On Meaning & Work

 Modern life races forward on the wheels of acceleration, pulling us along with never- ending tasks and emails. In this Burnout Society, many feel hollow despite hyperactivity. Burnout defined by the WHO as work-related exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy[1] – is now epidemic. Our “achievement-subjects” push themselves relentlessly, grinding against their own ego-ideals until they are “exhausted by themselves… at war with themselves, [driving] the self to hollow and empty out”[2]. In other words, instead of meaningful creation we run on a hamster wheel of doing, often feeling mentally full yet spiritually empty. In this world of constant stimulus, time itself feels distorted: under stress, minutes can fly or drag, and “distorted perception of time can lead to hasty decisions, impatience, and…burnout”[3]. The doctor’s advice is clear: without active coping (stress reduction, mindfulness, adjusting workloads), chronic workplace stress spirals into exhaustion[4][3]. To restore balance, we must rethink why and how we work, reclaiming craft and purpose before burnout wins. 

The Temporal Trap: Acceleration and Time Anxiety

 Our culture celebrates speed and productivity, but the price is a shattered relationship with time. Philosopher Byung-Chul Han observes that in our hyper-accelerated, digital age, time has been severed from any narrative or meaning[5]. Life becomes a “discontinuous pile-up of sensations” with no tempo for reflection[6]. We flit from task to task without “contemplative lingering,” and even our social bonds are weakened by this fragmentation[6]. In such a regime, it’s no surprise we develop time anxiety: an ongoing dread that life’s clock is racing by. Psychology writers define time anxiety as constant unease about wasting time or doing meaningless things[7]. We feel rushed daily (“not enough hours in the day”), worry about future failures (“What if I fail?”), or panic about life slipping away (existential time anxiety)[8][9]. 

For example, one common symptom is incomplete-task anxiety: “Feeling uncomfortable when you don’t finish everything you planned,” even during leisure[10]. You may wake on a weekend knowing hours are limited and feel anxious before you even start. Even after completing some work, time anxiety refuses satisfaction so you beat yourself up for what’s undone[10]. This inner pressure echoes Stoic wisdom: Marcus Aurelius recognized our natural fear of time and counsels empathy with ourselves. In Meditations he reminds us not to let events “shatter” our character or make us “frightened of the future”[11]. Rather than fearing every tick of the clock, we can reframe experience. If something is “unfortunate,” Aurelius might say it was actually fortunate that you endured it and stayed true to your values[11]. By adopting such a perspective by focusing on how we respond to time rather than its rapid passage we can loosen time’s grip on our anxiety. 

Minds in Overdrive: Cognitive Overload and Burnout 

Our brains weren’t meant to juggle endless inputs. Each day, the average person’s mind is flooded with millions of bits of information, yet conscious focus processes only a few dozen[12]. When we spread our limited attention across ten tasks, nothing gets full focus. Multitasking, it turns out, simply rapidly switches attention between tasks, leaving each piece of work shallow and fragmented[12][13]. It feels thrilling and the dopamine rush of constant novelty but it exhausts cognitive resources. Studies show multitasking always reduces overall productivity: it takes longer, lowers memory retention, and generates mental fatigue[14][13]. In plain terms, doing five things at once makes you busier, but not better. Instead of deepening our craft, we stay at the surface of many tasks, with “a great way to become busier… but… less productive”[15][13].

 This constant high-alert state is literally wearing us out. Chronic stress and mental overload spike cortisol, which interferes with focus, memory, and decision-making[16]. Symptoms abound: forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and what people commonly call brain fog. But unlike classic fatigue, this feels like a “full head”, countless tasks swirling in your mind yet “empty thoughts” when you try to think deeply. Han’s portrait of the contemporary self is apt: we become machines of positional power, always “running a rat race against [ourselves]”[2]. Without significant rewards for this race, our inner critic turns on us. In fact, research highlights that lack of reward fuels burnout: skipping celebration of any success causes cynicism and exhaustion[17][18]. Maslach, a leading burnout researcher, notes that “insufficient rewards” is one of six key burnout drivers[18]. In other words, if you never pause to acknowledge progress, your brain stops feeling satisfied. You push on for the next goal, but the dopamine never comes, and motivation burns out. 

Rediscovering Craft and Purpose 

Amidst acceleration, meaning often hides. To counter this, some thinkers advocate refocusing on craft mastering a worthwhile skill, rather than busywork. Cal Newport argues for a deep-life approach: “Master a useful craft, use this mastery to shape your working life in a way that’s both secure and satisfying, then build structures around your efforts that further amplify their meaning”[19]. This means shifting from a passive “find-the-right-job” mindset to actively honing valuable skills. Instead of flitting between tasks, we concentrate on quality and impact: autonomy, skill development, and a sense of mastery. In practice, this might look like dedicating focused hours to develop expertise (deep work) or structuring your career around projects that resonate with your values. Dedicated teachers or doctors, for example, deliberately cultivate meaning around their craft connecting daily tasks to helping others and to self-improvement[19]. 

