The One Thing that Improves Productivity and Fulfillment

My father used to inspire us to do our chores with a classic dad line: “Make a game of it.”

Sure, you can compete with your brothers over who picks up the most rotten apples, or pulls the most weeds, or scoops the most dog poop, but it isn’t really fun. At least not when you’re a kid.

Once I hit adulthood, and realized I had to work all the time to live—which kind of sucks—I finally saw the wisdom. Making a game of all the dumb stuff you have to do actually helps.

I was reminded of this the other day at my job when a random coworker asked for some data. In discussion, I learned what they needed and spent some time assembling the data, organizing it in a spreadsheet, formatted the results, and built two charts for visual display. I could have merely emailed the raw data and wished them good luck. But I wanted to make something.

It was fun, so I really didn't mind.

At this point in my life, I'm somewhat over the need for attention. The urge to make, tinker and create remains, so that's what I do. It’s a form of play. I’ve made a game of it.

For almost all of my on-the-job challenges (i.e., when someone tells me to do something), I poke around and try it to see what a solution will require. How long will it take to complete? Can we understand the value of the finished product, and help us make that decision?

I don’t take the assignment at face value, but dig in to see its meaning and value. Then I ask what’s in it for me?

Can I learn something from making it? Can I have fun, and get a kick out of the doing?

As a self-published novelist, there are about thirty different skill sets needed to succeed. The amount of work is daunting. Had I kept that attitude I had as a kid, I’d never have been able to motivate myself to complete everything necessary. I definitely wouldn’t have done it six times.

The writing, obviously, can be fun. Nobody writes a decent novel hating the work required to compose a 60,000 word story. Once it’s written (and revised seventeen times) the real work begins.

Creating the print version of the book demands desktop publishing and graphics skills. If you approach the obstacles as fun challenges, like running a marathon or climbing a mountain, you can motivate yourself to learn the skills and do the work.

It happens again with the ebook. Sure, you can upload the Word document and forget about it. You can also learn about the formatting options, learn to use an ebook editor, and have fun making it cool for the readers to use.

Then there’s the author website, the social media posting, and promotional campaigns. That’s a lot of fun to be had if you bring the right attitude to the work.

A lot of people will look at the amount of work involved and find someone else to do the work. I’m not saying they’re wrong, but they’re missing out on some fun.

Those people are more likely to become managers, vice presidents, and CEOs, so maybe they’re onto something.

I’ve become a maker, and I look for the fun in every project to motivate myself. It fuels my creativity.

Sometimes, your creative thinking leads you to make things because you crave to see it exist in a tangible form.

Other times, the act of making fuels your creativity, discovering possibilities in the form—spreadsheets, books, or web sites—that leads to more and better ideas.

Of course, not everyone is cut out for making, but you can gain an advantage in the office, or in the marketplace, by stretching your abilities to make, if only a small thing or two, which may lead to an idea that brings you joy and can be shared with others.

And you can have fun while fulfilling your work duties or your creative dreams.