The Gray Area, a Path Leading to the Goldilocks Zone

Work, for most of us, is simply black or white – no in-betweens. You either work hard or not at all. We either hustle hard, overdo things and end up burning out ourselves or do so little, we start to be bored and feel underutilized. Either way, both are just as toxic to an individual’s productivity.

The same goes for success – stay diligent and prosper or slack off and fail. The industry, including the rest of the world, requires you to pick between the two – in the same way that they make professionals choose between career and personal life.

And though what is too much and too little is subjective, reaching a middle ground is detrimental in maximizing an individual’s productivity and happiness in work. For a person to be truly happy with what they are doing, they need to find the gray area that allows them to have a career and a life.

Originating from Astronomy and Astrobiology, the term “Goldilocks Zone” is used to define the zone around a star that has a temperature that is just right for liquid water to exist. It is neither too hot nor too cold.

The Goldilocks Zone, of course, varies from one person to another yet at the same time, it is identical with one another in a sense that it allows an individual to make enough progress that their efforts are paying off and at the same time, they stay satisfied with the work they are making. Reaching this zone is not only critical to the well-being of an individual as a professional, but is also important to the companies they work for. And though admittedly, finding this zone is not simple, there are certain ideas you can take note of to make things a little easier.

The key in unlocking the “Goldilocks Zone” is the satisfying feeling of doing profitable and meaningful work while still having enough time and energy for other aspects of your life.

A good stepping stone in finding it is by creating a clear plan on what should be done. Afterwards, draft a schedule that would maximize your productivity for the day and making sure that you get through it. Creating a plan and making sure to execute it aptly wins you a sense of accomplishment and extra free time you can spend in anything and anyway you want.

Another factor that can help in finding this zone is having a hobby. There’s joy found in doing something that exists by itself and doesn’t entail any sort of stake with it.

Having a hobby that gives no reward other else than the activity itself, gives you something to look forward to during your time out. Avoiding overwork is hard when you’ve got nothing else to do, but when you know you can play Frisbee after work, it makes it easier to stop.

The demand for a better balance between career and personal life materialized the Goldilocks Zone into life.

Coworking Spaces is the latest trend taking over the industry. According to the DeskMag, these workspaces are the result of the search for strategies on dealing with the new types of flexible working. They are workplaces with flexible structures made for and by those who work where, when and how they want it.

It allows its members the freedom to choose from various work stations from open plan lounges to private offices and gives them plenty of extra time they can spend with family and friends. Coworking spaces is the Goldilocks Zone in physical form. And though it may not be the same with other people, it gives you the freedom to go and find your own personalized Goldilocks Zone.

Work is never black and white. There’s always a chance of finding that gray area between your career and personal life. And if you’re having trouble finding it, let us know.