Introduction Starting a new job can feel overwhelming. There are new people to meet, systems to understand, and expectations to learn. That is why new employees are often told to “be a sponge.” The idea is simple: observe, learn, and avoid mistakes. Learning is important, but blindly absorbing everything around you is not always the best strategy. Being a “sponge” can encourage you to accept every process, opinion, habit, and workplace behavior without asking whether it is actually useful. The goal should not be to absorb everything. It should be to understand your environment, learn what matters, ask questions, and develop your own judgment. Why “Being a Sponge” Sounds Like Good Advice Learning from experienced colleagues can help you understand how a workplace operates. You can learn how meetings work, decisions are made, and expectations are set. The problem begins when learning becomes passive. A new employee may remain quiet and follow existing systems without questioning them. Bu...
Introduction Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a famous happiness researcher. He chose to become that due to the adversities that he faced growing up being a prisoner during World War II. During this time, he saw the pain and suffering of a large number of people around him. After going through all these difficulties, he wanted to know more about happiness and contentment. Csikszentmihalyi interviewed various people, who described that their optimal states of performance occurred when their work simply without much effort flowed out of them. Due to this, he developed the term “flow state”, in the flow psychology of optimal experience. 8 Ways To Create Flow According To Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 1) Must have clear goals and immediate feedback: The first way of creating flow in flow psychology of optimal experience is to have clear goals. You need to have a clear finish line if you want to go into flow. Also, you should give yourself immediate feedback on the effectiveness of your actions. If you...