Robots but Humans: Reading Jenny Odell Reading Ressler & Thompson
Between a superhero, a smart child, a brilliant athlete, a beautiful princess, and a gentle knight. A person remembers an exceptional childhood, with great joy and unforgettable lessons, shaped by animated films shown in the eighties and nineties of the last century. One of these animated cartoons is Emily The Wind Girl. Emily loved nature, especially wind. As a child I became obsessed with her love of nature and I thought that in my life I would get the chance to enjoy the beautiful nature. However, as I grow up, I realize that I am always busy all day. The only time I get rest is when I sleep, and even then I would be so tired to even think about the day. Today, people live in a capital world where we always have to be productive. Therefore, in the two books How to do Nothing Resisting the Attention Economy and Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution the authors discuss the issue of productivity and offer different solutions to the issue.
During the Industrial Revolution, which began from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century, was a period when the rural, agrarian societies of Europe and America became industrial and urban. Before the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late eighteenth century, manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines. People were more mind free, they lived mostly in the rural areas where they were surrounded by nature. There was no technology or social media to distract people all the time. After the industrial revolutions people become machines that have to work all the time and do something. Productivity is the logo of the capitalist world today.
In Jenny Odell’s book How To Do Nothing, she references many different resources to better explain her ideas. One of these references is Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution (chapter one). Odell uses this book to discuss the ROWE solution that the authors of why work sucks suggests. She refutes the argument explaining that it does not work. Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson is about the idea that the way we think and believe about work which is working forty hours five days a week is out of date and it does not work. Therefore, the authors provide a new solution which is “Results-Only Work Environment or ROWE”.
Both books agree that in this capitalist society all people have to be productive. Odell in How to do Nothing Resisting the Attention economy she discusses that in the productive digital world today makes it hard to do nothing. People are always busy doing something. As a result, people hardly have anytime for self-care, and they do not consider it. According to the book,
“Nothing is harder to do than nothing. In a world where our value is determined by our productivity, many of us find our every last minute captured, optimized, or appropriated as a financial resource by the technologies we use daily” (Para.1 of intro).
Similarly, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson in Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution they explain that the work lifestyle that requires people to be productive all the time is old and it does not work anymore. Indeed, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson went further and demonstrated how the expectations of being productive lead people to pretend to be productive even when they are free. In order to be successful in the work field people have to stay in the office for long hours despite the fact that they might not be doing any important work. What matters is to look like they are doing work, the time people set in the office is important to get promoted. It says in the book,
“If you’re the first one in the morning and the last one to leave at night and you take fewer vacation days and never take a sick day, you will do better than the people that don’t do that. It is very simple.” (chapter one).
It is ironic that time is being the determining factor of once success instead of the work completed. The idea of being productive has become the world measure of success.
Although the two books clearly identify the issue of people’s productivity today, they provide different solutions to the issue. Since Odell’s book is not only about work productivity she generally suggests that people should be given the time to do nothing. Odell’s experience in the Rose Garden made her realize that doing nothing and self- care is important. In free quiet places such as gardens where people are not distracted and not saying anything people can better take care of themselves. Odell states,
“I find myself gravitating toward these kinds of spaces — libraries, small museums, gardens, columbaria — because of the way they unfold secret and multifarious perspectives even within a fairly small area.” (Odell,Ch.1, pg.4).
This shows that during this productive world it is important to find a little bit of time to take care of ourselves. On the other hand, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson in Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution they claim that in order to solve this issue the world shell uses ROWE. ROWE is a human resource management strategy that pays employees based on their work results rather than the number of hours they spend at work. According to the book,
“ROWE has done wonders for my business team. Our productivity is definitely up — everyone talks about that. We just crank through stuff — we’re focused on the work and you just get through it. There’s not a lot of BS anymore. There’s no time for people who are playing political games. ROWE isn’t about that — it’s about getting your work done” (Ressler & Thompson, Ch 5).
Although, Odell disagree with Ressler and Thompson that ROWE will solve the problem of being productive . In my opinion, Odell should look more into what the ROWE does. Odell did not provide any solution to the issue of productivity; therefore, I think that the ROWE is an acceptable solution. Both books authors agree that we need to solve the issue of productivity today because it is taking people time. Odell wants people to have the ability to do nothing. Thus, the ROWE suggests that people get their work done the way they want as long as they finish it before the deadline. People does not have to pretend to be productive so people can finish their work early and have the time for themselves. Looking back at what they ROWE does, one can tell that it helps people have time for themselves and that is what Odell encourages her readers to do in her book. Overall, the ROWE is well done solution for people productivity and it should consider.
In conclusion, to live in this digital world, we must be productive. Otherwise, the person would be considered to be lazy in society. By reading both books How to Do Nothing Resisting the Attention Economy and Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution, one can tell that the world is facing the issue of productivity and it needs to be solved.
Reference
Odell, J. (2019). How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. Melville House.
Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution (New York: Penguin, 2008), 11.
Picture reference:
The Busy Parent’s Cleaning Guide — Mums Helping Hands: Office and Domestic Cleaning Services, in your Home and Business Nottingham, Derby, Leicester & The East Midlands. (2020, February 22). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from
https://www.mumshelpinghands.com/busy-parents-cleaning-guide/
