10 Ways To Be Happier At Work
Most of us aren't happy at work. Here's what we can do to change that.
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Are we happy at work? It seems to depend on which study you read. A survey by Tinypulse indicates only 19% of IT workers would say they are highly sastisfied. But a study we covered in May showed IT folks were feeling less stress and more pride in their jobs. "Happy" is a difficult word to define.
We may be soldiering on, accepting the status quo, for the sake of a paycheck. But acceptance is not the same as happiness, and it seems fair to say most of us aren't truly happy. There are plenty of factors beyond our control that affect our happiness on the job. These include: whether or not we like our co-workers; whether our manager expresses gratitude; whether our company's mission is clearly communicated to us; and whether there's a clear path to career advancement.
One way to achieve on-the-job happiness is to concentrate on what you can control. We've made a list of 10 things to do, five in the office and five at home, that can help you find your happy place at work.
Try these before writing your resignation letter. Better yet, try them to ward off the weekly blahs and see if they help you enjoy the idea of getting up and going to work. Check out our list, and then tell us in the comments section below whether you're happy at work and, if so, what you did to get there.
Sure, your boss is supposed to spend time managing you, but your relationship with your immediate supervisor goes a long way toward determining your happiness at work. If your expectations, needs, and goals are at odds with those of your manager, you two are in for a long day every day. Nick Kolakowski at job search site Dice identified several keys to working better with managers: recognize their weaknesses, present solutions that help them, and know their boss.
Knowing your boss's boss might be the best advice on this list. Remember that your boss is beholden to someone, too. And if you understand that relationship, you can understand the stress they're under and why they are leaning on you so much.
This sounds obvious, so why aren't you doing it? The American Psychological Association says that if Americans got an extra 60 minutes to 90 minutes of sleep each night we'd be happier. We'd also work better, remember more, strengthen our immune system, and have fewer fatal accidents. Most of us are carrying a major "sleep debt." Sleep researchers had volunteers stay in bed for at least 14 hours per day. Most volunteers ended up sleeping 12 hours or more each day for multiple days before finally falling into a routine of 7-9 hours. Wouldn't you love to be a part of that study? You can. In your own house. For free.
You can't control whether you like all of your co-workers. But unless you are a major misanthrope, someone at work will fit the bill. This article at HBR highlights multiple benefits to friendship at work, but the most important one is that you've got someone who gets what you're going through. As much as you want to tell your friends or family at home, they don't know the space.
There's an important difference between complaining (which is healthy), venting (which is healthy in small doses), and whining.
Most of us whine when we think we are complaining. Complaining is expressing a problem with the hopes of finding a solution. Venting is expressing a problem with no hope for a solution. Whining is complaining about trivial things and having no expectation of a solution.
How we complain, and what we complain about, can change us. If you whine and do nothing about it, you're just making yourself angry and anger isn't good for you. Complaining with a purpose, however, reinforces our happiness, especially when we get results. If you find yourself always angry at work, consider what you are complaining about, to whom, and what you expect to get done.
One of our major sources of dissatisfaction is a lack of recognition for a job well done. So reward yourself. Take a minute to yourself, go work out, watch a funny YouTube video, have a nice lunch, or let yourself have some other small treat. Make sure you earn it, or else you are indulging yourself. If you deserve a pat on the back for getting a project in on time or coming up with an idea to make a new business, try one of these ways to reward yourself.
Unless you have a true reason to be unhappy, faking happiness is surprisingly effective at lifting you out of the dumps. Smiling releases hormones that reduce stress. In one study, people who were forced to smile found cartoons funnier than people who weren't. Smiling lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, too. Most importantly it releases an anti-depressant called serotonin. You can't do it constantly like a robot (that would feel oppressive in its own way), but smiling and pretending to be happy can have long-term effects on your actual happiness.
Decision fatigue can be exhausting and depressing. Life is full of too many decisions. Here's an example: Amazon sells 1,161 different kinds of toilet brushes. That's one example of the millions of decisions you are forced to make before you even get to work. Constant small decisions make you tired and they make you cranky. You can't eliminate decision making from your job, but you can reduce decisions before getting there.
Pare down your wardrobe (that's why Steve Jobs always wore that same black turtleneck) and eat the same breakfast. Drive to work the same way, and build more "autopilot" into your life. Save your energy for the right decisions. Even though what to wear seems like a small deal, those constant small decisions can add up to stress.
According to psychologists, there are two types of decision makers: satisficers and maximizers. Satisficers make a decision the first time one potential choice meets all of the minimum requirements. Maximizers try to weigh every option to make the absolute best decision.
Maximizers are the kind of people who change the radio station even though they like what is playing, only to see if something they like even more is on another station. Do you know what happens in that situation? You end up not listening to any music. You end up listening to a bunch of snippets of ads and songs you don't like. Most people swing from one type to the other depending on the situation and the decision to be made. Work on honing your satisficing skills.
If you can't feel appreciated, and you don't feel you understand the path to promotion, and you don't grok the company vision, one way to feel better about all of that is to get paid for your work.
How many times have you said to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put up with this?" Well, get paid enough. Follow these lessons and try asking for a raise.
The brain likes to do new things. Doing something new on a daily basis for 10 days raises overall happiness in people. By the way, doing something nice does the same thing, but I'd like to think you already knew that.
Take a class. Try a new game. Switch something up at your job. Try a new exercise routine at the gym. Go roller skating. Shake it up. Of course, this sounds a little bit like it goes against the decision-fatigue advice. It doesn't. Make sure the decisions you put on autopilot leave room for trying new and exciting things.
Are you happy? Could you be happier? If so, try these out for a couple of weeks and tell us what you think. And, if you're already doing any of this, congrats. Let us know if these habits make you a happier person at work (or home). But let's try to share happy comments. Remember to fake it until you make it.
Are you happy? Could you be happier? If so, try these out for a couple of weeks and tell us what you think. And, if you're already doing any of this, congrats. Let us know if these habits make you a happier person at work (or home). But let's try to share happy comments. Remember to fake it until you make it.
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