Four joys for 2024
Over the past year and a half, I’ve read many books on joy and tried several techniques for more joy in life and work. These are the things that stuck and those that I’ll continue to practice in 2024.
1. Flow - flow is the space where time stands still. It is when you are using your skills to do something challenging. Just enough to push you without overwhelming or stressing you out. As you find your flow and continue to develop it, you can spend more time in this space doing what you love and further developing your skills. This time spent in flow can also be described as ecstasy, which is the most intense emotional state of joy.
Exercise: keep track of the times during the day when you are in a “flow state”. Write down what you are doing when you are in the flow. Keep a list of those activities and schedule more of that into your day.
2. Fun - fun is an important component within physical, emotional, mental, and social wellbeing. It helps develop character and deepen relationships. Having more fun each day contributes to improved mood, enhanced creativity, stronger relationships, and more resilience. Breaking the day up with something fun lightens your mood and makes the time go faster.
Exercise: schedule 15 minute breaks during the day where you can do something fun. Listening to music, talking to a friend, reading a book, or taking a coffee break are some popular ways to incorporate a little fun in the day.
3. Friendships - the Harvard Study of Adult Development found that close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. Having a friend at work makes you 7x more likely to enjoy your job, according to Gallup. When I think back to my favorite times in life and work, it’s because of the friends I was sharing the moment with that made it so fun.
Exercise: spend time developing quality relationships. Get to know the people around you. Become curious. Ask questions about their lives, what’s important to them, and what gives them joy. Check in on friends and family. The simple act of asking can deepen friendships and enhance relationships.
4. Focus - with all of the distractions in life, I find it important to consistently train my ability to focus. The more I can curate my life and filter out unnecessary distractions, the less stress I experience and more time I have to focus on the things that matter.
Exercise: pretend that you are sitting on the side of a river watching it flow past you. As you are sitting and observing, you’ll see several things floating down the river, like branches, animals, or trash. Practice simply observing the flow of the river and not getting caught up in what is in the river or where it is going. Just practice being in the present moment. The river is your mind and the things in the river are your thoughts. This is a great exercise in mindfulness that will build up your skill of observing your thoughts versus getting carried away by them.
These four things have made a big difference in adding more joy to my life and work. Start small by becoming aware of these things throughout your day. Reflect on what you notice. Write down your thoughts and be thoughtful with a plan to add more of these to your day. Before you know it, you will be on your way to more joy in 2024!
