20 ways to be happier at work in 2020

20 ways to be happier at work in 2020

by | Personal Development, Positive Psychology, Positive Resources, Self-Care

20 ways to be happier at work in 2020

Try out these 20 small and easy actions to make your time at work much more fulfilling.

 

Define your why. Seek to explore who you are, your reason for being, the impact you have on our world – and why you do what you do.

 

Discover, understand and use your character strengths. Do the VIA Character Strengths survey to find out the ranking of your character strengths, and intelligently apply what you naturally have within you.

 

Ask for feedback. To enhance your performance, let your colleagues know that you value their views and ask them for their input on how you can improve.

 

Be generous. Do kind deeds without expecting anything in return.

 

Be thankful. Bring forward your character strength of gratitude and show others that you appreciate them by saying thank you.

 

Get the support that you need. Whether it’s a mentor, coach, therapist, trusted colleague –having the right kind of support can have a hugely positive impact on your happiness at work.

 

Learn continuously. Activate your character strength of love of learning and attend training sessions that are provided by your employer. Identify any gaps in your knowledge and research appropriate courses. Or simply commit to spending 10 minutes a day learning something new that’s related to your work.

 

Create moments of flow. Plan activities into your day that you are good at and enjoy, in which you are fully invested and where you lose all sense of time.

 

Think in terms of solutions rather than problems. Set a positive intent before starting a task. Focus your attention on the best possible outcome.

 

Set specific goals to strive for and review your successes regularly. Recognise, reward and feel proud of even the smallest of your successes.

 

Make your wellbeing a top priority. See which of your PERMA wellbeing pillars are in balance, and which need attention – and take action now.

 

Strengthen your private relationships. Prioritise time with loved ones who know you and care about you.

 

Strengthen your work relationships. Reconnect with old contacts and actively pursue new ones. Schedule at least one coffee meeting or lunch a week. Join professional associations, volunteer for committees and attend networking events.

 

Protect and maximise your time off. Set clear boundaries of when you finish work for the day, and use your time outside work wisely. Spend regular time doing activities that you really enjoy and that relax you. And make sure that holidays really are holidays.

 

Cultivate positive emotions. Deliberately plan daily activities that spark one of these 10 positive emotions: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, love.

 

Integrate mindfulness. Consciously create moments where you focus on the present moment. Bring forward your character strength of curiosity and listen to others deeply and with interest; meditate; and eat, breathe and walk mindfully.

 

Work smarter. Plan your week’s activities on Sunday evening. Navigate distractions, even if you have to say no. Plan tasks that require deep concentration at times of day when your performance peaks.

 

Single-task. To avoid cognitive overload and increase your efficiency, stop multi-tasking and focus on one thing at a time. Turn off email and social media alerts and do what you can to reduce all other distractions.

 

Be more playful. Enjoy yourself and see the lighter side of work. Dial up your character strength of humour at work, and use it to encourage your colleagues through challenging situations.

 

Smile!

Newsletters

Newsletters

by | Coaching, Personal Development, Positive Psychology, Positive Resources

Newsletters

Every couple of weeks, I share short and sweet tips and insights from my work as a leadership & career coach and a student of positive and coaching psychology, as well as exclusive special offers on my products.

If you’d like to subscribe to receive all future newsletters, please click here and you’ll receive a gift from me – 5 Simple Ways to Integrate Positivity into your Work Day. Otherwise here are previous newsletters for you to enjoy and benefit from!

What's wellbeing?!

Your best self, optimism and doing more of what you love at work

Positive energy, inspiring people and being kind

Successes, more strengths and a positive psychology exercise for you

Spotlight on applying character strengths at work

Innovation, engagement and gratitude

More happiness, less busyness

Kindness, excitement and a special offer

Spotlight on flow

More habits, more strengths, a celebration and a gift

Spotlight on mindfulness (and creme eggs)

R U OK, bad habits and 3 good things

Productivity, focus and authentic happiness

Positive Psychology, personal branding and nap pods

Spotlight on positive emotions

Values, good deeds and celebrations

Highlights, boosting strengths and positive futures

Strengths, intuition and little brothers

My best self, more optimism and finishing 2018 on a very positive note

Positively thriving at work

What’s wellbeing exactly?

