How to End Every Work Day on a Happy Note - The Muse

How to End Every Work Day on a Happy Note - The MuseHow to End Every Work Day on a Happy Note At happy hour with a friend, you innocently start whining about the annoying comment your co-worker made earlier. Hours later, you both realize that the only thing youve spoken about the entire night is what you hate about your jobs. Whoops.Itd be quite remiss of me to say this should never happen. No positions perfect, and youll probably need to vent sometimes. But you dont want to let a so-so or badeanstalt day at work bleed into your life outside the office on a regular basis. Thats not good for anyone. And, I admit, its an easy trap to fall into. But luckily, its much simpler to prevent than you may think. How? By ending on a positive note. Ha, you say. Thats much easier said than done. Maybe. But I suggest you try these four tips before drawing that conclusion. 1. Review Your AccomplishmentsAt the end of each day, set aside time- even if only five minutes- to write down what you achieve d in the previous eight (or nine, or 10) hours. Your team members and clients are too busy to notice your daily victories, so its important to take a brief moment for self-congratulations, says William Arruda, author of Ditch, Dare, Do 3D Personal Branding for Executives. Its a great confidence builder, and it helps you quantify and assess your strengths. And dont worry if you only checked minor items off your list. The bigger wins cant happen without them. This short activity can give you a feel-good boost and help reinforce that you were productive. Even if it welches only somewhat productive. Because lets be real- believing you got nothing done isnt a warm and fuzzy feeling. Instead, it makes you want to shove your face into your couch and crawl under a blanket of shame. (Or is that just me?)And hey- if you really didnt do anything, take this time to tell yourself its OK. Because it is. Sure, this cant be a common occurrence, but an occasional lazy day is perfectly fine. Pat your self on the back for showing up, and go on your way.2. Get Ready for TomorrowI spend a lot of my leisure time contemplating my giant to-do list. Rather than relaxing and partaking in activities I enjoy, I let the tasks consume my every thought. Its not necessary for me- or you- to do this.Before you go home, prepare yourself for tomorrow. Outline your main action items that need to be completed. And review whats on your schedule, too. Are there any meetings to prep for? Any deadlines to meet? Form your list with those things in mind. Tonight, youll feel less burdened because youll know exactly what direction you need to head in upon returning. No longer will you have to waste your evenings thinking about it.Ive started doing this and, let me tell you, it makes me feel better at the beginning and end of each day. My Google doc remembers (and keeps track of) the important things, so I can be fully present when I catch up with those pesky New York housewives. 3. Organize Your SpaceIn c ollege, I usually couldnt sleep unless Id tidied up my room. The desk needed to be cleared, and all clothing had to be in drawers, the hamper, or at least hidden under my bed. Doing this made me feel more in control, less scattered, and like I was tying up the loose ends of my day into a nice little bow. The same goes for my office. When its more visually put together, so is my mind. I can head out the door feeling confident that Ive taken care of anything that may have popped up spontaneously.(Plus, cleaning always makes me feel like Im adulting a little bit better, which makes me feel relatively successful.)Im not saying to whip out the magic erasers and go all Mr. Clean here, but at least put things into piles and throw away any lingering trash. (If youre the laziest, these tips will be right up your alley) You wont leave feeling like youve forgotten something, and tomorrow you wont be taunted by the mess you walk into. 4. Have Something to Look Forward ToHappiness isnt something that just comes to you. You have to put in the effort. You have to set yourself up for happiness success. And one way of doing that is by scheduling things that youll look forward to. When you do this, you bring happiness into your life well before the event actually takes place, explains Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project (Revised Edition) Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. In fact, sometimes the happiness in anticipation is greater than the happiness actually experienced in the moment.Meet up with a friend or family member. Start taking a class, such as improv (like me) or ceramics. It could even be diving into a good book. It doesnt have to be anything big, and you dont have to spend money. Just be intentional about consistently taking time to do something youll truly enjoy. When you schedule time for fun activities into your calendar, youll think about that rather than wo rk. We have much more ownership over how our days play out than we think. Sure, there are going to be off ones where youre thrown super random and sometimes downright discouraging curveballs. But for the most part, youre in charge. When you take back control of the wheel, you can start to steer it in a more positive direction and end each day on a happy note. Good luck