Principal's Corner

Do You Suffer from Workism?

My boyfriend, J.D., and I spend a lot of time in the car. He lives in Palos Verdes; I live in Glendale. We typically split our weekends between the two places. In Palos Verdes, we spend time with J.D.'s twelve-year-old son, Peyton, and J.D.'s mom, Melinda (J.D. took sole custody of Peyton when Peyton was five, and Melinda has been co-parenting with him since then. Amazing lady). In Glendale, we spend time with my sister, Lara, her husband, Lance, and my nieces, Inez and Ayla. We bring our families together as often as possible, and we are in the car...a lot.

When we are driving, we often listen to podcasts. J.D. is a computer science teacher, and we are both quite passionate about education; frequently, we listen to some kind of educationally themed podcast. This weekend, however, we listened to a podcast of The Ezra Klein Show: "Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle." As I listened to the podcast,  I immediately knew that I suffered from "workism."

One of Ezra Klein's guests on the podcast, Derek Thompson, wrote an article entitled, "Workism is Making Americans Miserable." In that article, Thomson defines workism as "the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose." Thompson explains that this was not always the case. In fact, it was theorized in the 1950's that work would become less central to one's identity as jobs became more automatized. Instead, Thompson notes that "in the past century, the American conception of work has shifted from jobs to careers to callings—from necessity to status to meaning."

I am definitely guilty of workism. So much of who I am and what I believe is wrapped up in what I do. And, in many ways, I am proud of this. "But our desks were never meant to be our altars," Thompson rightly asserts; "Long hours don’t make anybody more productive or creative; they make people stressed, tired and bitter." We all know, as Thompson also states, that we are happier when we devote more time to those we love.

This weekend, something happened that forced me to focus on my family. Although it was not the way in which I would have preferred the reminder, it was definitely a reminder that I needed. Instead of spending most of the weekend working, I spent most of the weekend appreciating my loved ones. Yes, my identity is inextricable linked to what I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way. But my identity is also grounded in my relationships and the time I spend with the people I love. And something tells me that the same is true of all of you. I hope that we can all help each other remember that. I've included a couple of photos below of the types of moments - beyond work - that define me and bring me joy :)

J.D., Peyton, and me

J.D. and Inez