Your internal battery needs to be recharged on a regular basis. You can’t continue at break neck speed and expect to stay happy and keep reaching your goals.

The hard part is making your recharge a daily habit. If as many people meditated as much as they drank beer we would not be so stressed out and exhausted.

Drinking alcohol is fun. I enjoy a good dark beer every so often, but I stopped drinking every day because of the drag on my body.

I also stopped relying on vacations to recharge my battery. Needing a vacation is a myth that I want to crush right here. You don’t need a vacation. Yes, it may be nice, but you don’t really need one.

The Reality

In reality a vacation is nice, but I will say that vacations actually make you feel more tired. Think of the last vacation that you went on. How did you feel after you got home?

Tired?

You probably felt tired because taking a vacation takes you out of your element, which is fun but not usually refreshing. Dealing with the packing, double checking reservations, checking in to your flight online, getting to the airport, sleeping in a weird bed, new noises, more drinking than usual, staying up late, and all the other stuff that comes along with traveling it can be exhausting.

The real reason you go on vacation is for some extra excitement not to recharge your battery.

Your Help

I’m putting together an e-course to help you keep your energy at a high level so you can get more done and feel happier doing your work. I need your help. If you could fill out this online survey right here and let me know what you need in an e-course to help you with your energy at work I would be very appreciative. It should take less than a minute to fill out.

The thing is I don’t want to create something that none of you care about, so if this course doesn’t interest you then that’s cool. I’ll move on to a different project.

Your Need for Relaxation

It all comes done to creating habits that will support your energy level. You have to learn how to develop habits that fit into your day. Your body is giving you a lot of cues that you are probably ignoring. The human body isn’t meant to sit for 8 hours at a time.

You have to move around and keep that blood flowing.

Check in and notice how you feel throughout the day. Is your back getting tight or maybe you are feeling anxious. What are you doing to balance out these feelings?

Recharge Tip

You need to make time during the day to recharge your body without having to go for a quick fix like coffee. Drinking coffee at 4 in the afternoon so you can make it til 5 is not the healthiest choice. It’s better to have a routine during the day that helps you sustain your energy without too many spikes.

Every time you are done a project take 60 seconds to check in with yourself. Notice where the energy is trapped. My energy usually gets caught in my neck and lower back. Take 60 seconds to do a back twist, neck stretches or whatever else you need to slow down and release that tension.

By using this transition time to slow down and check in with your body you are more apt to make smarter choices.

Your Turn

What do you do to recharge your battery at work?

How do you check in with your body, so not to let irritability take over?

Side note: Party Time

I’m throwing a Twitter Party with Johnny B. Truant and Pace Smith this Wednesday 2-16 at 8pm ET. We are celebrating the launch of Profitable Idealism. You should join us and hopefully win some free prizes. Over $300 in prizes will be given away. Check out the details and sign up at Party Biz Connect.

* Join the Work Happy Now Facebook Page and interact with other people who are trying to improve their superpowers. It’s very basic right now, but it’s a fun place to visit. We ask good questions, support each other, and laugh. Stop by and hang out.

If you found this post insightful, you will probably like these too:

• Holiday Stress Relief Tips that Last All Year Long
• How to Stop Interruptions and Be More Productive

Image courtesy of candrews

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Evita of Evolving Beings

In our first part of this series, we considered “Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home”. Today we follow up with 5 important rules to follow when working from home.

Having experience in working from home for a company (through my husband), and working from home for myself, I would like to explore the topic of working from home from both angles.

Let’s look at how to make the most of your work happiness when you telecommute for a company:

1. Take Accountability

Working from home is for the most part a big privilege, so make sure you are serious about it, should you decide to go this route with your company.

Remember that there are still tasks that need to be done, and people who depend on you. In this type of environment you do get more personal freedom, but that also means you need to take more accountability and initiative for your work.

Make sure therefore, that you know what your company expects of you, what hours you must be available between and what methods of communication you will be using.

(Karl’s note: I’ve seen friends set their careers back because they stopped being a go-getter. They went into cruise mode and stopped wowing their manager and co-workers. One friend told me he wished he would have taken more accountability for his own work. It took him a year and a half to gain his manager’s trust back.)

2. Organize Yourself

This is perhaps the most important tip to having a happy and productive work at home routine, that both you and your company can be satisfied with.

