Try these 15 proven tactics that will make you happy at workplace.
1. Have a Sense of Meaning
In 1983 Steve Jobs convinced future Apple CEO John Sculley to leave
his job at PepsiCo by asking him one question: “Do you want to spend the
rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to
change the world?”
Why was this so effective? Besides sparking his curiosity and
imagination, it gave Scully the chance to do meaningful work. This has
been backed by research from Wharton management professor
Adam Grant,
who has found that “employees who know how their work has a meaningful,
positive impact on others are not just happier than those who don’t;
they are vastly more productive, too.” Additional research from Harvard
professor
Teresa Amabile
has discovered that no matter the size of a goal–whether curing cancer
or helping a colleague–having a sense of meaning can contribute to
happiness in the workplace.
2. Create an ‘Office Nest’
Jennifer Star, a founding partner of the Balance Team, notes on
Monster that
since you spend so much time at work, if you want to improve your
happiness there you should “make your space your own, decorate your area
as much as your company policy permits, and make yourself as
comfortable and relaxed as you can be in your office.”
3. Find a Work Best Friend
Research from my
free hosting
startup Hostt has found “that having a best friend at work can turn a
moderately engaged worker into a highly engaged worker.” When I hire
people, I try and really pay attention to referrals of workers. When
workers are engaged in friendships they contribute more to the bottom
line.
Christine Riordan states in the
Harvard Business Review that
employees who “have friends at work perceive their job as more fun,
enjoyable, worthwhile, and satisfying.” Furthermore, having friends at
work can create a support system, comradery and a sense of loyalty.
4. Smile
Something as simple as smiling can improve your happiness at work because it tells your brain to be more happy–thanks to the
release of neuropeptides. Smiling is also contagious and will make your co-workers smile as well.
5. Leave Personal Problems at Home
Julie Morgenstern, author of
Time Management From the Inside Out, informs
CBS News that “when your personal life is in tumult, a lot of emotional
hijacking goes on. Emotions consume you and stress exhausts you.” When
it happens that you have an inordinate amount of stress, it will seem
like your work is never ending, you will watch the clock, and you will
be distracted from being more productive.
While it’s easy for your personal life to carry over into your
professional life, make sure that you attend to personal matters before
heading out for the workday.
6. Be Future Oriented
According to experts like
Geoffrey James, “you’ll make better decisions and be
more satisfied
with your results if you know that most of what you’re doing in your
work at this time still fits into your long-term plans and goals. That’s
only possible if you keep those plans and goals in the forefront.”
7. Say ‘Thank You’
Based on experiments
from Professor Francesca Gino of the Harvard Business School and
Professor Adam Grant of the Wharton School, “receiving expressions of
gratitude makes us feel a heightened sense of self-worth, and that in
turn triggers other helpful behaviors toward both the person we are
helping and other people that are around us, too.”
In fact, their experiments have discovered that 66% of students
helped a fellow student named “Eric” because he thanked them in advance
for reviewing his cover letter.
Instead of just saying “thank you” to your peers–and even
receptionists and maintenance–you can be proactive and ask for feedback
to receive some much-deserved gratitude. Definitely don’t ask again if a
person you have previously asked is determined to make you feel
unappreciated, or if they are continually condemning you or your team.
8. Take a Breather
It’s incredibly easy to get burned out during the workday. That’s why
you need to take a minute and breath before moving on to your next
task.
Sharon Salzberg, author of
Real Happiness at Work,
informs Business Insider that “without some breathing space in the face
of constant demands, we won’t be creative, competent, or cheerful.” She
also adds that by not taking a break, “we won’t get along with others
as well, and we won’t take criticism without the possibility of
imploding. It is a must to control the level of our daily stress.”
My friend and marketing expert
Liv Longley
states that employees also need to take time off to recharge from the
stress of work. In fact, taking a vacation not only relieves stress and
recharges us, it can also improve our overall health and make us more
productive at work.
9. Eat Healthy and Stay Hydrated
According to Shirly Weiss, a certified holistic health and
nutritional counselor and consulting expert for the Balance Team,
“maintaining a
good diet
and keeping yourself properly hydrated throughout your workday can
really make a big difference in your energy level and attitude.”
Instead of hitting the vending machine for lunch,
have meals that involve
yogurt, asparagus, honey, cherry tomatoes. Eating foods that keep your
blood sugar within a normal range will stop headaches and fatigue, as
well as help you concentrate better.
10. Get Organized
Chrystal Doucette
suggests on Chron.com that having an organized workplace will help you
be better prepared and work more efficiently. It can also improve your
happiness since a “clean desk makes the work environment seem less
hectic and stressful.” In short, you have enough stress with work, so
avoid the additional stress that clutter and scrambling for lost items
will cause.
11. Don’t Multitask
Despite the myth, multitasking isn’t effective.
Clifford Nass,
a psychology professor at Stanford University claims that multitasking
“wastes more time than it saves.” He also states that it decreases
concentration and creativity.
Instead of getting overwhelmed by the amount of work you’re trying to
juggle through multitasking, focus on one task at a time. Many do well
with a simple checklist to accomplish this.
12. Accept People for Who They Are
You can’t change who people are. Instead of letting their personalities or actions affect you, take a step back. You could try
techniques
like counting to 10 before responding to them, avoiding
finger-pointing, and maintaining a professional attitude. There are many
fantastic books on this subject as well.
13. Move Around
Whether it’s finding the time to take a walk outside, run up and down
the stairs on your break, stretch, or do a 10-minute exercise, moving
around throughout the workday has a number of beneficial effects–even if
you already exercise and eat healthy.
As
Lifehacker
points out, sitting all day and working on a computer can lead to
health concerns like weight gain, heart disease, eye strain, and carpal
tunnel syndrome.
In short, when you feel better, you’ll be in a better place mood-wise as well.
14. Reward Yourself
Whether it’s by going out to dinner with your significant other,
purchasing a new gadget, enjoying a piece of candy, or giving yourself a
pat on the back, (the politician applause), find the time to reward
yourself after you’ve completed a project or had a fruitful day.
You can even take that a step further and prime yourself to be happy.
Research has found that doctors who prepared themselves to be happy were able to reach a diagnosis twice as fast as their colleagues.
15. Reflect on the Day
Why are you working so hard? You can answer that question by
reflecting on the day and recalling something that was positive. When
you record these moments in your notebook, smartphone, tablet, etc.,
you’ll have a reminder of why your work matters to you. You can refer to
these statements of positive reflection whenever you need a boost.
Source: http://time.com/3616993/tips-happy-work/?lang=en&utm_campaign=10today&flab_cell_id=2&flab_experiment_id=19&uid=12274661&utm_content=article&utm_source=email&part=s1&utm_medium=10today.1205&position=8&china_variant=False
