sustaining your vitality at work
Are you running out of steam? Worried about burnout? Take steps to keep your sprits up at work and maintain a sense of purpose and vitality.
- Do more of what you like. Begin a list of things you are grateful for in your work or ways you feel you have contributed. Then look at the pattern and create more of those things.
- Learn something new. Develop and nurture your untapped capabilities.
- Practice gratitude. At the beginning of the workday and at the end when you leave, acknowledge coworkers for their contributions. Take time to notice.
- Create a quiet space at work and home for reflection. Find a place that is away from noise and interruptions so you can re-center your thoughts.
- Ask yourself these questions each day: What did I do today to make someone else's day better? What values drove my actions today?
- Create forums at staff meetings where people can share examples of how they made a difference in the last week. Make it fun and a genuine time of connection.
- Everybody has a story; take time to listen, and pause to reflect. When we really listen to the stories of our co-workers, patients, and friends we find inspiration and commonality.
- Coach someone to help them find their passion. Ask the person questions that clarify what he or she wants out of work and how more of that could be brought into his or her current work.
- Remember to aspire each day. Aspiring is like walking toward the horizon: you know where you are headed, you can see the destination brightly up ahead, and you keep on going toward it with enthusiasm even though you never arrive there.
- Find a way to motivate yourself to do difficult or unpleasant tasks. Should you start by doing difficult or unpleasant things, to get them out of the way first? Should you alternate unpleasant and pleasant tasks so that every time you finish an unpleasant one, you can reward yourself by doing an enjoyable one? Find the way to motivate yourself.
- Collaborate with others when possible. Not only is collaboration fun and energizing, but some of the best ideas come when we "spark" off each other.