An obvious part of this is having the right technology. Today we have technology to stay so well connected, whether it is quick email, tele-conference or Skype call. We can easily hold meetings with people all over the world or share documents within seconds. Technology can schedule meetings for you, breaks, alerts and more. You just have to make sure it works for you, not against you in how you organize your day.

Therefore, just because you don’t have to wake up at 6 or 7 am any longer, making sure that you are conscious of time and how you spend it, is crucial. This is a huge make it or break it aspect of telecommuting and work from home happiness.

3. Schedule Breaks

One of the biggest things that I have seen happen personally, especially to people who really love their work, is once in a home environment, not only do they become more productive, they actually go overboard. Yes there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

As there are no co-workers around you calling you out for a break or official time to stop, it is very easy to get caught up in your work and suffer in various ways. In being a happy employee you need to be healthy and balanced one too. Therefore, it is very important to have scheduled breaks for proper eating, exercise, etc. Take time out to eat properly, take a stretch break or even a short walk.

You do not have to feel guilty about this either, as you would be taking breaks at your workplace anyway. The difference is that at home they will most likely be more structured and beneficial with what you can do in them.

4. Stay Connected

Working from home for a company usually means that you will still be in regular contact with your boss and co-workers. However, you may need to take more accountability here as well.

Communication really is the key to maintaining and fostering good relationships. Therefore, don’t make your boss wonder what you are doing, apply tip #1 and take accountability for filling them in on your progress perhaps even daily.

Concerned about missing out on office news or outings? Stay connected with your co-workers whether through the company intranet, or even getting in touch with them during a break using the social media that is most suitable.

5. Don’t Abuse the System

When we work from home for a company, everyone wins when we play by the rules. This does not mean that you need to work more or harder than you normally would, but it does mean not abusing the system.

While you may not lose your job, giving employers bad experiences with employees who telecommute ruins the opportunity for many others. If you really don’t want to do what you are doing, than perhaps it is best to re-examine if this is the right job for you altogether.

Otherwise, enjoy yourself and the added benefits that working from home can offer, while offering your company top quality work.

Conclusion

Naturally, working from home is not for everyone. Some people just need that pressure or structured environment of a workplace, while other jobs just simply cannot accommodate it.

(Karl’s note: People also need social interaction. Working from home can be lonely if a person doesn’t take time to reach out to others. That’s why you might want to consider working in a coffee shop or public library for a few hours each day.)

So should you be in this position of working from home or have the option, be sure that you do take it just as seriously as you would coming into the workplace. In the end nobody wins if we slack off and it can quickly cost you your job, not to mention give people the wrong impression about telecommuting. If you work for yourself from home, it can cause you to fail at bringing a needed income and being a successful entrepreneur.

Ultimately, remember that happiness is what you make of it, so whether in your home or the workplace, your level of satisfaction will still come from you and how you approach your work.

Evita next post in this series will enlighten us on how to survive and thrive when working for yourself in a home office.

What do you do to make yourself happy and productive when tele-commuting?

Check out Part 1 of this series: Why Companies Should Allow Their Employees to Work from Home

Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN – is the main author of EvolvingBeings.com where she writes about spiritual and personal development. She hopes to inspire people, to truly live out the life of their dreams and awaken the highest version of themselves. She is also the main author of EvolvingWellness.com where she writes about nutritional science and holistic health for optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.

* Join over 600 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning, when you need it the most. (Sign up is in the top left corner)

If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like this one too:

- Rehumanize Business – Part 1

- Work Happy Tip – Just Ask

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So you’re stressed out and you have too much to complete. What do you do?

Usually someone does the opposite of what they should really do. They try to rush through to get as much done as possible without being aware of their body signals.

This is actually funny to me. I have often seen co-workers making calls, writing an email and planning their night all at the same time they’re rushing to get all their work done and then they complain about feeling stressed out.

Instead of looking at the root cause, they apply topical solutions to the problem. I’ll explain as this article continues.

I’ve actually tried talking to these stressed out people about their habits and all I get are grumpy stares. I’m sure they are addicted to the rush of rushing around. We all love to feel important, making sure our ego gets that daily dose of “oh yeah, that’s why I’m on Earth.”

The problem is that our hearts, minds, and stomachs can’t handle the pressure. No wonder we eat for comfort. We are constantly on the edge trying to bring ourselves back to solid ground. We also forget that we have superpowers that need to be used more often.  We forget that we are put on this earth to thrive instead of just survive. That means doing work that gets us excited, gets us in the zone, and plays to our strengths. It’s a lot easier to keep stress back when we are doing work that comes easy to us.

