Make it fun

Hi there!

How's everything going?

This week I listened to a podcast on productivity from "The School of Greatness" titled:

"The Productivity Expert: How to Make 2024 Your Most Productive Year"

And I want to share with you my biggest takeaway.

A part of the podcast that struck me was about how making the tasks we have to do fun increases our productivity.

This is a topic that's very close to my heart.

I realized that in recent weeks, I had lost some enthusiasm for certain tasks I have to do.

Creating content, for example, felt more like an obligation than a pleasure. The idea of having to do that work and the responsibilities associated with it made me feel overwhelmed by expectations.

During the podcast, a quote by philosopher Alan Watts was mentioned:

 "Be sincere, not serious."

This phrase reminded me of something very important: I can't change the tasks I have to do, but I can choose HOW to do them.

Reflecting on my approach to tasks lately, I realized that I had been placing too much emphasis on the outcome, sacrificing enjoying the process. I had started taking what I had to do a bit too seriously, stressing myself out.

But whatever is meant to happen will happen regardless of how much I stress beforehand. So what I can choose is how I want to approach doing what I have to do, and with a positive mindset, I know the outcome will still be better.

We often make a problem bigger than it is and lose sight of the fact that it's not the end of the world!

The upcoming exam you have to take isn't the end of the world, and stressing about it won't make it better. You can choose to approach it in a simpler way. You can take a deep breath and choose to change your approach.

We can't control what we have to do, whether it's the exam chosen by professors or the work assigned by our employer, but we can always choose HOW to do it.

And no one is forcing you to do the activity in a boring way. You can choose to make the process fun.

There is great power in making the tasks we have to do fun. As the podcast also mentioned, by making them fun, we transport ourselves into a different energy, a pleasant mental state where we are more efficient, creative, and energetic.

Ultimately, the moment when we perform best is when we are in the flow, where everything is easier and aligned.

But stressing ourselves out and being overwhelmed by our own seriousness prevents us from getting into that flow state.

So for this week, I've set myself a challenge called "Make It Fun."

I've started jotting down all the ideas that come to mind to make the tasks I have to do this week a little more fun and light.

I thought this challenge might also interest you, to make your studying easier and discover a new perspective.

So I invite you to take on this challenge with me.

What do I mean by making it fun and how can you try to make your study a little more fun?

One of the most effective strategies for making studying or any other activity more fun is to turn it into a game or a challenge. Just like in video games, creating small challenges makes us feel like we're improving. The small victories give us that sense of growth similar to when we level up in a video game and push us to want more. The sense of intrinsic achievement and success deeply motivates us, significantly contributing to our productivity.

So try to think for 10 minutes about "how you could make studying a game this week? A challenge?"

Here are some examples of challenges I've thought of that can help you with your studies:

Flashcard Shuffle: Create flashcards with questions and answers on study topics and shuffle the order of the cards. Challenge yourself to answer all the cards correctly in the shortest time possible.

Memory Game: Use the memory game technique to memorize vocabulary, definitions, or concepts. Cover the words with cards and try to remember the correct content of each card.

Quiz Time: After studying a topic, create quizzes or multiple-choice questions about what you've learned and challenge yourself to answer as many questions correctly as possible.

Timer Challenge: Set a timer for a period of time (e.g., 25 minutes) and challenge yourself to focus completely on studying without distractions until the timer goes off. See if you can beat your time every time you engage in this challenge.

These are just some ideas, but the challenges you can set for yourself are potentially endless, so have fun with it!

Sometimes just remembering that you don't have to approach studying with seriousness is enough to improve our performance.

Remember that you're doing it for yourself and that you can choose how to approach it.

And remember: You have no control over what you have to do, but you do have control over how to do it.

So: "how you could make studying a game this week? Send me your ideas, so we can inspire each other!

Make it fun!

Talk to you soon,

Isa