There are reams of material around the value of enjoying how you use your time. Roughly speaking we can divide our time into three categories:
- leisure – free time which is not constrained by a need to act in a certain way
- working. – any time your actions are at the disposal of your employer (including self-employment). This includes paid and voluntary employment
- sleeping -the voluntary absence of wakefulness associated with the loss of consciousness (different from “sleeping with” which refers to sexual relations)
Whatever you are doing, regardless of the focus or category almost all studies indicate you do it better the more you enjoy it. Although a bit subjective enjoyment is broadly considered things we perceive as pleasurable.
Without Joy
I ask myself if the activity I am doing brings no joy, why am I doing it. Obviously we have needs that go beyond constantly seeking pleasure alone but those are the ones to avoid whenever you can.
Whether at work, leisure, or sleeping the absence of joy makes the activity less likely to be performed with vigor and enthusiasm. So what’s the point?
Hedonistic
Being engaged solely in the pursuit of pleasure characterized by sensual self-indulgence is not what I am advocating here. Enjoying or deriving pleasure from all you do is a strategy not an absolute.
Considering others and building them into your personal pleasure profile is tantamount to achieving the objective.
The purpose of this post is to highlight the value of seeking to enjoy all you do whenever possible. This is perhaps a form of hedonism but I would not classify it as hedonistic behavior.
