I can’t call a person a hard worker just because I hear they read and write, even if working at it all night. Until I know what a person is working for, I can’t deem them industrious…. I can if the end they work for is their own ruling principle, having it be and remain in constant harmony with Nature.
—Epictetus, Discourses, 4.4.41; 43
What are the chances that the busiest person you know is actually the most productive? We tend to associate busyness with goodness and believe that spending many hours at work should be rewarded.
Instead, evaluate what you are doing, why you are doing it, and where accomplishing it will take you. If you don’t have a good answer, then stop.
* Source: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman