CONGRATULATIONS: you’ve survived the first weeks of the year back at work.
You may not feel much like celebrating, however: Blue Monday – the third Monday of January, and supposedly the most depressing day of the year – lies ahead, followed by another 50 weeks of 2016, a fair proportion of which will be full of Bad Days. You know the ones: the commute from hell, run-ins with colleagues, and yet more unrealistic deadlines from your boss.
But before you collapse, sobbing, on your desk, there is good news. According to Caroline Webb, a former partner at management consultancy McKinsey, those awful days could be a thing of the past. Using a combination of psychology and neuroscience, she has written a book to help you have a good day at work every single day.
“So many people are having days of dissatisfaction,” says Webb, whose book How to Have a Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life is out soon. “But I found that with small tweaks I could make a big difference to how people felt.”
Her tips include “single tasking” and no e-mail “grazing”.
If Webb’s advice works it may not be a moment too soon. In a survey of 3300 people by job website CV-Library, 51% admitted to having one bad day at work a week, with nearly one in four having two bad days a week.
The main reasons given were feeling unappreciated (47%) and having an unrealistic workload (40%). “Research is clear that when we are stressed we aren’t able to think at our best,” says Webb. “Our brain diverts mental energy to mounting a stress response, which means activity in our brain’s prefrontal cortex – where most of our sophisticated thinking happens – actually drops when we’re stressed.
“The knock-on effects are enormous, both professionally and in your family life. You’re simply not at your best.”
Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire, agrees.
“Having bad days at work can affect every part of your life,” she says.
“Daily hassles such as awful commutes and difficult work e-mails are worse for your health than major life events like divorce and bereavement.
“Those major events are one-offs and very intense but you tend to have a lot of support for them.
“That doesn’t happen for daily hassles. Instead, they build up and lead to a negative mindset and stress.”
So what is a good day? In the survey, 63% said it was feeling they’d done their work well and 46% said it was meeting targets. But it could also be something as simple as getting a seat on the train or being served your morning coffee in record time.
All of which, according to Webb, sets your brain up for wanting to see the good things in your day.
Here are her top tips for surviving, and even enjoying, work every day:
Sing your favourite song:
A BIG meeting or presentation can make for an awful day in the office. But there is a way to bypass that stress: sing a song to yourself beforehand. “Our brains are very associative and we only have to experience one good thing to trigger thoughts related to that,” says Webb. “So if we hear a song we like, it will trigger a cascade of memories of a night out with friends or a holiday.”
Glamorise your to-do list
YOUR to-do list is a vital part of boosting your mood at work.
“It’s all about making your brain happy,” says Webb. Her tips include making it satisfying to tick things off, only looking at what you have to do that day, and including items such as “go for a walk”. “If your list is online, give yourself a box to tick. The more rewarding it feels, the more your brain will spur you to get it done.”
Take smart breaks
TAKING regular short breaks can help you make sense of a task, rather than being overwhelmed by it. “We’ve got a tendency to think breaks are a nice thing to have, but they are as much a part of the working day as when we are working,” says Caroline. “It’s not just because your brain’s deliberate system needs a break, but it’s actually doing work while you are offline, processing and consolidating what you’re doing.”
Don’t e-mail graze
A STUDY published last week of 2000 people by Richard MacKinnon, from the Future Work Centre, found 62% left their e-mail on all day.
“There are times when it’s tempting to graze e-mails,” says Webb. “I recommend people blitz e-mails twice a day, rather than looking at them throughout the day.”
I’m not saying go offline all day. Home in on the most important piece of work and go offline while you’re doing that.”
Strike a pose
RESEARCH published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found the key to success at work was not talent but confidence. But what happens if you don’t have any? Webb advises a “fake it till you make it” approach.
“We know when we’re happy we smile, and when we’re calm we breathe deeply and slowly. So when we mimic the physical actions of an alpha male or female – squaring our shoulders and standing taller – we boost our confidence. This is one of the quickest hacks available to us.”
Survive your commute
WHILE you can’t do anything about your train being delayed, you can make the journey more positive. “If someone is walking slowly in front of you or they bump you with an elbow on the Tube, it’s helpful to think they are a good person in bad circumstances. In other words, let’s assume they are a good person having a bad day.
Carrying this mentality can make for a less stressful commute and de-escalate situations. It can also help at work if your colleague is being irritating – think about what might be going wrong in their day.”
The idea that there could be a reason behind their snappiness can help you look at the situation differently and even feel empathy towards them.
Go for the three-a-day approach
A BIG part of what makes our day good or bad is our mindset. “Notice three good things on the way to work,” says Webb. “Someone who holds the door open, the fact you managed to catch your transport. You won’t see them if you’re in a bad mood on the way to work, as your brain will sift and scan for things that match your mood.”
