HTBP - Fix your relationship with challenges
Exploring the role of challenges in goal setting and productivity
Abstract
Since talking about goals and discussing how to create effective ones, your journey to achieving them is by no means a simple, straightforward path.
There is certainly no perfect way to pursue it either.
This post zooms into one facet of the journey: the challenges you face along the way.
I have thought of prompts that would encourage myself to step away from the dystopian view of challenges and how they seem. These prompts are revolved around staying focused on enjoying the journey whilst achieving my goals.
Alongside this, I aim to give multiple perspectives through reflecting on how to build a positive relationship with challenges, and further, how this can make you more productive.
Discussion
Why talk about challenges?
Before getting straight into discussing challenges, I briefly wanted to emphasise the link between my post on goals and this post.
Towards the end of that post, I featured statistics and research on goal setting. There are two points of research that are directly applicable to the later discussion.
The first point I would like to focus on is ‘goal setting energises you in pursuit of your goal’, where in achieving the goal, there will be challenges that you will overcome. Therefore, having a good relationship with challenges can prevent them becoming a limiting factor when goal setting.
The second point is one I would like to reinforce; “positive, linear relationship between goal difficulty and task performance.” What would you associate difficulty with? The difficulty in getting started, maintaining consistent performance, and simply the obstacles you meet along the way are all challenges. Consequently, looking at our relationship with challenges is a key theme discussed throughout, which hopes to enable introspection when looking at our approach and response to challenges.
The more you understand yourself, the more productive you can be.
Hence, it is key to experiment where you can. Experiments do not have to be risky and far-reaching; they can be as simple as tweaking your approach to a problem, experimenting a new way of acquiring knowledge, and other ways in which you can optimise the process in completing a task or reaching a goal.
In light of this, another key theme to be explored is creating challenges on our own terms. Creating our own challenges with opportunities available to us is key. For example, in education, some of us may give ourselves the challenge to learn something in a specific amount of time, reaching a specific grade, or balancing extra-curriculars alongside our study. In sports, you may want to perfect a new technique, learn a new skill, etc.
As you can see, these may seem generic, as they are arguably a shared experience. However, in this journey of achieving a personal challenge, you are alone. Sometimes we may create these challenges sub-consciously, where our mindset/mentality prompts us to approach a task in a certain way. On the other hand, if consciously creating a target for something you are doing, it is unique to the understanding of yourself.
As a result, the power of creating your own challenges with the opportunities available to you is not to underestimated. It is ultimately what gives you the edge.
Furthermore, opportunities are not to be misconceived as only ones presented to you. We can fail to realise for example how our time can be used in different ways, as discussed when talking about a prioritisation grid. Your main priorities should not take up one hundred percent of your time, and if you are unsure of what you could do outside of these priorities, it should not feel like a chore to explore opportunities outside of them.
Enjoying the exploration is what will drive you to new opportunities, otherwise you run the risk of being closed-minded, only equipped with the opportunities available to you in the present moment.
An interest you can end up exploring for the rest of your life can simply arise from everyday ideas you think about. These thoughts, when written down and visualised can be powerful, and are an example of opportunities arising all the time.
This brings me back to my first post, where I brought about my concept of ‘invisible competition’; the idea that there is someone out there that is always doing more than you. This should relieve the pressure of making mistakes and liberate you when exploring new opportunities, as there is no-one directly comparable to you.
In this context, challenges that are self-defined is what develops this competition and prompts you to reflect on versions of yourself and the progress you are making.
Acknowledging that you are on your own journey will make embracing challenges easier.
Challenge and Enjoyment
In conjunction with the points above, I want to discuss why it is important to add an element of challenge to things in your life and also do something that you enjoy.
Learning about yourself through challenges is one you must be willing to experience.
When you challenge yourself on your own terms, you can learn a lot more as compared to being obliged to complete a challenge.
An example of this is having high standards in your performance so at the end of the day, you are your own challenger. See if you can use your circumstances, responsibilities, and targets/goals as prompts for your own challenge(s).
The feelings in reflection when you fail to achieve your own challenge is one that cannot be replicated by challenges imposed on you. More so, the reflection on the disparity between when you made the target vs where you find yourself is even more pertinent.
It has a completely different impact.
You would really question your capabilities when creating future challenges, which gives you foresight into the direction you are headed in and how far away you are from reaching your goals.
However, do not fear failing your own personal challenges.
A fear of failure can be a powerful driver but can also make you extremely risk-averse and not embrace challenges. But in order to grow, you have to make mistakes, and it is best to make those mistakes when the stakes are low, than wait until the stakes become perpetually high.
