It is only recently in my life that I've found the wisdom to "consider the way my choices leave me feeling." It's an idea I've tried to apply, with some difficulty. It matters that the things I do either enrich or drain my mind and energy. Music, for example, I've found to be completely soothing; so, I take breaks from the day to pluck on my guitar. This is also advice I give to my kids - "if you feel drained and bored watching TV all evening, what could you do instead that would leave you feeling fulfilled?"
Recently I've also been playing with the notion of "salience" - the things we can see are the things we pay attention to. It's a common thread, recognized by both academic study and management philosophy. The considerations we're prone to factor are the things with the most material, tangible presence. How something makes me feel, in contrast, is nearly invisible.
That might cause one to lead an imbalanced lifestyle. Back to my guitar - if I let it hang on the wall for too long, I tend to forget how it feels to play. I lose that quality-of-life experience in my day to day. Maybe I replace music with something more tangible, like snacks or television. The joy of music becomes less salient, and therefore easy to omit from life. As a consequence, I lose something very important to my health, and so my mental wellness dips.
I think this applies to work, too. My interactions, processes, and decisions are aimed toward salient objectives. The factors I'm prone to consider as important are shallow - deadlines, turn-around time, billable hours. What I miss, if I'm complacent, is recognition for the invisible, and beautiful, aspects of my work. And those factors are the ones that have a real impact on quality experience.
If, however, I can include more enriching, less tangible work activities, it tends to lift my spirit. For example, taking time to explore my ideas through diagrams and drawings always reunites me with my core values. Or getting out of my office to read always gives me inspiration. Yes, it takes away from the diligence of paid hours, but encouraging my heart and mind is part of a healthy work-life. I need that balance to avoid burnout, deliver quality, and display leadership.
My encouragement to you, while you execute the processes and decisions of work, is to explore how both salient and invisible factors can be in balance. Look for opportunities to include enrichment in your work-life. If you're a manager, that extends to your team too. How can you help them balance the salient and quality aspects of work?