That positivity will keep your brain happy and set you up for a more positive day at work. — The Daily Telegraph
Goodbye to Blue Mondays
You may not feel much like celebrating, however: Blue Monday – the third Monday of January, and supposedly the most depressing day of the year – lies ahead, followed by another 50 weeks of 2016, a fair proportion of which will be full of Bad Days. You know the ones: the commute from hell, run-ins with colleagues, and yet more unrealistic deadlines from your boss.
But before you collapse, sobbing, on your desk, there is good news. According to Caroline Webb, a former partner at management consultancy McKinsey, those awful days could be a thing of the past. Using a combination of psychology and neuroscience, she has written a book to help you have a good day at work every single day.
“So many people are having days of dissatisfaction,” says Webb, whose book How to Have a Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform Your Working Life is out soon. “But I found that with small tweaks I could make a big difference to how people felt.”
Her tips include “single tasking” and no e-mail “grazing”.
If Webb’s advice works it may not be a moment too soon. In a survey of 3300 people by job website CV-Library, 51% admitted to having one bad day at work a week, with nearly one in four having two bad days a week.
The main reasons given were feeling unappreciated (47%) and having an unrealistic workload (40%). “Research is clear that when we are stressed we aren’t able to think at our best,” says Webb. “Our brain diverts mental energy to mounting a stress response, which means activity in our brain’s prefrontal cortex – where most of our sophisticated thinking happens – actually drops when we’re stressed.
“The knock-on effects are enormous, both professionally and in your family life. You’re simply not at your best.”
Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire, agrees.
“Having bad days at work can affect every part of your life,” she says.
“Daily hassles such as awful commutes and difficult work e-mails are worse for your health than major life events like divorce and bereavement.
“Those major events are one-offs and very intense but you tend to have a lot of support for them.
“That doesn’t happen for daily hassles. Instead, they build up and lead to a negative mindset and stress.”
So what is a good day? In the survey, 63% said it was feeling they’d done their work well and 46% said it was meeting targets. But it could also be something as simple as getting a seat on the train or being served your morning coffee in record time.
All of which, according to Webb, sets your brain up for wanting to see the good things in your day.
Here are her top tips for surviving, and even enjoying, work every day:
Sing your favourite song:
A BIG meeting or presentation can make for an awful day in the office. But there is a way to bypass that stress: sing a song to yourself beforehand. “Our brains are very associative and we only have to experience one good thing to trigger thoughts related to that,” says Webb. “So if we hear a song we like, it will trigger a cascade of memories of a night out with friends or a holiday.”
Glamorise your to-do list
YOUR to-do list is a vital part of boosting your mood at work.
“It’s all about making your brain happy,” says Webb. Her tips include making it satisfying to tick things off, only looking at what you have to do that day, and including items such as “go for a walk”. “If your list is online, give yourself a box to tick. The more rewarding it feels, the more your brain will spur you to get it done.”
Take smart breaks
TAKING regular short breaks can help you make sense of a task, rather than being overwhelmed by it. “We’ve got a tendency to think breaks are a nice thing to have, but they are as much a part of the working day as when we are working,” says Caroline. “It’s not just because your brain’s deliberate system needs a break, but it’s actually doing work while you are offline, processing and consolidating what you’re doing.”
Don’t e-mail graze
A STUDY published last week of 2000 people by Richard MacKinnon, from the Future Work Centre, found 62% left their e-mail on all day.
“There are times when it’s tempting to graze e-mails,” says Webb. “I recommend people blitz e-mails twice a day, rather than looking at them throughout the day.”
I’m not saying go offline all day. Home in on the most important piece of work and go offline while you’re doing that.”
Strike a pose
RESEARCH published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found the key to success at work was not talent but confidence. But what happens if you don’t have any? Webb advises a “fake it till you make it” approach.
“We know when we’re happy we smile, and when we’re calm we breathe deeply and slowly. So when we mimic the physical actions of an alpha male or female – squaring our shoulders and standing taller – we boost our confidence. This is one of the quickest hacks available to us.”
Survive your commute
WHILE you can’t do anything about your train being delayed, you can make the journey more positive. “If someone is walking slowly in front of you or they bump you with an elbow on the Tube, it’s helpful to think they are a good person in bad circumstances. In other words, let’s assume they are a good person having a bad day.
Carrying this mentality can make for a less stressful commute and de-escalate situations. It can also help at work if your colleague is being irritating – think about what might be going wrong in their day.”
The idea that there could be a reason behind their snappiness can help you look at the situation differently and even feel empathy towards them.
Go for the three-a-day approach
A BIG part of what makes our day good or bad is our mindset. “Notice three good things on the way to work,” says Webb. “Someone who holds the door open, the fact you managed to catch your transport. You won’t see them if you’re in a bad mood on the way to work, as your brain will sift and scan for things that match your mood.”
That positivity will keep your brain happy and set you up for a more positive day at work. — The Daily Telegraph
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos