Are you using the right mood for the right task?
We've all been there: you have a task that MUST be done, and it's not a particularly enjoyable one.
You avoid, procrastinate, distract yourself with other seemingly more important jobs. You reach the last possible moment when the task has to be completed, but your timing is off. You are aware you aren't in the right headspace for the task at hand and you know that if you complete it, you probably won't do it to the best of your ability.
What if you could pick the optimal time to complete the task?
Where the right mood and the right amount of energy collided and created a sweet spot of energy and motivation?
Are you aware of how to do this?
Picking this optimal time for personal engagement and effectiveness is a part of being Emotionally Intelligent. As described by Jack Mayer and Peter Salovey, EI is “the ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth”.
The ability to pick the timing and mood that suits the task at hand is known as Mood Task Match. Managing emotions in this way can make us more effective. Delivering a fast paced presentation to a group of people whilst feeling flat and sad is achieveable, but you may fall short of achieving your desired outcome.
So...how do we match our mood to the task effectively? Here are the three steps to ensure you match your current mood to the task at hand.
1. Use a Mood Meter to identify the emotion and mood you are feeling
An important first step is to clearly name the emotions you are experiencing, and plot those emotions on a Mood Meter map to see where it sits on the energy axis. There are many examples of this meter on the internet, you can also download an App called Mood Meter, which allows you to plot your emotions daily via your Smart Phone.
2. Identify the emotion you are feeling and observe where it sits on the graph below
Once you have identified what you are feeling, it's important to then determine the emotions and flow on affects of your emotions - or what 'mood' it may create. Using the graph below, plot the emotion to determine whether it is a Low or High Energy Emotion, and an Unpleasant or Pleasant Emotion.
RED feelings: high in energy and low in pleasantness (e.g., angry, scared, and anxious); BLUE feelings: low in energy and low in pleasantness (e.g., sad, disappointed, and lonely); GREEN feelings: low in energy and high in pleasantness (e.g., calm, tranquil, and relaxed); YELLOW feelings: high in energy and high in pleasantness (e.g., happy, excited, and curious)
3. After plotting your emotions on the graph above, see where majority of your emotions lie
When you've figured out where most of your emotions are plotted on the graph above, you'll be able to clearly see where you current mood 'lies'. You can then reflect on your current mood and align it with the list below that your current mood it is most useful and effective for:
Red
Physical tasks
Debating or constructing an argument
Analytical thinking
Critical decision making
Finishing tasks
Any competitive pursuit
Yellow
Emotional connection
Creative thinking
Setting goals and focusing on achievement
Thinking about vision and bigger picture plans
Strategy and planning
Coming up with ideas
External presentations, facilitation etc.
Blue
Mental tasks
Editing and proofing
Accuracy
Focus on detail
Green
Listening
Coaching or supporting others
Problem solving
Focus on purpose
Every mood and emotion can be constructive if used in the right way. Even anger can be useful.
In following the three steps above, you will be able to complete the task more competently, have more energy and develop your emotional intelligence by:
Recognising emotion: you will be able to name and plot emotions on a map that provides clarity on it's effectiveness
Facilitating emotion: you will use emotional data to better employ them to other cognitive processes
Understanding emotion: you can grasp your emotions and moods and make relationships with their correlation to effectiveness, productivity and growth
Managing emotion: you will be able to use your emotional state to match it with the task that is the best match for the job
We can take new clients through Mood Task Match during their complimentary first coaching session.
click here and fill out the new client form for us to contact you.
Craft is led by Melbourne based coach and consultant Ami Summers.
Ami has spent more than a decade as an accredited coach and leadership development consultant.
Clients that have worked with Ami consistently say she is a compassionate, wise and deeply pragmatic coach with a gift for empowering the individual or business owner to see they have the resources to transform themselves and the world around them.
She is accredited and experienced to deliver a number of diagnostic tools to help unlock an individual or teams capability and strengths.
Craft’s main focus is to deliver valuable business results whilst bringing out the best in an individual or business. We do this by sharing creative leadership tools that are typically only available to large corporates.
We offer individual coaching, leadership development consulting services, group mentoring and small business coaching.
