“Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.” -Mark Twain
Work more effectively by not letting it be work. If you enjoy everything you do, you won’t ever dread doing work. Since you’ll get excited to do your work—like you would to play a sport or see a movie—you’ll be getting more of the important stuff done in less time. No forcing yourself required.
If you don’t fully enjoy something, then partner with someone, outsource undesirable aspects, or find another line of work.
You probably noticed how long it takes you to finish something where certain steps you just didn’t look forward to doing. You also probably noticed how quick and easy it takes you to finish something that you were completely excited about. It didn’t even seem like work, did it. Find and do only stuff you completely enjoy.
Screw compromises. Life’s too short to half-ass.
Enjoy Every Aspect of What You Do
The key is to make those behind-the-scenes activities desirable – then you’ll want to do them. You won’t need to force yourself to work, and you’ll work better and faster. If you enjoy every aspect of whatever it is you do, it’ll just seem like playing. You won’t dread any part of it. No more of “it sucks I have to do this in order to get to do that.”
The best actors no doubt love to study their roles, travel to film, sit in trailers, do the promotional circuit. Their enjoyment and passion shows in their work, and they got more roles as a result. The best athletes most likely crave getting up early to train, travel to competitions, sit in locker rooms, do the interviews and sponsorships. Their love and excitement shows in their game, and they get better and become stars as a result.
This Website Is Like Playing to Me
I love creating websites, coding, and business stuff, so I don’t even consider doing these behind-the-scenes activities work, while others might them find boring. It’s only natural for me to create an online business—this website—because I get excited to install WordPress, tweak CSS, and write out a business plan.
I worked a summer job for 4 years. It was 9-5 style. I hated it. So few things excited me, and it took days to finish what could have been done in a few hours. If I was stuck in a office environment, I’d make it top priority to escape.
Work More Effectively by Not Letting It Be Work
Want to work more effectively? Don’t let it be work.
If you play instead of consciously work, you’ll get more of the important stuff done in less time – without forcing yourself. Find what you completely enjoy—including the behind-the-scenes activities—and only do that.
“You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing.” -Dale Carnegie
Useful Stuff Elsewhere
The Zero Hour Workweek – Jonathan Mead’s helpful and entertaining free ebook on how to get paid to do what you love, no compromise.
The World Needs You to Do What You Love – Jonathan Mead lists five things you can do to move towards getting paid to do what you love.
