The cost of doing nothing

As human beings, we are conditioned to take the path of least resistance. This often means that we go with the status quo and try not to be too different. Society expects us to conform in a certain way. Get an education, work in a corporate environment and eventually retire. For most people, who subscribe to this notion, that summary is what life is in a nutshell.

However, this week we wanted to dive into the actual cost of not starting a business and of doing nothing. What we mean by this is, if you were to work in a job for the next 30-40 years, what would that cost you, both financially as well as professionally/emotionally?

The majority of people work to live, rather than live to work. This means they work in a job which isn’t the most fulfilling job in the world but it pays the bills, just about. You might even fall into this category yourself.

But with the average employee in the UK spending over 42 hours at work, not to mention the hours lost travelling to and from work, that is a sizeable chunk of the week dedicated to a job that doesn’t make you happy. This is the reality faced by many people throughout the country who feel a sense of hopelessness and being trapped with no viable solution.

Now, another cost of doing nothing is actually related to the financial remuneration of your job. While it’s great to have the guaranteed salary at the end of the month, with living costs rising around the world, the salary never seems to stretch far enough. As a result, many people are stuck at a genuine income ceiling. They cannot earn more in their current job, regardless of how much effort or initiative they show.

Not having enough money to do the things you want to do can have a negative influence on your life and the life of your loved ones. We recognise it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to salaries. There are lots of people who earn a very good living wage from full time employment but having spoken to lots of people around the world with regard to iOB Business, not earning enough is one of the top reasons why people look to start a new business.

Are you content building someone else's dream? When you strip away the financial aspect of a job, what are you really left with? At a basic level, you are working on a set of tasks to benefit the business owner and his/her profitability. Working in a job will always mean that you are just one cog in a well oiled machine that is designed to benefit someone else.

Everyone likes to feel appreciated and valued. Yet, the reality for most people in employment is they actually feel undervalued and under appreciated. Working in a large or small company will often involve working with other people, having a set number of tasks and forever trying to meet deadlines. As a result, it can often feel as though you are simply going through the motions, day in day out. This feeling manifests into demotivation and looking for a new challenge.

While there are a number of direct and indirect costs of doing nothing, continuing with the 9-5 routine, the final cost we wanted to highlight was the office politics. Every workplace has its own dynamic with different personalities. This often leads to a clash between colleagues and sometimes management in terms of how things get done. The workplace can be a great environment if you work with like minded people but this is rarely the case for most people.

Having said all of this, we would never look to deter people from staying in employment. For certain groups of people it is a great choice. However, if like us, you have an itch for entrepreneurship and you feel there is more to life than the monotony of work, reach out and Talk to Us. We would be happy to explain how we can help you make the transition from employee to employer by launching your own Digital Agency.

Until next time, take care.