I love this guys advice and hope you do too!
Why must fun and work be separate activities?
One of the most common phrases among high achievers is “Work hard, play hard”.
But there’s something fundamentally wrong with this phrase.
It suggests we must endure what we have to do in order to get to what we want to do.
Of course, not everything that's Essential is enjoyable. But you can make almost any tedious task better when you pair it with something you love.
Here are some examples I've come across:I recently responded to a backlog of voicemails while sitting in my hot tub
A friend of mine pairs exercising with listening to his favorite podcast
My wife Anna and I eat chocolate-covered almonds and listen to our favorite songs while we create the family budget
Combining a difficult but Essential task with something you enjoy can turn a task you endure into a ritual you look forward to.
Here’s your challenge for today:Make a list of 20 things you love to do
Next time you have an Essential task that is difficult, ask, “How can I make this enjoyable?”
Use your list to find something you love and pair it with the Essential task
When we attach small moments of joy to mundane tasks, we don’t have to wait for the time when we can play and have fun. That time is always now.
"Joy is finding the holy in the small and the sacred in the everyday."
- Mary Davis
In gratitude,
Greg McKeown
Author of Essentialism.
