Time to fully enjoy your day job again

Be honest: are you enjoying your work? If not, you are one of many who have forgotten why they enjoy working in the first place. But maybe it is not the work itself but your attitude towards it that is the problem. Is it possible that you’ve become bogged down in trying so hard that you’ve forgotten to take care of your own needs – forgotten how to lighten up – and are finding the perfect excuse in blaming your work? Isn’t it time to start enjoying your work again?

There are different ways to start becoming less driven and enjoy your work instead of seeing it as a stressor. Let’s take a look at some techniques for enjoying your work.

Develop a positive mental attitude

That includes being aware of your negative thinking and challenging it. If you are giving a presentation, are your thoughts interfering with your performance, e.g. ‘They can see I’m nervous!’?  If so replace them with more helpful, realistic thoughts such as ‘everyone gets a bit nervous when they give a presentation – it’s normal!’ Lighten up – don’t take yourself so seriously! Work on your sense of humour.

Take on challenges

When we are anxious we find ourselves avoiding challenges because they are uncomfortable.  However then our comfort zone gradually shrinks and we find ourselves doing less and less. So it’s important to keep moving forward and trying new things, in spite of the discomfort. You can stand it!

Work at giving up control

You know that being over-controlling is irrational and born out of deep seated insecurity.  It tends to make us increasingly rigid and judgemental in our attitudes and that makes us difficult to work with. Be patient with yourself. It takes time to change long-standing habits, but little by little you will find it gets easier.

Keep the big picture in mind!

That means being careful to notice when you are becoming too bogged down in the detail. Get into the habit of standing back and rechecking priorities. Ask yourself ‘what’s the best use of my time right now?’

Communicate assertively

Feeling excessive concern about mistakes or worrying about how you are perceived can lead you to communicate ineffectively, but by working on a positive frame of mind you will begin to feel a growing sense of confidence. Once you begin saying ‘no’ when you need to, you will notice that, amazingly enough, nothing dreadful happens! So it’s about thinking and behaving differently, and slowly it feels more natural and you get results.

Get organised

Make sure you know what’s ahead. Are there meetings you need to be prepared for? Make sure you are well-prepared, have the necessary documents and arrive on time. And make a determined effort to keep up the momentum.

Take care not to be too demanding or judgemental of others

If you know you are prone to this, remind yourself of the need to be realistic and reasonable. We are all fallible (you too), and if you can modify this behaviour you will find others much more willing to co-operate with you.

Be honest with yourself

If you find yourself feeling off balance or emotional (angry, upset, guilty, anxious, depressed…) ask yourself what’s really going on. There’s usually something we can do to improve things, and if there is, then resolve to do whatever it is. If, on the other hand this is outside of your control, you may need to accept that. You can only control the controllables.

Be kind to yourself

Address any imbalance between your working and home life. Make sure you take time out for relaxation and fun – you deserve it. And if you make a mistake, at home or at work, learn from it and immediately pick yourself up and move on. Accepting yourself, just as you are, is a challenge, but one worth taking on! Remember the worse you feel about yourself, the greater the drive to be ‘perfect’.

So which of the above are areas where you would like to make some improvement? Identify them and resolve to start now. Why not get yourself a coach or someone else who can support you and keep you on track whilst you begin making those changes.

Do you want to learn more about the right attitude toward work? Then “Overcoming Perfectionism” written by Jenny Gould is the right book for you.

Download the free eBook “Overcoming Perfectionism”