Read time 5 minutes
Once upon in an ancient place, there was a donkey called Boot.
Boot had two priorities in life: enjoyment and self-improvement. His days full of play and body-building.
But one day, he got hired at a logistics company. Now, most of his day was spent doing the heavy lifting, delivering loads of wood and stones to distant lands.
Boot appreciated the incoming money, but he hated that it came at the cost of his own personal growth and enjoyment. This made him miserable and he started hating the work he was doing.
Boot soon figured he can either prioritize personal stuff or professional responsibilities. Both can’t go together. (I feel you, Boot!)
Hello frenz!
Last week, I got hired at a great company I’ve been pursuing since more than a year. They are one of the best in advertisement (at least that’s what I’d like to believe or maybe I’m biased. 😭)
The first week went great and a bit tiring. And I missed my daily workout, writing fiction, playing the Uke, spending time in nature, cooking, and reading.
In the middle of the week I felt like Boot. But I realized I should investigate this, as unlike Boot, I’m a homo sapien with an almost functioning brain.
The popular idea
Can’t do personal work if you focus on professional
Professional work suffers if you invest energy in personal
The relationship is always inversely proportional. But why?
Because, we (don’t know about you, but I did) believe our mental energy is finite. Our belief is that we can only dedicate energy to a number of things.
But do we always have to choose between personal and professional? I wanted to find out if that’s true. And guess what?
Nope, it’s not!
The belief that our mental energy is like a battery that gets drained is false.
The old researches told us once mental energy is spent at work, you cant focus on life. Hence, the ‘work-life balance’ posters on office walls and plethora of articles on the web.
And this false belief…
Inspires us to indulge in mind-dulling activities after work. “I’m drained and tired, now let’s treat myself.” Then, we dive into our own versions of “Netflix and Chill” or couching with a pint of vodka or ice cream sundae.
But latest studies suggest that after an initial burst of effort, our motivations shift. This indicates that we might not be experiencing a depletion of mental energy, but a change in focus.
In another 2013 study
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck put participants through a demanding task. After that, she asked them to drink sugary lemonade for an energy boost, and then evaluated how they reacted.
The result: The sugar did give a boost to people who believed their willpower had been exhausted. And it had no effect on those who didn’t see willpower as a finite resource.
What does that tell us? It’s just about how we see it.
Let’s go further…
My favorite science-backed non-fiction writer at Ness Labs, Anne-Laure Le Cunff believes the ‘mental energy as a finite battery’ idea is total donkeyshit (sorry, Boot) and another excuse we creatives like to give ourselves.
Acc. to her, mental energy is an infinite resource. Anne-Laure also taught me to not consider mental energy as a bucket of water, but take it as a hose that you can redirect wherever and whenever you want.
All you need is a perspective shift
After using the water (mental energy) to feed the plants (work), change its direction towards filling a pool (play.)
In simple words, do not treat what you learn at work as separate from what you learn in personal life.
This reminds me of Alan Watts when he said separating work and play is humanity’s top fallacy.
“This is the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you’re doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”
— Alan Watts
What you’re doing at work can compliment what you’re doing personally (the premise of this newsletter is an example of that).
Can personal and professional pursuits be mingled?
Yes, here’s how (coming straight from the mind and pen of Anne-Laure):
Learning a new tool at work could inspire you to start a personal project.
Researching local archives to create historically accurate characters in your novel could provide insights for building an engaging community at work.
A conversation with a colleague can offer the exact perspective you needed to approach a thorny conversation with a friend.
What did we learn?
Work and play is not separate. Your personal life and professional life are not two different animals to tackle. It’s all happening in the same ring, and you’re at the center.
Secondly, mental energy is not finite, neither is willpower. It’s about how you see it. Change your lens and see if it works for you.
Talking about lenses, did you check out my…
And… that’s a wrap!
See you next week. Reply any time.
—Hassaan
P.S. Song of the week: Hozier - Work Song