Work from home is over. Time to get serious again about work.

Wait. I’m joking!

Joking or not, here’s a question that might help you get serious about the rest of the year.

Imagine that today is already 31 December and that you are looking back. How will you know it was a successful year for you?

Many people will list all the things that should have happened and all the things that they should have done to have made it a success.

These are ‘what’ questions. What happened? What should have happened? What did I achieve?

When it comes to success, the right questions to ask start with ‘why?’ Why should that have happened? Why should I have achieved that?

Do yourself and your colleagues a favor. Ask why, repeatedly. Do this often and you will irritate them. But the chances are that you will also be more successful.

And that’s worth a little irritation.

Did I steal this idea? No. Nor did I have to read a book about asking why. Wise people have been asking “why?” ever since Adam and Eve found themselves on the wrong side of the garden gate. (Come to think of it, even little people, before they can read books about why, know to ask “why?” all the time.)

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.