What’s wellbeing exactly?

by | Coaching, Personal Development, Positive Psychology, Positive Resources, Self-Care

What’s wellbeing exactly?

Wellbeing is a topic that has become very close to my heart, and is something that I work with ALL of my clients on. 

Until I started studying positive psychology, I didn’t really have a clear idea of what it meant… it sounded so… ‘soft’ and like it didn’t have a place in the world of work.

Now I see it VERY differently…. For us to function effectively, be happy, and healthy in all parts of our lives, including at work, it is CRITICAL that we take care of our wellbeing! And there is plenty of research that supports this.

The way I explain what wellbeing is very simple:

it’s your capacity to feel good, be healthy and live a life of purpose.

Within my coaching, I utilise the PERMAH framework and assessment of wellbeing, which is based on Martin Seligman’s theory of wellbeing:

PERMAH
Positive emotions: feeling good
Engagement: finding enjoyment and flow in activities
Relationships: cultivating meaningful connections
Meaning: our why or purpose
Accomplishment: achieving and moving towards our goals
Health: taking care of ourselves – physically and mentally

There are many easy ways to improve each of these elements and increase your levels of wellbeing. BUT making sustainable changes can be challenging, this is where working with a coach is super effective to make effective and lasting improvements to your wellbeing

(AND back to my point of wellbeing sounding ‘soft’, MANY studies have proven that good levels of wellbeing lead to greater levels of satisfaction, physical health and happiness, etc, etc. And at work… better performance, job satisfaction, increased engagement, less sick days, etc, etc, which of course leads to better company $$$ results!).

How PERMA can help us at work

Here’s an overview of how high levels of wellbeing in each of the pillars can benefit us, with a focus on the work context!

PERMAH pillarEvidence-based outcomes
Positive emotions•Development of personal resources including resilience
•Dealing better with stress and challenges
•Starting a contagion effect of positivity
Engagement•Increased job enjoyment
Relationships•Better relationships throughout the organisation
•Improved coping and reduced conflict
•Better problem solving and job performance
•Improved morale and increased enjoyment
Meaning•Increased happiness and engagement
•Improved performance
Accomplishment•Reduced turnover
Health•Reduced stress and depression symptoms
•Increases in positive emotions, feelings of achievement and engagement

 

How do you define wellbeing?
What do you do for your wellbeing?
And do you feel it’s in balance?

Useful resources

– Here’s an article on the PERMA framework

– Download my guide on how to integrate positivitiy into your work day

– Watch this video of Martin Seligman explaining PERMA

– Or get in touch if you’d like my 1-1 support to improve your wellbeing

 

Want to feel more satisfied at work? Use your character strengths!

Want to feel more satisfied at work? Use your character strengths!

by | Career Challenges, Coaching, Personal Development, Positive Psychology, Positive Resources

Want to feel more satisfied at work? Use your character strengths!

Want to know a relatively easy way of feeling better at work?

It’s simply by intelligently applying your character strengths – more effectively using what you naturally have within you!

Let me explain a little more….

A quick look at character strengths

Character strengths are “positive traits reflected in thoughts, feelings and behaviours” (Park et al., 2004) and are regarded as essential ingredients of a fulfilling and happy life (Peterson, 2006). The VIA Classification consists of 24 different character strengths, which we all have within us and can draw on to support us in all aspects of life.  

By implementing a character strengths approach, our main focus is on what’s right and what we do well, instead of spending time and energy ‘fixing’ our weaknesses, as studies have shown that this where we can experience the greatest positive impact.  

I use the VIA Classification of character strengths with my clients as they are flexible, effective and impactful when professionally applied, and have been proven through many studies to contribute to flourishing.  

What are the benefits of applying character strengths at work?

When we consistently and intelligently apply our strengths at work, there’s evidence to show that we can experience improvements in: 

  • job performance
  • productivity
  • work satisfaction and meaningful work
  • employee engagement
  • job dedication
  • interpersonal facilitation
  • performance ratings  

When I say intelligently, I mean that to really get the most benefit of applying your strengths, it’s important to know the best way in which to use them! For example to understand when to dial up a strength, such as bravery before a speech; or dial down a strength, for example creativity when you are required to closely follow processes. Or by seeking an evidence-based positive psychology intervention to develop your strengths in new and novel ways.   

