Whether you’re celebrating the start of a new day or just can’t get that darned Pharrell Williams song out of your head, we all want to be happy at work.
If you’ve mastered this—at least on most days—congrats. But many of us think it’ll take lots of hard work and change to be happy at work.
What if I said you could be happy (or at least happier) in five minutes? Or less? Let’s give it a try. Set your timer and get ready to take one of these simple actions today.
19 Ways to Be Happy at Work (In Five Minutes or Less)
1. Give a coworker a compliment and expect nothing in return.
2. Write a short thank you email (or bonus points, snail mail note) to someone who’s supported your success at work.
3. Say thank you to someone who doesn’t often get thanked.
4. Brag on yourself (in a way that others don’t gag).
5. Pick up the phone and call a friend in another location or at another company. Just say you were thinking about them and wanted to say hello and see how they were.
6. Go to the bathroom. You’ve been running from meeting to meeting and your body needs a break.
7. Schedule lunch next month with a friend or colleague you haven’t seen in forever.
8. Take yourself out to breakfast or lunch alone and people-watch or read.
9. Actually eat lunch somewhere other than your desk.
10. Close your eyes and visualize all the things you’re grateful for at work right now, even if it’s that you’re alive to be able to close your eyes.
11. Go to LinkedIn, scan your newsfeed with updates from your contacts, and Like or Comment on one or two posts.
12. Endorse someone you like on LinkedIn (search their name, go to their profile find the section where you can click to endorse a particular skill they have.)
13. Write a status update on LinkedIn about something you’re proud of doing lately at work. (LinkedIn says that profiles with status updates get seen 10 times as frequently as those who never update their status.)
(For other simple strategies on using LinkedIn, see my post Why LinkedIn Matters (Even If When You’re Not Changing Jobs.)
14. Pick a topic you’d like to learn more about. Set your timer for five minutes, and search the web for articles or videos on that topic and read or watch the first one.
15. Decline the invitation for the meeting that’s a waste of your time.
16. Make a list of all your accomplishments year-to-date. Don’t judge them; i
f it feels like a win to you, list it. Look at your calendar to prompt your memory about all you’ve been doing so far.
17. Schedule time off.
18. Delete 25 or more emails from your inbox.
19. Smile. It’s easy and makes people wonder what you know that they don’t.
Hey—want more help?
No matter what’s happening in your life at work, a 30-minute chat with me can help you get unstuck and move forward, fast.
Just hit the button below, and pick a date and time that’s available. Answer a few short questions, and then I’ll call you at the time you picked. There’s nothing to prepare–just show up right where you are. If, after we talk, it sounds like one of my coaching programs or courses will help you going forward, I’ll share details after our call. There’s no pressure -my goal is to be helpful immediately.
Spots fill up fast, though, so schedule yours now and start getting the support you deserve.
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