Here’s the hard truth, unless something changes by this time next year, you're likely to find yourself in exactly the same place. 

Sound terrifying? Then this week’s experiment is made for you.

Creating some space and time alone to just think, is the first step in designing work that feels better, freer, and more satisfying for you. 

You might not agree about the transformational power of thinking time,  but in my experience, creating space to think about your possible future isn't a luxury, it's a necessity.  Thinking time helps you uncover what truly matters to you.  It helps you clarify specifically what needs to change for you.  And it helps you figure out the steps that will take you where you want to go. 

By carving out even 30 short minutes this week, you're not just dreaming aimlessly, you're prioritizing your future self, your future mental health, and your future joy potential. Because the only way to create your better future is to eke out a little space for it. Starting now. 

[00:30] The Importance of Thinking Time

[02:42] The Joy at Work Experiment: Finding Time to Think

[03:07] Guiding Questions for Reflection

[04:17] Conclusion: Prioritizing Your Future Self

[04:56] Additional Resources: Life Satisfaction Assessment

You're busy, yeah?

There's never enough time to focus on your future work happiness.

But if you don't focus on it, things just stay the same, don't they?

In these short episodes, I wanna give you some tiny ideas, some mini experiments

to try out this week to either dial down a pain point for you at work or

dial up your potential for joy at work.

Let's dive in.

It's so easy to get so busy that you no longer have time to think,

and you pay a huge price for that, said Charlie Munger, Warren

Buffett's long time business partner.

What I know for sure is that you can't just think your way to

deeply satisfying, joyful work.

You also can't just action your way there, you need both clever thinking

and deliberate action on repeat until your work feels joyful enough for you.

Yet, for so many midlife professionals, life seems to have become a work treadmill

filled with work that they are 100 percent certain they don't want to do forever.

And they're too busy just getting through the present to think about

designing a different future.

What happens then is that the present greedily gobbles up their energy, time

and focus, leaving absolutely no space for them to reflect on what's working

and what's not, let alone cleverly designing a better path forward.

If this sounds familiar, Here's the maddening truth.

Unless something changes this time next year, you're likely to find

yourself in exactly the same place.

You might not agree about the transformational power of thinking

time, but in my experience, creating space to think about your

possible future Isn't a luxury.

It's a necessity.

Thinking time is where the fog starts to lift.

Thinking time helps you uncover what truly matters to you.

It helps you clarify specifically what needs to change for you.

And it helps you figure out the steps that will take you where you want to go.

So, this week's joy at work experiment is really simple.

Schedule 30 minutes of uninterrupted thinking time.

Grab a pen and paper.

The research shows that handwriting taps into the creative brain in a way

that typing on your computer doesn't.

And start thinking about your future work life.

If starting with a blank page seems intimidating, here are four questions to

guide your thinking over this half hour.

But really, there are no wrong questions to ask yourself, and no wrong

way to invest this reflection time.

Just get some thoughts out of your head.

and onto paper.

Number one, what do you want more of at work next year?

Consider the projects, the moments or experiences that bring lightness, fun,

satisfaction and enjoyment to your work.

Question two, what do you want less of at work next year?

Think about the energy draining tasks, the environment or the dynamics that you

really want to reduce in your work life.

Number three, who do you want to work with?

What kind of people inspire you, support you, or energize you?

And number four, how might you like to feel about your work future?

Choose one emotion here that reflects your ideal relationship with your future work.

Creating some space and time alone to just think, is the first step in

designing work that feels better, freer, and more satisfying for you.

By carving out even 30 short minutes this week, you're not just dreaming

aimlessly, you're prioritizing your future self, your future mental

health, and your future joy potential.

Because the only way to create your better future is to eke

out a little space for it.

Starting now.

If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment.

It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas

of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down.

I call it D Railed.

It's a fabulous place to begin a joy at work redesign.