What is “Purpose Math”?

1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

To build a great place to work, one of the most impactful levers we have is the power of purpose.

Question: Why should we care about the meaning in our work?

The answer? Purpose math.

Here’s how it works. At the stroke of midnight last Sunday night, all of us were given a new week.

Seven days. Twenty-four hours each day.

Which means we have 168 hours this week.

To determine how many waking hours we have, we must subtract the hours we are asleep. The optimal amount of sleep is 8 hours. We are left with 112 waking hours when we remove those asleep hours (168 – 64).

2: Next question: What percentage of our waking hours are spent at work?

Let’s assume a standard 40-hour week. We also need to add some time to get ready for work. Let’s assume an hour. And some of us are commuting. If we presume 30 minutes each way, that’s another hour each day.

Which means we spend 50 hours either at work (40 hours), getting ready for work (5 hours), or commuting to work (5 hours).

What percentage are 50 working hours of our 112 waking hours?

45%!

45% of our waking hours are directly work-related.

And that does not include the time we spend thinking or talking about work outside of work.

45%!

This week. Next week. Every week until we retire.

3: Chances are everyone has probably heard the old expression: “I don’t live to work. I work to live.”

Okay.

But why?

No one is making us choose one or the other.

That’s a self-imposed mindset.