Wellbeing at Work Means Finding Meaning — Even on Mondays
I hope your month is going well. In my role, I’m fortunate to work with a variety of talented candidates and impressive clients. I like to share what I’m seeing, reading and learning in the industry.
The battle between happiness and meaning at work, how to carve out space to think big, and the day of the week you might not appreciate enough.
In your current, next or ideal role, how do you see yourself showing up? Are you a person who needs to be inspired on a daily basis? Do you find pleasure in data and secretly love when facts line up?
No matter your personal quirks, there are some commonalities to the way people think about work.
Stop Trying to Be Happy at Work
What’s more important at work — To be happy? Or to find meaning?
In at least one poll, 50% of people report not experiencing meaning and significance from work. But those who did, reported greater job satisfaction and were more engaged and 3 times as likely to remain with their employer.
Of course, the definition of “meaning” varies from person to person. Consider the waitress who’s a people person and gets to exchange smiles and pleasantries with customers all day. Or the data engineer whose work contributes to the advancement of science. All meaningful work.
Regardless of your personal style of acquiring meaning, tapping into what moves you (and your workforce) will take you a long way in the workplace.
Read Why You Should Stop Trying to Be Happy at Work on HBR.
Carve Out Some Space to Think Big
If you had to guess what Bill Gates does to increase his productivity, what comes to mind? Sudoku at bedtime? Daily B-12 shots?
Nope. Gates is actually famous for taking a weeklong sabbatical from work, Wi-Fi, family and friends twice a year. He holes up in a remote location, with some books and printed-out articles, and catches up on his reading. Gates has attributed some of his biggest insights to this semiannual getaway.
The key to such a “Think Week” is to eliminate distractions and get out of your normal habitat. Getting out of doors is another neat trick for shifting vision. (Try a forest bath!)
To start planning your own Think Week — and perhaps strategize your next career move — read Want more productivity? Try taking a week off like Bill Gates on HumanResources.
Sorry, but You’ll Have to Learn to Embrace Mondays
So you think you hate Mondays? News flash: it’s probably your most productive day of the week.
Recent research by Accountemps resulted in some myth-busting about our productivity patterns, and there are some valuable takeaways for professionals and organizations that support them.
For instance, working through lunch or late into the night, contrary to popular belief, are not efficient ways to get things done. Your best work probably happens early Monday mornings in an open office space with coworkers — as long as they’re not the chatty type.
To better align your productivity with your circumstances, read Why dread Mondayswhen it could be your most productive day of the week? on Human Resources.
No matter your “type,” I can help you find your next big role. The first step is to simply set up a time to chat. I’m here for it!
Contact me today.
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