5 Tips to be Happier at Work (and in general!)
1. Make Sleep a Priority: Sleep is a vital part of your well-being. Not getting enough sleep can make it very difficult to focus and be the most productive that you can be. That exhaustion can also make it harder to be happy during the day, as lack of sleep can cause both irritability and stress. To avoid this issue, try to stick to a schedule when it comes to when you go to sleep and how many hours you plan to get a night. Consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time every day creates healthier sleep habits. Sleep is vital to your success and it is important that you prioritize resting and recharging your mind and body every night!
2. Create a Healthy Work-Life Balance: This is especially pertinent in today’s WFH/hybrid world. Working remotely can sometimes make it hard to distinguish when the work day actually ends. It’s easier than ever to see an email notification at night/on the weekend and feel obligated to log onto your email and answer it. However, it is important to know when it is time to disconnect and shut down for the night or weekend. Setting intentional boundaries when it comes to how much you are working is so important to creating a healthy work-life balance. This healthy balance is key to being happier with your career.
3. Foster Genuine Relationships: Connect with your coworkers! Get to know them! Do more than just say hi when you see them! It has been found that when employees are happy and have at least one friend at work, they are 7x more likely to be engaged in the work they are doing (HBR 2017)! Work is so much more enjoyable when you can truly connect and build friendships with some of the people you work with.
4. Practice Gratitude: Reframe your mindset! Be intentional with being thankful for what you have. Instead of saying to yourself, “Ugh, another Monday… another week I have to work,” try shifting your perspective to think about work in a more positive way. For instance, try saying to yourself, “I am grateful that I can work another week and be able to provide for myself.” Little changes in the way you perceive things will make SUCH a big difference on your overall happiness!
5. Find a Job You Actually Enjoy: Steve Jobs once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Going to work everyday to and being able to say that you are doing something that you find fulfilling makes all the difference in your happiness! What are your passions? What do you care about? What brings you joy? Is there a career that you could see yourself happily in? Work is such a large part of most people’s life, so if you can find a job that makes you happy, don’t hesitate to take that opportunity!
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