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109: Dennis Nørmark | Are We Really Free? Pseudo-Work & Unfreedom: How Work & Society Keep Us Trapped

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Manage episode 468654634 series 3443923
Content provided by Cecilie & Jesper Conrad and Jesper Conrad. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cecilie & Jesper Conrad and Jesper Conrad or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

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Much of modern work is defined by routine, efficiency targets, and the need to appear productive. But how much of it is actually necessary? Dennis Nørmark, Danish anthropologist, author, and speaker, argues that a significant part of today’s work culture is built on pseudo-work—tasks that maintain appearances rather than create real value. As the co-author of Pseudo-Work: How We Ended Up Being Busy Doing Nothing, he examines why unnecessary work persists and how it shapes our perception of productivity. In I Wish My Boss Was a Chief, he applies leadership lessons from indigenous cultures to modern management, questioning whether our current systems are as effective as we assume.

This conversation explores how unfreedom has become a feature of work and society, limiting personal agency and reinforcing structures of control. Predictions from a century ago suggested that technological progress would reduce working hours, yet most people today work as much as ever. Why has this happened? How do schools, workplaces, and governments encourage dependence rather than autonomy? And what can be done to reclaim control over our time and choices?

Key Topics

  • What pseudo-work is and why it persists
  • How bureaucracy and control shape modern work culture
  • The shift from work as necessity to work as identity
  • Why predictions of reduced working hours never materialized
  • How education reinforces compliance rather than independence
  • Rethinking work, freedom, and personal agency

Dennis Nørmark challenges assumptions about work and productivity, raising questions about what it means to contribute meaningfully in a system that values busyness over results.

🗓️ Recorded February 20th, 2025. 📍 Finhan, France

📚 Connect with Dennis Nørmark

Support the show

PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

  continue reading

Chapters

1. The Price of Unfreedom (00:00:00)

2. The Meaning of Work and Creativity (00:15:04)

3. The Impact of Unfreedom in Education (00:25:43)

4. Breaking Free From Self-Inflicted Helplessness (00:34:19)

5. Reclaiming Responsibility for Personal Freedom (00:47:05)

6. Empowering People Through Limitless Freedom (00:54:20)

124 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 468654634 series 3443923
Content provided by Cecilie & Jesper Conrad and Jesper Conrad. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Cecilie & Jesper Conrad and Jesper Conrad or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send us a text

Much of modern work is defined by routine, efficiency targets, and the need to appear productive. But how much of it is actually necessary? Dennis Nørmark, Danish anthropologist, author, and speaker, argues that a significant part of today’s work culture is built on pseudo-work—tasks that maintain appearances rather than create real value. As the co-author of Pseudo-Work: How We Ended Up Being Busy Doing Nothing, he examines why unnecessary work persists and how it shapes our perception of productivity. In I Wish My Boss Was a Chief, he applies leadership lessons from indigenous cultures to modern management, questioning whether our current systems are as effective as we assume.

This conversation explores how unfreedom has become a feature of work and society, limiting personal agency and reinforcing structures of control. Predictions from a century ago suggested that technological progress would reduce working hours, yet most people today work as much as ever. Why has this happened? How do schools, workplaces, and governments encourage dependence rather than autonomy? And what can be done to reclaim control over our time and choices?

Key Topics

  • What pseudo-work is and why it persists
  • How bureaucracy and control shape modern work culture
  • The shift from work as necessity to work as identity
  • Why predictions of reduced working hours never materialized
  • How education reinforces compliance rather than independence
  • Rethinking work, freedom, and personal agency

Dennis Nørmark challenges assumptions about work and productivity, raising questions about what it means to contribute meaningfully in a system that values busyness over results.

🗓️ Recorded February 20th, 2025. 📍 Finhan, France

📚 Connect with Dennis Nørmark

Support the show

PODCAST INFO
Podcast website: http://theconrad.family/podcast
YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/theconradfamily365
Apple Podcasts: https://www.theconrad.family/apple
Spotify: https://theconrad.family/spotify
RSS: https://theconrad.family/rss

SUPPORT & CONNECT
Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Theconradfamily
Share a review: https://www.theconrad.family/review-our-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theconrad.family
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theconradfamily
Twitter: https://twitter.com/theconradfamily

  continue reading

Chapters

1. The Price of Unfreedom (00:00:00)

2. The Meaning of Work and Creativity (00:15:04)

3. The Impact of Unfreedom in Education (00:25:43)

4. Breaking Free From Self-Inflicted Helplessness (00:34:19)

5. Reclaiming Responsibility for Personal Freedom (00:47:05)

6. Empowering People Through Limitless Freedom (00:54:20)

124 episodes

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