Whether or not this is the correct way to go about things isn’t the point here either; there is a great joy in doing things that you love (if you love your work) well and to their fullest. But it is that your employer would probably be happier if you were to spend less time getting them done. As Henry David Thoreau put it in his essay Life Without Principle, “[My employer] would prefer that I should do my work coarsely and not too well, ay, not well enough.”
This is exacerbated by the fact that we perfectionist overthinkers also probably tend to underestimate just how good that quick response would have been. It might even be better than a lot of people’s 100%. Imposter syndrome, underestimating your own capability, is a real beast for those of us who are constantly evaluating and reevaluating our own abilities and limitations.
It goes a bit in line with that old bit from Office Space, where Peter, fully no longer caring what happens to him and whether or not he’s going to get fired, even outright begging to be, telling them all of the ways that he has been slacking off from his job. Instead of firing him, the upper managers (“The Bobs”) decide that the straight-shooting, calm, collected, confidant Peter isn’t just worth keeping around, he’s actually perfect for management.
Anyways, this is seemingly what was happening in this account of events, where this employee shared how they quietly quit four years ago, finding that their method of doing so, that quiet confidence and quick turnaround, actually elevated their status in their employers’ eyes, leading to them being given a raise and promoted.
Author: Kayitsi.com
