Work consumes time, and sometimes we need to work outside of our average professional day or work week. Whether your task is creative, administrative, organizational, manual, or a combination of the above, any one of these 31 questions may help. I hope they inspire you to embrace the challenges of your job, hobby, or side-hustle.
Even taking a silent minute to mentally answer or reflect on one of these questions may change your day.
It’s 6:00am on a Saturday, and I’m up. I have always been a little bit of an early bird, but today, I wake up early to have a long, reflective morning.
Throughout the week, I worked with my middle school students on picking books for an upcoming unit of study, graded papers, and participated in a variety of meetings. During my early-morning hours and after-school time, I worked out, wrote for this blog, wrote fiction, and spent time with my fiancé.
To say I was mentally exhausted from my activities would be accurate; however, I am happily exhausted. This Saturday will be a combination of work and play.
I hope to finish grading a stack of essays, to post a story draft and video clips to Patreon, and to further prepare for the start of the #ReadWithCurtis 7-Day Reading Challenge.
I enjoy being this busy. That is no secret. More importantly, I enjoy being productive and feeling fulfilled. Part of that feeling of fulfillment comes from a small ritual. On days that I am reluctant to start an activity, I ask myself a question from the list below.
I use these questions when journaling or drinking a cup of coffee in the morning. Sometimes, I go for a walk with a question in mind.
These questions are not meant as anything other than a way to push your thoughts in a productive and positive direction. I hope they help you embrace the challenges of your own work/life commitments.
As a note of caution, if you are also a person who likes to be busy, that’s great; but, please be aware if your body and mind are sending you signals to rest. You may be too tired to work, or maybe even fatigued. The goal, I believe, is to feel fulfilled while being productive. I have bolded my favorites.
Here are 31 Questions I use to embrace the challenges of work and other commitments:
Questions Related to Purpose:
- What is the bigger picture of my work today?
- What is the purpose of my actions today?
- Why am I doing this task today vs. any other day? (Be honest with this one, and you won’t procrastinate.)
Questions Related to Emotion:
- How can I make this task fun?
- How will I feel once I have completed this work?
- How can I be as present as possible today?
- How can I walk away from this task or activity feeling happy, fulfilled, or LIKE A BOSS?
Questions Related to Productivity:
- How efficiently can I do this task today?
- What are the immediate results of me finishing this task?
- How will finishing this task free up time for me later?
- In what ways can I go above and beyond?
- What does taking this “too far” look like? What does doing this”just right” look like?
- How can I simplify today’s work?
- If I picked one task or activity to excel at today, what would it be? Why?
- When in my day should I put forth my best effort or energy?
Questions Related to Your Friends, Family, Co-Workers, and Society
- Is there anyone who can help me accomplish my goals today?
- Does doing this work help another person?
- How can doing this work improve the life of another person, or at least my own?
- If I do this today, will it benefit other people?
- How does this work/life challenge or task make me, my family, or my friends stronger?
Questions Related to Quality of Life:
- If I do this today, will tomorrow be better?
- How can I learn from this task or experience?
- How can I reward myself for finishing this task right now?
- Am I doing meaningful work? If not, how can I make it meaningful?
- How does this contribute to my life goals, even in a tiny way?
Personal Mentor Questions:
- If Leonardo DaVinci did this, how would he do it? (You can replace Leonardo with anyone).
- Who has met this challenge before and conquered it?
- Who can be my guide today? Who can I learn from?
- How would my mom or dad approach today? Do I agree with that approach?
- How would the smartest person I know do this?
- How would the happiest person I know approach this?
Did these help?
-Curtis
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