Balance challenge and mastery so you never stall

Ellie loved her job managing digital ads. She was fast, reliable, and accurate. After three years, though, she hit a plateau and wound up watching cat videos during work hours just to keep from feeling bored.

She realized she’d grown too comfortable, so she raised her personal bar. Instead of tweaking existing campaigns, she pitched an experimental ad format to her team. Her first pitch was met with polite nods—but no budget.

Undeterred, Ellie studied effective test-and-learn methods in her off hours, refined her metrics, and reapproached her manager with a small pilot plan. This time, she got sign-off. Within two months she’d increased click-through rates by 18%, earning her team more budget and new challenges.

This is the teeter-totter in action: find tasks that are just a little above your comfort line. Studies show optimal growth happens when competence and challenge are in healthy tension—keeping you engaged without overwhelm.

Pinpoint one work task that feels too easy and design a tiny extension—another metric to track, a new presentation, a fresh audience. After each trial, review what clicked and tweak the next step. This steady push into the growth zone keeps you whelmed, not overwhelmed.