Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You

“Next time you’re feeling like a task or project is particularly difficult, ask yourself, ‘What would it look like if I were really confident at this?’ Just by asking yourself the question, you’ll visualise yourself confidently approaching the task at hand. The switch has been flipped.”

“Shoshin refers to a state of mind in which we approach every task and situation with the curiosity, openness and humility of a beginner.”

“With this mindset shift – from ‘have to’ to ‘choose to”

“Play is our first energiser. Life is stressful. Play makes it fun. If we can integrate the spirit of play into our lives, we’ll feel better – and do more too.”

“By letting go of the idea that we know everything, or somehow should, we actually feel more powerful.”

“When we can’t take ownership of the situation, we can still take ownership of the process.”

“What would this look like if it were fun?’ has now become a guiding question in my life. And it’s surprisingly easy to draw upon. Think of a task that you don’t want to do right now, and ask what would it look like if it were fun? Could you do it in a different way? Could you add music, or a sense of humour, or get creative? What if you set out to do the task with friends, or promised yourself a treat at the end of the process? Is there a way to make this draining process a little more enjoyable?”

“This approach is supported by a growing body of research. Psychologists increasingly believe that play holds the key to true productivity, partly because it provides a sense of psychological relief. As one recent study put it: ‘the psychological function of play is to restore the physically and mentally fatigued individual through participation in activity which is pleasurable and relaxing.”

“When you take on a different persona, you start to find adventure.”

“identifying the type of play that most resonates with who you are, so you can choose a type of player to embody.”

“Tracking your progress provides you with tangible evidence that you’re moving towards your goals.”

“flattens our emotional landscape;”

“listen to podcasts or watch videos with stories of people succeeding in the areas in which I want to feel more empowered.”

“SMART Goal NICE Goal Fitness Lose 20 pounds within the next three months. Exercise for 30 minutes daily, focusing on activities that are enjoyable and manageable. Career Get a promotion to a senior management position within two years. Dedicate an hour each week to improving one key skill or networking with industry professionals. Education Complete a Master’s degree in two years. Spend 30 minutes each day reviewing course material and work on assignments in manageable chunks.”

“My preferred method doesn’t involve fixating on an external outcome or destination, but instead emphasises the feel-good journey. It’s based on what I call NICE goals.”

“Motivation clearly isn’t enough. And telling people to simply ‘feel more motivated’ isn’t just unhelpful, it’s potentially harmful, contributing to the sense of paralysis that caused procrastination in the first place.”

“In layperson’s terms, that’s a sense of ownership. And it’s our final contributor to the sense of power that energises us and our work.”

“In identical circumstances, with identical material, the people who had to teach others about a subject would learn the material better themselves. The researchers named this phenomenon the ‘protégé effect’.”

“What would it look like if I were really confident at this? What would it look like if I approached this task feeling confident that I could do it?”

“Getting to know our fears is the first step towards overcoming them.”

“The unblock method encourages us to understand why we’re feeling bad about work in the first place.”

“This study shows that simply by becoming your own hype team you can dramatically impact your own productivity.”

“Feeling confident about our ability to complete a task makes us feel good when we’re doing it, and helps us do it better.”

“Extrinsic motivation comes from the outside: driven by pay-rises, material rewards and social approval.”

“Intrinsic motivation comes from the inside: driven by self-fulfilment, curiosity and a genuine desire to learn.”

“shoshin can have a remarkable impact precisely because it allows us to see things afresh.”

“The 8 Play Personalities The Collector loves to gather and organise, enjoying activities like searching for rare plants, or rummaging around in archives or garage sales. The Competitor enjoys games and sports, and takes pleasure in trying their best and winning. The Explorer likes to wander, discovering new places and things they’ve never seen, through hiking, road tripping and other adventures. The Creator finds joy in making things, and can spend hours every day drawing, painting, making music, gardening and more. The Storyteller has an active imagination and uses their imagination to entertain others. They’re drawn to activities like writing, dance, theatre and role-playing games. The Joker endeavours to make people laugh, and may play by performing stand-up, doing improv, or just pulling a lot of pranks to make you smile. The Director likes to plan, organise and lead others, and can fit into many different roles and activities, from directing stage performances to running a company, to working in political or social advocacy. The Kinesthete finds play in physical activities like acrobatics, gymnastics and free running.”

“The results were eye-opening. As the GPS data and responses to the text messages rolled in, it became clear that those who had more adventurous experiences – those who took themselves off to a wider and more random assortment of places, whether taking a new route to work or trying a different coffee shop rather than sticking to their regular one – felt happier, more excited and more relaxed. Their conclusion: an adventurous life holds the key to unlocking positive emotions.”

“Finally, in Part 3, we’ll explore how feel-good productivity can sustain us in the long term.”

“Next, Part 2 examines how feel-good productivity can help us overcome procrastination.”