Be Positive
Positive people and positive workplaces choose to focus on possibilities, solutions, advantages, and fun. On the other hand, negative experiences, such as negative thoughts, negative people, and gossip, can slowly erode well-being and productivity. When it seems impossible to avoid negativity and stay positive, try to look for something positive in your day even if it’s something simple, such as the view from your window. If possible, share your positive outlook with your coworkers and compliment them on their accomplishments in order to spread positivity throughout the workplace. Smiling is another way to help you feel more positive as it tells your brain to be happy.
Leave Personal Problems at Home
When you’re preoccupied with personal issues, it becomes difficult to concentrate or be happy at work. Just like you need to leave work at the office to enjoy your time at home, it is important to leave personal issues at home so you can focus on being productive at work.
Many organizations provide employees with an employee assistance program (EAP), so take advantage of it if you find it difficult to leave personal problems at home. Many EAPs typically offer short-term counseling on various aspects of life. Talk to your employer to get more details about the type of services their EAP provides.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people, their work, and their physical work environment. The major goal of ergonomics is to fit the job to the individual and promote healthy and safe work practices. Being comfortable and safe at work can greatly increase happiness. Below are just a few tips to make your workstation more comfortable:
- Arrange your work so you can sit or stand comfortably in a position that does not put stress on any specific area of your body. You should be able to keep your neck in a neutral position and minimize the need to look up or to the sides continuously while working.
- Eliminate most movement from your waist. Keep documents and equipment within reach without having to lean, bend, or twist at the waist frequently.
- Change positions often to avoid discomfort or muscle fatigue.
- Take short breaks, 10 to 15 seconds, frequently throughout the workday. These breaks will allow you to look away from your computer monitor, stand up, or stretch your arms. Short breaks reduce eyestrain and buildup of muscle tension.
Organize and Plan
Organizing and planning your workday and workweek will help reduce stress, which is one more thing to be happy about. Start by reviewing your appointments for the week and what tasks need to be accomplished. Next, plan what needs to be done to prepare for those appointments and when you will accomplish those tasks. Also, review your goals and decide what needs to be done to accomplish them and when you will work on them. This will provide a basic plan for your week. Then, each day fill in the holes by deciding what your priorities are for the day and make sure you schedule them in. Fill in the gaps with tasks that may have lower priorities. Be sure to plan backup tasks or activities just in case one of your appointments that you originally had scheduled falls through. Organizing and planning your workweek and workdays will help you create a manageable schedule to handle your workload.
Learn
During your weekly and daily planning process, identify aspects of your job in which you would like to become more proficient and knowledgable and plan time to develop them. Your coworkers and managers may be good resources to turn to when developing these skills. Also, one of the best ways to learn is to teach others, so look for opportunities to teach what you learn.
Build on Strengths
Research has shown that happiness can also come from spending time in one’s strengths and having the opportunity to do the things one does well even better. So, identify your strengths at work and look for opportunities to work on and develop them. By doing so, you will find a greater sense of accomplishment and productivity in your workplace.
These are just a few ideas to help you be happier at work. You may come up with your own ideas, which is great. Be sure to share your additional ideas with your coworkers so they can also be happy and make your workplace a positive place to be.
