Happy labor day weekend!
Here’s the thing, I’m exhausted from the LinkedIn challenge I’ve been hitting hard for the last month. Below is a brand new article, but if it’s alright with you, I’m going to skip the catchy introduction.
These 7 Simple Habits Can Lead To A Stress Free Work-life
Let’s be honest, we create a lot of our own stress at work.
I remember back when I was a recent graduate working on my first project — a four-page trends report that our company sent to every client. I procrastinated, as beginners often do, and rushed to meet the deadline. A coworker emailed me and requested a small favor. I rudely told her I was working on something more important. Word got out, which reflected poorly on me. I could’ve avoided the humiliation had I followed effective work habits instead of pushing things off till the last minute.
Six years in corporate America taught me that work stress can’t be avoided entirely — but it can be minimized so it doesn’t ruin your life.
Here’s what you can do: follow these 7 simple habits and protect them with your life.
First things first, show up on time
You will avoid 80% of your problems if you show up on time.
At my old job, we held monthly meetings for the twentysomethings called Next Gen. Our manager or a senior principal would host the meeting and spend an hour teaching work habits and sharing their experience. An awesome program. It amazed me how many post-graduates overslept. A company leader took an hour out of their day to teach, and yet there was always one person who was late. The CEO always found out.
By rule of thumb, if you’re late, you’re disrespectful. End of story.
Let the small bad things breathe
Most people make the mistake of firing off emails when emotions are running high.
A coworker smears their work and the immediate response is to blame someone else or attack the accuser. When I worked in commercial real estate, I received a nasty email from a client at least once a month. The solution was simple: do not respond immediately. If you receive an unpleasant email, give it a few hours to formulate a polite response and a fitting solution.
Better yet, sleep on it and respond with a cooler head in the morning.
As the psychologist Daniel Kahneman once wrote “nothing in life is as important as you think, while you’re thinking about it.”
Find new ways to sharpen the saw
Your employer didn’t hire you for your current skills alone, but for the skills you will develop in the future.
Employees get complacent after a few years. Therefore, you should look for ways to improve even if it’s not necessary. Why? Because it shows you care and that you take your job seriously.
If you’re in marketing, take an online marketing course about TikTok.
If you’re in sales, take a course about how to send direct messages on Instagram.
Find ways to sharpen the saw and your managers and bosses will love you.
Schedule adventures during the day
Remote work offers you the opportunity to disconnect and recharge with a relaxing activity.
Before COVID, the most relaxing part of the day occurred during lunch — only a few would call a PBJ at your desk relaxing. Writer and time management expert Laura Vanderkam says we should take advantage of our newfound daytime freedoms. “Once you’ve convinced yourself of your freedom, it’s time to figure out what you’d like to do with it. What little adventures might work best between 9 and 5?”
Go for a run at 11 am.
Buy a daytime ticket to the art museum.
Go for a walk with a neighbor.
Remember, hard work develops skills, but only if your rest is equally deep.
Write thank-you notes
It’s proven science that gratitude decreases stress.
I started writing thank you notes to clients and just good people a few years ago. At first, I was thinking about repeat business, but as I continued to write, I felt a genuine empathy towards them. When you write thank you notes, you think about all the good people have done for you; the lessons they taught you, the connections they introduced, the opportunities they opened. A relationship develops as a result and something momentous happens — you care.
Write thank you notes to colleagues, coworkers, and clients — the more the better. Your gratitude will elevate your happiness the happiness of others by extension.
Lock your phone in a drawer
Let’s face it, most of the time we’re stressed because we’re unproductive. We’re unproductive because we are distracted by the screens in our pockets.
I write as a side hustle while maintaining a day job. I attribute my success to one simple habit — I lock my phone in a drawer between 5 am and 8 am to write. That’s it. Do I miss calls? Sure, but nothing that can’t wait. Do coworkers get frustrated? They understand once you explain the importance of deep work.
You will be amazed by what you accomplish and the stress that’s relieved when you don’t bounce your mind between work and social media.
Don’t just sleep, sleep consistently
Everyone understands the importance of sleep, but what’s little known is the importance of consistent sleep.
Since I started writing about self-improvement, several post-graduates have approached me about evening routines. They all admit a similar routine — “I basically lie in bed and watch Netflix till I fall asleep. It could be 10pm, it could be 2 in the morning.” Here’s the thing they fail to understand, evening routines are equally important to morning routines. Why? Because studies show that people with consistent sleep schedules report less stress and fewer depression symptoms.
Consistent sleep along with the rest of these habits are simple by nature and will improve your workplace experience, but that doesn’t make them easy — they take discipline.
But always remember, more discipline equals more freedom and less stress.
It’s a fact of life.