Part 2. Do more of what you love, less of what you don’t.
Do you know what you (especially) love to do? Last month I shared ways for you to identify your key strengths, what I call your Highest Talents™. When you use your key strengths, you probably enjoy – even love – your work. Do you sometimes get into what psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls a state of flow? When you’re in that state, also known as “the zone,” you become so absorbed in what you’re doing, you lose track of time. The work that triggers that state is often work you do well and especially enjoy. What accomplishments give you special satisfaction? Do you enjoy the work that leads to those accomplishments? List the work you do well and especially enjoy, which are often the same.
How can you spend your time doing more of what you love and less of what you don’t? Are you doing work you simply don’t have to do? Stop! Are you doing work you can delegate or hire someone else to do? It might take some time, i.e. you might need to earn extra money to hire work done or you might need to learn how to delegate masterfully (Linda, can you link this to my March ’25 newsletter, Masterful delegation?), but make it your goal and start working on it now. Do you already have people in your organization you can delegate to? Don’t avoid delegation by telling yourself, “I can do it faster myself.” Initially, it will take longer to delegate, but as you master delegation and develop people on your team, you’ll free up your own time to do more work that you love, work that’s more valuable to you, your organization and your clients.
Getting clear about what you do well and enjoy most, then delegating as much as you can – ideally work that others will enjoy and learn to do well – will help you thrive professionally and personally, by doing more of what you love and less of what you don’t.
Watch for Thrive NOW, Part 3, in August.