We also need to find other ways to relax with the work that we do without feeling overwhelmed. It’s a mental game that we must all solve for ourselves.

I use 3 techniques that I’ve combined to help me deal with my frustration, plus a bonus idea that has worked well for me:

- Slow your movements for a specified amount of time

- Increase speed slowly

- Be 100% there

* Bonus Tip

Slow Down Your Movements

The whole world seems to advocate slowing down. There are countless songs about it. Here is a small sample of lyrics – Jack Johnson, Bobby Valentine, and Wyclef Jean.

After doing research on work habits and how they cause stress, I found an article on the Wall Street Journal website called Not so Fast.

After reading the piece I understood the root cause of our stress.

It all comes down to how we adjust to the pace of our work.

If you have a lot to get done then of course you need to increase the pace of your work, but how much more can you take? Do you increase your pace by 10% or maybe 25%? And how much can you reasonably handle? How do you measure your stress level so you don’t fall into the fetal position crying and sucking your thumb?

When you feel like work will crash down on top of you, refuse to give in to the game. Take 30 minutes to work at a slower pace. Use this time to type slower, breathe slower, and think slower. You’ll be surprised by the work you are able to accomplish.

I was recently stressed out so I put myself in a slow motion state, working at 50% capacity. I did this for 30 minutes. It was hard to not jump right back up to full speed. There were a couple of times when I caught myself working too fast and I had to pull back. Try typing at 50% reduced speed. It’s hard not to fall back into regular typing habits.

This exercise helped me prioritize. After that half hour was over I increased my speed, but I felt much more relaxed and able to enjoy my work.

When you challenge yourself to work at a more manageable pace, you usually increase your stress level. But you can challenge yourself for a small amount of time to help you reframe the situation. This added stress will help you in the long run.

I know you still need to get your stuff done, but be mindful of your pace. Learning to slow down when the nerves are about to snap is a great tool to improve your work happiness.

Increase Speed Slowly

The only way a professional athlete will get beyond his current skill level is to push outside of his comfort zone. That may mean 30 more minutes in the gym, 30 more minutes of practice, or 30 more minutes of studying. I picked 30 minutes because it seems reasonable. When you want to add 2 hours to any routine you will rebel and fall back into old habits.

When I first started blogging, everyone told me to post every single day.

That’s not me.

I started with short posts twice a week, moved up to three short posts, then one long and three short, to one long and one medium and to one video post each week. The idea was to slowly increase the amount I could handle. I’ve also added a cartoon to the weekly mix, so that’s four posts a week. That seems to be a good fit for now.

I know that you may not have this luxury at your job. So try pushing hard for 1 hour then take a break. I means push yourself really hard and see what signals your body gives off.

- Do you feel tense?
- Do you feel invigorated?
- Do you feel tired?

Be aware of how you feel and what you need to do for yourself after 1 hour. That’s when you should take a break or pull way back. If your shoulders are tight and you have a headache then take these signals as a need for a break. If you feel grumpy then you may only need to slow down to let yourself recharge.

Be 100% There

Many of my most frustrating moments have been when I tried to multitask. I try to do a difficult task while also doing more menial tasks.

For example, sometimes I try to work on my blog, while also keeping an eye on my kid. He’s young, so I need to give him my full attention if he isn’t sleeping. I’ve tried researching an article while he lies in his crib, but I end up going in and checking on him every ten minutes. I can’t stay focused. So instead of pushing through, I make a decision to give 100% of my focus to him. Then when Nikki comes home and I let her take over so I can finish my work.

Bonus – Find the Game that Fits You

Many of you probably want to become more productive while still feeling relaxed. This takes practice. So try to make it a game. If you know you want create a blog, write a novel, or learn to draw cartoons then start slowly. The idea should be to devote a little time every day to accomplish your goals. That may mean sitting down every night and refusing to allow anything to distract you for thirty minutes.

The game comes in how much you can accomplish in this short amount of time. Can you write half a page, one page, and then step up to two pages? Can you decrease your TV time while increasing your creative time?

If you feel tired when you come home and all you want to do is relax then you need to make a choice. Push past your present limits or accept where you are?

