Coziness at Work
I know that coziness at work sounds like an oxymoron, but hear me out. I think we can create coziness at work, especially since we’re spending at least ⅓ of our day doing it. I was always so used to the stress, long hours and being constantly available, I never stopped to ask myself, does it have to be this way?
It wasn’t until I returned to work after a very short maternity leave that I felt different. The extreme stress I felt right before I had my daughter had vanished. I couldn’t be bothered to stress about all the projects I was working on. And you know what? I was just as effective, if not more, at my job. Whereas I previously I had this insane notion that the more hours I worked and the more stressed out I was, the better my performance was, now I adopted the mindset of what takes the least amount of effort on my part that will deliver the most results?
Whereas at one point I was working until 2:00 a.m. or waking up at 3:00 a.m. to see if a client delivered an important file, I have now set boundaries. I realize this may not be possible for everyone in all cases, but I encourage you to try to incorporate some of my suggestions. Making small changes over time really adds up. Before long, working might make you feel warm and cozy.
Focus on Value-Add Activities
Many years ago I read a book that changed the way I saw my work. In his book, Deep Work, Calvin Newport’s premise is that in our current era of constant distractions, our ability to focus is our super power. It is through this focused time, or deep work, that we can produce our most amazing work. Yet a lot of our work day is spent on shallow tasks like responding to emails or sitting in meetings. These aren’t the tasks that “move the needle.” I took a serious look at my calendar and carved out two hours a day of deep work. During this time I do nothing else but work on the projects that will have the most impact overall.
Set Rules for Meetings
It’s a problem if you’re spending most of your day in meetings, especially if you’re doing other work while in the meeting. Audit your meeting attendance. Do you absolutely need to be in all the meetings? Are there re-occurring meetings that are no longer serving a purpose? Can any 60 minute meetings be reduced to 30 minutes? Or a weekly to a bi-weekly? In my mind, meetings are there to kick off a project, make an important decision, talk through an important problem or brainstorm great ideas. I find team update style meetings completely useless. Put that time to better use and put those updates in an email please. Consider Google’s rules for a great meeting here.
Tame Your Inbox
Answering emails right away may seem important but it’s not the task that delivers results. Designate specific times during the day to check your inbox and respond to email. What works for me is three times a day, morning, after lunch and before I log off for the day. Set up a rules to automate certain actions on certain emails. Also, explore how AI can help tame your inbox.
Create an Inspiring Work Space
Whether you work from home or at the office, I think creating an inspiring work space is really important. Again, we spend so much of our time working, why not do it in a pretty space? I have a hybrid work situation. When I work from home, I might have some relaxing music playing in the background, I light a candle and, on cold mornings, I drape a warm blanket over my legs. At the office, perhaps you can have a small plant or two at your desk, put up pictures of loved ones and put out a bowl of candy to inspire colleagues to stop by and chat for a few minutes.
Take Breaks
When did it become frowned upon to leave your desk to have lunch? I used to have lunch in front of my desk while working. It’s not only a good idea to give your brain a break so that you can come back refreshed but I never feel full eating while working. It’s like my brain didn’t register that I actually had lunch so I ended up snacking all afternoon.
And since most of us are sitting at our desks all day, take a few short breaks throughout the day to get up and move around. Do some light stretches, go to the kitchen for a glass of water or a cup of tea. Just make sure you get up, move and stretch throughout the day.
Set Your Available Hours
Be clear with your manager and colleagues about your weekly schedule and the hours you are available. Personally, I start my work at 7:00 and can log off around 3:00 or 4:00. Not only am I more productive in those early hours, but I can pick my daughter up from preschool every day. There are times when I need to be reached “off hours.” Just be clear on the best way to reach you. For example, for emergencies, I’ve told my manager to text me as I don’t check email in the evening.
I know just reading this makes some people nervous. With technology, we are always connected. But just because we are always reachable doesn’t mean we should be responsive 24/7. I always think back to the days pre-Internet, pre-cell phone. People worked then. In offices. And got stuff done. But then, they went home and that was it. The truth is you set your standard. The world will not come to an end if you don’t respond to that email at 11:00 p.m.