The Effort Behind Effortless

Trending

One of the kindest comments that can come from those we work for is this: “You make what you do look effortless.” It doesn’t matter if you are a professional speaker, a salesman, a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker; when anyone hears that phrase, it can’t help but make you feel like you’ve done your job well. Although our jobs are often anything but easy, it is often our job to make what we do look effortless.

The irony is, the more effort we put behind a task, the more effortless we make the task appear.

Although we all want to make what we do appear simple, it takes work, and lots of it. I’d suggest focusing on these three techniques :

  • Like hearing the words, “location, location, location” when we’re looking for a new house, making the tasks we perform appear effortless often comes down to, “repetition, repetition, repetition.” Repetition is the answer for those seeking to appear effortless and comfortable in his or her skin.
  • Trial and Error.If repetition is the secret sauce to making something appear effortless, trial and error is the spice that adds flavor. What good is making something that is stale, or clearly not your best, look effortless? The key is not to be afraid of testing and tweaking what you do.
  • It takes self-control to do something over and over again. It takes self-restraint to resist the urge to tweak something because you are becoming bored with it. When you can apply discipline to both, you move closer to the goal of effortless.


    • Related: Why Put Your Courageous Challenges out There for All to See

    Don’t confuse doing something that appears effortless to others with doing something that isn’t valued by others. Performing a challenging task, and making it look easy, makes what you do not only relatable, but admired.

    Performing a task in an effortless manner requires a journey with no real finish line, and the work that isn’t seen is usually what pays the biggest dividends. Through repetition, trial and error, and good old-fashioned discipline, you’ll be making the difficult job look effortless in no time!