Beyond Folders : happiness

Why So Glum? Beat the Back-to-Work Blues

Community Manager — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:12:00 GMT

Saying good-bye to summer, and buckling down once again to a full slate at work, can be bittersweet. But consider that it takes just as much effort to have a good day at work as bad one. Looking to love your work day? Read our round-up of look-on-the-bright-side-of-life advice for making the most of your days.

10 Tricks for a Fabulous Workday: Fabulous sounds good doesn't it? This article ticks off ten tips for making your day more enjoyable (and productive too!). Ideas include: staring your morning with inspirational reading or tapes and ending your day with 15 minutes of gratitude. And the eight excellent ideas for the hours in between will also put some pep in your step.

Happiness at Work: 12 Simple Steps to Make it Happen: Delegate, take breaks and switch off when you leave work, are just three of the concrete tips in this Lifehack.org piece, which posits that specific steps to increase daily enjoyment are well within our own control. So seize the day!

Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work: In a nutshell, this piece reminds readers that they are in charge of their own destiny. Seek out the information you need to work effectively, take charge of your own career advancement, and tend your own flame of energy, making sure not to burn your candle at both ends. At the end of the day, you are your own boss.

What are your tips for enjoying each and every day? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook and Twitter pages.

Happiness How-To

Community Manager — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:48:00 GMT

Happiness is on your mind: last month's post How to Be Happy At Work got our readers clicking like crazy. After all, who doesn't want to be happy at work? So many hours of each day are spent at our desks, if we're not happy at work; we're spending a large part of our day feeling unhappy indeed.

We know that our tips on cultivating happiness at work boost your happiness quotient because you told us so. Ready for more ideas?

No one gives happiness advice like Gretchen Rubin, creator of the blog and book The Happiness Project. Rubin devoted a calendar year to both studying happiness and trying to boost her happiness levels with specific steps each month. Rubin's entire web site has great, user-friendly advice; we particularly like a recent post, Feel Grateful for the Basics. In it, Rubin examines the "lost wallet syndrome," which is the phenomenon of taking for granted the things that make our life easy, pleasant and provide happiness. Only once those things are "lost" do we realize their crucial role in our happiness. Bottom line: appreciate what's good in your life; everybody has blessings so take the time to count them.

We also like the advice from the Zen Habits, a blog about simple living. In the post A Powerful Three-Step Algorithm for Happiness, http://bit.ly/JdKZj1 the author recommends spending the day doing three simple things: 1) taking the time to appreciate everyone you encounter, 2) smiling and making eye-contact and 3) trying to express appreciation and love to all you encounter. Sounds simple but when was the last time you really took the time to express simple appreciation to those you love for their role in your life. Bottom line: happiness is contagious, spread it to others and get it back in spades.

Finally, you know us: organization is our reason d'être and we like to think organized people are happier people. Think about it: organized people are less stressed, more productive and have more time to spend on passions and people. So go ahead and add a little happiness to your life by getting organized!

Do you think it's possible to increase happiness? What is your surefire way of boosting happiness for yourself? For others? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.

How to Be Happy At Work

Community Manager — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:36:00 GMT

Want the secret to being happy at work? Silly question right? When you consider how much of our day is spent at our desks, it's clear that if we aren't happy at work, we're discontent the bulk of our time.

Time to crack the happy code.

Choose Happiness

The secret to being happy at work (and in life) is simple: choose happiness says author and journalist Geoffrey James in his Inc. com article How to Be Happy at Work. Could it truly be that easy you may be wondering? James seems to think so and makes a compelling case that happiness (and unhappiness) stem entirely from how individuals evaluate events. James argues that while certain circumstances may be out of our control, how we react to events is firmly within our grasp. So read on here for three steps to cultivate happiness.

Cultivate Happiness

Happiness must be nurtured says Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage. Individuals can cultivate happiness for themselves by adopting positive habits such as journaling, meditating and exercising and practicing them over a period of time. Next, pay it forward by investing in those around you. By developing strong social support networks and investing in their happiness (i.e. thank people for work, nurture their professional development) you multiply your own happiness. Turns out the more you give to others, they more you get yourself in terms of personal satisfaction and productivity.

Practice Happiness

Did you know that the U.S. didn't make a recent Gallup poll list of the 10 happiest countries? Short of moving to Denmark, is there a way of ramping up one's happiness quotient? According to this Harvard Business Review blog post, greater happiness can be achieved by practice. Brain scientist Jeffrey M. Stibel says simple steps such as smiling more and taking a regularly scheduled break during the work day can actually retrain the brain to be happier.

Do you think it's possible to be happy at work? How do you work to shore up your happiness quotient at work? Share your thoughts here and on the Pendaflex Facebook page.