How to be happy at work
Say, I’ve been hankering to read some good books about happiness at work.
You can see my top 10 favorite books so far here (fiction and non-fiction), with my reviews. Hmmmm… that list is from 2004 – gotta update it soon.
Can you recommend some more great ones? Write a comment!
If you’d like to recommend a really great novel as well, don’t hold yourself back :o)
Search for procrastination on google and you’ll find a massive number of articles on how to stop procrastinating and get stuff done.
They will tell you that there is only one reliable way to get stuff done:
They’ll tell you that if only you had enough willpower, backbone, self-control and discipline this is how you would work too.
Well guess what: Most people don’t work that way. Sometimes you’re in the mood for task X and doing X is ridiculously easy and a lot of fun. Sometimes doing X feels worse than walking barefoot over burning-hot, acid-covered, broken glass and forcing yourself to do it anyway is a frustrating exercise in futility.
Sometimes procrastinating is exactly the right thing to do at a particular moment. This is largely ignored by the procrastination-is-a-sign-of-weakness, the-devil-finds-work-for-idle-hands crowd.
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Is there an apology you should’ve made, that you’ve been postponing? Make it this monday.
Apologizing at work is a hugely important skill. A well-timed, sincere apology is a great way to resolve conflicts, to enhance learning and to move on from difficult situations.
So if you’ve recently made a mistake, annoyed someone, spoken to harshly, etc. take the chance and apologize right now.
The Chief Happiness Officer’s monday tips are simple, easy, fun things you can do to make yourself and others happy at work and get the work-week off to a great start. Something everyone can do in five minutes, tops. When you try it, write a comment here to tell me how it went.
And speaking of funny signs in shops, here’s one that Lars Plougmann spotted in a Gray’s Papaya store in New york:
Dare to be different!
A couple of good articles about Richard Branson. “I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living.” That’s definitely a top executive to learn from.
The bad news: We bring bad moods at work home. The good news: They’re gone by morning. I’m not so sure. I think it depends very much on how bad the mood is.
Half of the good people in your company may be leaving. A recent workplace survey of 16,237 workers found that nearly half the people regarded as stellar performers were actively trying to leave their current employers.
The new Nintendo Wii game console that just came out breaks the mold. Where the competing Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 machines are just more of the same (only faster and with better graphics) the Wii has broken new ground both with the product itself but also in the development process and in their marketing.
Nintendo are on to something here and the buzz right now seems to favor them over the competition, which of course begs the questions “How did they do it?” and “What can other businesses learn and steal borrow from them?”
Read on to see my favorite business lessons from the Nintendo Wii.
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2 weeks ago I was in London on vacation with my wonderful girlfriend, and while our time was spent almost exclusively on shopping, good food and musicals, I also stumbled on a couple of interesting things, happy-at-work-wise.
At a Pret A Manger (which is Britain’s version of Starbucks with better food) I saw this sign:
The headline is Good jobs, good people and the text is all about how good working for Pret is.
But the best one was this sign in the window of the Prime Time video rental store next to the Earl’s Court tube station:
Happy, smiling staff required. I love it! These are sure signs that happy employees is increasingly becoming something that companies want. They recognize that happy people are motivated, productive and better at service.
And of course the two ways to get happy employees is to give them god jobs (as Pret promises on their sign) or to hire people who are already happy (as Prime Time video does). The very best way is of course to combine these two approaches :o)
You rock and you know it. Your group, team, department or entire company has just reached a major milestone, completed a project, gotten that huge sale or otherwise kicked butt.
What would be a great way to celebrate it? How do you mark your accomplishments?
Write a comment, I’d really like to know!
Starting a new job can be a scary experience. You have new tasks, new co-workers, new rules, a new manager, new everything.
So your mission for this monday is to do something for a person who’s come to your workplace recently. Seek out a new co-worker – say, someone who’s been there three months or less – and ask that person how things are going and what they like about working here.
Get to know that person if you don’t already. Where did he work before? Where does she live? How’s the new job going?
If there’s any way you can help, make sure to offer your advice, your thoughts or your help. New people often appreciate a little help at first and at the very least some positive interest is always nice.
The Chief Happiness Officer’s monday tips are simple, easy, fun things you can do to make yourself and others happy at work and get the work-week off to a great start. Something everyone can do in five minutes, tops. When you try it, write a comment here to tell me how it went.
Coolest. Office. Ever. I thought I’d found 10 pretty cool offices, but Inventionland is wild and weird and I love it. Video here. (Thanks Kareem Mayan and Michael Rizzo).
Aaron Swartz gets his first taste of corporate life after reddit.com was bought by Wired. Gray walls, gray desks, gray noise. The first day I showed up here, I simply couldn’t take it. By lunch time I had literally locked myself in a bathroom stall and started crying. I can’t imagine staying sane with someone buzzing in my ear all day, let alone getting any actual work done. Best commentary on this: Working at reddit: Wired. Working at Wired: Tired!
The executive coloring book. MAN that’s funny. And depressing :o)
The Chief Happiness Officer Academy is our most in-depth 3-day training where we share everything we know about creating happier workplaces. Get an in-depth background in happiness at work, hear about the latest research in the field and learn how to use this in your own business.