Putting it all Together

The hard part is relaxing as the stress increases. I focus on my body signals, such as a headache or tightening in my legs, back, and neck (my three stress catchers).

When I feel stressed, I focus on slowing down my thoughts, taking deep breaths, and relaxing my muscles as I work. When I feel the signals again, I bring myself back to the same routine. I keep bringing myself back to the same routine, retraining how I respond to the work. After I’m calm I slowly begin to ramp up my work level.

This has been a long work in progress. After practicing this for a couple of years I’ve learned to notice frustration before it overwhelms me.

I reprogrammed my habits so that I can change the way I feel before I become overwhelmed. Instead of getting all huffy and puffy, which used to force me to take a break, I’m able to pull back for a few minutes then ramp back up again. It has become a more natural work flow instead of forced effort.

Natural Work Flow

As you practice these techniques, you’ll eventually find your comfort zone and discover how to push past it so you can accomplish work that makes you feel strong.

Never think of yourself as lazy. You just need to find a way to enjoy a little discomfort to push to a new level.

* Join over 400 people who have already subscribed to the FREE Happy at Work 10 Week eCourse. It will arrive in your inbox every Monday morning. When you need it the most. (Sign up is also in the top left corner)

* I write about fear on this blog, but have trouble catching it’s true essence. Marc and Angel wrote a wonderful post that gets right to the heart of fear. It’s called I Would Rather Sound Stupid.

If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like this one too:

• How Transitions Can Dramatically Improve Your Productivity

Image courtesy of Perfesser

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Sick and tired of taking those man-made drugs that drag you down? Then try my magic drug that’s all natural.

A nap.

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.

Hey, if you would like to:

• Reduce your stress
• Improve your Short-term memory
• Increase your patience and motivation
• Process information more efficiently

Then you will love “the nap.”

Cut!

Ok, the infomercial is now over. Just having a little fun.

Napping during an afternoon break may just be that boost that can separate you from the crowd. You’ll be less prone to making mistakes. Many of your co-workers may be downing coffee or something even more potent, just trying to push through their sleepiness.

If you can add a nap that lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, which fits into your natural body rhythms, you can increase your productivity. It’s the best natural drug to enhance any career when you’re feeling like you are on the edge of burnout.

When I’m feeling sluggish I like to take naps in my car for a half hour during lunch. It’s usually on a Thursday and Friday afternoon, when the work week takes its toll and I need to refresh myself without overdoing the caffeine.

Action:

Plus, your skin will look more vibrant and healthy. Who doesn’t want to look sexy and refreshed? Freshly matted hair is beautiful on everyone.

Cut!

Are you afraid to take a nap during lunch? Would your work ever have a place designated for naps?

Nap rooms are so cool. Here is one I found at Intuit.

Let us know what your company does to keep you refreshed.

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Forcing popularity is never the solution. Check out Maki’s post on DoshDosh about finding Twitter followers the old fashion way – being really helpful and interesting.

*

I’m on Twitter too - @workhappynnow. Work happiness in quick and healthy bites.

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If you liked this article then check out these:

• Stressed Out and Loving It
• Your Company Should Do Annual Career Counseling
• How to Change Your Company’s Office Culture

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Every company should celebrate its successes. Google does this in various ways. 

Small Scale – Google built lounges for people to gather and talk

You don’t need to physically throw a party to create a celebration type atmosphere. People want to gather and share. Your company can do this too by creating an area that’s dedicated to letting off steam and building a community.

Medium Scale – TGIF Parties

I’m all for throwing parties and Google does this every Friday. It gets other Googlers together. They usually have a band, but all you need is a little iPod dock and some cool music. Your employees can hang out and make new friends and your company can do this with a modest budget. I wrote an article called Create 12 Parties a Year Instead of 1 Boring Holiday Party. The idea is simple – throw a party each month so everyone gets to hang out and learn about each other.

The more friends people have at work the more they enjoy working at their company.

Large Scale – A party to remember

In 2005 Google created “Jetaway on a Google Holiday.” They threw a big bash on the San Francisco piers, but it wasn’t your typical party. They brought the various cuisines, decorations and music from all over the world.

I know that you probably can’t afford to rent out the SF piers and bring in all kinds of cool decorations, but you have employees with various backgrounds. Why not create a party where everyone shares in their heritage. Maybe all they have is an old photo album from the 1940’s or an old yearbook from when their parents went to high school. Whatever they can share will help people to connect and spark conversation.

