What do you like doing?

  It is one thing to find a career doing what you are good at but what if you don't like doing it? Normally one follows the other. You like doing something, so you do it more often and as a result you get better at doing it. But as mentioned in my previous blog, what you are actually good at depends on perspective; what do you think you're good at, as oppose to others. At least you definitely know what you do and don't like , don't you?

  Actually, it might be an easier question to answer. What don't you like doing? Maybe you work in an office but don't like talking to people on the phone. Or you might like working outside but not when it's raining. If you are currently working, what don't you like doing. If you are not working, what do you think you wouldn't like?

  In a previous role I wanted to know where all my time was going. I worked in an office and never seemed to get to the end of my to do list. So I recorded my daily activities for two months. Categories included; phone, email, meeting, database, travel, annual leave etc. When I analysed the results, I discovered two things. Firstly, I spent far too much time dealing with emails and secondly, I spent a disproportionally large amount of time doing database development. I concluded that I like database development. It seemed obvious, but I had never thought about it before. What do you spend a disproportionally large amount of time doing?

  Reading, listening, talking, organising, analysing, researching, problem solving, travelling, presenting, demonstrating, developing, processing, creating, caring, making, mending (and many more besides) are all activities that can be found in both work and leisure activities. What do you like doing? What are you good at? What do others think you are good at? What is on your list that meets all three of these criteria? How nice would it be if your job/career was doing exactly those things? Would that be your ideal job?