Why do you work so hard?

In a recent interview, Allison Altdoerffer, 24, described conflicting feelings at the end of her work week:

"After I clock in a 60-some-hour work week, I feel a sense of pride looking at the numbers. It is so tied to our pride to say, 'I'm working hard.' I think that is a little strange, but I'm not sure I could ever walk away from that fully."

Does this resonate with you in any way? What does your work week look like? Is it how you want it to be, or how you feel it has to be?

What you share here will help inform the reporting I'm doing on work life for the Public Insight Network project, Dispatches from the American Now. I'm grateful for your time.

Sincerely,
Jeff Severns Guntzel
Senior Reporter, Public Insight Network
jsguntzel@americanpublicmedia.org
651-290-1226

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How does your work day start? At your laptop on the couch? On a phone in the car? Rushing off to catch a bus before dawn?
Be as specific as possible. No detail is too small.

What do you do exactly? A job title is great, but a description of your daily work is much better!

On average, how many hours do you work every week? And is that work for a full or part time job?

Is this how you want it to be, or how you feel it has to be? Why?

If you had more time, what would you do with it?

What are the shoulds in your life? What do you believe you should be doing to live a good and meaningful life? Please start your answer with "I should..."

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We have a few more questions that help us better understand your perspective, and allow us to include people of a variety of backgrounds in our stories. You are not required to answer any of them.

In what year were you born?

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What do you do for work (please tell us here even if you mentioned it above)?

What political party, if any, do you identify with most closely?

Which of these best describes your education level?

What faith tradition, if any, do you belong to?

Thank you for your time. A reporter or producer may contact you to find out more about your experience. If you have any questions please contact Public Insight Network Senior Reporter Jeff Severns Guntzel at jsguntzel@americanpublicmedia.org.

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