Comment by fb03
8 years ago
I'd say "fiddliness" is a characteristic of happiness and focused work.
If you overlook most details you are basically just 'doing stuff to get objectives done', which is meager imho.
Getting acquainted with detail takes us away from the vast sameness that we experience when we are just running on automatic and helps us cherish and savor each moment as complexity unfurls.
I think you really hit on something here. Anytime I'm working on a hobby of mine, I like to actively get into the weeds (figuratively, occasionally literally). It's in exploring and learning about the depth of the unknown that I find the most enjoyment.
I learned to love talking to strangers when I realized the richness and variety of human experience is so vast that no one person can feel or experience everything another person can in their lifetime. In retrospect, it's amazing I had to realize this at all, but we all start out self-absorbed.
It's probably when you're into those small universes, chasing down detail, that you are most happy and comfortable, even tho you might not be at that specific time your most productive self. After all, when 'flow' happens, We are not really caring about the passage of time, right? ;)
Depends on the point of your focus. Fiddliness stops being funny when you have a deadline. Or when you're doing what you love, but have only so much time between work, errands and social obligations - and then a bullshit issue comes up and stops you in your tracks.