Why does modern work feel so meaningless even when you’re busy all day, and is AI making it worse?
‘Being busy’ does not equate to being productive, and feeling productive, in the pursuit of our goals (both personal and work), is where many people derive meaning in their lives.
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So why do so many people report that modern work feels meaningless, even when they’re busy all day?
Think of it like this… if you simply wake up each day, eat, watch TV, eat some more, then go back to bed, you’re not going to feel your life is very meaningful.
This is because you’re not actively working towards your goals or accomplishing anything. You’re doing the same thing day in, day out. Similarly, if you simply work to live and do the same thing every day, you will likely struggle to find meaning in what you do.
This feeling of meaninglessness has been exacerbated by AI. AI has made it feel like anyone can do any job, and people are finding themselves in roles they were never qualified to fill, and are expected to perform faster and better than ever because they have AI to ‘help’.
AI has also made it possible for companies to embrace quick and frequent changes to strategies. This, combined with fear-based leadership, can become overwhelming to workers expected to shift quickly and execute on new strategies.
A lack of clarity on the ‘why’, coupled with pressure to perform, pushes people to rely on AI to fill in the gaps where their skillset is lacking. This over-reliance on AI in place of education and experience, is creating a lack of meaningful contribution, explained by Dead Internet Theory and ‘AI slop’.
On top of all this, AI makes it easy to feel like you’re busy, even when you’re not accomplishing anything. People find themselves endlessly prompting AI for hours - just as they obsessively search Google for answers on medical issues and doom scroll on social media.
Similarly, endless AI prompting gives the illusion of progress with no forward motion. It feels productive… but you’re not actually achieving anything.
All this combined is leading younger generations to reject the idea that work should be central to identity and purpose, and having watched previous generations burn out through choosing work over life, they’re craving a new way to live.
The younger generations want to work and are filled with ambition, creativity and fresh ideas of how work should look, but along with this comes a desire for more freedom than previous generations.
As they enter the ‘modern workforce’, many find that along with it comes the same problems they were trying to avoid - a lack of significance in what they’re working towards and not feeling important as they’re constantly reminded that AI could ‘take over’ their role at any moment.
Ultimately, the issue is not that people don’t want to meaningfully contribute anymore, but that they have disconnected from the ownership over their work and visible progress.
When work becomes a cycle of constant activity without a clear sense of direction or contribution, it’s no surprise it starts to feel a bit pointless, even for typically high performers.
Additionally, when AI can make almost anything look productive and possible (even if in reality, it’s not), having clarity on what we’re really doing and why is a fundamental skill. People should use AI responsibly to enhance their skillset and delegate tasks that it can easily handle, but not use it as a crutch.
So, if you’re trying to get that sense of meaning back, it’s about getting clearer on what you’re actually working towards and what progress looks like.
Consider your small goals first, then mark out your medium goals and long-term ones - the big, ultimate goals you’re working towards in your work.
Try to mark how your daily tasks help you achieve each of these goals. From there, it also becomes much easier to spot the difference between actually getting things done and just looking busy, and that’s usually where a bit of momentum (and motivation) starts to come back.
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Hannah Power is a Performance Coach, author, founder of amplify and the creator of Performer Mode - an innovative performance framework which is redefining how ambitious individuals and modern organisations achieve future-proof, high-level results.
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