I agree. I read a book about Godel a year or two ago, but I can't remember the name right now. I think there is a distinction between "work" and something that you choose to do.

@Fanburger that is not the case. However I suppose I will have to leave it to you to tell me what is not work then. The dictionary has two definitions one is about effort expended to achieve a purpose this would be the case in my examples, but this is so broad as to imply that only random events are not work. The second is about earning a living which is not the case in my examples. More telling are the synonyms and antonyms for the word 'work'

1. activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.
   "he was tired after a day's work in the fields"
   synonyms: labor, toil, slog, drudgery, exertion, effort, industry, service; More
   informalgrind, sweat, elbow grease;
   literarytravail
   "a day's work in the fields"
   antonyms: leisure, rest

   a place or premises for industrial activity, typically manufacturing.
   "he found a job in the ironworks"

2. mental or physical activity as a means of earning income; employment.
   "I'm still looking for work"
   synonyms: employment, a job, a position, a situation, a post;

these show what most people view work as. Godel did not work he more played, he did not have to do what he did and if you read the Wikipedia article he was more or less just trying everything he felt interested in. There was no need to complete anything there was no purpose to it. He did study and work at problems but this was done because he wanted to do them not because he needed the money. We could also talk about Wittgenstein who barely worked a day in his life producing an incomprehensible book about philosophy after living in a hovel for several years. What does tie my line of thought and what I am trying to illustrate, is that for most people work is something planed, something that is more of a societal ritual then an individual's effort to achieve a goal. This is the issue with the idea of work: it is not, in fact, referring to an effort toward a goal or purpose, rather it is referring to obtaining the means to survive. Thus working involves following rules that have nothing to do with the goal or skill you perform at 'work' and these rules have come to define what is and what is not work. I can program in my spare time but this is not work because it is not meeting the criteria that has been set forth, so it becomes recreational. If it is a very good program it may become an academic marvel but it is still not work.

@tnorman1236 the last one I read that had him in it was about the Vienna Circle. It is called "Exact Thinking in Demented Times" sub title: The Vienna circle and the epic quest for the foundation of science. It has probably the best explanation of what the Godel incompleteness theorem is and what it was all about. I highly recommend it.

@RavenMunnin The one I read was "Incompleteness - The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel" by Rebecca Goldstein.

@tnorman1236 I may check it out

I was lucky enough to be able to afford to retire early, though I'm pretty poor because of it. But I'm making it!

@tnorman1236 I retired at age 56 and have been retired for over 23 years. I live a very good life, good health, financially secure and stress free.

@jlynn37 Kudos, sir.