A blog about happiness at work...
How unhappy!
Blog by
Joanne Bouwers
This month I was asked to write a blog about: ‘From work stress to happiness at work…’ How unfortunate. Timing-wise. The almost impossible happened: A virus mercilessly rears its head and soon working from home becomes the norm. Experiencing work stress or work happiness will be a world of difference depending on your profession. As a career coach, I now find myself in a completely different dimension of work stress and happiness that I know nothing about. Still, I’m going to try to say something sensible in this blog about: Work stress and happiness at work.
What helps me…
My employer says: ‘Undoubtedly, in the coming weeks, we will get less work done than usual. I trust everyone will do what they need to do. You have the best idea of what is possible, given your home situation and the client/participant situation.’ It does me good to read this. I feel supported and taken seriously by my employer. A bit of trust. Full of good spirits, I continue my work. Working from home was never completely new for me, but working entirely from home is something else. As a career coach, I continue to do as many one-on-one conversations as possible, by phone or video call. Although it isn’t practically ideal, I’m reasonably able to continue my job.
Time management is my new way of working
I open my task list, as I learned during the time management course. It is my anchor. A new way of working, based on two pillars: working efficiently and working effectively. Working efficiently means doing as much as possible in as little time as possible. But what really stuck with me—something so simple but so essential—is that working efficiently does not have to be effective at all. Effectiveness is all about which goals you want or need to achieve. And suddenly I see the solution to my temporary problem of working from home with a child. It may seem very efficient, trying to keep all the balls in the air at once. But am I really achieving maximum effectiveness this way?
Sense of responsibility
I feel responsible towards my employer, my clients, and I need to be there as a parent. Two different goals to which I very efficiently assign divided attention, but am I really achieving maximum effectiveness this way? After a few days of working from home, I can answer this clearly: No. If anything, my job satisfaction is dropping rapidly and I see the signs of work stress flying by.
So one day I decide to do things differently. Probably a lot less efficient at first glance, but much more effective in the long term. On top of that, it helps with happiness at work in this exceptional situation the Netherlands is in. I divide my day into blocks. For one 15-minute block I focus on my son. I enjoy his laughter, play with Lego, and listen to his stories. I don’t let myself get distracted by work noises. Those are put on mute. All my attention goes to my son—and therefore, to myself.
Then I do the same with my work. Giving my full attention to my job. And my son gets used to it. He knows his time will come again soon. If it’s hard for him, I set a kitchen timer. When the bell rings, it’s his time again. It doesn’t work 100%, but even if it’s just 70%, I’m still effective and… my happiness at work increases and stress drops.
Do you expect to still enjoy your job a year from now?
Maybe these tips will help make your time working from home less stressful and enhance your enjoyment at work.
Tip 1: Make a to-do list and divide your day into blocks.
My list now includes time for my son, practical household chores, and work tasks. Also think about time helping with schoolwork, or agreeing with your partner who gets to fully focus on work and when. Make time blocks and keep your focus within each one. Working in the evening? Fine, as long as you stick to your blocks. It gives you peace of mind.
Tip 2: Think about whether something is effective, rather than how efficient it is.
What is more effective? Working intensively for five 25-minute blocks a day? Or trying to keep all the balls in the air at once, doing nothing really well but still spending eight hours at your laptop?
Find a style that suits you
Tip 3: Allow yourself to take a break. And I really mean a break.
If possible, try to get some movement. Step away from your workspace. Don’t let yourself be distracted during your break by work messages and notifications. Think about what a real break means to you. Silence, or just colleagues. Eating quietly at a table or going for a walk. Find a style that matches your preferred way of taking a break. Usually, a break at work doesn’t mean: folding laundry, unloading or loading the dishwasher, vacuuming, bottle-feeding a child, or helping with schoolwork—not at my office, at least. As inefficient as this break time may sound, it helps you to get through this situation for longer and, in the long term, be more effective.
Joanne Bouwers
Career Coach
I work for the three northern provinces, where I feel at home thanks to my Drenthe father, Frisian mother, and Groningen husband. To keep balance in my life, I swim and do activities with my family.
