Just

I am loving the comments about household drive and how it plays out in your homes. Keep the ideas coming my way.

You’re just 25 years old. 

It’s just 30 degrees out. 

It was just a cat, not a person. 

Do you remember the feeling when you heard one of those statements? Just has a way of diminishing the value of the situation. 

The children of the late 80s and 90s grew up reciting “Just Do It” thanks to Nike. More specifically, thanks to the designer, Dan Wieden, whose name was in the media recently due to his death in October. Interestingly, his idea for the slogan came from the last words of a death row inmate who reportedly said, “you know, let’s do it.” Evidently, Wieden liked “just” better than “let’s” for whatever reason. In reality, they probably have a similar meaning. Just and let’s deflect self-authority and responsibility. 

—

Shifting gears momentarily, I have received some thoughtful feedback after my last post on “drive.” There were dozens of women who resonated with the experiences of my friend and me. There was a feeling of exhaustion, relief to know other people were in a similar position, gratefulness to be out of 'that stage of life,' and blankness in terms of how to proceed. 

This will likely consume my research agenda for years to come.

Here’s where I am. There is an economical element of household drive. Like utility (satisfaction) models, households can take a cooperative (joint approach) or non-cooperative (separate approach). A non-cooperative approach doesn’t necessarily mean that a couple is in conflict, but rather that each is seeking to maximize their individual utility first and foremost.

I still question whether the household drive can be divided. Unlike utility which is gained from consuming the stuff we can buy or make, there is a limit to the hours in the week meaning drive has a maximum limit. We can't keep buying more drive or stuff to get us more drive capacity. There is a set number of hours in the week. Drive can exceed up to that point and we can 'borrow' hours from others within the household to an extent, but ultimately the combined hours from all contributing to household drive remains set.

How people allocate and best practices for how to allocate household drive is yet to be determined. With research, we can find reliable answers to guide personal and professional decisions. 

—

Now let's shift back to "Just Do It"...

There are just so many hours in the day. I am just doing this for a while. I am just a teacher, virtual worker, team member (fill in the blank with whatever occupation we deem inferior to the other household members). By adding the ‘justs,’ we might be defaulting into a lower proportion of household drive allocation. 

I intend to come back to the idea of contentment and how that plays into the equation. The need for drive could also be a strong component of work ethic. Keep the thoughts flowing in! I am listening and will keep pondering how it how fits together.

Just Do It Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/06/1127032721/nike-just-do-it-slogan-success-dan-wieden-kennedy-dies