Most of us are returning to a wall of work and self-expectations this week. When I find myself gulping nervously at the idea of returning to doing work to pay the bills, I remind myself that it needn’t be horrible.
The issue is that we make everything seem so serious and dry and important. Just because work is ‘work’ doesn’t mean it must be a struggle. We have the choice to make it more fun. I consider this a necessity rather than a pleasant and quirky diversion. We must make the work we do to put bread on the table enjoyable.
Here are 12 work habits that will get you promoted quickly, according to psychology:
1. Do the mundane task nobody else is doing
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Merely positioning our minds to truly ‘get’ the idea that enjoying something helps us greatly improve our performance in that thing is critical. As I’ve said before, ‘You can’t outwork the guy who’s enjoying himself.’ And that thing needn’t be blowing up balloon animals at birthday parties.
It can be something as mundane as sweeping the front porch. While everyone else rushes around grinding and pressuring themselves to work, you know the power of fun. This is powerful in itself.
2. Choose to enjoy your job, even if you don’t feel like it
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Enjoyment is a choice. It is. I remember when I worked in an office in London, my co-worker would always get on the phone with clients and talk to them like he was speaking to a long-lost best friend. And yet, he’d still occasionally moan about work with a glint in his eye. He was one of the most prized employees and went on to progress rapidly in the real estate industry after I left. He chose to enjoy himself, even if he didn’t always feel like it.
Research from the University of Chicago on optimal performance levels concluded that happiness is an internal state of being. Individuals were found to be their most creative, productive, and happy when in a state of flow. Flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at high cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.
3. Show your capabilities
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Things get way more fun when you’ve shown yourself capable of some kind of action. The mind needn’t discriminate what kind. It’s the direction we’re looking for. Just do something, and when you do, you’ll realize you can enjoy yourself.
4. Don’t just go through the motions
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It might not seem like it to those of us who’ve become reliant on continual distractions to feel sane, but being present is the most enjoyable place you could be. Note how this has nothing to do with where you are and what you’re doing. Wild eh?
This makes sense when you realize that enjoyment is our natural default state when we have allowed judgments to subside. We don’t enjoy ourselves when we berate, criticize, and resist. All this floats away when we’re ok where we are.
5. Enjoy your job
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Raising your consciousness through presence is powerful. But we can also bring some intentionality to the fun we have in our work by design. Instead of falling into the rat race, can you design your day so you’re almost guaranteed to enjoy it?
What would a fun work session look like? You have the answers. Don’t come looking for me to be told what to do. Plan with intention, and you might be surprised by what you find.
Research findings suggested that trust has a moderating effect on the relationship between workplace fun and experienced fun. This hypothesis was supported in another study, which reported that interpersonal trust significantly impacts the relationship between workplace fun activities and experienced fun.
6. Play to your strengths
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Many of us struggle because we’re overloaded. Most of us don’t even realize we’ve taken on too much because everyone else is doing it, and we can’t say no. I get it. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to focus on less.
We take on more, falsely associating more with exciting novelty and a better life. But is your life improving by doing a wider variety? You know it isn’t so. You end up neglecting what needs your time and attention because you can’t limit yourself. Creativity and joy spring from less.
Limit yourself and focus on the small handful of things that make the most of your skills and talents. That’s how to find true satisfaction in your work.
7. Don’t be afraid of imperfection
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It’s crazy how unenjoyable we make our work to be through our fear of imperfection. This is why we must free ourselves from being imperfect. Especially in the early stages of your process, give room for rubbish.
Write rubbish. Produce junk. Revel in the freeing fun of making trash. Throw paint on the wall and get dirty. You will extract the good stuff from this pile of rubble later.
8. Continually produce
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One of the takeaway points that still fires me up after reading Grant Cardone’s book, The Ten X Rule, a decade ago was to do ten times the amount I’d set out to do. What? Alex! I’ve got enough work to do as it is!
Hear me out. When we set higher targets and multiply our actions in attaining them, we may take on more work, but our likelihood of succeeding is greatly increased.
For example, instead of writing and publishing an article a week, share one every day. That way, you’ll see results and income more quickly from your effort.
You will see the impact you are making by simply doing more in real time. Not only this. When we commit to producing more (of the right things), we can’t help but get out of our heads and enjoy the process more.
People ask me how I stay so creative (for the most part) — and much of this comes down to my commitment to creating a lot. The more I create, the more creative I become, and the more enjoyable the process.
9. Take risks
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Think about it. Most of us play things too safe. We’re hesitant, and our lack of oomph pollutes our work ethic. Before we know it, laziness has replaced hesitation, and we’ve become an amoebic sofa-dwelling human slug.
The greatest shortcut to fun is to be a bit (non-recklessly) foolish. Foolish because nothing freaking happens when all you do is the sensible stuff. Nothing is certain, so don’t claim to think you know it all. None of us do. Shake yourself off and make the first move, even if you don’t know all the answers.
10. Remind yourself of your reasons why
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Often, the thing stopping many of us from taking bold action is knowing — with clarity — why we’re doing what we’re doing. Not only that — what is awesome about what we’re doing? What’s the purpose? If this feels watery and just ‘meh,’ it’s time to solidify your purpose.
You can do this by writing out a list of all the compelling reasons the work you do is worth it. Make it clear. Inject some color into your vision again. That’s how to find meaning and joy in your work.
11. Switch things up
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If you can, do less of the stuff you don’t inherently find entertaining. Sometimes this requires you to find it or remind yourself why the work you do is entertaining.
But otherwise, switch things up so that you are entertained. I rarely write articles or books, for example, that don’t entertain me as I write them. I want to be chuckling or sniffling a little as I do.
12. Turn your job into a game
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Almost anything you do can be turned into a game if you can dig into the deep recesses of your creativity nap sack. The fundamental example is using deadlines. Don’t give yourself whatever to complete your task. Give yourself 35 minutes, ending with an alarm bell that could shake the house.
Another cool aspect of gamification is by involving others in your process. Check in with people about your progress and have them share their progress, too.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient.