Psychology research calls this approach life crafting: intentionally aligning one’s activities with personal values and strengths[20]. A recent review describes life crafting as a “proactive process of meaning-making” by balancing life demands with resources and reshaping one’s tasks, environment, and mindset[20]. It outlines seven strategies from cognitive reframing to skill-building. For instance, resources-demands crafting advises taking on fewer simultaneous projects to avoid overload, or adding regular meditation to build resilience[21]. Task crafting means adding meaningful elements to work (e.g. mentoring others, or integrating a value, like sustainability, into projects) to increase engagement[21]. Skill crafting encourages you to continuously sharpen talents, reinforcing the sense of growth and efficacy[21]. These strategies help transform the endless to-do list into a cohesive pursuit of purpose. Rather than mindlessly checking boxes, each action becomes a deliberate choice. As a result, even small tasks can feel significant when seen as steps in a personally meaningful narrative. 

Importantly, life crafting isn’t passive it’s more active sense-making. By intentionally structuring your physical space (e.g. keeping home office separate to protect family time) and community (prioritizing time with supportive friends) one aligns external conditions to inner values[21]. The payoff is an increased sense of autonomy and satisfaction. In this framework, work and life are not forced to compete; instead, they are balanced by design, not by chance. This balance buffers against exhaustion: when our actions feed our values, motivation renews naturally.

Practical Strategies for Sustainable Work

 Drawing from these insights, certain practices can help prevent burnout and restore meaning:

> Single-task with depth: Focus on one task at a time. Research shows that concentrating on a single project lets you “dive deeper and do a better job”[13]. This builds attentional control and creativity, because you’re not flitting and refocusing constantly[13]. Setting even 20-minute timers for one task can dramatically boost what you actually accomplish. In short, quality trumps quantity doing fewer things with full attention yields more lasting satisfaction and less cognitive waste. 

> Celebrate small wins: Make it a habit to acknowledge each step forward. The brain’s reward system lights up even for minor achievements, reinforcing momentum[17]. Psychologists note that recognizing a modest success releases dopamine and reinforces positive effort[17]. In contrast, ignoring your progress breeds stress: without rewards, our motivation plummets and burnout looms[18]. So after every task or at least daily, pause to note “what I did today” and feel that accomplishment. It could be as simple as marking a checkbox, writing a journal entry of a key insight, or sharing your progress with a friend. This acknowledgment creates a positive feedback loop: you’re more eager to reach the next milestone when the last milestone gave you encouragement[17][22]. 

> Align tasks with values (Life Crafting): Regularly ask: Is what I’m doing now meaningful to me? If not, find ways to reframe or reallocate work. Use cognitive crafting (gratitude journaling, reframing chores as family care), interest crafting (make time for hobbies that spark passion), and relational crafting (set boundaries with negative people) to integrate purpose into all domains[23][21]. At work, pick projects that build skills you value or help causes you care about. If your job feels empty, look for side projects or volunteer work that reignite your sense of impact. By actively shaping your job and life to match your core goals, each day becomes more inherently rewarding. 

> Adopt a Stoic mindset: Reflect as Marcus Aurelius did that every moment is an opportunity to practice virtues. Even when busy, maintain humility and patience. Stoicism teaches that external events do not define us but only our choices do. Thus, reframe setbacks as information, not failures, and serve others unselfishly. As one translation of Meditations puts it: “If it’s not right, don’t do it; if it’s not true, don’t say it”[24]. This means aligning your work with integrity, not simply output. Pursuing unselfish goals (helping colleagues, mastering a skill) provides intrinsic rewards that no acceleration can erode. Over time, this attention to right action becomes its own payoff – a kind of inner wealth that buffers stress. 

Embrace Stillness: Niksen and Mindful Breaks

Figure: Embracing niksen—purposeful idleness like gazing out a window—calms the mind and sparks creativity[25][26]. 

