5 Things You Can Do At Home
To Improve Your Life At Work
Don't underestimate
the power of small things done at home to impact success on the job.
We all want to find happiness at
work and at home, but 24% of U.S. employees say the balancing act is getting
tougher to manage, according to a study by Ernst & Young (EY).
That’s because work is spilling into time that should be spent on personal
pursuits. About half of managers work more than 40 hours a week, the EY report
found, and a study by Project: Time Off found that
the majority (55%) of us end the year without taking advantage of paid time
off. That unused vacation time totals 658 million days.
But happiness experts say work-life balance is a myth. Work life
and home life aren’t separate; there’s just "life," and happiness
comes from figuring out a way to combine the two seamlessly.
"People who are highly
resilient don’t see the day in terms of separation," says Maria Sirois, clinical psychologist at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge,
Massachusetts. "There isn’t work me versus home me. Ninety percent of
success of life is about who we are and what we bring to the day at work and at
home."
Here are five things you can do at home that will promote
happiness at work.
Research has found
that happy people do better at work, so when you’re home, consciously choose to
do activities that lift you, says Sirois.
"Home life often includes a list of chores and obligations.
All of those responsibilities can be burdensome if you’re not also invigorated
by what brings you joy," she says. "When we create a home life filled
every day with something that lifts us, we will transfer that happiness to
work."
It can also help to have a
happiness check-in, adds Tim Bono, who lectures on
the psychology of happiness at Washington University in St. Louis. "Take
time every so often to remind yourself of what’s going well," he says,
adding:
It’s easy to get bogged down with reports, presentations, and
other hassles at work, but it’s also important to direct attention to things
that are going well for you. Research has shown that adults who take just a few
minutes each week to reflect on what they are grateful for (even amid life’s
stressors) feel better about their lives overall, report more optimism about
their upcoming week, and even get sick less often.
Most of us have hours during the day when we operate at peak
performance. The time of the day where we struggle to work, however, can be
improved by practicing micro-recovery, says Sirois. "It’s those few
minutes you set aside periodically to nourish yourself by doing activities that
elevate calm and serenity or activities that increase energy and
vitality," she says.
"Sleep also helps us
regulate our emotions and maintain a positive mood throughout the
day."
Sirois suggests scheduling these mini-breaks into your day until
it becomes a habit. Go for a walk outside, do some stretching, read poetry, or
simply have a cup of tea. Choosing what to do will depend on what makes you
happy, she says.
You will improve your life at work when you use your authentic
qualities, says Sirois. "Strong characteristics define who you are, such
as creative, energetic, optimistic, extroverted, compassionate, prudent, and
much more," she says. "It’s important to understand your core
strengths and leverage them, because it will build engagement and energy."
If you aren’t sure of your
strengths, Sirois recommends filling out the free questionnaire at viacharacter.org. "The material is heavily researched by scientists
in the field of positive psychology and backed by rigorous data," she
says, adding that people who are aware of their strengths and find a way to
apply them at work find more meaning.
A CNBC Mobile Elite poll showed that
70% of executives feel that mobile technology helps work invade their leisure
time.
Sometimes, the best way to avoid
the temptation to work at home is to create a physical barrier to help keep
yourself present with your family or friends, says Andrew Filev, CEO of
work-management platform Wrike.
"When you're home, keep your device someplace out of site," he
suggests. "If you find it hard to part with your device, at least silence
it or consider using airplane mode.
"Burnout is a real threat, and failing to give yourself
adequate time to recharge your batteries can make it happen faster and
worse," says Filev. "If you rest and spend time with the people you
care about, you'll find your work benefits from it."
Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can
lead to cognitive impairment similar to that of alcohol
intoxication. It also makes us more reactive to small nuisances that otherwise
would have rolled right off our backs, adds Bono. Researchers at the Finnish
Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki found that the optimal amount of
sleep for energy and wellness is seven to eight hours each night, according to
the study published in the medical journal Sleep.
It’s easy to let sleep fall further
down your list of priorities when you have too much on your plate. "What
you don’t realize, however, is that the brain is doing a lot of important work
when we sleep," says Bono. "Sleep increases activity
in the frontal lobe, which sharpens our mental acuity and helps us stay on task
toward the next day’s goals," he explains. "Sleep also helps us
regulate our emotions and maintain a positive mood throughout the day."
STEPHANIE VOZZA
https://www.fastcompany.com/3062736/5-things-you-can-do-at-home-to-improve-your-life-at-work
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