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Help me understand the meaning of and develop a stong work ethic.

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:22:55 -0800

Please help me understand what does "having a strong work ethic" mean? I've been somewhat of a slacker all my life and have somehow managed to get by by doing the barest minimum necessary in almost all spheres of life but specially when it comes to school and work. As was to be expected, this has started to have long term consequences and affect my life in permanent ways and for the last few months, I've been trying to make amends. The problem is that I don't think I'm doing it right. All I've been doing is overcompensating by turning into a workaholic and putting in very long hours without matching gains in productivity or satisfaction.

So, my question is this: what does "having a strong work ethic" mean to you? If you consider yourself to have it, how does that translate into actual everyday life for you? Or if you admire and try to emulate someone else for theirs, what is it that you specifically like about them. If any books or blogs have helped you in this area, could you share them? Instead of just general advice that is to be found on some many productivity blogs, I'm seeking specific examples of what might for you count as a good work ethic. Thanks!

You need concentwation.

Saxon Kane — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:26:53 -0800

How do you develop focus, drive, and personal discipline? Hi there. I'm looking for advice -- both psychological/philosophical and practical -- on how to develop my sense of personal discipline.

There are a number of areas of my life in which I feel like a stronger sense of focus and drive would really improve my performance and make me a happier & more productive person.

In particular, my work. I'm a PhD student, just getting into the dissertation phase. I do a lot of reading, writing, research, and grading. Often, I procrastinate (especially on the writing/grading), leaving things until the last minute. I usually perform pretty well under pressure, but I do often get the sense that I'm not performing up to my level of capability. And, in terms of grading, I feel like I don't give my students all that they deserve. When I read papers, I get easily distracted after 1 or 2 essays, and my comments become vague and not too helpful. Inevitably, I'm left with 15 papers left the day before I've promised to give them back, and I rush through them and the students don't get a lot of great feedback or help for their next project. I'd like to be able to focus more when doing my research; instead of reading for 30-45 minutes, then taking an hour break, I want to spend more time really focusing on the texts and getting a lot out of them. I'd also like to be able to get into a habit of writing regularly, and not having to churn out 20 pages in a night.

Other issues include things like working out regularly, sticking to a healthy diet, and just getting out of bed in the morning when I need to rather than hitting the snooze button 10 times.

Practical advice is welcome, of course, but I have tried many things like to-do lists and setting aside certain times during the day for specific tasks. I guess that I need a way to ingrain a sense of focus and discipline into my psyche. If any of you have had particular success it going from slacker to champ, please let me know.

Describe ideal grad student

Eiwalker — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:39:51 -0800

What is a typical excellent grad student like as a person? I'm not interested in grades/GRE scores. My concern is with character, personality, work ethic. I just finished my first year as a grad student in philosophy. I'd like to better understand my role.

I have also been asked by one of my undergraduate professors to write a paper for his students, giving tips for applying to grad school in philosophy.

There are almost certainly different types of successful grad student: different people succeed in different ways. If you know of unusual but highly successful types, feel free to mention those; but I expect that the rare types might tend to look riskier on paper (esp. applications).