There is an interesting thing about how much time one can do work in a single run. Obviously it depends on who is doing it. As for me, it goes through 3 different phases. First is learning curve. I am in general not confident about the type of work in this phase. New stuffs comes along. In this phase, it is quite likely for me to give up things.
Next phase is routine phase. I know exactly what I am doing and how am I doing it. I am the boss here. I don't depend on anyone's input in this phase, I tend to be even a little bit instructive in this phase. Basically, awesome time.
Next phase is boredom. Now I'm so used to this work, I don’t feel like doing it anymore. Given a work item, I know exactly how to do it, but I don't want to. In figurative sense, when I can work with my eyes shut, I tend to fall asleep. I want to get something new now. And even though I can do amazing things here, I want to get out of here.
Now, the term "work" that I am using here, is not just for my office work. It is also during my college time, also while talking to people, also while learning some thing extra-curricular. And here are my experiences about them in all the phases.
Learning curve
I am new to the work. I have absolutely no clue what people are talking about. I am just trying to fit into the whole structure. There is a sense of pressure on me, that whether I'll be able to do it or not. And also I many times have a feeling that this thing is out of my league. Many times, I have given up the work at this point itself. There are many courses in IIT I remember, I just couldn't get in the beginning. So, I gave up on them. Many opportunities, like studying abroad, studying for MBA, I gave up. Just because I felt that they were not "my thing". It wasn't always the case though. I learned how to play tunes in piano. I learned how to code in MS. So, when I try to realize what was the factor that caused this distinction between achieving and giving-up, I point to one small thing. "Something clicked". I tried, and failed, I tried again, again failed. But, in the end, I found something in that work that interested me. Like while playing piano, I found that I can relate to sound frequencies and figure out which tune is played by what key. Or at work, I just thought it would be interesting to create the whole system on my own. There were off-course boring parts there as well. Like not being able to play any song on the run in piano, or being bored while fixing bugs in office. But, something that clicked, made me go through that boring part also. Or, I think I tried to hold on to those "clicks" very long, because I wanted and loved those clicks very much. So, no matter how much I was overwhelmed with the work, or difficulties I faced, I finally managed to succeed in those things.
Routine
This is a dream-like time. Everything seems to be falling into place by itself. Whatever I do, it just works out properly. I am doing what I want to do. I am getting different ideas in my mind and implementing them simultaneously. I am experimenting with things, creating new things. It's like dream come true. The routine, being just started for me to happen, it seems lucrative to me as well. I am so excited about so many new things I can explore, I just want to do it all. I want to create my own identity in this. I want to be its master. And the way things go in this phase, I almost become one. May it be foosball, bike, OOP work here, piano, I just love doing it. I am constantly exploring new things. I'll learn new moves in foosball, I'll try to get to 120+ on bike, drive car for 600+kms in a day, give suggestions to my manager and colleagues about work, I am just stretching what I can do. I love this phase. I have come up with most of my achievements during this phase only. Just appears like nothing can go wrong now, and I feel invulnerable.
Boredom
In a simple word, "Budhapa". I am doing just great in the work, things are falling in place, nothing is going wrong etc. And one sad day, I don't feel like doing it. The thought process starts like this. First I start doing work. I feel like it's a 'cup of tea'. But, now the newness of that work is gone. I have explored many things in that part of work now. There is no obvious new experimentation that I can do there now. So, even though the things are falling in place, I just don't feel like doing it anymore. Just now when I was typing last few lines, I opened the facebook like 2-3 times. It's like that things that I felt boring about the work earlier, start coming back to bite me again. The curiosity, the lucrativeness is gone, but boredom is still there. So, I start losing my patience while doing it. I try and start some other work. I try terribly hard to find something new in that work, but with no success. And in this way, even thought I was supposed to be a 'master' of the work, I start achieving less and less in it. And call it Karma, or something, things also start falling apart. Then, at the end, I feel like there is nothing I can or nothing I want to do in this type of work, and I give it up. And this is story for many of my work-items I have gone through in my lifetime.
Frankly, I was planning to draw few graphs that represent my enthusiasm, toughness or work, boredom etc. on the scale of time. But, even this writing took a toll of me now. Someday, if I feel writing about it again, I'll continue. Till then, adieu.
