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Is it possible to combine work and a happy personal life? Many are sure that one of the two spheres will have to be sacrificed. Researcher Christine Carter is ready to prove the opposite: success at work is directly related to personal happiness.
Many unsuccessfully try to find a balance between personal life and work. It seems to us that there is a formula for the ideal distribution of time, you just need to find it.
But the mistake is that we treat the search for balance as a zero-sum game. We are convinced that by devoting more time to one of the areas, we infringe on the other. In fact, work results and productivity are directly related to the quality of your personal life.
The better your personal life, the more likely you are to do a great job
Personal happiness profoundly influences the quality of work. Extra-work activities determine the level of energy, motivation, concentration, perseverance, creativity and intelligence that we put into a project or work task. The better your personal life, the more likely you are to do great work.
Do not rush to object and cite as an example people who live exclusively by work. Perhaps they earn more than the rest, but still their success is subjective. Are they rich in what is important to you? We think that successful people are “perfect employees” who work an insane number of hours a week. In fact, the ideal employee does not look like that at all. I have been studying this issue for six years and have identified seven qualities that characterize a successful professional.
1. He does the most important work first.
The ideal employee is responsible for setting priorities. He seeks to understand what kind of work and what relationships bring him joy and give him a sense of meaning. Plans time and tasks accordingly.
He is aware of his positive contribution to the world around him and the lives of other people, and this gives him an inexhaustible source of energy and motivation.
2. He controls his attention
Corporations spend huge sums to arouse our interest and capture our attention. But the ideal employee knows how to resist temptations.
He uses smartphones, tablets, and computers strategically, not compulsively. These tools help him work faster and more efficiently, connect with others, and unleash his creativity. The ideal employee uses technology to their advantage, without letting it distract them and become a cause of fatigue.
3. He thinks deeply
Business writer Eric Barker calls this skill «the superpower of the XNUMXst century.» Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University, writes in his book Deep Work that this skill is becoming rarer and rarer now, but at the same time it is gaining more and more value in today’s economy. The few who can maintain and develop this skill and then build their working lives around it will be truly successful.
4. He effortlessly generates creative ideas
The ideal employee likes to come up with innovative solutions to sudden problems that arise in the real world. He appreciates creative activity, even if others do not approve of his behavior. He has the courage to nap, play games, observe the world around him while everyone else skips their lunch break to check their mail.
5. He is sincere and not afraid of emotions.
An ideal employee is ready to experience any emotions, this opens the way for him to wisdom. He trusts the power of intuition, which speaks to him through emotions and bodily sensations.
The willingness to accept difficult emotions gives the ideal employee perseverance. He persistently goes to long-term goals despite the difficulties on the way. He is willing to take risks, have difficult conversations, and stay true to his truth.
6. He is positive
The ideal employee understands that cynicism is a sign of fear, not intelligence. He consciously cultivates gratitude, love, happiness, peace, inspiration, optimism and faith.
He is actively involved in work and social life, in contrast to negatively minded colleagues.
The ideal employee understands the importance of social relationships, so he actively develops a network of close contacts. Compared to people who keep their distance from others, he is less likely to experience sadness and loneliness, less likely to suffer from low self-esteem, eating or sleeping disorders.
The ideal employee is the kind of person who smiles at strangers on the street. It is him who you ask for help in a difficult situation, because he likes to help others. He is your best friend who knows how to build and repair relationships.
The ideal employee is not a mystical unattainable ideal
People who develop all these qualities in themselves are much more than just employees. They work to fulfill their potential and enjoy the life they have created with their efforts. And yet they do a great job.
The true ideal employee is not a mystical unattainable ideal. Take a look around and see people who don’t work themselves to exhaustion and burnout. They are looking for maximum joy in life, including in the work area, and they know how to enter the flow. Are you ready to redefine your vision and join their ranks?