Whether they are positive or negative, you have a list of workplace habits. You may not have ever thought that you have them, but
you have inevitably developed some over time. It is human nature to fall into habits, but it is up to you to make sure that you develop good habits in order to create consistency in your life. Good habits improve your productivity at work. They’ll help make you a better employee. We all know that better employees make for better companies. Here are a few ways to start working towards more positive and productive workplace habits.
Set Goals
You can’t have good habits without setting achievable goals. You need to have goals because then you can decide what habits you need to develop in order to meet them. For example, perhaps your goal is to finish a large project within a year’s time. Once you have made that goal, you can develop small habits that take you toward it. You may work on that goal during certain hours each day, for example.
Start Small
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and if you try to completely reverse a slew of bad workplace habits all at the same time, you will end up burnt-out and exhausted. When this happens, you will feel that your goals can never be met and you’ll simply give up. Instead of trying to change everything at once, pick a few small changes to focus on. For example, your first new habit may be to write a to-do list each day to help keep you on track. Or maybe you want to answer all client emails by 10:00am. Just pick some small habits that you think would help you meet your goals. As you develop these small habits, you will become more confident. As you add more and more small good habits to your days, your entire workplace routine will change.
Get Organized
It’s hard to focus on establishing good habits and meeting your goals if your entire workspace is a mess. So many people work surrounded by clutter every day but wonder why they cannot focus on the tasks they need to accomplish. You need a clear and focused mind to focus on establishing good habits, so kick out the clutter. Remove everything from your workspace that you do not use. Office shelving might be the best solution. Replace the junk with items that help you focus on your goals. A calendar and sticky notes to write reminders on may help. You also need a desk and chair that will make you feel comfortable throughout the day.
Stay Accountable
Sometimes developing habits is just hard. You may feel inspired for a few days after you start a new habit, only to feel your enthusiasm fizzle a few days later. This is why it’s so important to have someone to remind you of your goals. Try to find someone in your workplace who also wants to increase their workplace productivity and make a pact to create consistency in your workplace habits together. This way, when you start to slack, you will have someone to remind you of why you’re developing positive habits in the first place.
Reward Yourself
Creating positive habits is hard, so reward yourself when you succeed. If you’ve managed to check off your to-do list all week long, take yourself out to dinner or watch that movie you’ve wanted to see. This works even better if you and your coworkers celebrate keeping your new habits together. If enough employees work on creating good habits and celebrating their success together, the entire atmosphere of a workplace can change for the better.
So go ahead and start changing your habits today. It may be hard at first, but small steps can add up to big life changes. Remember that changing your bad habits into positive ones will not only improve your personal life, it can also help you find success in your professional one.
Posted in Office, Workplace Commentary