The Repetition in Our Work

Brian Thill, an English professor at BCC/CUNY, wrote recently about how often he finds himself repeating things as a teacher, and how repetition is such a large part of the things we do at work and within our own lives:

There are few if any workers in modern society who have not experienced some version of this phenomenon, but it can be harder for some teachers in particular to bear because some of them were under the impression that theirs is not a service profession, exactly. It isn’t the same as being a server at Olive Garden, but it isn’t as different as some people might think. (To be clear, the world needs education and breadsticks in roughly equal measure.) There is something demoralizing and exasperating about hearing yourself forced into situations where you must habituate yourself to the process of repeating yourself. This is the case even if you are doing something you love, or claim to love; even if its content is engaging and interesting to you; and even if the stakes are real and consequential for you and everyone else involved. Whoever holds fast to the talismanic allure of ‘the life of the mind,’ whatever their status or profession in the modern social order, runs the risk of seeing this process of repetition as a bothersome intrusion rather than a fundamental component of what you are being paid to do.

This resonated particularly with me because talking about money is often about repetition. We talk about saving, paying off debt, retirement, living within our means — and yet it is the repetition of this conversation that perhaps makes it more effective. And perhaps because it’s effective that it’s not “a bothersome intrusion.”

What makes rock musicians okay with singing the same hit songs over and over again for audiences for years at a time without having it drive them insane? “Those guys make a lot of money doing it,” Thill offers.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.