In a recent article on the New York Times, Robert C. Pozen, a sessional lecturer at Harvard University, writes about the tendency of office workers to artificially earn paycheques by finding methods to work their way around lengthy hours at the desk. He cites long meetings, abundant reading, and mere working speed as potential problems to the paycheque flaw.

“Hey Jim, check out this proposal…Just kidding, but check out the flight on that thing eh?”

Work is done not simply to be finished, but to accomplish and build to your knowledge base. Many times, we find ourselves rushing to complete assignments not knowing what the main purpose really is. A prime example is attending math class and subsequently writing the seemingly difficult exams. Certainly math can be a painful process and numbers and figures may not have any relevance at all– yet, the thought process involved is very crucial to the development of how you approach problems in general for whenever you need to be solving problems. And yes, problems will always exist to be solved. Taking the time to absorb knowledge will pay many dividends for when professionalism comes knocking at the door. When work needs to be done, it will be done, and efficiently, because you’ve spent the hours to get where you are.

Pozen’s article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/business/measure-results-not-hours-to-improve-work-efficiency.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=global