Have you ever seen this advice?
“Make a list of things that make you happy.
Make a list of things you do every day.
Compare the lists.
Adjust accordingly.”
What do you think of it?
I think this sort of exercise has a great deal of value for helping us to live more deliberately. It makes the things we do each day and how we feel about them visible so that they can be examined. And it can help us to be more present and mindful in our daily work.
So what makes you happy? And specifically, what makes you happy at work?
I like to work with people on a project.
I enjoy the interplay of ideas as we brainstorm and talk and listen to each other and I like the way that it forces me to sharpen up my ideas, question my assumptions and look at things from a different perspective. Though I can be quite self-sufficient when it comes to getting things done, and a bit of a bulldozer when it comes to attacking a task with sheer brute force, I’ve discovered that two heads really are better than one and that working as part of a team can help you to work smarter and achieve better outcomes than going solo.
Sometimes I find it challenging to initiate opportunities to work together with colleagues rather than alone. At most workplaces everyone is just so busy, and no one wants to be the one who calls yet another meeting. I have to remind myself of the benefits of collaboration and then frame my request for help in a way that will be productive and mutually beneficial. I find that calling a short meeting with clear objectives often works well.
How about you? What are your preferences for how you work, and do you manage to incorporate these into your daily work practices?
Writing makes me happy.
It helps me to ‘think out loud’ so to speak. Articulating my thoughts helps me to think more deeply, find more connections and synthesise different ideas. By the end of writing I know much better how I think and feel about an issue than I did at the beginning. Writing provides an avenue for me to express myself. And writing in a public forum, such as this blog, allow me to initiate conversations.
That I know this about myself – that writing makes me happy – reminds me to find opportunities to write in my daily work. This blog is just one example of how I might make that happen. I can use this forum to explore a work related issue, task or project in a way that might help me to identify next steps, make decisions about courses of action, or build arguments to support desired outcomes.
Do you have something like this on your happy list that you can incorporate into your daily work list? Do you find it challenging to adjust accordingly without compromising the non-negotiables of either list?
Thinking big picture captures my attention.
I’m happiest when I’m engaging with things at the ‘ideas’ level and I like to keep my head at least somewhat up in the clouds whenever possible! I like to take the long view and to look at the whole rather than the parts, situating any problem within larger frameworks. I find it most stimulating and satisfying to ask a lot of questions rather than come up with quick answers. I’ll be the one playing devil’s advocate, advancing the alternative viewpoint, looking for connections rather than boundaries and thinking about what could be and how to get there. I like to think BIG, really big, and most of my goals are long term, multi-layer undertakings of large proportions. I’m not afraid to dream and imagine.
Funnily enough, despite my idealist tendencies I have a strong pragmatic streak which gets me through the day. I’ll always do what is needed to get the job done. So how can I incorporate more big picture thinking into my work life? Perhaps by reminding myself that this is a strength of mine and by keeping my eyes open for opportunities to deploy my gift?
So what’s your take on this? Do you think trying to do what makes you happy is good advice?
Fiona Jones 