# Amount and Frequency By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-11-14 There is a certain psychological dimension of work. In calibrating to work, one benefits from examining how amount and frequency contribute to one’s experience. It is possible to constitute work in such a way that one either has a great deal of work infrequently or a little bit of work frequently. Examining the banal task of laundry provides an easy example. Assuming sufficient resources, one could purchase enough clothing that one might only need to do laundry once a month. On that day one would do an entire month’s worth of laundry. Given the number of clothes, that would likely become “laundry day,” as it would take a significant amount of time to do. Alternatively, one might buy enough clothes so that one does laundry weekly. This amount of laundry might be incorporated without much disruption into one’s routine. Would it be better to do four smaller loads weekly or one larger load monthly? Even if one were to incorporate additional considerations like initial investment cost, wear and tear of material due to washing, and environmental considerations, there likely isn’t a definitive answer as to which approach is better. The tradeoffs might not reveal an economically superior approach. Even if it did, one might not want to make the determination based on economics. There is an old saying that asserts that work is unpleasant, if it wasn’t they would call it to play and you wouldn’t get paid. Given this perspective it's due, there is still a great deal of flexibility associated with how work is partitioned. Taking the amount and frequency of work into consideration holds the potential for allowing people to define tasks in such a way that it more closely aligns with their inherent preferences and doesn’t necessarily impede organizational progress. Analytics can help in defining the parameters around which such organizational decisions could be considered. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Economics]] [[Work]]