Before I start, perhaps it's best to explain that you need to have a long-term view. That view is: Achieving more great days at work is possible if we learn some key habits.
1. Finish Today's Work Today
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A great day at work today started yesterday. And a great day at work tomorrow started today. So, regardless of what you do, finish today’s work today. And if your work is like mine, always unending, start by having timelines and daily goals you want to achieve every day. These become your productivity benchmarks.
2. Be Mindful
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Learn to be conscious of your own feelings. Be aware of why you feel a certain way about certain work issues and colleagues. When you feel certain feelings, tell yourself why you feel that way. For example, “I feel jealous because John received compliments.” Then, ask yourself: "What is a better way to feel?" For example, “I should be happy for John. He worked really hard for it. I should congratulate him.”
Of course, it's not easy. But if you do it consistently, soon you will catch yourself with negative thoughts. You will arrest these negative thoughts before they become words out of your mouth and actions. You will be more self-aware. A more self-aware person can instantly change the way they think, speak, and act. A mindful person will slowly begin to have a great day at work.
3. Appreciate Challenges
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Challenges are all around us. Even the moment you get into your car and onto the road, the challenge begins. Why is the car in front moving so slowly? Why is that red light not changing to green yet? Challenges surround you daily. If you continue fighting them, there is no way you can have a great day at work.
The trick is to appreciate these challenges as a way to train yourself. Train yourself to accept challenges—that there is no way you can change this and it’s a matter of how you respond that will determine how you feel toward your day. When you start to appreciate challenges at work, you will start to have more great days at work.
4. Embrace Change
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Just like challenges, change is all around you. Life is about change. Every second, your thoughts and feelings flicker. You change from feeling good to feeling bad to feeling angry—and a gamut of other thoughts and feelings. Change produces uncertainties and because we like constants and routines, uncertainties bring dissatisfaction.
One way to overcome this is to embrace change. Accept that change is a natural phenomenon and whether it's a good change or a bad change, these are merely labels we give to a situation. Because things change constantly, something good may change into something bad very quickly, and vice versa. A great day at work starts when you can better embrace change.
5. Reflect, Don't Regret
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Reflect constantly on your actions. Some people like to reflect at the end of the day. Some like to reflect at the end of the week. Whatever suits you best, do it. But reflect. It allows you to be more self-aware and mindful of your actions. Reflect so you are able to make adjustments and be better the next time.
You need not do all of these tips concurrently. Start with one or two, but be consistent with them. Then, see how your great days at work start to increase.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
