Happy Monday! How is it nearly half way through October already?! The time is flying by! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We’ve had a really lovely one, Andrew’s brother came up from Devon on Friday and stayed with us for the weekend. Having visitors really forces us to stop the usual manic routine and take a break and we just chilled out all weekend. Next weekend we are making the trip down to Devon to see the rest of the Clarkes and we are all very excited about a mini-break away by the sea…especially me! It will be a busy week trying to get everything done before we go but it will be worth it. Today’s Monday motivation is focusing on being happy at work.
Over the last month or so I have concentrated some of these Monday Motivations on helping those that have to go out to work. I feel very strongly that your work life should be a pleasurable one and know, from personal experience, how awful it can be when your job is the worst part of your life. I’ve been relatively lucky with jobs and have mostly enjoyed the work I do but there have been times that I have dreaded going into work. If external factors are affecting your work life then you might need help to sort the problems. However, if it is just something within you that is preventing you from being happy at work then it is worth finding ways to turn this around. After all, we spend the majority of our time at work…we might as well do our best to enjoy it!
10 top tips for being happy at work:-
- Know how your work is meaningful
How is your job meaningful? What do you do to help someone else? No matter what your role there should always be something within your job that is meaningful, that gives you value and makes doing what you do worth while. When you work out what that thing is then your work will seem a whole lot more satisfying. When Steve Jobs famously convinced John Sculley to leave his role as Vice-President of PepsiCo and join Apple he asked him one question…”Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want to change the World?”. If you can’t find anything meaningful in your role or you want to change the World then find a job that will do that for you.
2. Make your office your own
This may seem rather trivial but feeling at home when you’re at work can certainly go a long way to making you feel happier in your job. Decorate your desk, put up a few pictures, add a plant and make it like home. A work space will always be a work space, but the more comfortable you are in it, the more likely you are to be productive and motivated.
3. Make friends at work
If you get to work and see just faces of colleagues that you know little about you are never going to be entirely happy there. Arriving 15 minutes early to have a cuppa and a chat with a good friend who works across the room from you would give you a far better start to your day. Work colleagues don’t have to be your best friends but the more you can open up to people you work with and make friends with them the more they can support you in your job. If you have a staff room or breakout area then make an effort to go there to eat your lunch or have a coffee, you will soon get chatting with people you work with and that will become an important part of your day.
4. Take breaks
When we are bogged down in mountains of paperwork and can’t see the wood from the trees it can be tempting to skip breaks and just keep going to get through that never-ending to do list. Whilst you might feel you are helping yourself by getting through your work quicker your brain always needs a break from time to time. Even if it’s just a 20 minute walk in the fresh air to blow away the cobwebs or a quick cup of tea and chat with a friend, you will come back to your desk with renewed energy and go home feeling a lot less tired and more satisfied with your day.
5. Eat healthy and stay hydrated
Big offices can often be a hive of temptation when it comes to unhealthy treats! Cakes, biscuits and chocolates wherever you look and coffee and tea on tap. Wherever you can try to eat healthily and stay hydrated while at your desk, your mind and body will thank you for it at the end of the day. Why not buy a large bottle of water and keep it on your desk throughout the day so you can keep drinking without having to keep getting up to refill? Obviously a treat here and there is good too, but keep some healthy snacks in your bag to munch on then you will get to the end of the day feeling happy and energised.
6. Be organised
Organisation is definitely an important tip for helping you be happy at work. Arriving at your desk in the morning when it looks a complete mess is never a great feeling. Clear your desk at the end of the day, file everything properly (don’t just stuff it in a drawer to worry about later) and write yourself a to do list for the next day so you come in to work knowing what needs to be done and when you need to do it.
7. Be systematic
We often think that multi-tasking is a skill that will help us get our jobs done quicker but actually this is somewhat of a myth. Being systematic and working through your list item by item is a far better and more productive way of getting things done. Trying to do too many things at once can cause mistakes and may mean having to do things again later on. Just remember – slow and steady wins the race!
8. Take charge of your own development
If you’re unhappy at work because you feel like you’re not developing as fast as you would like or you think you need more training then don’t leave it up to your employers to notice this. Even in the smallest companies employers won’t necessarily realise that someone is more ambitious than they thought and before they have been given a chance to help, the employee has left and moved somewhere else. Go to your employer and explain where you would like your role to go or where you would like to be in 5 years and ask how they can help you get there. Research some courses that interest you and ask if it might be possible to attend one. Most companies will jump at the chance to help an employee develop especially if it means they get to keep a good worker.
9. Avoid negativity
Don’t keep telling yourself and others how much you hate your job. We can often become overwhelmed with negativity that we end up attracting more of it. If you go into work expecting to have a bad day, the chances are you probably will. Negativity will spread to those around you and people will soon stop wanting to work with you. Try changing your attitude and be positive about your role. Tell yourself you’re looking forward to going in to work and think of some reasons why. If you really struggle to be happy at work then try organising something fun after work (maybe with some of your colleagues) so you at least have something to look forward to at the end of your day. Your mindset can be a very powerful thing and can turn things around for you instantly.
10. Only make commitments you can keep
Don’t be afraid to say no if things are getting too much and your work load is causing you concern. Saying yes to everything that’s thrown your way might seem like the right thing to do at the time but if you can’t complete work because you took on too much or you’re work-life balance is suffering because you’re having to work late every night then this does not make for a happy work life. Just stick to making commitments that you are able to keep within the time scale you have…everything else will have to wait.
I hope some of my tips help make work a more pleasurable place (if it’s not already) and if you’re lucky enough to love your job then pass some of that love on to your friends and colleagues. A positive outlook and attitude can be incredibly infectious!
Have a great week 🙂
Nicx
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