Fun is not a reward. It’s part of the process.
People always want to know what productivity hacks I’ve got hidden away.
How do I get so much done? Is there a special calendar I use? Or a workflow system… or maybe an app?
(It’s an app, isn’t it? )
Look, you can tinker at the edges with these things if you want. But if you want to get 90% of the way towards where I am, there’s only one productivity hack you need to know about:
Do one thing that brings you joy, once a day.
That’s it. It’s as simple and as difficult as that.
Do one thing that brings you joy, once a day.
Think about it this way. You are the battery of your life. You are the energy source. Everything that happens in your life – everything that you do or don’t achieve – it all comes through you.
You make it happen. You are the energy. You power the results.
So how do you keep the battery full of charge?
Do one thing that brings you joy, once a day.
You have to find what fills you up – and that’s a challenge in itself – but you have to find what fills you up, and just do it.
It really doesn’t matter what it is. It could be something classicly rejuvenating – like a facial at the day-spa.
However, it could also be a night out with the boys getting trollied. Maybe that’s just what you need to get you excited about life again – to recharge your batteries.
So find what it is, and make a practice of it. Make it a priority. Get it in place and build the rest of your life around it.
We often think about fun as the ‘reward’. You do the work, and then once all the work is done, you’re allowed to ‘waste some energy’ having fun.
But that’s not the right way to think about it. Having fun is part of the process. It’s actually a productivity technique.
I mean, try denying yourself any fun ever, and then see how excited you are to get anything done.
Having fun has to be in the same category as having a diary, or batching your workflow. It’s a practice that enables you to achieve more.
Now only you know what fills your cup.
But find that thing, do it once a day, and you will find that your life quickly starts to feel like a never-ending parade of awesome.
… because you’ll be having fun.
And then, once you have that much zest and ping going on..? well, then you can really do anything.
DB.