31 Questions to Help You Embrace the Challenges of Time-Consuming Work and Commitments

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.

#ReadWithCurtis (1)

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