This article originally appeared in The Simplifier #36.

Let yourself have more fun working!

By Shawn Tuttle

“I have to …” Anything starting with this is bound to carry a weight of dread or displeasure with it. “I can’t go out right now, I have to work.” Images of carefree fun and laughter are snuffed out by dark images of obligation. The gulf between “have to” and “want to” stretches wide and long. The word “enjoy” seems to have made the prohibited list somewhere between cut-off jeans and personal calls in the Policies Manual.

For years I’ve been driven by a desire to help people be their best selves by letting go of that which gets in the way of their dreams. These dreams stir up an excitement that leads them into the great unknown with courage and creativity. When focusing on what they love, the doldrums fizzle away. So whenever I hear someone say, “I have to ___ (fill in the blank)” I feel my stomach contract in a little cringe. Why do you have to do anything? The answer to this has roots in our reasons for being in our current situation—reasons resulting from choices and circumstances.

For most people, working isn’t an issue up for discussion, it’s a given. Whether we like it or not, it’s a necessity in the current state of our economy. In fact, we spend a hefty portion of our time doing what we call “work”. Many people spend more than half their waking hours engaged in work activities. That’s a lot of time! Setting the intention to enjoy your work makes a lot of sense. But whether you love your profession or not, the day-to-day experience of work isn’t always enjoyable.

Shortly after college, I worked as the office manager of a small retail store that sold game and pool tables. The storefront was on a street with minimal foot traffic; it was a destination location. Unfortunately, it was rarely a destination for anyone. I spent many an hour in the little office, jumping when the phone would shrilly upset the soothing tones of the classical radio station that was indubitably playing. “Work” became synonymous with “boredom”.

Soon thereafter I was an administrative assistant with a ToDo list at least a mile long. My employer, a non-profit organization, was short on many resources, staff being one of them. We were encouraged to work long hours in support of the always-important and always-timely issues at hand. I’d get home feeling like my brains might burst from my forehead if I thought too hard about what to have for dinner. “Work” became synonymous with “brain-fried”.

Boredom? Brain-fried? Was this to be the nature of work life I’d have to endure for the next 40 years? My sunny perspective on life couldn’t and wouldn’t allow me to believe it. Life was to be an adventure, a blank canvas onto which I could paint anything!

Wake-up call: back to the day-to-day activities in the workplace… informally defined as: “numerous tasks demanding your energy while rarely allowing the satisfaction of fulfillment”. Who came up with that?!? And there are countless ways that our minds can end up feeling like the contents of a shaken up can of soda (as if you needed to be reminded.)

Do any of these ring a bell?
-Feeling overwhelmed by the amount to be done.
-Feeling weighed down by numerous large, amorphous projects.
-Feeling confused about how to proceed with something.
-Feeling frustrated that important projects always seem to get procrastinated until the last minute.
-Feeling like your brain has short-circuited due to too much to think about.

When I worked for the non-profit, I regularly cycled through each of these. Sustainable work habits weren’t a priority.

There is always time for joy
Finding peace with your work, whether it’s the fun part or the has-to-get-done part, can make a huge impact on your life. Considering how many of your waking hours are spent working, just think how your life and peace of mind would be different if your work were easier and more fluid.

Of course there are many tips and tricks for this (several listed in the Tip section below), but first, start with the goal in mind. Let the vision of how you want to work guide the changes to your habits.

For example, I visualize a master builder. She knows what needs to be done given the foundation, the desired house specs, and the type of materials to be used. I see her as calm, confident, sure, skilled, thorough, competent, communicative, and working in a zen-like manner. Along with the foundation, she lays the groundwork for the utilities and services. (Electrical isn’t glamorous, but it needs to be included as part of the building!) I see her begin each day with a fresh perspective and a positive attitude. At the end of the day she may be tired, but it’s that good kind of tired—resulting from hard work, combined with the satisfaction of seeing her vision manifest right before her eyes.

A quick reminder on visualizing: see and feel the vision. Not only create a picture of the work style you desire, but also explore how that work style feels. Experiencing this during a relaxed time will help the changes happen more rapidly. I refer to this as living it before it’s actually happened.

Joy—the coffee substitute
Reinforcing the reminder that most of our attitude is a head trip, I’ll close with a story from this morning. Faced with workshop preparation, the newsletter to complete, client work, and two more deadlines for other organizations, I found myself beginning to feel harried as soon as I got out of bed. Resisting the temptation to get right to work, I stuck with my morning routine of yoga and meditation. While sitting in meditation I felt a sudden shift followed by the phrase coming to mind: there is always time for joy.

What a beautifully simple reminder. It immediately pulled me out of my worried head and back into my heart. The overwhelmed feeling was replaced with a quiet confidence. Not only would everything be completed on time, there would also be plenty of time for joy. And so there was.

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Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify