Feeling a little down at work lately? Time to brighten up! Scientists have found that a positive approach to the daily grind will help increase your productivity, improve your health and allow you to better deal with stress.
We’ve compiled a list of small steps from around the web to help boost your happiness at work. So sit back, read over the list and while you’re at it, don’t forget to smile!
- Take care of difficult calls or emails as soon as possible. If you procrastinate, it will only make it harder to do later on. Plus, getting them done early on will give you a big boost of relieved energy.
- Are your eyes strained? Put your hand to your forehead in a salute. If your eyes feel relieved, your space is too bright and you may want to try dimming the lights or using natural light as a replacement.
- Personalize your workspace. What would make it more pleasant? Think about subtle additions that can inject your personality into your space.
- Sit up straight.
- Break your day up by taking ten-minute breaks each hour. Studies show that breaks boost your retention level. They also provide an opportunity to reflect on the day’s work.
- Keep an organized workspace. Taking the time to sort through loose papers that have piled up will save you from stress and anxiety later.
- Go outside at least once a day. If possible, try to go for a short walk. This activity can be good for your focus, mood and retention of information.
- Make friends at work. Not only will it make work more fun, but it will also boost your mood! Consider having lunch with co-workers and getting to know each other. Building these relationships can help take the edge off work stresses.
- Say “Good morning” to everyone.
- Do things differently in an effort to learn and challenge yourself. Consider taking on additional responsibilities or attempting something you never thought you were capable of doing.
- Pitch your boss on telecommuting. A good way to find happiness can be simply staying at home for a day, just make sure you get all of your work done.
- Consider trading tasks with a co-worker. Your weakness could be another co-worker’s strength, and vice versa.
- An instant and easy way to relieve stress can be taking slow, deep breaths, or tightening and loosening the sets of muscles from neck to feet.
If you are still unhappy, maybe it’s time to look for a better job. Even in this economy, you will be in high demand if you are good at what you do.
Considering different job opportunities? Visit our Careers Page for a current listing of our openings!
Sources:
Harvard Business Publishing
Yahoo! Finance
The Happiness Project
