The sweet spot for flow and mastery where the task is not too easy, not too hard — it’s just right. 

Also, just the right spot for learning similar to Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. In that model when you’re out of your comfort zone, and not in your anxiety zone you’re in the learning zone.

And yet another way of looking at it, still without as catchy a name as Goldilocks tasks, is getting the right match of challenge to your skills to avoid anxiety and boredom and be in flow via Milhayi Csikszentmihalyi.

 I learned the name from Dan Pink’s excellent book Drive.

Goldilocks tasks

Ghost fishing is when lost or abandoned fishing gear continues to catch fish. And those who are caught attract larger predators who can also get caught.

Also see Bycatch—other stuff you caught while trying to catch something else.

And quite different from ghost cooking—the art of cooking leaving a sparkling, untouched kitchen.

Nurse shark drawn using How to draw a grey nurse shark.

Ghost fishing

A variation of Murphy’s law whereby if you happen to be criticizing someone else’s spelling or grammar you’ll have a mistake yourself. Or should that be criticising?

Muphry’s Law