content at work

today at the job i set aside most of my time for solo work. my only goal was to work on things i personally care about. i surprised myself a bit. i woke up later than i expected, and after talking with a friend for a while i started about two hours after i planned. i went for a short bike ride to get lunch with the same friend, and by the time my planned workday was ending i realized i had done a very small amount of concerted work.

in the past, i would have taken this paucity of "real work" as a sign that i had fallen behind or that i was doing something wrong. instead, i just asked myself how i was feeling, and it turned out i felt great! i caught some winter sun, i enjoyed the company of friends, and i had a great conversation with a coworker. i also completed some clerical tasks i wanted to finish.

still feeling good, i spent about two hours "after work" on a code review that i really wanted to read. i read it, and i'm glad i did!

all in all, i had an energizing, productive day. for the most part, i did what i wanted to do when i wanted to do it. even in the absence of positive feedback from my coworkers, i feel like i did a good job.

i want to keep this up. i have an inkling that, if i continue to draw my motivation from my own positive sensations, i'll end up feeling more satisfied by my job than i could with any other incentive.