Challenge versus Skill
An interesting chart relating how we feel when confronted with difficult work in relation to how much skill and ability we have to meet it. Not sure exactly how it relates to what I’m thinking about, but it probably does somehow.
August 8th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Earlier you posted a compilation of strategies for dealing with bad moods. It seems to me this chart — which I love — places moods in an actionable context. When you’re in trouble, move along one of these axes. When anxious, either figure out the skill you’re lacking and practice it, or move to a less challenging task, and so on. It’s brilliant. I wonder what other factors can be placed on these axes? These 2×2 matrices, as Matt Cornell refers to them, can be very illuminating in their simplicity.
August 9th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I totally agree. I’m a huge fan of the book Flow that this comes from, but have been having a difficult time applying the knowledge. It’s difficult for me to tell exactly how “challenged” I feel versus how “skilled” I feel. But it’s not as difficult to figure out if I’m feeling worried or in control, so maybe the best way is to pinpoint yourself on the chart and then go backwards to see how challenged and skilled you are feeling.
Definitely more to think about on this topic.