Tips for Making Work Interesting: From the Mindset of 'People Who Don't Worry'
I was reading a book review and thought, 'This is similar to my own thinking,'
so I'm making a note of it.
The secret to making even boring work interesting, is...
The Mindset of 'People Who Don't Worry' by Katsuhisa Kinoshita
The Mindset of 'People Who Don't Worry'
by Katsuhisa Kinoshita, 2024/9/4
It's a huge bestseller, and you see it in bookstores often.
There are also many book review articles out there.
I will quote from this book review and add my own thoughts.
The skill of making work interesting
An article by professional book reviewer Atsushi Inami
If one person is working happily and energetically, while another person working in the same workplace looks incredibly bored—
if that is the case, then it means that is a
difference in skill.
Even in the same workplace, doing the same job, everyone perceives things differently.
Do people who work happily have a different pattern of thinking?
Anyone who notices this is sharp!
In other words, as long as you lack the 'skill to make work interesting,' no matter how many times you transfer or change jobs, work will remain boring.
I imagine this phrase hits home for many people.
It's a bit of a 'ouch' moment (laughs).
If there is even one person in the world who finds that job 'interesting,' you should thoroughly investigate 'why.' If you learn that person's 'skill for finding things interesting' and do the same thing, anyone has the potential to make their work interesting.
Well, fundamentally, there is the issue of whether you like it or dislike it, but
if work becomes interesting, you might end up liking it.
I feel that possibility as well.
I have also had many experiences where a job I wasn't initially interested in
gradually became interesting.
The author states that all worries stem from a 'lack of thinking'.That is precisely why 'continuing to think' is important.
If you face problems and think them through until there is no need to worry,
you might find yourself liberated from your worries before you know it.
This is quite a tough thing to hear. It's like a Zen riddle.
This is exactly the essence of it, and I agree, but
I feel that those who can accept this are already finding their work interesting and enjoying it lol
Gamifying work
From a book review on Diamond Online
The moment register work became the 'most interesting job'
Working as a cashier at a supermarket,
she soon got bored with the job.
Usually, she would have quit right away, but she felt she couldn't just go on like this.
In the midst of this, she discovered an old diary and remembered that she once had a 'dream of becoming a pianist.' So, she decided to try and master the register work in her own way.
The idea was to memorize the button locations and ring up items rhythmically, as if playing the piano.
Even if you can't change the work itself,
you can have a certain degree of freedom in how you do it.
At this point, whether you can think, 'I'll come up with my own unique perspective and creative ideas, and give it a try!'
is, I think, the dividing line between whether you can make your work interesting or not
As her register speed increased, she gradually gained the composure to look around,
and as she started having small conversations with customers and sharing information about bargain items, the feeling that 'work is interesting' began to sprout within her for the first time.
When your perspective broadens, new discoveries, composure, and creativity are born.
In this way, people who create new, valuable work for themselves are
the ones who can find work interesting, I think
My experience with photocopying when I was a newcomer
When I was in my first year as a working professional, I got hooked on photocopying.
Just copying paper books endlessly.
I only thought it was a hassle for a moment, and soon I thought,
- How can I increase my speed even more?
- Let's measure how many minutes it takes to finish copying one book,
and the trial and error continued.
- I realized that it surprisingly takes less than an hour to copy one book.
- Furthermore, I discovered a continuous scanning feature on the copier I was using at the time!
The continuous scanning feature scans two facing pages twice in a row.
If you combine this with the double-sided copying feature, you can copy books at the fastest speed.
- While the copier is processing both sides, I turn the pages of the paper book.
- I set the next page.
I realized that if I do these actions in parallel, there is little time loss.
Rhythmically, the copier and I became one, working in coordination.
What a wonderful collaboration! I was happy on my own.
You can find enjoyment in such trivial things.
- The game-like nature of time reduction (time trials), and
- Creative ingenuity such as how to move your hands and utilizing multiple functions of the copier.
You should just enjoy it within the scope you can decide!
People who naturally imagine only successful outcomes
Furthermore, an interesting observation follows.
There is a 'commonality' among people who can gamify their work.
That is, when they set a certain target or goal,
they are the type of people who can immediately 'imagine what it's like when things go well'.
When you start a game, you don't feel
anxiety or a sense of responsibility like, 'What if I can't reach the goal...?'
You only see a future where you clear it safely and rejoice, saying 'I did it!'.
People who can approach work with this feeling can enjoy it based solely on the 'results axis'.
Rather than positive thinking, it's more of a feeling where only positive images come to mind.
When you're doing something you love, you have this kind of feeling, don't you?
However, when it comes to work, you tend to worry about failure.
Emotions like 'What if it doesn't go well...' tend to run ahead, and you end up hesitating to take action.
Because your volume of action is low, you don't get results. It's a vicious cycle.
There are various axes for satisfaction through work.
When you can't find interest in your work, perhaps you are
exploring interest using the wrong axis.
This is the case when, for example, you actually like communicating with people and want to contribute to your team, but for some reason, you only end up doing work that is directly linked to your own evaluation.
In such cases, it would be good to re-examine what you find valuable.
I'm using the difficult word 'value' here, but
honestly, it's fine to just go with what you 'like' and what you think is 'interesting'!
If you perceive work as difficult and think about not failing or not getting scolded,
well, of course it's going to become boring.
If you think based on other people's value axes, your thinking and actions will shrink.
You should just try doing it as you like, so you can enjoy it freely~!!
That's what I think, really (laughs).
Check this out too, if you'd like!
This article was written by
Shigeki Kawahara, a 'Future Realization Partner' who increases revenue pillars
https://mousoubiz.com/
https://twitter.com/mousoubiz