Renewing passion during job change
July 11, 2024
career-advice, coaching, creative-process
I'm moving to a new job after several years of managing the operations for a team of global consultants. My job required I sit in my chair for hours per day, and remote work meant that I sat in my house for a large percentage of the week. If I left the house for 10 minutes, I felt guilty. This leaves me totally lethargic and under-stimulated. Let's talk about how we're going to fix me. I'm including examples that may help you, my personal ones are pretty damned weird:
Combating Lethargy & Re-igniting Stimulation – Micro-Habits & Systems
This is about deliberately introducing small doses of stimulation, not grand gestures that seem to be so popular in the media.
"Deliberate Novelty" – 15-Minute Blocks: Schedule 3 x 15-minute blocks per week dedicated to something genuinely new. Not passively consuming content. Examples: Learn a basic coding concept (get my NeXTStation connected to the internet), explore a new music genre, try a different route home, research a historical event you know nothing about. The key is active engagement.
"Cognitive Friction" – Task Switching Protocol: Instead of deep work blocks, intentionally alternate between tasks that require different cognitive modes. Example: 30 minutes writing, 30 minutes data analysis, 30 minutes sketching. This prevents mental fatigue and forces your brain to adapt.
"Idea Debt" – The 'Parking Lot' System: Keep a physical notebook (not a digital one) dedicated solely to capturing random thoughts, observations, and half-formed ideas. No judgment, no editing. Just write them down. Review it weekly. This combats the feeling of being mentally stagnant.
"Sensory Reset" – Micro-Breaks: When feeling particularly lethargic, don't reach for social media. Instead, engage one of your senses deliberately. Examples: Brew a cup of tea and focus on the aroma, listen to a single piece of instrumental music, spend 5 minutes observing the light and shadows in a room.
Artmaking & Publishing – Small, Consistent Actions
"Minimum Viable Creation" – The 15-Minute Rule: Commit to at least 15 minutes of artmaking or writing every day. It doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to be finished. It just has to happen. Focus on process, not product.
"Publishing Cadence" – The 'One Thing' Approach: Don’t aim for a blog, a newsletter, or a social media presence. Pick one platform (e.g., LinkedIn articles, Medium) and commit to publishing one piece of content every two weeks. Focus on quality over quantity.
"Content Repurposing" – The 'Atomic Content' Strategy: Break down larger ideas into smaller, reusable "atomic content" units. A blog post can become a series of LinkedIn posts, a Twitter thread, or a short video script. This maximizes your output with minimal effort.
"Feedback Loop" – The 'Trusted Reader' System: Identify 1-2 people whose opinions you genuinely value and ask them for feedback on your work. Be specific about what kind of feedback you're looking for.
Finally: Track actions. Not in a productivity app, but in a simple journal. Note what worked, what didn't, and how you felt. This is about building self-awareness and refining your approach.