Have you heard of the Tetris Effect?

It’s a funny old phenomenon which only afflicts the most dedicated Tetris players. 

Basically, these Tetris fanatics play so obsessively that they start to see life like a game of Tetris. So they can’t walk down an Tesco aisle without mentally stacking boxes of Coco Pops with boxes of PG Tips. Or they look up at the horizon and imagine a building dropping into a gap In the skyline.

It sounds wacky but I haven’t made this up. The Tetris Effect is 100% real.

Not only is it real, but I daresay it has it’s uses.

For instance, what if the key to thriving at work was seeing work just like a colourfully captivating game of Tetris?

Here’s what I mean:

1. The more you play Tetris, try things out, get your hands messy, see what fits and get familiar with the game, the more you’ll enjoy it, get better at it and make progress. Same too with work (if progress is something you want – otherwise you can simply play for the fun of playing)

2. It’s always your turn. There’s always another move you can make

3. Skills, experience and know-how all count. But luck counts too. Sometimes the perfect piece will fall out of the sky at just the right time. Other times you’ll get handed a wonky, Z-shaped headache. The trick is realising there’ll always be things outside your control and staying calm enough to rotate these into place

4. The best way to build momentum is to play the piece in front of you now, then see what piece comes next. Hitting the pause button to figure it all out first will grind you to a halt before you even get started

5. If you lose, you can play again. I don’t think there’s a better example of this than me quitting my job four years ago, mouthing off about the “rat race” on LinkedIn, then going back to the same job I’d quit. Sure, there was luck involved – but see number 3

6. You can choose when to play, how to play and even if you play at all. No-one is forcing you to play

7. It’s all made up. Tetris has its levels, scores, pieces and leaderboards. Work has its job titles, ratings, hierarchies and KPIs. Inside these artificial worlds, actions have meanings. Outside these artificial worlds, they don’t

This last one might be the most freeing of all.

For the first 13 years of my banking career, I really thought my performance at work said something about who I was as a person.

i.e. how my work was going became a measure of how my life was going.

But nothing could be further from the truth. 

Clearly being an awesome Tetris player has no bearing on having an awesome life.

Similarly, being a great team leader doesn't mean you're leading a life you enjoy, hitting all your deadlines doesn't mean you're making time for what matters and being a reliable colleague doesn’t make you a reliable parent, partner or friend.

When I finally saw this, all my meetings, projects & performance ratings stopped feeling like life-or-death judgments and work became a lot more FUN. 

I honestly don't think I'd be running my Mindset Workshops (30 and counting now…) without this shift. I would've had too much thinking about what they meant.

But they just look like a game to me now, and so does work.

And if you don’t enjoy the game, what’s the point in playing?  

If you'd like to find your own way to more fun, freedom and success at work, you might like to check out my coaching: 

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com