What are the details that keep your work interesting on a day to day basis? I’m not referring to the big stuff – your passions, working with good people, great cafeteria in the building, etc. I’m thinking about the interesting mundane work and small details that keep you engaged. I have countless small details that make work enjoyable. But I feel I’ve been missing them lately. I haven’t been seeing the trees in the forest. So I’m going to deliberately focus on those interesting details that bring life to the work of an environmental professional. And maybe some big ones as well.

To capture these details I’m going to do something similar to 100 Happy Days. If you’re not familiar with 100 Happy Days, it is an exercise where everyday for 100 days you post a photo and a description of something that made you happy. It can be a big event or a small detail. I’ve done it twice over the past several years and enjoyed it both times. Your personal timeline becomes a journal of what made you happy. It’s a good exercise to recognize the positive and happiness in your life and “feed your good wolf.”

Finding amusement in the details of 49 CFR. Quizalofop!

My exercise to identify the interesting work details isn’t exactly going to be #100happydays. I’m not looking for things that make me happy. And i don’t intend to do it every day for 100 consecutive days. I’m merely looking to revitalize my interest in the small parts of work as well as focus on my contribution to the field. My job gives me an opportunity to directly improve the environmental quality for people and many others indirectly. This will force me to look for the details that bring it together. Hopefully I won’t find the devil in those details.

You can follow along on Twitter @RMPPro. It won’t be everyday. But this will give you insight into the details of the work day of an environmental professional.

If you’re curious to try it yourself, let me know how it goes. Did you revitalize your interest by looking at the trees in the forest?