The type of party you throw doesn’t matter. All that really matters is that the celebration is unique and helps create an exciting atmosphere for the whole organization.

*

Work Happy Now created an ebook to share some of Google’s secrets on how you can grow your company and be happy at work. You’ve just read a chapter from the ebook. It contains enlightening and practical information that businesses and employees can all use.

We will be publishing a new chapter every Wednesday. If you don’t want to wait that long for this glorious information then just sign up for my RSS or email and receive the Free eBook “Work Happy the Google Way.”

If you liked this chapter from the ebook you’ll enjoy these too:

• Extend Your Company’s Recruiting Message to Social Outlets
  
• How Does Google Create a Great Atmosphere?
• Does Your Mission Inspire?

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Let’s redefine stress so it fits into how you handle your life. Stress is the tension that you create to keep pressure on yourself. We do this because it keeps us on our toes ready to quickly answer a manager’s question or finish a report before the deadline.

It’s hard to admit that our stress is our fault, but it really is. If a lion was tracking you in the middle of an open field this stress would cause your heartbeat to skyrocket, igniting your thought processes and forcing you to act. Let’s take a step back…If you weren’t afraid of dying or pain, and you really wanted to end your life, how do you think you would feel?

You would probably be cool as a cucumber because you would be willing to take the pain to end the pain.

Acute Stress

If you were afraid of being eaten by a lion you would run like the inner track star that has always been dying to come out. This acute stress occurs because your heart is pumping like crazy, trying to keep the blood flowing to all the vital muscles. You want to live so you find the best actions to make it happen.

We feel this acute stress because it’s fast, intense and takes over the whole body. This stress occurs when we are giving a big presentation, approaching a deadline, and other major events. It’s easy to recover from this type of stress because we have no choice. Our bodies crash, shutting down our brains and forcing us to relax.

Chronic Stress

The problem with chronic stress is that it’s soft and slow. It’s a small river wearing away the rock bed. We don’t even realize that our happiness is eroding away. Over time the constant pressure breaks us down.

We carry this burden with us wherever we go. We martyr ourselves out to the world, so the people in our lives know how much we give and give.

Imagine you had to stand for hours at a time. The first hour may be easy, but slowly the burden becomes too great and your muscles and ligaments can’t handle the constant strain. You would collapse from exhaustion. There is documentary to illustrate this point, which I tried to find on Google and YouTube, but was unable to remember the name of the movie. The film follows a competition to win a car. A group of contestants try to stand and keep their hand on a car for longer than the other participants, and as soon both hands are no longer touching the car they lose. It’s an excellent chance to watch people at their best and worst. They become delirious and eventually the pain is too much. All except for one, who looked like he was on the brink of letting go too.

Your chronic stress does the same thing to you. Imagine if you had to stand in one place for hours or even days; eventually you’d have to give in and rest. We all need leisure breaks to help us stabilize our productivity.

Ease Yourself Back In

After allowing yourself a break, you shouldn’t just jump back in at full speed. You need to ease yourself back into a slower pace of work. I know this is hard to do at some jobs. Management expects full speed ahead.

If you enjoy what you do then you have to be creative with your effort. Try to work in smaller batches and when each batch is done then take a small break: bathroom, water, or a nice conversation with a co-worker. One of my favorites is making all kinds of crazy faces into a mirror. It usually makes me laugh and relieves the internal pressure that I put on myself.

You have to find the pace at which you are comfortable working. Your flow will fluctuate, so be willing to plow through work if that’s the type of mood you are in. Just don’t be afraid to take a break when you need it. It’s all about being flexible with how you are feeling that day.

Do you take scheduled breaks or do you just go with how you feel?

When You Are Freaking Out Because You Are Stressed Read These Articles:

• Leisure Expert Alison Link Answers a Work Happy Now Question
• Why are Icelanders so Good at Working Happy?
• Stress Management Journal
• Work Bullies are Stressful
• Hand Massage for Stress Relief

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Images courtesy of Clover_1

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

We all get a little lazy every now and again and that’s okay. There are some days I push too hard to accomplish so little. That’s when it’s better to just take a lazy day.

One of the secrets to your productivity is to understand when these days occur and how to use them to your advantage. If you keep pushing too hard then you won’t get anything done. Just stop and take a long break, surf the net or take a nap and come back when your mind is ready to go.

