work for your senior, and getting calls at odd hours to ‘send emails’. Why is this normalized?
Owning Time
Right now as a solopreneur, I work 4–5 hours a day and do what I want to.
I’m writing, creating products, teaching, and consulting. I’m currently on a low run (a term I created right now) to offload my plate for 2.5 months just because I feel like it.
I’m enrolled in a French course for 8 hours a week and have bought online courses to learn new skills. Basically, I’m learning what I want when I want not doing ‘training’ because I have to.
My corporate job has made me dislike calls so much because there were so many hours of my week wasted on meaningless stuff. Now, I limit them as much as I can.
Why are people upset about a generation working to own their time?
The Fault in Our Systems
Humans operate on relationships and communities. Since the beginning of time, we find our sense of belongingness in other people.
The fault in our system is:
- 8-hour workdays
- bullying in the name of seniority
- office politics
All this takes us away from what's integral to us — people, our people.
We work for 8 hours a day when our brain can only concentrate for 4 to 5 hours, according to science.
Flexibility
Project-based work has allowed people to earn by doing something they’re good at and actually have fun doing, in less time.
I don’t want to work morning to evening. Ever since my grandfather passed away, my grandma has moved into our house and I want to sit with her. I want to have tea, gossip, and spend time.
I want to work less but do high-impact work.
And this is an available option in digital work. I have two consultation calls this week, both of which pay me $$$ for an hour instead of $/hour like my corporate job.
There lies an opportunity for us, and the great resignation taught us that.
“But Our Kids Want to Be Influencers!”
As much as that term makes me cringe, let’s think objectively for a minute. If you enjoy creating videos or a quotes page or whatever it is, and you’re so good at it that people pay you— what is wrong with it?
Let them build in public, build a brand, build a business, and make the money you dreamt of making in your job.
Won’t that make you proud?
If things don’t work out, one can always start school or a job.
Project-Based Work = Freedom
Project-based work is getting paid for a task instead of the hours you work.
This is another thing that unsettled me at a full-time job. If I gave in my 100% I would’ve finished things faster, but there was hardly any motivation to finish anything at all.
5% appraisals, a few years till my next promotions. Why would I want to do that?
Project-based work helps you get paid for what you put on the table.
And with time, the more you do of one thing, the easier it gets to do time. Unlike a 9–5, you don’t have to slow down or take up more things on your plate. You just do what you want to.
Last
Millennials are born with instant gratification where they even get today evening’s date with a swipe.
There’s a brighter side to this. The great resignation has helped more people own their time, generate wealth, create jobs, and be happier.
Think of moms who can start a business from the comfort of their homes, without thinking of city-rents and the high-stress work environment. Think of people who can get empowered doing things they love.
It’s not that they want things too quickly, it’s just that we know how fast the world is changing because ten years ago we couldn’t imagine internet careers as we can today.
We want to make the most of our time today, while we can because we admit we’re impatient that way. And in that impatience lies the strength to get things done.