What's fantastic about your situation?

What is fantastic about your situation, right now?

This might sound silly to you. 

Who says that your situation is fantastic? 

Maybe in your opinion it is terrible. Or boring. Or nothing special.

The psychologist Erik Olkiewicz recommends that we ask ourselves, in any situation: 

“What’s fantastic about this?”

It can feel like a mockery if a tragic event has just happened, but with some distance to the situation we can often see that there was a silver lining.  

Many restaurants have had a hard time during the pandemic.

But then again, some were able to see what was fantastic.

Like Yalla Habibi in Kungälv, close to where I live.

They noticed that they had almost no clients in the restaurant, but the take away orders increased manifold so they adapted to that.

They also gave away thousands of meals to the hospital staff in the middle of the crisis.

Was that a great business decision? 

In the short run, no. 

In the long run? Most likely.

Did their gesture make it easier for the hospital staff to find the situation fantastic?

I believe so. 

What’s fantastic about your situation, right now?

Never mind how many hours you work

If you pick berries for 2 hours you are likely to come home with more berries than if you pick for just 1 hour. 

But what about the work you do? 

Do you add more value if you work 10 hours a day than if you work 8?

Be honest to yourself when you answer that question.

It is possible that you bring more value by working less so you leave room for getting ideas and energy from outside of your work.

In my opinion Amount of hours spent at work is not a relevant measurement for productivity or contribution in work places where we rely on our brains rather than our bodies.

But many people and work places still reward and admire people who put in long hours, whether or not they create better results. 

Or, as Robert Frost put it: 

“By faithfully working eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.”

Never mind how many hours you work.

Focus on having fun and adding value.  

Then step back and enjoy the inevitable break throughs