· By PYM STORE
6 Helpful Work Habits
Do you love your work, or is it someplace that you dread going? With these six helpful work habits and the willingness to do what it takes to make positive change, you’ll be able to shape your work environment into the place you want it to be.
If you try them and nothing seems to change, it can also help you realize that it might be time for you to move on. You spend most of your day at work, you should be as happy there as you can be.
#1) Keep Your Space Clean
Whether you have a desk, a cubicle, or a locker, making sure to keep it clean and organized can make a massive difference in your mental health at work.
Studies have shown that people who work to declutter their space feel less anxious and overwhelmed. The flipside is also true -- people who have trouble with their mental health also tend to have less mental energy to keep their space clean and decluttered.
Take a few minutes at the start of your workday to organize your area, make sure that you have everything you need to be successful, and just sit quietly for a moment. It can really change the feel of your entire day.
#2) Make Sure To Take Your Lunch
It can be tempting to do whatever you can to make sure that you set yourself apart from everyone else at your work. If you’re trying to get a raise or a promotion, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! However, when you go too far, you can actually end up doing more harm than good.
One of the work habits that people do that is the most damaging is forgoing their lunch breaks to stay and continue working. Unfortunately, instead of helping you stand out, it may just increase your risk of burning out.
A change of pace to break up your work day is essential to staying mentally healthy and engaged, so instead of sitting at your desk, take your lunch outside and go for a walk. Enjoy a PYM Mood Chew before heading back in, to help make the second half of your day just a little more calm and focused.*
#3) Set Yourself Up To Be On Time
Unless you were born with the punctual gene (spoiler, that doesn’t exist), it can be hard to get to work on time. It’s not a personal failing or any judgement on your character, but it can be the result of a lack of planning the night ahead.
If you really want to build healthy work habits, set yourself up for success by planning for your day before you head to bed for the night. Make sure that you know where your keys are, set your clothes out, pack yourself a lunch, check out your schedule… whatever will help you have more time in the morning and feel less frantic when you do arrive to work. You may even want to consider setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier to give yourself just a little more wiggle room in case something does go wrong.
#4) Learn To Communicate More Effectively
Let’s face it… communication can be hard. That’s especially true in high stress environments like jobs, where you don’t really have a personal connection with the people you work with. That can make it easier to take things the wrong way, to get mad, or to blow things out of proportion. Unfortunately, that doesn’t affect them nearly as much as it affects you. Much of the issue with poor communication can be connected to the way that you talk to yourself.
If you find yourself talking down to yourself regularly, it can make you a lot more sensitive to other people’s criticism (even if that criticism comes from a productive place). Positive self talk can really help change the way you relate to the people you work with and, even more importantly, to yourself.
#5) Engage During Work Meetings
No one likes work meetings, and there isn’t much that anyone can do to really make that true. However, if you’re interested in improving your work life, make sure that you’re engaging in them when they happen. This may be the only time that you can voice your opinion, make suggestions about what can be done better, and just get to know all of your coworkers better.
If you’re given the opportunity to make a positive change in the way that things are run, especially if there are things that you know can be done differently to make work run smoother for everyone, always speak up.
#6) Recognize When You Need To Move On
Sometimes, despite everything that you do to make your work habits better and improve your work environment, you’re just not happy. Or your work could just be a toxic one, where you’re not only not appreciated but actively emotionally abused.
It’s important to set healthy boundaries, even with your work, and recognize when it may be time to move on instead of trying to make it work. You shouldn’t have to put up with abuse or mistreatment just to make a living. If you are noticing that your work doesn’t care about you nearly as much as you care about it, you might want to look for another job. If you’re not quite there yet, try talking to your supervisor or boss about how you're feeling, and see if they have any suggestions for how to change things up to make it better for both of you.
In Conclusion
Work doesn’t have to be a place that you dread going. While you may never love work, with a few helpful work habits that you can adapt to your own job environment, you can make it as supportive and healthy a place as possible.
PYM is here to help you handle anything that life has to throw at you, good and bad. You spend most of your time at work, why not make it someplace that you look forward to going?
Sources:
How decluttering your space could make you healthier and happier | Mayo Clinic
How to support mental health at work | Mental Health Foundation