- Recognize negative thoughts
Self-doubt and fear are normal parts of life and they’re not always something you can control. What you can do, however, is recognise negative thoughts for what they are. When you find self-defeating thoughts popping into your head, you can stop and tell yourself that it’s just an automatic, illusional negative thought, not reality. Remind yourself that it’s normal to feel that way sometimes, but also that thinking it doesn’t make it true.
- Use Your Vacation Time Effectively
Well, yes, this is obvious, but with such busy work schedules we often leave vacation time on the table. In order to take a vacation, it requires a bit of planning and we tend to put it off by thinking we'll use it eventually. While that may sometimes be true, you can have a much more effective and relaxing vacation by planning your time off. If you need some help, we've got an entire top 10 to help you out.
- Be kind to others in your own mind
This point combines the first two tips. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about other people, you’re going to bring yourself down. If a nasty thought pops into your head, just recognize it and say to yourself that everyone is human and we all deserve respect, and then move on.
- Ask for a Raise at the Right Time
LinkedIn found out that, ahrestatistically the most raises are given in January, June, and July. While other perks might be better than a raise (some of you would even be willing to take a pay cut for more job flexibility), if you're looking for higher pay you should think about asking for it during those months.
- Be nice to others
This is probably not going to surprise you, but being nice to others will make you feel good and you’ll be happier in your own life. Not only that, but if you treat others with respect, they’re more likely to treat you the same way.
- Learn to Negotiate
Having a good work life is a responsibility that rests mostly on your shoulders, and if you can't negotiate or even ask for the things that matter to you it will be a hard thing to achieve. Good negotiation skills are also very important when dealing with coworkers, especially if you're fighting for one of your ideas in a meeting or anything else that matters to you. Conflict isn't a bad thing if it's handled well, so if you don't know how to negotiate effectively you should make an effort to learn. We've looked at how to negotiate your way to getting paid what you're worth and negotiating your salary more effectively, which are good places to start, but you may also want to check out our top 10 negotiating tips and some tips on keeping the peace.
- Be thankful for what you already have
It’s natural to want things out of life. We set goals and work in order to get where we want to be next, so it can be easy to forget to be thankful for what you’ve already got. The problem with this, if you forget to be grateful, is that it means you’ll never be satisfied, no matter how many goals you complete.
- Learn Thankful
A lot of people might argue that they don’t have time to relax, but the fact is, taking time out to refresh is one of the most efficient things you can do for your wellbeing. You’ll get more done when you are working, if you don’t feel burnt out all the time.
- Eat a Healthy Breakfast
I'd like to call this common sense, but I'm willing to bet that if you survey people who work a 40+ hour work week you'll find that they do not eat a sufficiently healthy and balanced breakfast. Despite being commonly known as the most important meal of the day, it's also frequently ignored. So many people are in a rush in the morning that they grab and energy bar or a coffee and consider that sufficient. Get up 20 minutes earlier and make yourself something healthy. For example, egg whites, black beans, and mixed vegetables are a great way to start. If you've dumped your caffeine addiction and you're still finding yourself tired every afternoon, it's likely because you're not eating a good breakfast. If you're neglecting your morning meal (or eating a crappy one), try it for a week and you should find that your energy will last you through the majority of the work
- Set Boundaries and Find Balance Between Work and Life
Recently we looked at Nigel Marsh's suggestions for finding a work-life balance, mainly consisting of making smaller changes to achieve that balance rather than large, sweeping ones. While we might prefer to have short work weeks and rarely take our work home with us, your job may make that unrealistic. Making time for little things that make you happy and have meaning in your life, even if they don't amount for the majority of your time, may have a profound effect on how you feel about the balance in your life. That's not to say you should scale back if you feel the need. Setting boundaries can be the most important thing when it comes to balancing your work and your life. Personally, I have a policy of doing no work on Saturdays, ever. If I have any work I have to do on the weekend, it happens on Sunday after 12:00PM. I make everyone very aware of this, perhaps to the point of annoyance. I also find that I'm happiest when I'm spending my free time with other people, so I make sure I leave room in my schedule to see friends several times a week. I also set specific meeting times and do not let work dictate when that time starts. My job is pretty flexible now, but that wasn't always the case. It's very important to decide what matters for you and make time for it. These are just two examples, and they may or may not apply to you. You need to figure out what matters and act on it. If you do not establish boundaries you're pretty much at the will of your employer and that's never going to be healthy.
- Get enough sleep
This is another one of those things some people claim they don’t have time for, but again, you can’t afford not to get proper sleep. If you’re well rested, your whole day is going to be better and you’re going to be a lot more efficient.
- Start small
Break down things you want to achieve into smaller, more manageable tasks and write them down. That way, you’ll feel like you’re getting more done, as you’re able to cross each thing off. Accomplishing worthwhile goals is the best way to stay motivated.
- Avoid junk food or, at least, avoid too much of it
This has nothing to do with weight loss, but if that is something you’re hoping to achieve, then it can be a bonus. Junk food can be a treat and not something to feel guilty about enjoying, but when it becomes an all the time thing, it can be a problem. Too much sugar destroys your ability to concentrate and drains you of your energy. Try satisfying your sweet tooth by eating more fruit or dried fruit instead.
- Move around
Exercising is not everyone’s thing, but if you keep still too often, you’ll end up sore and stressed out by the end of the day. Just going for little walks, getting up to stretch or tidying up in short bursts throughout the day, rather than all at once, can make you feel much fresher by the end of the day.
- Find Ways to Bring Things You Love to the Job You Already Have
You may have dreams of becoming a deep sea explorer but can only get a job selling fish tacos, or you're stuck at a desk when you really want to be doing something more creative and artistic. Whatever your situation may be, you don't have to keep your dreams out of your current career just because they seem different. Think about what you like to do and how you can integrate that into your work. Awhile back I worked in customer support but I loved making videos/short films. One weekend I built myself a green screen and made a video for the company that explained how the support process worked, with a little humor, and demonstrated how they could most effectively submit customer queries/complaints/etc. to our team. After going around the office for a few days, marketing asked me if I'd like to create videos regularly for our customers and I made a new episode once a month. For the holidays, we even did a musical. (Here's proof.) Many years ago I had a job addressing envelopes and I would draw pictures on them as well. Eventually people started calling in because they liked the drawings and I was asked to try my hand at some design work. Every time I've ever brought anything I like to a job that didn't necessarily ask for it, it started to become part of my job. Don't leave your creativity and passion at home just because your job doesn't call for it. If you've got something you love that you can bring to the table, find a way to integrate it and it may become part of your daily routine.
