Solving a Work Problem

How do people determine if they have work? If they have work, how do they decide if they have a work problem? Here the notion of “true self” comes into have a conception, however implicit and unarticulated, of who they “really” are, which I am calling true self and which others may call identity. In my view, work fulfills the true self, whereas a job does not. Thus many people do not have what I call work.-A work problem is a problem in doing labor that would fulfill the true self. It occurs when one’s behavior is at odds with one’s self-concept. (In quite a different sphere, love also fulfills the true self and is prone to similar problems.)

Five important features characterized Program II in its final form, arrived. at after much experimentation and modification: (1) the ally system of having weekly conferences about the previous week’s work and the upcoming week; (2) keeping a work log; (3) having a master schedule and weekly schedule; (4) working two hours a day except on unusually heavy days; (5) working on one project at a time. It is important that I emphasize at the outset that we took an experimental approach. M and I tailored the details to fit us. They will thus not necessarily fit everyone else.