Understanding the Characteristics of What Makes Work Enjoyable
Intuitively, we all know there is a difference between work that’s just work and work we enjoy. However, we often miss the subtle difference between these two types of work. As a result, most people can’t seem to figure out how to do more of the work they enjoy and less of the work that’s just work.
I define work as the effort you provide when you have an expectation to get something in return from someone. Based on this definition, there are three characteristics that make work enjoyable.
- The actual physical effort of the work is enjoyable
- You like the person who is providing the return on your work
- You value what you are getting in return for your work
If Two of these Three Characteristics Remain True, Work is Nearly Always Enjoyable
When all three of these characteristics are found, work is always enjoyable. What’s more, you could take away one, and as long as the other two characteristics remain true, the work is still nearly always enjoyable.
For example, you could not enjoy the physical effort of the work but still enjoy the work overall if you both like the person providing the return and value the return you get. In addition, you can still enjoy the work if you don’t like the person providing the return as long as you enjoy the effort and value the return. Likewise, you could not value the return and still enjoy the work as long as you like the person providing you the return and you enjoy the physical effort.
Finally, it’s also important to note that the physical effort of the work could only be enjoyable because you like the people around you. Conversely, you could also not enjoy the physical effort not because of the effort in itself but because you don’t like the people around you.
The next time you find yourself not enjoying your work, think about the relationship between these three characteristics and figure out how you can make at least two of them turn in your favor.