What is work?

I find myself often asking the question, "Am I working?" Not in the sense of I'm sitting around reading PopSugar (OMG, John and Jennifer are dating again?) or something, but often I find myself reading an article sent to me by a student, sifting around on the internet and looking at something on educational leadership, like the Saving Alma Mater blog which I find thought provoking. And I wonder, am I really working?

The problem in the "knowledge economy" is that when you're really a knowledge worker, work may not look like much sometimes. And wasting time on paperwork and bureaucratic procedures, while it may make you look busy and important, doesn't actually constitute the substantive kind of work that brings results. When you're in a job category such as mine (we'll pretend my title is Assistant Director, since that's the level of work I do), you have to define for yourself what work is and whether or not you're accomplishing it. If you have a good supervisor then he/she can help you define those goals, and even if they're vague, once you start moving towards them it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

I think I've found myself a bit floating - caught between the busywork that can take up a lot of time yet not really making the time for the substantive kind of work that is so essential to what I do. I go from meeting to meeting, meet with student after student, fill out form after form, and I get to the end of the week and think, I haven't really gotten to the big, important stuff that I need to be working on. Anyone can meet with students or fill out forms or go to meetings. It take someone with my skill set to build relationships, find opportunities, and make action plans for going out and seizing them.

Part of this kind of work does mean staying current - really current - with what other thinkers are doing. Maybe there needs to be set aside time each week when I actually do this and do it for real. Also renew my subscription to The Chronicle.