Back-to-back-to-back dissections of @brainpickings brilliance, and more on the topic of “work”, and how to make it better, or something different altogether.

Yesterday, vocation. Today, labour (UK spelling).

In her review of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi‘s book Flow:  The Psychology of Optimal Experience:

“[He] has a term for the quality that sets labor apart from work: flow — a kind of intense focus and crisp sense of clarity where you forget yourself, lose track of time, and feel like you’re part of something larger. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter for a pet project, or even spent 20 consecutive hours composing a love letter, you’ve experienced flow and you know creative labor.”

This idea of flow is profound. It is a watchword for prosperity (survival / success) in the twenty-first century. But it is not about “going with the flow.” It requires hustle, too. Together, you have ‘an undeniable swag.’

Generate, capture, harness, leverage, enable, align, experience – whatever your verb of choice, flow moves us forward. Especially in times of tumult, where many are caught in eddies, this is a GOOD THING.

With flow, we are ready for the future of work – whether it is a vocation, labour, or just plain old ‘grin and bear it.’

←This Much We Know.→