Taking a Detour - by Adam Grant

"When I ask people what it takes to achieve greater things, one of the most

common answers is that you need to be laser focused and single-minded

in your dedication. You need to double down and block out anything that

threatens to drain your energy or divide your attention. If you want to

excel at your job, spend more time at work: get in early, go home late. Put

your hobbies on the back burner ... and definitely don't take on a side

hustle. You don't want to wind up distracted and exhausted.

But the evidence tells a different story. A digression doesn't have to

be a diversion. It can be a source of energy.

In one study, when people had spent engaging evenings on their side

hustles, they performed better the next day in their regular jobs. The

progress they made at night put an extra spring in their step the following

morning. The motivation benefits outweighed any distraction costs.

Hobbies have similar benefits. In another study, when people took

on serious hobbies at home, their confidence climbed at work-but only

if the hobbies were in a different area from their jobs. If you're an artist

and you're languishing, doing ceramics on the side won't do much to

spur a sense of mastery. But if you're feeling meh as a social worker or

an accountant, a pottery project might just be a new path to progress.

Of all the factors that have been studied, the strongest known force in

daily motivation is a sense of progress. You can't always find motivation

by staring harder at the thing that isn't working. Sometimes you can

build momentum by taking a detour to a new destination.

A detour is a route off your main road that you take to refuel. You're

not taking a break; you're not sitting still, idling. You're temporarily veering off course, but you're still in motion. You're advancing towards different goal.

Psychologists find that achieving a sense of progress doesn't require huge gains. Fuel can come from small wins.

When you make headway, even if you've turned off the main road, it reminds you that forward movement is possible.

This is an extract from the Book "Hidden Potential"