If you hire a plumber and he fixes your leak in 2 minutes, you feel cheated paying him $100. If he sweats, bangs on pipes, and takes 2 hours, you happily pay him $100. This is the Labor Illusion. We are wired to value Effort (Input) over Result (Output).
The Factory vs. The Studio
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In a Factory: Input = Output. If you stand at the assembly line for 8 hours, you make 8 widgets. Time is a proxy for value.
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In a Studio (Knowledge Work): Input Output. You can stare at a screen for 10 hours and produce zero value. You can have a 5-minute epiphany in the shower that generates $1M.
The Dangerous Metric
Most companies are run by Factory Managers pretending to run Studios. They track “Hours,” “Login Times,” and “Butts in Seats.” They reward the employee who stays late (The Martyr) and punish the employee who leaves early because they finished the work (The Professional).
The Protocol: Decouple Your Value
If you want to be wealthy, you must break the link between Time and Money.
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Stop Selling Time: Never bill by the hour. Bill by the Project or the Outcome.
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Hide Your Speed: If you are fast, do not show it immediately. If you deliver a 2-day project in 2 hours, the client will think it was “easy” and demand a discount. Deliver it in 1 day. Use the spare time to build your own assets.
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The Result is the Only Truth: Did the revenue go up? Did the code work? Did the deal close? Everything else is theater.
#DhandheKaFunda: The market pays for the baby, not the labor pains. Deliver the baby.