After I quit my job @ Benchling, I was talking with People/Friends/Matt O’Brien about disambiguating what “work” means to me, especially as I think about self-employment.

Some people use “work” to mean “the labor they sell”, and relate to it in a transactional way, and use the word “play” to mean times when they are having fun. Typically people try to find work that they enjoy (a career), but there’s a subtle knife edge around which comes first when the priorities are in conflict.

Category Activities
Basic Needs Exercise, Eating, Showering
Play Gaming, Exploring, Watching TV/Movies
Work[Play] Following the heat and working on things like NetNavi and Thought Fortress as inspired
Work[Work] Working on Adulting (Taxes, Slide Decks, Contracts)

I think if I can succeed at being self-employed, I’ll just call the thing I’m excited about “work”, and categorize the Work[Work] as Adulting.