We all have experienced times in our lives when we get so interested in a task that we lose track of time and achieve what positive psychology calls “flow”.  Ironically, it is our interest that also prevents mental fatigue.

But how do you take an uninteresting task and get into “flow”?

According to recent studies by psychologists at the Universities of Virginia and Wisconsin, finding reasons to make tasks personally relevant/valuable to your life helps create flow.

Students who were asked to write about the usefulness of scientific concepts in their own lives not only reported both greater interest in science but also achieved higher grades compared to students who were only asked to summarize material.

Additionally, other studies show having either a competitive or collaborative partner (vs. working alone) also increases interest and desire to master a task.

Interest is crucial to your motivation, effectiveness, and energy.

What reasons can you find this week to make a somewhat boring task more personally relevant and valuable to you?

Is there someone you can work with on the task to make it more interesting?

May we pursue our paths, finding ways to make all our tasks more personally meaningful,

Best wishes,