How to be happier at work - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

How to be happier at work - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach The saying goes: if you have a job you love, youll never work a day in your life. With that in mind, we may not all work the job we grew up dreaming of, but everyone can learn these techniques to be happier at our current occupations. The latest infographic from Expocart delves into what we can do to be happy at work. Understand what contributes to job satisfaction People have a lot of different ideas about what makes them content at work, and it turns out that very few factors are directly related to their pay (although fair pay is a contributing factor). Trust and respect in the workplace, especially among peers and management are top considerations when determining the satisfaction we feel in our work, as is feeling secure in our positions. Organizing to increase happiness and productivity A lot of happiness at work comes from eliminating sources of stress that crop up from lowered productivity, an unorganized workspace, and a jumbled priority list. The first step to creating a happier workplace is to organize and remove clutter. Then, changing work habits needs to take priority. That means going against some things we feel deeply ingrained in our work ethos. First, multitasking isnt the gem we perceive it to be and actually results in markedly unhappy feelings. Instead, focus on ‘getting into the Zone to achieve joy and results in your tasks. Prioritizing the work thats important, and will lead to results, helps workers reduce stress throughout the day. Likewise, important, high performance tasks should take precedence in the morning while your peak productivity is high. Allow low priority tasks and communications to wait for the afternoon to make the most of your time. Add in happiness promoters to your work Communicating with coworkers allows you to establish mood boosting social friendships that have a big impact on your daily happiness. On the same track is a tip that we may hear often, but dont implement nearly enough: smile. This tip isnt just for the benefit of your coworkers either, the physical act of smiling causes a release of dopamine, a happy’ hormone. You can also include an audio aid to increase your happiness at work: listening to music works to create good feelings much like smiling, and results in a release of dopamine. Creating a space for yourself to be happy can be easy, inexpensive, and very effective, even if you only have a small personal space of your own. Putting photos of happy memories, mementos from friends and family, an inspiring or humorous poster, or even a small (easy to care for) plant, in your space can provide a major mood boost to your day. Banish stress to improve your mood While we all want to add factors that increase happiness, it can be just as important to remove things that take away our overall happiness: namely, stress. Taking care of your health will help to decrease stress, and promote a feeling of well-being. That means youll want to get plenty of sleep, regular exercise, and be conscious of taking deep, fulfilling breaths. When youre cooped up in the office all day, it can be difficult to get outdoors, but its worth making time for. Taking a walk on your lunch break gives you light exercise that gives you an energy boost, while the sunshine is an instant mood lifter and stress reducer. Keeping a journal can also help fit a lid on your stress. This allows you an emotional release of the stress you carry through the day, as well as an opportunity for contemplative reflection and meditation on the events going on in your work and life.