The Secret of Successful Work
Knowing how to work is a secret all men do not possess.
When a man is born his life work is born with him, but the work he does remains after he is gone. Hence the necessity of doing good work for the evil work we do remains along with the good and hangs upon it like fetters upon a felon’s wrists.
Whether a man works with his hands or his brain he exhausts, uses up a certain quantity of his physical body. His brain, muscles, and every part of his body are drawn upon to help do the work in hand.
Now, a man may lessen the hardship of his work, or he may increase it by his manner of doing it.
When any work is begun, a certain amount of vital energy is started up and continues working until it is stopped. That energy is like the movement of a clock pendulum—it keeps on moving back and forth as long as it is kept wound up. When the clock runs down, the pendulum stops because there is no stored up force to keep it in motion.
This is exactly what takes place in the body when we work. We set the pendulum in motion and it keeps on going until the clock runs down, that is until we drop with exhaustion.
This vital energy is an intellectual quality, and when we work our mind keeps it active. It is the same when we make hard work of any job. The vital energy works hard also.
Some men, sawing a stick of wood, for instance, will begin sweating over the job before they have half sawed it through. That is, they have already finished the job so far as their vital energy is concerned but more vital energy must be exhausted to complete it.
Do not let your mind run ahead of your work, but keep it up even with that work. Then you will not tire out, and after a good sleep you will be fresh to begin another day. Work easily and steadily.