The Happiness Project for March

Do you ever struggle with being happy with your job? Most people do at one time or another. For the past few months it has been very difficult for me to go to work. I have felt bored and haven’t enjoyed the time I spend there. Considering I spend anywhere from 40 and 50 hours a week at my job, that is a lot of dissatisfaction.

If you haven’t guessed by now, Gretchen Rubin, who wrote a book and manages the Happiness project blog, suggests focusing on work this month. To be able to increase your happiness at work, you first have to figure out what is making you unhappy. There are a two big reasons I have been unhappy at work. First, sometimes I get bored. So I sit and do nothing, and the time d r a g s. Second, I tend to dwell on the unhappy things. For example, when I get bored, I sit and think about how bored I am, or how I would rather be somewhere else, instead of doing something to fix it. That doesn’t make much sense! But what can I do to change it?

Stay busy. This might seem obvious, but it isn’t something I’ve been practicing. There are definitely things I can do during the boring times that would increase my productivity. What I am going to do this month is make a list of things to do during the boring times and label it Stay Busy. Every time I have 30 minutes or an hour of “free” time, I will open up this list and get busy! A few things on that list: purge and organize files, file project information, update project lists, return drawings to file room, make my office more beautiful.

Don’t Dwell. I have to focus on not dwelling on all the things I don’t like about my job. I need to dwell on the things about my job that are a blessing. I’m big on lists, so every time I start thinking about a negative thing in my job I am going to do two things: figure out how to turn the negative into a positive, and make a list of the blessings from my job. A few examples on my list: I have a stable job in an uncertain economy, I have room for improvement in my job, I receive free insurance and substantial profit sharing, I have the ability to telecommute in the future (which was a large factor when I moved), I have a boss with good morals.

What about you…how can you increase your happiness by focusing on Work this month?

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For future topics and past entries on my Happiness Project, see the list below.

January – Energy

February – Love
March – Work
April – Money
May – Mindfulness
June – Order
July – Spirit
August – Fun
September – Family
October – Friends
November – Attitude
December – Boot Camp Perfect