#20. What Many Don't Know About Finding Joy at Work

Let's try an experiment. Take something you genuinely love doing—maybe it’s your hobby or an activity that usually brings you joy. Now, rearrange it in a way that makes it unenjoyable, even boring and draining. Think about where, how, in what mood, and under what circumstances you do it to kill the joy.

For example, let's talk about drawing. One guy, who said that drawing is absolutely his thing and would never be boring or joyless, finally shared his thoughts after some contemplation: "To make drawing joyless, I should do it early in the morning while worrying about the day's to-do list, constantly compare myself to those better than me, force myself to draw as much as possible today, and feel guilty for not being with my children. Also, the fun from the process will completely disappear if I'm in a room without fresh air and stay in one position the whole time."

This experiment reveals a simple but often overlooked truth: joy at work is not just about WHAT we do, but HOW we do it. Put another way: doing the same thing in two different ways can lead to completely different experiences.

Anything we love (any ‘what’) can be turned into something boring because of the ‘how’—the way we do it. And vice-versa!

I often ask my clients to think about their key job tasks and describe the absolute best way they do them (best ‘how’) and, on the flip side, the worst way they do them (worst ‘how’). We're talking about things like running meetings, developing products, giving presentations, or dealing with clients—you name it.

Believe me, all our tasks have both a worst and a best way for us to do them.

And also, remember that we are all different. Everyone is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all ‘how’ for every task we do. Look at how two people describe their best way to prepare a presentation:

One participant described their most productive actions as follows:

- Turn off the phone, go somewhere away from home where no one can distract me.

- Start preparing well in advance to avoid doing everything at the last minute.

Here’s from another participant :

- I get the most energy from the process, and ideas flow stronger as the deadline approaches, so starting early isn’t an option.

- Ideally, be part of a team to discuss and brainstorm at every step.

These folks know their ‘how’ so that their ‘what’ works for them. It’s always a process to figure it out, but it’s worth it!

Until I figured out how to reconfigure my writing process to work for me, I wasn’t sure if writing was my thing. The same goes for public speaking, teaching, and conducting sessions. I reworked almost every important aspect of my job to make it click for me.

Joy at work isn't just about ‘what’ we do, but also how we do it. What if you think ‘this is not my thing’ about something, but it’s only because you haven’t found your best ‘how’ yet?

What if you haven't yet realized the true potential of your work? What if you haven't yet found the best way to do it, the way that works best for you? Let me leave you with these questions.

This is the newsletter series about hidden biases that often cloud our career decisions. We’ll break down the 30 most important ones I've seen in my practice over the last decade, the ones people often say, 'I wish someone had told me about this earlier!'?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Did this resonate with you or remind you of an experience you’ve had? Please share your insights and stories!