When you’re good at something, work feels less like work. Think about athletes or musicians who practice for hours every day. What looks like hard work to outsiders is actually enjoyable to them because they’ve reached a level of mastery. They’re not struggling with the basics anymore; they’re honing their craft.

Competence makes everything more enjoyable. When you’re not constantly worried about screwing up or getting stuck, you can focus on the things that make your work fun. Whether you’re building software, writing content, or managing a team, competence gives you the freedom to dive into the creative and interesting parts of the job.

When you’re new to something, every step is hard. You’re trying to figure out what to do, how to do it, and hoping it all works out in the end. It’s stressful and frustrating. But when you know your stuff? It flows. You move faster, make better decisions, and—here’s the kicker—you actually start enjoying the process.

How to Build Competence: Start With the Basics

The path to competence isn’t glamorous, but it’s worth it. You need to grind through the basics first. It’s like learning to drive: you spend hours learning how to steer, brake, and park before you ever hit the open road. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, you can start enjoying the ride.

• Start with the foundations: Whether it’s a new language, tool, or framework, master the basics first. Learn the syntax, understand the documentation, and practice, practice, practice.
• Solve real problems: The more you apply what you’ve learned to real-world scenarios, the faster you’ll get competent. Build small projects, contribute to open-source, or help someone else solve a problem.
• Ask for feedback: Find mentors or peers who can point out your mistakes and show you how to improve. Don’t be afraid to be wrong—it’s part of the process

Competence Encourages Creativity

Once you’re no longer bogged down by basic errors, you have the mental space to think creatively. The fun starts when you can experiment, take risks, and try out new approaches without fear of failure. When you’ve built up competence, the fear of things going wrong disappears. Instead, you see mistakes as part of the learning process.

Think of it like this: when you’re learning to play an instrument, it’s all about hitting the right notes at the right time. But once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start improvising. The same goes for programming or any other skill. Once you’re competent, the possibilities open up.

Competence Unlocks Creativity

• Reducing Mental Overhead: You’re not wasting mental energy on remembering syntax or basic commands. Instead, you can focus on higher-level problems.
• Encouraging Exploration: Once you know the rules, you can start breaking them to create something new. This applies to code, design, and even leadership.
• Building Trust: Others are more likely to give you creative freedom when they trust your competence. When people see that you’re skilled, they’re more open to letting you experiment.

In the end, being competent isn’t just about being good at something—it’s about opening up new opportunities to enjoy what you do. Competence lets you move faster, be more creative, and tackle bigger challenges without fear.

If you want to have more fun at work (or in life), invest in your competence. The more you improve your skills, the more rewarding the experience becomes.