About 10 years ago, I sat in my office, struggling to write an annual progress report for my leader. I enjoy writing scientific papers that engage my creativity and further my research. But report writing doesn't come with any reward apart from the momentary satisfaction of finishing something. Like other routine paperwork, I find it hard to get through. So that day, I offered myself a reward : When I finished the report, I'd give myself 2 hours to examine slides (载玻片)under the microscope — a task I've always loved but never had much time for as a staff member. It's a strategy I call " just for fun".
The strategy was born out of challenges I experienced in graduate school. I usually delayed putting together reports for university administrators until threatening letters arrived. I never felt that paperwork was advancing my science, but rather sapping my energy and time for research. One of my committee members recognized and understood my difficulties. Then he told me about his strategy of rewarding himself with a fun project when he completed a task that he didn't particularly enjoy. He advised me to think about doing something similar. I immediately liked the idea.
Over the course of my career，this strategy helped me complete and move past the parts of my job that I didn't particularly enjoy. The rewards I gave myself provided a way to relax and reminded me why I love being a scientist.
As for that annual report, I spent an ordinary morning on it but got it done. Then I hurried over to the microscope, eager to inspect a series of slides that my collaborators (合作者) had sent a couple of weeks earlier. To others, it may have looked like work. But to me, it was just for fun.
