You cannot work without knowing what to work on.

Without knowing, there can only be the appearance of work. Without knowing, there can only be the appearance of busyness. Without knowing, you can sit at a desk and put in the time but be no further along than when you started.

To do actual, meaningful work, the work must be known.

The problem is that figuring out what the work should be doesn’t look like work. It looks like laziness. It looks like you’re not trying. It looks like you’re not doing anything. It looks like you’re not busy. And if you don’t look busy you can’t be doing anything worthwhile. It’s what others might tell you. It’s what you might tell yourself.

Put up with the discomfort. The work must be known.