7 Ways To Have A Good Day At Work

According to Caroline Webb, a former partner at management consultancy McKinsey, awful days at work could be a thing of the past. Using a combination of psychology and neuroscience, she has written a book designed to help you have a good day at work every single day.

“So many people are having days of dissatisfaction,” says Webb, whose book How to Have a Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life is out now. “It’s sort of accepted. We talk about having a bad day at work as if it is something we have to put up with. But I found that with small tweaks I could make a big difference to how people felt.”

Here are her top tips for surviving, and even enjoying, work every day:

1. Sing your favourite song
A big meeting or presentation can make for an awful day in the office. But there is a way to bypass that stress: sing a song to yourself beforehand. “Our brains are very associative and we only have to experience one good thing to trigger thoughts related to that,” says Webb. “So if we hear a song we like, it will trigger a cascade of memories and could put us in a good mood as we’re reminded of a night out with friends or a lovely holiday.”

2. Glamourise your to-do list
Your to-do list is a vital part of boosting your mood at work.“It’s all about making your brain happy,” says Webb. Her tips include making it satisfying to tick things off, only looking at what you have to do that day, and including items such as “go for a walk”.

“If your list is online, give yourself a box to tick. The more rewarding it feels, the more your brain will tend to spur you towards getting things done.”

3. Take smart breaks
Taking regular short breaks can help you make sense of a task, rather than being overwhelmed by it. “We’ve got a tendency to think breaks are a nice thing to have, but they are as much a part of the working day as when we are working,” says Caroline. “It’s not just because your brain’s deliberate system [the part of our brain that focuses on analysis, self-control and forward planning] needs a break, but it’s actually doing work while you are offline, processing and consolidating what you’re doing.”

4. Don’t email graze
A study published last week of 2,000 people by Richard MacKinnon, from the Future Work Centre, found 62 per cent left their email on all day. “There are times when it’s tempting to graze emails,” says Webb. “I recommend people blitz emails twice a day, rather than looking at them throughout the day. I’m not saying go offline all day. Home in on the most important piece of work and go offline while you’re doing that.”

5. Strike a pose
Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found the key to success at work is not talent but confidence. But what happens if you don’t have any? Webb advises a “fake it till you make it” approach. “We know when we’re happy we smile, and when we’re calm we breathe deeply and slowly. So when we mimic the physical actions of an alpha male or female - squaring our shoulders and standing taller - we boost our confidence. This is one of the quickest hacks available to us. It works best if you strike the pose just before a meeting and then carry on doing it subtly throughout.”

6. Survive your commute
While you can’t do anything about your train being delayed, you can make the journey more positive. “If someone is walking slowly in front of you or they bump you with an elbow, it’s helpful to think they are a good person in bad circumstances. In other words, let’s assume they are a good person having a bad day. Carrying this mentality can make for a less stressful commute and de-escalates situations. It can also help at work if your colleague is being irritating - think about what might be going wrong in their day.”

7. Go for the three-a-day approach
A big part of what makes our day good or bad is our mindset. “Notice three good things on the way to work,” says Webb. “Someone who holds the door open, the fact you managed to catch the train. You won’t see them if you’re in a bad mood on the way to work, as your brain will sift and scan for things that match your mood.”That positivity will keep your brain happy and set you up for a more positive day at work.

Source- viva.co.nz