Volunteering shows you how you work when there’s no paycheck to blame or brag about.

Pay gives you a story for your effort in both directions. You worked hard because you were paid, or you coasted because you were underpaid, and either way the money explains you. Remove it and what is left is just you and the task, which is uncomfortable and useful, because it shows your actual standards rather than your negotiated ones. Most people find out they are a little better or a little worse than they assumed.

Give three hours to something unpaid this month. Pay attention to the stretch where nobody is watching, because whatever you do then is closer to the truth about you.