So, which strengths are most impactful at work? 

Numerous studies have found that when the character strengths of…  

  • curiosity: “interest, novelty-seeking, exploration, openness to experience”
  • zest: “vitality, enthusiasm for life, vigour, energy, not doing things half-heartedly”
  • hope: “optimism, positive future-mindedness, expecting the best and working to achieve it”
  • gratitude: “thankful for the good, expressing thanks, feeling blessed” 

… are consistently applied at work, then we can experience higher levels of satisfaction. 

Some positive actions you can try 

Here are some ideas of how you could apply each in the work setting: 

Curiosity  

  • ask ‘why’ questions more often, especially when making assumptions
  • be curious about a work task that you don’t like – find a new way to view it positively
  • challenge yourself to learn a new thing a day for a week  

Zest   

  • when you feel your energy lagging, instead of reaching for a sugary snack, get out and go for a short walk
  • express your energy and individuality by wearing colourful clothes
  • prepare yourself for new tasks at work by considering the positive aspects   

Hope  

  • observe how hopeful colleagues overcome challenges
  • support someone who may be struggling by offering hopeful ideas and concrete actions they could take
  • set daily goals for what you’d like to achieve and identify 2-3 different ways you could reach these goals  

Gratitude  

  • explain why you are grateful to a colleague, either by what they have done or for a positive aspect of themselves and leave it on their desk in a note to surprise them
  • each evening, recall 3 good things that happened at work each day
  • start meetings by sharing successes 

(Reference: Niemiec & McGrath, 2019; Niemiec, 2018: McQuaid & Lawn, 2014) 

So, which of these 4 strengths will you be focusing on first?! 

Useful resources

– Here’s the link to the VIA website where you’ll find the survey as well as more information about each character strength

– And If you’d like my support with developing your strengths so you can be more satisfied at work, here are my products, and you can book a call with me here. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

PPI: How do you express deep gratitude to others?

PPI: How do you express deep gratitude to others?

by | Positive Resources

PPI: How do you express deep gratitude to others?

Would you like to try a positive psychology intervention (PPI) that is an act of kindness towards another and that can improve your wellbeing for months after you’ve completed it?
 
Writing a letter in which you express your gratitude and appreciation towards a family member, friend or colleague has been shown to improve wellbeing and reduce depressive symptoms. 
 
In this exercise, write a letter that expresses your gratitude for what someone has contributed to your life. Be specific about what exactly you are grateful for and tell them how it has made you feel. You may decide not to give the person the letter, and that is absolutely ok, but if you do decide to share it with them, if possible deliver it in person.
 
Afterwards, reflect on the following questions:
 
How did this exercise make you feel?
What reaction did the other person have?
How did you feel a week after writing the letter?

And… who is the next person you’d like to write a gratitude letter to?

Useful resources

– Here’s some more information about how I use positive psychology interventions with my clients.

– and information on gratitude from the VIA Character Strengths perspective

PPI: What’s the best possible life you can imagine?

PPI: What’s the best possible life you can imagine?

by | Positive Resources

PPI: What’s the best possible life you can imagine?

Here’s a positive psychology intervention (PPI) you can try that besides helping you to feel happier, being sick less often and bringing about sustained improvements in your wellbeing after you’ve tried the intervention, it will support you in clarifying what you’d like to achieve, and prompt you to develop an action and prioritisation plan in order to meet your goals.

Simply plan some quiet time and think about your life over the next 5 years. Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded at accomplishing all of your life goals. Think of this as the realisation of all of your life dreams.

Now spend 15-20 minutes writing about what you imagined, for 4 days in a row.

And after the 4 days, reflect on the following questions:

What exactly have you achieved?
How did you feel once you achieved your goals?
How did you do it?
Who was supporting you?
What strengths did you use?
What do you need to do in order to meet your goals?
What else did you notice?

How did you find this intervention? And what do you notice about your levels of happiness and positivity after repeating it for 4 days?

Useful resources

– Here’s some more information about how I use positive psychology interventions with my clients.