Is 20% of Your Work Week Doing Work You Love?

2/28/2022

Are you spending 20% of your time doing what you love?
Reflect: What did you discover about what you love to do and how much time you get to spend during your workweek doing what you love?

Maybe you discovered something new that you love.
Maybe you discovered that there was very little that you loved doing during your workweek.
Maybe you discovered a nice balance between what you love and the other responsibilities of your job.

Your goal is to be spending at least 20% of your workweek doing work you love.
If you’re not sure what you love doing, you’re not alone. Most of us are not asked to focus on what we love to do. We are busy getting a job done, being productive, achieving success, fitting into a role. If those things aren’t aligned with what we love to do, the price we pay in terms of stress, lack of satisfaction, contribution, and true engagement can be high indeed.

What to do now?
If you are spending at least 20% of your work time doing what you love, congratulations! You’re in good shape. Keep doing what you are doing.

If you are spending less than 20% of your work time doing the things you love, you probably already know that you’re not really satisfied with what you are doing. Good chance you are feeling stressed, or maybe overwhelmed and you know you are not using your best talents to contribute in a satisfying way.

Take this week and see if there are things you can be doing that you love. When we get in touch with what we love to do, there are often creative ways that 20% of our work can include those things.

Take a look at the work Marcus Buckingham is doing. You may find ideas to help spark what you can do to have more of what you love doing embedded in your work.

As you become more attuned to what you do love to do, consider having a conversation with your direct manager and brainstorm how you might revise your job to include more of that work.
Learn About The Love + Work Book

Week 3 - Monday Moment Habit Creator
Take the next step: In your next one on one with your direct reports ask them the following four questions that Marcus recommends:
1. What did you love doing since the last time we met?
2. What did you loathe doing?
3. What are your priorities?
4. How can I help?
Let me know how those conversations go and what you notice in your direct reports when you ask them what they loved doing.

Keep STOPPING to breathe slowly in and out through your nose whenever overwhelm or twinges of anxiety start to show up. Try to catch those feelings right away before they take hold. When you feel relaxed again, resume your work. This breathing habit is one of the most valuable tools you have when leading change and feeling centered in a world that likes to spin us around with things we can’t control. Breathing is always within your control.

If this Monday Moment resonated with you, please feel free to share it with a friend or colleague, and remember, if you ever feel stuck, I’m here to help. Reach out to me on LinkedIn or email me.

Have a great week!
Warm regards,