Recently, a client said to me:
“Honestly, I’d mow lawns if it meant I could see that I’d done something at the end of the day.”
They were a skilled educator working with a vulnerable group in the community — work they valued. But most days ended without any visible sign of progress. No outcome they could point to and say: "I did that."
That tension — caring about the work but struggling to see its impact — is at the heart of Shopclass as Soulcraft, a book by Matthew Crawford. In it, Crawford critiques the abstraction of much modern work — and how it often prevents people from seeing the consequences of their efforts.
He’s interested in what happens when our daily labour no longer produces a visible or tangible result.
What makes work feel satisfying?
Crawford, a philosopher who left a think tank to become a motorcycle mechanic, explores what makes certain kinds of work feel satisfying. He argues that humans are wired to find satisfaction in using skill, solving problems, and seeing the result of their efforts.
He contrasts modern knowledge work — often dominated by coordination, planning, and communication — with what he calls shopcraft: hands-on, skilled work where progress is concrete and visible.
“The satisfactions of manifesting oneself concretely in the world through manual competence have been known to make a man quiet and easy.” — Matthew Crawford
Crawford does at times idealise manual labour — but his broader argument is that certain ingredients tend to make work feel meaningful:
Autonomy — having the freedom to solve problems
Skill — using judgement and experience, not just following steps
Completion — finishing a task and seeing the result.
He suggests that when these elements are missing — especially in organisational settings or complex systems — work can start to feel strangely flat, even when its purpose is clear.
For many people in mid-career, as roles evolve there’s often more responsibility — but less direct contact with the work itself. Recognising what you miss (and why) can be a useful step in shaping what comes next.
Reference
Crawford, M. B. (2009). Shop class as soulcraft: An inquiry into the value of work. Penguin Books.
