Do you love what you do?
I mean really love it?
Not just the ‘I love what this will be when it is finished’ type of love. I’m talking more the ‘OMG, I’m addicted to working on this’ type of love?
If you don’t, don’t worry! You’re not alone. In fact, most of the things we do in our lives fall into the category. This is where we were taught things like maturity and discipline will get us through.
But what if I told you there was another way? That it is possible to find some degree of joy in just about anything you do? Even for things imposed on you!
Now, I’m not saying that these methods will cure everything. And I’m not saying that these methods will turn drudgery into that addiction type love I mentioned. But I am saying is that it is possible to find enough joy in your tasks that can you put in the time and effort required to get through them with a smile. And, who knows? Maybe you will find true (work) love.
The methods and perspectives that I’m going to discuss in this little blog series are inspired mostly from research on Flow, otherwise known as the Optimal Experience, or as Being in the Zone. However, instead of presenting you with the history of the research and information about the learnings (you can read the originals), I’m going to try and tackle these issues from a more practical standpoint. I’m going to merge these ideas with research from other domains (e.g. research on depression), with observations from my own teaching, and with reflections of my time as a creative practitioner to create something practical that you can implement in your own work, immediately.
This series will loosely cover the following ideas:
- How to maximize your chances of finding Flow
- How to troubleshoot your motivation issues
- How to set yourself up to succeed
- How to delve into your task intrinsically
- How to be completely captivated by your work.
If other topics come up along the way, and you want to know more about them – let me know. After all, this is about making it work for you. Everyone is individual in what they need. Every task is unique in what it requires. So, the more reflective you are, the more I can help!
Maximize your chances
Research suggests that the ideal project is one that balances the challenge of the project with the abilities of the person. In other words: Flow happens when challenge meets ability.
What this means is that the ideal project will be one that has just the right amount of challenge in the tasks so you are focused, driven, and engaged. But also where the challenge is not so great that you fail at it.
This is ideal. But for most of us, it is not very realistic.
You see, every project is really a mix of tasks. And, because our vision is often more sophisticated our skill (we know what is possible even if we cannot actually do what is required – yet) this means we will most likely be required to do things that are well beyond our abilities.
To follow the above advice would be to suggest we take on an easier project, suspend that project until we increase our skills, or hire someone.
Again, these are unrealistic options.
So instead, we’re going to change our scope. We are going to break the project down into smaller pieces and look to addressing the challenge-to-ability balance for each piece. This way, we can tackle specific problem areas without sacrificing our vision or our standards.
Spoiler – Flow it isn’t just about challenge and ability. There is a reason why a balance of challenge and ability is so captivating. And if we can capture those conditions then we can get into our groove even if the challenge you take on is far greater or far lesser than your skills.
But, I am getting ahead of myself!
Analyze your situation
The first step in any problem solving challenge is to analyze the issues and determine the best place to spend your efforts. Now, assuming that you are interested in the project, the problems you encounter usually fall into one of 5 categories.
- Projects that are stressful
- Projects that are beyond our abilities
- Project that are too easy
- Projects that are (for us) mindless
- Projects that are a mix of all of the above
In the remainder of this article we’ll lay the groundwork for dealing with projects that are stressful. We’ll deal with each of the other cases, the how-to of specific techniques, and what to do if you are not interested in your project, in future posts.
Stress is distracting
A task we perceive as ‘slightly too hard’ (rightly or wrongly) will generally have you feeling stressed in some way. Some classic signs of stress might include (but are not limited to):
- Struggling to concentrate
- Feelings of apprehension or hesitation
- Dissatisfaction
- High levels of indecision
The guiding principle for engaging projects with these issues is to reduce distraction. Distractions can soak up valuable effort that could otherwise be spent on the project. I will discuss the role of effort and attention in greater detail when talking about projects that are a mix of all types.
For stressful projects I have 7 recommendations.
- Find a time that allows you to concentrate fully. Early morning and late at night are ideal times, provided you are not tired or hungry. People will not bother you and the generally suppressed sounds will cue your concentration.
- Turn off your phone.
- Find or create an environment that allows you to concentrate. Make sure your space is clean and minimal. Either keep a clean work room or go to a library. When your usual distractions are out of reach (e.g. fridge) you will stop thinking about them.
Internal distractions, such as emotional turmoil, require more serious strategies. Find ways to be more present and in the moment. Two techniques I’ve found very effective for this include practicing mindfulness, and learning what people used to refer to as ‘right brained’ thinking.
- Mindfulness is all about redirecting your attention when it wanders. The more you practice this redirection, the less you’ll find that internal dialogue distracting.
- “Right brain” thinking is about seeing the world as is rather than as you know it to be. It is possible to practice this so you can turn it on at will.
Task-based distractions, such as having lots of little things to remember, can be dealt with things like creative scheduling or journaling.
- Bullet journaling or task tracking apps can help reduce the mental clutter while still keeping you on track.
- Creative scheduling can also help you with tasks that require a lot of gear switching and harness your natural attentional fluctuations.
The suggestions discussed here are about reducing distractions and increasing your attention to the project. If these suggests don’t help then perhaps the problem task belongs to another category.
Happy Creating!
Miri