Knick-Knack, Paddy Whack, Give Yourself a Break!
There's a great lyric from the movie "Once" that goes like this: "... you have suffered enough and warred with yourself. It's time that you won." If you're up to something, your own business, raising kids or just about any pursuit, you'll be better off if you can stay positive and give yourself a break.
"Happy employees produce more than unhappy ones over the long term ... Moreover, they're not sprinters; they're more like marathon runners, in it for the long haul." ("Creating Sustainable Performance," Harvard Business Review, January-February 2012, Gretchen Spreitzer, Christine Porath)
Don't you want to be your own "happy employee"?
Here are five suggestions to help you maintain a positive attitude.
- Go better, not bigger. As much as you may be tempted to "sell out" or hustle after the pursuit of more quantity, it's quality that gives you not only satisfaction but ultimately wins the game. Keep asking yourself: "Am I doing the best I can do?" and "Am I proud of what I'm up to?"
- Schedule realistically. Yes, there's always more to do, but creating a realistic relationship with time, and with what you can actually get to in any given day with all of your other responsibility and the chaos that inevitably competes for your time, will ultimately give you the best long-term results and outlook. Just try to get two to three forward-moving things done a day and complete one small project a week.
- Avoid Time Bandits. People who call you up and just want to "shoot the sh*t" during the work day when you're busy are stealing from you, even if they're not "bad" people. Try turning off your phone and ignoring your emails for 1-2 hours of focused work a day. People who show up late, stand you up or don't keep their promises should be weeded out of your contact list, and that means you need to make sure it starts with you not being someone else's bandit!
- Taste the future. You have goals and rewards and that's OK -- they keep us going. We lose momentum sometimes, though, when it seems our goals are too far away and, when our energy sags, we begin to doubt we'll ever hit our bigger goals. Do something now that gives you the sense of what you're working toward. For instance, you may be a long way away from that new car, but you can take your current one in for a wash and vacuum.
- Do something for someone else. Do you know how to get more referrals? Give more referrals. Get active in helping someone else hit their goals and, even if they don't all reciprocate, you'll see that you're making something happen when you see them win. You don't have to make a big donation to some good cause either; just give of your time. Or call someone and ask them how their project is going and offer advice or help if you can. A sign that you need to focus out a bit more is when you feel totally stuck, lost or depressed. That's a mire you can't stay in too long -- focus OUT.
At the end of the day, when you have no more energy and you begin to think about the day to come, you deserve to have a moment of "Phew, I did the best I could today." If you're beating yourself up about what didn't get done... well, who is the one losing and WHY? It's time that you won.
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7. DO NOT catch the only microwave in the building on fire by forgetting to put the water in your Cup-O-Noodles before cooking them.
I actually have a 5th weekday rule for entrepreneurs. Any month that has a 5th Monday, etc. in it is a 'free day'. Like this Monday and Tuesday past, my clients are notified that there will be no meetings and I use the days to follow up on open ended conversations, clean up files, meet with 'soft contacts' and, occasionally, to go to the movies in the middle of the day! It's like a 'sick day', but it is my own guilt-free holiday time. Try it one time.
Please give your boss a thumbs up from me. I agree to slowing it down to get it right but not killing yourself in pursuit of perfection. It's about balance -- and balance -- and balance. Communication helps too.
Thanks for contacting me . . .
2. Tell off your co-workers off.
3. Do not (over) work (yourself).
4. Microwave fish for lunch.
5. Take naps.
When microwaving fish for lunch, make sure it's not the kind that gives off too much odor, like perch, but something safe, like salmon.
I want to argue this with you but I have to agree that things can easily get out of hand and a lot builds up. The issue is that you lose control, miss the rewards, build stress and why the heck are you working anyway? Luckily, there are a lot of practices and disciplines you can learn and apply to get you out of the 'get done yesterday' mode and I tell you this from experience because of a coach who kicked my butt and taught me, against my 'no-it-all' (not mis-pelled) attitude, and I became way more productive. I wish you luck, but more than that, I hope you take that on and ask for help from the right coach, a book, a course . . . You deserve it.
Try researching the Parkinson Principle: Work expands to suit the amount of time allotted for it.
The conversation here is how to take back some areas of your life and have some control over them. It is practical in that we all know that even the best plans get interrupted, sometimes the proposal goes out as best as you can in the time allowed, the kids go to school without a snack or the beds go unmade.
But still we can try.
My hypothesis is 'Yes.' We would be happier and more productive. If we were to be able to talk about job change or the unnecessary tidbits of our day that make us anxious or angry, AND TRUST IT WILL NOT BE SHARED WITHIN THE COMPANY, you may have something that can help support your colleagues and employees.
You may even reduce health care costs..
-Brian
http://www.progressivetransformation.blogspot.com
I agree except for the word 'therapist'. I have engagements as a coach with corporations that allow me to have that neutrality and create work-life balance with no attachment to employees staying or going, with what's best for them . . . I really suggest this current Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb edition. You'll see there are a lot of people having this conversation. Thanks for commenting.
I luckily hav access to the journal and will look-see when I have some time. Glad to hear it is part I the conversation.
Could be a great business opportunity/consulting service of you can expand. Hint hint.
Best,
Brian