Also, failure doesn’t have to stem from you not achieving your life ambitions. Making mistakes is a type of failure - you fail to do something correctly. Therefore, failure is a part of the learning process.
But in order to have the commitment to learning about yourself in this way in the first place, you need to have a healthy relationship with challenges.
If you are doing something outside of your main priorities or trying to make something a priority, you are challenging yourself. In some contexts, there is a risk associated with taking time away from your main priority, for example, school/university.
If you alone only spend time optimising your study techniques, revising, and perfecting any homework/coursework, you will be leaning towards maximising your academic potential. However, you may want to have an unrelated commitment outside of education and still maximise your academic potential, which is a challenge you present yourself unknowingly.
The risk here is that you obtain results that are sub-optimal in your education, also due to the fact that it is an experience you only have once. In addition, there may be correlation between the time taken away from the commitment and your academic performance which can lead to disappointment.
But what if this external commitment improves your academic performance?
When discussing this notion, I will depart from the obvious and related commitments that can improve your overall performance, like exercise, and look more at your hobbies and interests.
With regards to things you enjoy, these shouldn’t have challenges of the same nature as the ones imposed on you. Instead, it should present a challenge that teaches you new approaches and develops your resistance to challenges you face ahead.
For example, in my personal experience of playing football, there are two aspects I would like to focus on: repetition and discipline. The learning method is completely different; you can’t study football and become better at it.
In order to consistently perform a skill, use a technique, or simply improve, repetition is key. The most appropriate example of repetition and your relationship to challenges is maintaining physical fitness. You can enjoy learning a skill or technique, but few will say consistently running and generally exercising to improve in the beginning was particularly easy or fun. 😅
Alongside this, a significant amount of discipline is an understatement in the learning process of football.
This is what gives you the edge.
To bring this back to my academic priorities, this has developed my resistance to stick to routines, rather than allowing variability that is conditional on how I feel on the day. It allows me to build habits in anything I do. Most importantly, in a team sport like football, the only way to stand out is to consistently perform and do the right thing; this reinforces the idea of invisible competition.
Absolutely no-one is forcing you to train and practice in your own time; you are all alone in that journey for self-improvement. In the context of football, invisible competition is more clear; we know every footballer is different, from their build, dominant foot, style of play, etc.
Hence, there is an infinite number of combinations in the way in which a football player trains and develops.
This is also reflective of invisible competition in your life in general; different backgrounds, interests, strengths and weaknesses, etc.
It is your responsibility to not let external sources dictate the way you develop.
Therefore, consistently exercising, upkeeping a calendar and routine, and having an attitude to learn, are facets in my life where I have seen benefit and are constants that I continue to maintain, not out of obligation.
It is a choice as to how far I want to take these elements in my life.
If you view these as challenges, you may realise I have developed a strong relationship with them and that is the power of invisible competition.
When it comes to your interests, there may not be a prompt to commit to learning in a similar way to football. Perhaps the only real challenge that can arise from your interests is from your willingness to develop yourself in it.
However, this is definitely not a requirement.
For your hobbies and interests, challenges should never come before the enjoyment.
If you do encounter challenges though, it should root from your passion and shouldn’t be strenuous, gruelling and feel like a chore.
Having interests and commitments outside of a job or education could possibly motivate you to do better in the priorities you have. This returns to the point of maximising your performance in education, even when taking time away from it.
Personally, I think an external commitment you work with is most effective if you have designated time to it. This is because, it can serve as something to look forward to, and as you want to subconsciously avoid a suboptimal experience in something you enjoy, it may prompt you to work efficiently as to prevent any backlog.
Having a commitment that encourages you in this way can be extremely powerful.
Research: The link between happiness and productivity
Two studies by Forbes and Said Business School which have a focus on the work setting, found that happiness increases productivity.
Forbes: A study looking at employee performance found that: “Each one-unit increase in happiness (on a scale of 0-10) led to a 12% increase in productivity”.
Said Business School x BT: Researchers found that happy workers when compared to their discontent colleagues are “more productive within their time at work”.
Conclusion
You have to be disciplined in how you face your challenges.
In order to really uncover your true self on the other side of that challenge, first, you have to embrace it.
Why this is so important is because you may never get that opportunity to learn about a particular part of yourself.
Therefore, enjoy challenging yourself. When challenging yourself on your own terms, as opposed to being challenged, you give yourself the opportunity to learn about yourself in a targeted way where you increase the value of your experiences. Not only this, but you are more likely to enjoy tackling a challenge if you decide to take it.
This is key as you are more productive when you enjoy the process.
Reflect on your relationship with challenges as that will be key on your journey for self-improvement.
P.S.
What is your relationship with challenges?
Do you have control over your challenges?