How Your Work Style Affects Your Career Happiness

Inspiration for today’s post comes from Jennifer Louden, an author whose books I have on my shelf and recommend to others, and the blogger behind LoudenMouth, on “cries and whispers on the creative life.”

In my blog about finding career happiness I often end up writing about career change. It’s true that sometimes in order to have our smiley faces on at work we need to move on to someplace or something else.

Other times if we’re honest about what work process and work style works best for us and have the guts to adhere to those most of the time, we can feel a whole lot better about our work.
Jennifer wrote Friday about what happens when she forgets, fights, denies or feels guilty about how she works best. (Hint: it’s no fun!) She offers this honest appraisal:

“The truth has knocked on my head, direct from my heart: I work best in a steady healthy way, days where writing and art and a sit-down lunch and time with my family and exercise is all wound together. And you know what, I mostly do that!”

Many of us have tried on all kinds of work style “hats” – the work-through-luncher, the frequent chatter, the in-late and out-late gal, the seat-of-your-pants planner, the crisis manager, the firefighter, the yogi, the triage nurse, etc.

But the work style hat that’s best for us is always going to be the one that fits the natural shape of our head.

We hear enough about how people feel they have to conform to a certain work style in order to survive at work. Often in corporate America this style is hard driving and obsessive.

I want to read more stories about people who know and accept their natural working style, set limits about how far out of that style they’re willing to go, and have found places where their style fits.

If this subject resonates with you, I’ve got a challenge for you: to shift from an uncomfortable work process to one that’s more natural for you without changing jobs.

This kind of change takes some guts. You may feel you’re going against the corporate cultural grain or are sticking your neck out.

Or maybe this kind of change would feel more internal -  to accept how you work best and get rid of the pressure you put on yourself to be a certain way that you're not.

But the rewards of working the way the that feels most natural to you are worth the initial queasy feelings. You’ll feel a whole lot better and be more productive.

Examples of changes clients of mine are working on (in collaboration with their managers!):

• Coming in earlier or later and staying earlier or later
• Working from home one day a week
• Exercising during lunch
• Checking email 3 times a day rather than 12
• Closing their office door (or figuratively closing their cube door) to control interruptions
• Working 3 long days instead of 5 regular days
• Stretching every hour
• Learning how not to accept every monkey that lands on their back
• Taking a walk outside for 5 minutes every 2 hours
• Taking a mental health day
• Delegating more projects more often
• Allowing at least an hour after hearing the facts before making major decisions
• Reserving 1 day a week with no email or computer work
• Taking a vacation that is at least 1 week long every year
• Arranging and attending fewer meetings
• Returning voice mails after hours
• Scheduling 15 minutes between appointments to avoid being late so often

Even if you make one small change every two months, you’re going to feel a significant difference.

If you decide to take on this challenge, email me and I’ll cheer you on!

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com