Although, if you feel this way too often, you’ll never get anything done. The trick is to understand the routine of your emotions. If you are always a slow starter then work with these feelings. I usually start work at 9am, which means I actually get rolling around 9:30, but to trick myself I sometimes jump on the computer at 8:30 to do a quick little task. I tell myself it will only take five minutes. Before I know it, I’m sucked in and I’m off and running, accomplishing great work.

Tricking myself into starting a half hour early helps me get an early jump on a busy day.

*

The blogs around the globe are improving on a daily basis. It’s amazing how ZenHabits has grown. I remember reading it when it had a few thousand subscribers. Leo wanted desperately to quit his job and give his time over to his true passion, giving his readers great content. He wrote an article that breaks down the simple habits of a truly happy person.^

Gretchen Rubin also writes about happiness over at The Happiness Project, so many great articles that I become happier just thinking about them.

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We all make mistakes that can affect the rest of our lives. It’s how we deal with these mistakes that separates the optimists from the pessimists. Over at Hunter Nuttall’s blog… I loved his explanation of how to deal with life altering choices. He wrote about Dr. Cox from the TV show Scrubs and his major mistake that cost lives. Doctors, Policemen, and Politicians face these major decisions throughout their career. How do they cope with a mistake? How do they move on and rediscover their happiness? How do you forget and move on?

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I read an article over at the Small Business Branding that made me look at my own life. We’ve all heard the phrase we need to go the extra mile to get ahead at work. The cool angle that Bill Hogg found was that it doesn’t matter if you fix the problem or not, what matters is that you try your hardest. When we try our hardest we command respect because we are putting forth tremendous energy. We may not always get it right, but people will see that we are trying to go that extra mile. When they keep witnessing this effort they will be more willing to give us that promotion or the project that we really want (well most of the time).

^ Correction – The original version of this post gave credit to Gretchen for Leo’s article on Zen habits The Only Guide to Happiness You’ll Ever Need.

Related Links that Continue Along the Same Themes:

• Should Your Company Hire an Ombudsman to Rein in the Complaining?
• Use Failure as Your Slingshot
• The Google Slide

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Image courtesy of sashamd

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

We all need to slow down throughout the day and take some time to relax. That’s what scheduling in leisure time is all about. Yesterday I posted Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time. We need to make sure that our bosses understand that we aren’t robots and we need some joking around, coffee break and just plain fun time. I was able to procure an interview with Alison Link. I thought that she would be very helpful to my Work Happy Now readers and lo and behold I was right.

I only wanted her to answer one question in order to help you understand the benefits of leisure time at work, and she answered it better than I could have expected.

I asked her, “How does someone schedule in leisure time when they don’t have enough time to get everything done that their boss asks of them?”

Alison’s answer:

Become more aware of the benefits of leisure. If you have a strong value for leisure, others will see you as a role model when they understand that your quality of life is higher than theirs. You will help them believe it is possible to have leisure in your life and not be less productive (short term and long term). You should make time for leisure because it provides the balance we need to handle non-leisure activities well and enhances resilience and life satisfaction.

While there are a few happy workaholics, most people need time away from work in order to meet all of their needs. They may have talents that do not get expressed on the job, partners or families they want to spend time with, projects to complete and values they want to support. They also need to unwind, relax, refresh and revitalize themselves.

A leisure-positive lifestyle:

• Increases physical and psychological well-being. It reduces stress and increases wellness, and enhances people’s sense of independence.
• Perceived freedom in leisure has been shown to help people resist stress-induced illness.
• Impacts professional performance, enhancing decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.
• Supports personal development by clarifying values, increasing social interaction and breaking down barriers

When people live a balanced life, they provide an important benefit to their communities as well, simply by demonstrating that such a life is possible and valuable.

My follow-up:

My readers are constantly bombarded with needing to get more done in less time. I was hoping that you might have some insight.

Alison’s answer:

There is evidence to show that leisure is linked to productivity. Adults have been shown to be able to maintain higher attention levels when they have more frequent breaks. Several U.S. and Canadian studies show that leisure programs “increased productivity by seven percent while decreasing absenteeism by 20 percent.”

Leisure education as provided by The Leisure Link builds employee morale and strengthens team functioning through its positive impacts on:

 

• Self concept, self esteem and self confidence
• Sense of autonomy and perception of freedom
• Stress reduction and relief of boredom

Employees may find a renewed sense of purpose for its own sake. Also, increasing leisure can increase creativity.