In an era of constant go, our culture even stigmatizes doing nothing. Yet deliberately resting is essential. Consider niksen, the Dutch practice of intentional idleness. Niksen means performing an action without goal or deadline, for example, staring out a window, sitting quietly with a pet, or strolling without purpose[25]. This “nothing” may sound wrong to a busy mind, but it induces calm and clarity. A recent health blog notes that doing nothing clears your mind: it’s “a great form of mindfulness” that reduces stressors[25][26]. When we allow ourselves to simply exist for a few minutes, without fixating on productivity, our overtaxed brain can finally relax. Far from being wasted time, these pauses act like cognitive reset buttons. Practically, schedule regular niksen breaks. It might mean a 5-minute coffee break with no devices, or a 10-minute walk without a playlist. Start small, even a short walk to stare at the sky can interrupt the “full head of empty thoughts” cycle. This empties the mind of tension and often lets creative insights bubble up. Many people find they actually come up with solutions or feel more motivated after intentional rest.

 This aligns with research on creativity: our best ideas often arrive during moments of unforced thought. In short, giving yourself permission to do nothing occasionally is not laziness rather it’s strategic renewal. As one author quips, people may rush everywhere but neglect niksen: ironically, we’re often more afraid of “doing nothing” than of doing everything. By consciously practicing stillness, we combat burnout and become more present to the work that truly matters[25][26]. 

Embracing Time as Ally 

Ultimately, our relationship with time must shift from fear to acceptance. Even as life accelerates, we can reclaim agency by reorienting how we use each moment. Recall the Greek distinction: Chronos is clock time (quantitative), while Kairos is the opportune, qualitative moment. We are invited to seek Kairos – the meaningful opportunities embedded in each day rather than dread every second of Chronos. 

This echoes Marcus’s counsel: not to be “frightened of the future,” but to live so that we need not fear any moment[11]. Practically, this means taking ownership of our time. We can choose a slower pace when needed, say “no” to errands that don’t align with our goals, and dive deeply into tasks that resonate with our purpose. In the end, building things that matter is less about frantic output and more about intentional input. It’s not the busyness that confers value, but the lasting impact of our work and the wisdom we gain. If we pause to celebrate the small victories, align our actions with our values, and accept time’s flow with equanimity, work becomes not just a chore but part of a meaningful life. The antidote to burnout, after all, is often gratitude: for the ability to learn, for another chance tomorrow, and for the choice to shape each moment. By balancing craft with contemplation, action with stillness, and ambition with presence, we transform the race against time into a steady pursuit of purpose. 

Sources: Contemporary research and philosophy underscore these ideas. For example, burnout is clinically defined by exhaustion and loss of efficacy[1]; time anxiety is linked to constant feeling of wasting time[7]; focus on meaningful craft boosts satisfaction[19]; and habits like niksen (intentional idleness) have scientifically noted stress-reducing benefits[25]. These insights and more have been drawn from psychology and philosophy literature to guide a balanced, purpose- driven approach to work and life. [1] [4] Burnout phenomenon: neurophysiological factors, clinical features, and aspects of management - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9478693/ [2] 15 Insightful Burnout Quotes From The Burnout Society By Byung-Chul Han https://www.diygenius.com/burnout-quotes/ [3] Why our Perception of Time Changes in Times of Stress and Accelerated Change | by Erich R. Bühler | Enterprise Agility Magazine https://magazine.eau.university/why-our-perception-of-time-changes-in-times-of-stress-and- accelerated-change-4f3cbd460640?gi=6b7284d429f5 [5] [6] Thought-tinkering – the Korean German philosopher Byung-Chul Han | Aeon Essays https://aeon.co/essays/thought-tinkering-the-korean-german-philosopher-byung-chul-han [7] [8] [9] [10] Time Anxiety: What It Is and How You Can Deal With It https://clockify.me/blog/managing-time/time-anxiety/ [11] [24] Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Translated by Gregory Hays) Book Review | Words Like Silver https://www.wordslikesilver.com/articles/meditations-by-marcus-aurelius-gregory-hays- translation [12] [13] [14] [15] The art of doing one thing at a time - Chris Bailey https://chrisbailey.com/do-one-thing-at-a-time/ [16] Brain Fog or Burnout? Why You’re Struggling to Focus https://continentalhospitals.com/blog/brain-fog-or-burnout-why-youre-struggling-to-focus/ [17] [18] [22] From Small Steps to Big Wins: The Importance of Celebrating | Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/empower-your-mind/202406/from-small-steps-to- big-wins-the-importance-of-celebrating [19] Work and the Deep Life - Cal Newport https://calnewport.com/work-and-the-deep-life/ [20] [21] [23] Life Crafting: Proactive Strategies for Enhancing Well-Being | Psychology Today Canada https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/happybytes/202311/life-crafting-proactive-strategies- for-enhancing-well-being [25] [26] Practice Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing | Brown University Health https://www.brownhealth.org/be-well/practice-niksen-dutch-art-doing-nothing