## Metadata * URL: [https://getpocket.com/read/3705121279](https://getpocket.com/read/3705121279) * Published Date: 2022-09-16 * Author: [[matt-schellhas|Matt Schellhas]] ## Highlights * You can think of it sort of like a variant of the Peter Principle (people are promoted to their level of incompetence), but instead of being promoted and given more/different responsibilities, people are just given more of the same work. * The “most anyone can do” requires an unsustainable effort that leaves them exhausted and worn out. But [[burnout|Burnout]] is only part of it. * They need to feel progress and growth so that their time and effort hasn’t been wasted. A tight deadline or overwhelming workload doesn’t require increased mastery though, it only requires increased endurance. Doing the same work you already do well doesn’t make you better — it makes you bored. * Growing your career isn’t extra hours to ship a few more units of $1 work, it’s developing the mastery necessary to produce $2 work. * But that doesn’t mean the harder work needs to be stressful or painful. If management is doing a good job, people should have a fairly constant challenge level.