Three Simple Questions to Unlock Your Best Work (part 1)
By Ben Fuller
For the next three weeks, I will explore three simple questions that can help you unlock your best work. These questions can be helpful to young people trying to discern their calling, and for people who want to enjoy a career that is aligned with their design and purpose . Answering these questions is not a one-time event; instead, they are questions that could be asked regularly, especially during times of transition or difficulty. What I have found is that ignoring these questions can not only have a negative impact on you but the people around you. On the flip side, your answers to these questions can be keys unlock a new way to work that is enjoyable, sustainable, and uplifts the people in your life.
Here is our first question:
If you could choose your ideal workday, how many hours would you be in direct communication with people, and how many hours would you be working alone on a project or task?
This question swims in the same lane as the conversations about introverts and extroverts but makes it intensely practical and granular. The question hones in on the type of work you complete throughout the day and ultimately dissects if you are a more task-oriented or people-oriented person. I would suggest actually writing out a number. Say, for a typical 8-hour workday, how many hours would be people-oriented, and how many would be task-oriented? 5 people-oriented hours and 3 task-oriented hours? 2 people and 6 task? There are also more nuanced ways to think about the topic. For instance, some people may enjoy doing task-oriented work in close proximity with people, with occasional moments of social banter or collaboration.
Why Did I Leave Education?
Ultimately, one of the main reasons I chose to leave the world of education is that I could not find the right mix of people work and task work. My work as a teacher or college and career counselor always leaned strongly towards the people side. The word “sustainable” kept coming to my mind. I loved so many aspects of the work, but came home feeling empty with nothing left to give my growing family. It did not feel sustainable. Now I still get to work with people, but also have long periods of time where I can get lost in the type of creative work that I enjoy. I get the people-oriented work, but also get the task-oriented work of writing and creating content. Best of all? I still have the mental and emotional energy to give to my family when I get home.
Pay Attention To Your Life
We need to learn to pay close attention to our lives. Some jobs give us life and others suck the life out of us. This does not always mean we need to leave our jobs. Sometimes a subtle shift in our work habits or a slightly new role in the company can have a major impact on our day-to-day joy and productivity. Sometimes there are seasons of our lives when we are able to shift a bit to more task-oriented or people-oriented work depending on all sorts of factors. So right now, how would you answer the question?
If you could choose your ideal workday, how many hours would you be in direct communication with people, and how many hours would you be working alone on a project or task?
Once you have an answer in mind, what types of changes do you need to make (whether major or minor) to create a workday that is sustainable and that gives you life?
