Do something that you care about.
A true minimalist would stop here, but I’m guessing you want a bit more so here comes the longer version.
Do you know the feeling when your experience of the passing of time changes? Time flies or stands still, and you don’t pay attention to anything except the task at hand. That’s the state of flow, or “completely focused motivation”. Achieving flow is a great way to enjoy work and produce great results and doing something you care about helps you get there.
But no matter how amazing work can get when you experience flow, it’s not always possible. There are times when you just need to do the work, no matter how it feels. It can be that you don’t have the luxury of immersing yourself in the work without caring about the clock. Maybe the task is harder than you can complete comfortably, or maybe it is too easy and your mind starts to wander.
In a blog post I keep returning to, Seth Godin wrote:
Why do you need to feel like something in order to do the work? They call it work because it’s difficult, not because it’s something you need to feel like.
- Seth Godin
Truth is you don’t need to feel the flow or to be in the zone to get your work done, and you need to get your work done even if you don’t get to flow.
When you care about the goal, you don’t stop working even if you can’t keep your eyes open anymore. You forget to eat because you just have to finish the task. You work through the hard times just to create the change you want to see in this world. This happens when you have passion.
Passion towards the goal you are working for sticks with you even when other reasons prevent you from getting in the flow. If the reason for your work is something bigger than yourself, you will work even when you don’t feel like it, because you know that what you are doing, matters — to you, and often to others as well.
Don’t wait any longer, seek out projects that will build your legacy. Start ventures that make you lose your sleep. And ship something that will change the world.
Welcome to my blog!
This is a blog about making time and creating opportunities for things that matter (you, your family, the community around you and changing the world for the better) through minimalism, slowing down and a never ending curiosity.
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It’s funny that you included some thoughts from Seth Godin. I’ve been a fan of his for years, and lately I’ve come to realize that a lot of what he teaches is minimalism. No wasteful meetings, no pointless work. Just do something you care about, something that matters, and ship it. What could be more productive / simple than that?
Seth Godin is one of my heroes. I would call him a mentor, but he doesn’t know me and we’ve only ever exchanged one quick email. :)
It’s interesting how so many great thinkers from both the past and the future share so many ideas with minimalists. I have been reading this ancient japanese book “Tsurezuregusa” by Joshida Kenko and it’s awesome to see that minimalism dates back all the way to the dawn of our civilizations. And I guess less awesome to see that even hundreds years ago, the same clash between minimalism and consumerism already existed.
I think passion allows you to more readily achieve a state of flow. Those things that interest you are more likely to allow you to reach this state. For things you find boring or drudgery you are not likely to find yourself reaching such a state.
Good point, John. Passion definitely helps you reach flow. Doing something you find boring or not meaningful you are so much more easily distracted, and often even actively seeking for distractions that it’s no surprise that there’s no way to get in the state of flow.
PS. Good to see long time readers like you still commenting to this blog :)