The so-called "comfort zone", which we create ourselves, applied to our workplace, is defined by very clear limits that we establish sometimes consciously but usually unconsciously.
The comfort that I glean from doing those “easy” or “comfortable” tasks at work involves emotional safety and stability that helps to avoid work pressures. Nonetheless, to get into this habit, in which I know my task like the back of my hand allowing me to say “this has always been done this way…” implies an habitual lack of emotion, both positive and negative. Work becomes routine and monotonous.
What should we do? It’s crystal clear, no? We should abandon our comfort zone, make an extra effort and, every now and again, forget about our limits as regards comfort, safety, lack of pressure, habits, etc.
But making this effort isn’t easy of course and we make thousands of excuses. So, what I propose is that you should simply identify the excuses that you make so as not to have to abandon your comfort zone. Once identified, it will be much easier for you to know when you don’t want to abandon it.
- Refusal: whenever we are asked to do something extra or to do something at a time when we’re not used to doing it, our first reaction is: no, it’s just that… it’s not a good moment… you expect me to do it right now?
- Self-sabotage: with the effort it takes to start something new, why do we always go off at a tangent? Here’s a good example: my room hasn’t been so tidy since I was studying for my exams. After taking out my notes and pens, and putting on some relaxing music, once I had managed to sit down to start studying, I would look around the room and… The wardrobes a right mess! I’ll make my bed… I’m going to classify my books by colour, height and date of publishing.
- Circumstance: I’m a victim of circumstance: my age, my spouse, my children, my illness, lack of time… Complaining is the most important comfort zone that exists and in which we feel most at ease.
- It has always been like that: if it has always been like that and it has worked, why change it? Why introduce a new process? Why improve it?
- Procrastination: what a great word I learnt one day. As I have already mentioned in a previous post: “the act (or habit) of putting off an action or task that needs to be done for other more irrelevant but agreeable actions or tasks.”
I propose that you identify these excuses, since it’s always a good starting point for addressing a problem.
