Making the Essential Enjoyable & Easy
Making Monday
I've heard it said that how we feel on Mondays is one of the clearest indicators of life satisfaction. Here is a quick thought on how to make Monday—and every day—work better...
3E Change: Enabling Ease
This post is the third of three on the 3E Change Model at the core of the End the Fight process.
We tend to “knock out” things we find to be easy. We don't fuss and fight with ourselves much about getting them done.
These activities have low perceived effort, a convenience factor, and a known process for completion.
Doing them is within our wheelhouse of knowledge, skills, and abilities. We may even demonstrate expertise or mastery.
And even if the action itself isn't the peak of enjoyment, intrinsic satisfaction accompanies anything we do well—a pleasure in experiencing competence.
So this step in the 3E Change Model involves looking for ways to make essential actions easier.
First, we can take an honest assessment of our capabilities and resources to ensure we have everything needed to be competent.
This—for me anyway—can be challenging. Clear self-reflection and vulnerability are required to admit what we don't know and what we're struggling with, then to reach out for support.
Second, we can allot adequate time for prep and planning.
Sure, there's the trap of “always planning, never doing,” but there is also the self-defeating method of dashing in without the necessary tools, making the task tougher than needed.
Third, we can ask: what is the simplest, minimally-viable way to do it?
We often default to overcomplicating things.
This is a common defense against taking action. It can also be an enactment of the limiting belief that essential actions must by nature be difficult and complex.
In our planning, we can favor radical simplicity, looking for solutions and processes with the least structure.
There have been times when I've spent more effort managing my management systems than doing the things the management systems were set up to manage.
That's a special breed of insanity, as well as picking a major fight with myself.
I've since found that things can be easier.
Essential actions, while not being effortless, can almost feel that way.
Together, let's end the fight to change—
Delmar
