I just completed The Power of Full Engagement. Although it is an older book and has a few outdated references, the ideas presented are timeless and fantastic.
A lot of the information is common sense. But that does not mean the majority of us actually do the activities they suggest for becoming fullly engaged.
This is vital to be aware of due to the fact that Gallup announced a study last year citing that the majority of American workers are not engaged.
My number one takeaway from The Power of Full Engagement was how powerful having rituals and systems in place can be. I have read about this idea before, but it had never fully resonated with me.
The reason is, thinking hard and creatively makes our brain work. It can only do so for a certain amount of time before it needs to recover.
By building in specific habits and systems into your life, whether at work or at home, it allows your brain to think less. When you do an activity automatically, your brain can concentrate on other tasks.
A simple example of a habit that most of us do not think about is brushing our teeth. It is completely natural that every morning when we get up and every night before bed that we brush our teeth (I hope so anyway!).
Our brains are not expending a lot of energy to remember to brush our teeth. It has been ingrained into us for years. If we forget to brush our teeth for some reason, we often realize it because something feels out of place.
On the other hand, flossing tends to be one of those activities (at least for me) that is neglected. Why is this? The primary reason is that it was never ingrained as a habit. We have to think harder about flossing in order to remember it.
There also seems to be some kind of angst towards flossing, which further degrades our desire to do so.
How does brushing our teeth and flossing have anything to do with being engaged at work?
Everything.
If you are trying to establish habits at home, it will take more energy because you are required to think harder about those habits. That can have an affect on your performance at work.
Once a habit is established, you no longer have to consciously think. The habit is automatic, leaving your mind to think about other items.
This is the power of having habits and systems built into your life. Stop thinking so much, and you will become more engaged.
Source:
Stop Thinking So Much