I hit 1000 hours on a project and it flipped my whole view on 'enough'

For years I chased the idea that finishing a job fast was the only real win, until last week when my software tracker showed I'd put exactly 1000 hours into rebuilding my old truck. Seeing that number made me realize the time wasn't wasted, it was the whole point. Has anyone else had a big number change how you see your own work?

4 comments

4 Comments

piper7792mo ago

Exactly 1000 hours is a crazy specific number for a tracker to show. Those apps usually just give a close guess. But the feeling is totally real, that time becomes part of the work itself.

michaeld482mo ago

Man, that's so true about the time becoming part of the work. I used a running app that showed a perfect 500 miles, and it just felt fake, like the app was giving me a trophy. But the actual hours I put in, those were real. Do you ever feel like the exact number messes with your head, like you're working for the tracker instead of yourself?

vera_johnson91mo ago

Oh wow, yeah that really changed the way I see it. I used to think those trackers were pretty accurate and it was just about hitting the goal, but @piper779 you're right, the feeling is what sticks. I had a similar thing with a workout app that logged 300 hours and I realized I was obsessing over the number instead of just enjoying the run. Now I just check it to see if I'm moving in the right direction, not for some perfect number.

the_tyler2mo ago

Maybe the app just likes round numbers, @piper779.