Everyone can use more creativity in their lives (even at work, even if you have trouble getting everything done that your boss asks of you). Whatever you do, being able to generate a lot of ideas about it will help you do it better.

Leisure education helps people create the conditions for nurturing creativity in their lives and in their work. People are at their most creative when they are in a “flow state.” When was the last time you became completely engaged in your work? And how about your leisure? Remember that your work and leisure both have a ripple effect into each other. Thing about what kind of ripple you want that to be.

In Closing:

Basically it’s about teaching the people at work that it’s okay to schedule in a little leisure time. If you have any trouble convincing your boss just send me an email with his/her name and phone # and I’ll give him/her a call. I’ll put on my best Tony Soprano voice and I’ll make sure that he/she allows you to relax and destress at work.

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Check out Alison Link’s website The Leisure Link Consulting. The Work Happy Now readers and I thank you for taking the time to answer my question. If you are having any trouble creating leisure time in your hectic life I would suggest hiring Allison.

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Related articles:

• Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time
• Renew Your Thoughts to Improve Your Work Outlook
• 8 Mental Boosts that Never Fail

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Image courtesy of Alison’s website

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Get right up in her face and tell her you demand leisure time. Okay, that’s a bit much, but you can probably take some leisure time without being a jerk about it. It’s as simple as taking fifteen minutes here and two minutes there. There is a reason why people are addicted to smoking and it’s not just the nicotine. They get to go outside and take a break from all the stress. I find it funny to see a group of smokers huddled on a cold day, but they’re out there because it gives them a chance to have their nicotine and leisure time.

I discovered a great article in the NY Times “Why Leisure Matters in a Busy World.” The author Marci Alboher interviewed Alison Link, who believes that everyone must have some leisure time to work happy. It’s great to see so many people dedicated to helping others improve their work life.

Q. Why should we care about our relationship to leisure?

 

A. Too often, leisure time that is not used in a satisfying way turns into idle time, or is used to do a single thing to excess (like overeating, or getting into family quarrels). It can even turn negative, which is what happens often in the cases of substance use, delinquency and criminal activity. Also, wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t define ourselves by our work? It should be just as valid to define ourselves by our leisure.

We all need to take our health and happiness into account when we work. Many of us work so hard that we become ill or depressed. We need to have leisure in our life to keep our lives fun and energetic. If all we do is worry about work then what type of life is that? It’s a prison.

My second favorite question and answer was about feeling free. We all need to live our lives as if there are endless possibilities.

Q. So how do you explain all those people who don’t feel free in their lives?

 

A. Few of us really think about or plan for leisure. We think we should just go with the flow, but too often we end up feeling stressed, overwhelmed and unfulfilled. We need to plan for leisure — perhaps by doing one small thing every day, identifying long- and short-term leisure goals, putting enjoyable activities on the calendar — like we do other aspects of life. But before people start moving up leisure on the priority list, they need to appreciate and recognize the value and benefits of leisure, even when they have constraints (that may be internal or external). We all have obligations and other constraints that inhibit us from engaging in leisure that range from guilt to time or financial constraints. Yet the personal benefits and collective benefits short term and long term are worthwhile.

Click here to read the whole insightful article.

The mind needs to unwind and just have fun. There is a reason why kids are given time to eat and then run around the playground. They need to release their stress and so do you. You need to schedule in some leisure time every single day.

Here are 7 of my favorite leisure breaks:

1. Take a long lunch break and go to a museum by yourself.
2. Stretch at your desk for two minutes
3. Meet with a friend who you normally don’t see for Lunch
4. Breathe deeply for two minutes and nothing else
5. Walk around the block
6. Call your mother (only if she doesn’t stress you out)
7. Read a fictional book during your break
8. Write a Poem

It’s up to you to schedule in a little leisure time for yourself, so you will work happier and be more productive. Believe me, your family will thank you for destressing throughout the day instead of letting it all come out when you get home.

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Tomorrow I will be posting a short interview that Allison Link granted Work Happy Now. I asked her, “How does someone schedule in leisure time when they don’t have enough time to get everything done that their boss asks of them?“

You’ll just have to tune in on Friday to find out her answer.

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Related Links:

• Hand Massage for Stress Relief
• 7 Tips to Process Your Stress Faster
• How to: Balance Out Your Work Stress

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Photo courtesy of fcaballero

Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!