15 Proven Tips to Be Happy at Work
Want
to be happier at work? Try taking time out for these proven
techniques.
Breaking
news. In 2013, unhappy employees outnumbered happy ones by two to one
worldwide, according to Gallup.
Based on studies that took place in 142 countries and contained
approximately 180 million employees, only "13 percent of
employees worldwide are happily engaged at work."
Of
course, you probably didn't need statistics to know that. Being
miserable at work has just become a way of life. Or, has it?
I've
been trying to be happier each and every day. With 2014 coming to an
end, it's time to turn over that new leaf and start actually being
happy at work. But how can you accomplish such a seemingly hopeless
task?
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 neopeptides. 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.
BY JOHN
RAMPTON
http://www.inc.com/john-rampton/15-proven-tips-to-be-happy-at-work.html?cid=em01016week49e
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