I heard an interesting quote/tagline today from David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, in an interview about his Roadmap seminar. “The Game of Work and the Business of Life”. It’s an interesting concept because the more you manage your life like business, the more it becomes your own life. When your life is out of control, life becomes more like work where you’re constantly catching up with all the errands, bills, chores, etc. It’s only when these things are all managed that your ‘business of life’ becomes a pleasure.
The Game of Work confused me a bit, though. I guess the same concept applies, the better you manage work, the more satisfying and game like it becomes. But while that is true, I think the actual work you do plays a significant role and it’s not as simple as that. If your job consists of boring repetitive tasks, it will remain like that however well you manage your workflow. However, indirectly, that better management could be what you need to move to a more satisfying position.
All in all, this tagline is a great ideal to work towards. I truly believe those who master this combination are most likely to find happiness.
I think that both giving boundaries to “life” and work as well as seeing how they are connected and the same can give more satisfaction to both. If they aren’t working together then one would ask the question, “what is the point?”
Perhaps in the case of both, attitude plays an important factor. Notice the stories of people who go through many hardships and seem to have more peace than anyone else? I agree that there is sometimes more to satisfaction or happiness or joy than just managing work-flow, though I’m sure it can help.