So much modern research points to employee happiness being an important factor in a thriving business. One study, in particular, shows that happy employees are 20 percent more productive.
That means more and more companies and employers are making an effort to ensure everyone on board is in good spirits. But what happens when you’re not?
Sometimes, no matter how good a company is or how high it pays, you’re deflated every time you walk into the office. If that’s you, then you might just need a few tips for happiness to keep you going through the week!
We’ve got 10 of those here for you today…
1. Make Your Morning Productive
If you need more joy at work, then you need to start being more deliberate about your mornings.
This might be a tough pill to swallow if you’re a night owl but this means you should try to wake up early! The earlier you’re able to wake up, the more chance you’ll have to get ready.
Obviously, don’t wake up too early, and make sure you get a full night of restful sleep, but make sure you do the following:
- Shower
- Brush your teeth
- Dress yourself
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Hydrate
- Plan your day
Some of these may seem obvious, but too many people skip over one or the other. If you’re snoozing through alarm multiple times, then you might find you can’t squeeze in a shower or you pick an outfit blindly out of the closet.
The more chance you give yourself to prepare in the morning, the more chance you have for happiness at work. When you plan your day, make sure you’re specific. For example, you might want to physically list out what you need to do for the day in order.
If you can, try to even squeeze in relaxation or quiet time with the help of popular iPhone apps like Calm.
2. Separate Work Problems From Life Problems
Life can get complicated. Maybe you’re behind on loan payments, or maybe you’re behind on work deadlines. One way to find a good work-life balance is to separate the problems.
When you’re not working, you leave the stress at the office. Take care of yourself and your family and try your best to relax and have fun.
When you’re at the office, make sure you leave personal problems at home and focus on your work. It’s not that you’re ignoring problems; it’s just that you’re choosing when to acknowledge and confront them.
3. Personalize Your Workspace
Whether you’re cornered in a cubicle or your employer has adopted the newer open-office layout, you most likely have space where you work.
You need to make sure that you personalize this workspace and make sure that you’re comfortable. This means decorating either with framed pictures of family, friends, and loved ones or with meaningful memorabilia.
Maybe you love airplanes. Build or buy yourself a miniature jet and put it somewhere out of the way but in eyesight, so that you can focus on it when work gets difficult.
4. Develop Office Relationships
Some people don’t really make friends with coworkers. For them, their job is nothing more than a 9-to-5 and a paycheck.
However, when you look at tips for happiness in daily life, cultivating meaningful relationships is almost always a top concern. It doesn’t mean that your office mate needs to be your best friend, but make sure that you have someone you can go to.
Find someone who understands your problems, sees eye-to-eye with you on politics or enjoys the same music and movies!
5. Live, Eat, and Drink a Healthy Life
The key to any kind of happiness usually boils down to how healthy you’re living.
The same applies to your work life, though. Make sure to pack healthy lunches or choose healthy restaurants when eating out.
Drink a lot of water, and exercise when you’re able to. In an office setting, this often will mean at least getting up and moving around from your desk.
6. Be More Organized
Organization is key for work happiness. When you’re disorganized it makes work that much harder.
Make sure that your desk and computer (if you use one) are organized in a meaningful way and intuitive way. The harder it is to find things you need, the more difficult work becomes and the angrier you’ll become.
7. Reward Yourself
Work is tough, so it’s important to celebrate the little things.
This could mean allowing yourself to eat a treat when you’re on a diet, spending money on a fancy meal, or going to see a movie. Regardless of what it is and what you do, make sure you treat yourself for good and consistent work.
8. Take a Breather
Honestly, your reward for yourself (see the previous tip) could be just taking a breather for yourself.
This could just mean that you need to remember to take a break, and this could mean that you deliberately need to breath. For example, stand or sit in a neutral position, close your eyes, breath in deeply through your nose, and then exhale slowly through your mouth.
Do this a few times (at least), and open your eyes and continue. It’s a good way to put work into perspective and give yourself a quick refresher.
9. Tackle Big Assignments First
When you’re planning out your day, you usually list tasks in a specific order. Make sure that you start by taking the biggest and most important assignments on first.
That way as the day goes on and you get tired or more worn out, you can rest assured that you’ve already taken care of the big stuff.
10. Reflect on the Positives
When seeking joy at work, it can be easy to get stuck on all the negative aspects.
Make sure you set some reflection time aside to focus on the positive aspects of your job. Maybe you get a higher-than-average salary. Maybe you love your boss or coworkers.
Whatever it may be – big or small – make sure you take time to focus on the positives. Resolutions can be a great way to focus on what can become more positive, as well. You can always take a hint from Oil 4 Wales and learn more about how to do workplace resolutions the right way.
Exploring Tips for Happiness at Work
The workplace can be a chaotic place of stress and unhappiness for a lot of people. But just because you’re unhappy doesn’t mean you need to run out and look for a brand new career path.
Instead, sometimes, all you need are a few practical tips for happiness that you can apply on a daily basis. If all else fails, then you may need to reconsider your work environment and look toward your dream job!
