{"id":5127,"date":"2013-09-24T21:35:01","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T04:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.noomii.com\/blog\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2025-05-29T12:21:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:21:47","slug":"the-grumpy-employees-guide-to-being-happier-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.noomii.com\/blog\/?p=5127","title":{"rendered":"The Grumpy Employee\u00c3\u00a2\u00e2\u201a\u00ac\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Guide to Being Happier at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo credit: Mickey Destro<\/a> on Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n\nWhen you look around the office, do you wonder about the people who seem to be happy all the time? They\u2019re just so perky and excited about everything.\n\nAnd it’s not like you can’t experience joy. You do, but maybe you\u2019re more of a realist. That doesn\u2019t mean you wouldn\u2019t like to experience optimistic energy as often as other people because you realize the benefits of being happier at work<\/a>. But unfortunately for you, using sheer willpower just doesn’t work.\n\nThe cultivation of positive emotions as a solution can sound beyond reach or like a glittery band-aid over a gaping wound. Yet it turns out our brains are pretty powerful. We have the ability to rewire our neural connections<\/a> to think more positively on a consistent basis, which builds up resilience and fortitude for when times get tough and protects you from grumpy spells.\n\nPlus, being happier at work isn\u2019t really about being perky and all smiles. It\u2019s about your positive mindset and motivation level to better tackle the tasks, the email, and whatever else the day has to sling at you.\n\nIt does take some practice, just like how the best athletes, musicians, and high performers have to train and put in some hard hours. Here are a few ways to exercise and strengthen your positivity powers:\n

Keep a done list and celebrate the small wins<\/h2>\nA done list (or if you\u2019re feeling rebellious, an \u201canti-todo list\u201d<\/a>) helps put things into perspective. You get a lot of stuff done already but you might not realize it. When you write down what you\u2019ve accomplished<\/a> at the end of each day, you give yourself credit for everything \u2014 not just whatever\u2019s on your to-do list.\n\n
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Teresa Amabile, Professor, Harvard Business School<\/p><\/div>\n\nIt seems counterintuitive to spend extra time taking stock of what you\u2019ve already accomplished, but this act of reflection and celebration furnishes you with motivation and encouragement to keep going. That feeling of productivity and achievement is powerful fuel!\n\nIn fact, Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile discovered\u2014after poring over 12,000 employees\u2019 work diaries\u2014that the most powerful driver of \u201cpositive inner work life\u201d<\/strong>\u2014being motivated, engaged, productive, and happy\u2014is making progress<\/a><\/strong>, no matter how small, on meaningful work. So it\u2019s vital that you pause to gain awareness of your progress and achievements.\n

3 Good Things<\/h2>\nAs you\u2019re writing down all the awesome things you accomplished every day, include a quick list of three good things that happened. Make it specific and think through whether anything helped to make them happen.\n\nA study by Martin Seligman<\/a>, considered the father of positive psychology, uncovered noticeably beneficial changes in people who practiced this 3 good things mental workout for just one week. Not only did they feel happier right away\u2014they continued to feel happy at one-month, three-month, and six-month check-ins.\n\n