Positive thinking can seem really hard sometimes.
We often overthink it.
We as a society have a mindset of, 'I'll be happy when' but in reality, happiness becomes the journey, not the destination.
When you reach your goal you'll always be striving for more.
When we think of new year and resolutions we think of it as an amazing opportunity to set goals/game plans and are ready for success.
But this year and last has been anything but normal so it's understandable that our mindset gradually disintegrates fairly quickly.
We need to remember it's a new year.
New wishes.
New stories to be told.
A new chapter for us all to make and create our life and journey.
Happiness starts from within.
Having and keeping a positive attitude is a lot harder than most think.
It's easier to have a cheerful and positive attitude when working with and being surrounded by your colleagues, but its harder to be when in isolation.
For some, it can take a lot of time and effort compared to the few that it comes naturally too.
It really comes down to a make or break in your success or failure in your career.
Let's go through 10 ways to stay positive while working from home
#1. MORNING ROUTINE
I talk about this all the time but it's completely top of my list.
You cannot start a productive, positive day without a great morning routine.
Your mornings set you up for the day.
The most important thing I could say about this is to wake up earlier!
Whether is 30 minutes earlier or a 1 hour, get things done.
Use this time to write in your journal your thoughts and feelings for the day. e.g. What do you want to achieve today.
Use it to read a good book, both fictional and or personal growth books.
However, filling your time reading or listening to a podcast or inspirational video whatever it may be instead of watching the news or reading a newspaper will 100% improve your mindset and productivity.
You could even do a short work out/ exercise, use this time to go for a brisk walk.
It's always the little things that help out massively.
#2. GET A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP
Where would you be without your good 7-8 hours sleep?
When you get a good restful sleep you will feel more energised and more able to go about your day.
If you haven't had a good nights rest it will be hard for you to maintain a positive attitude throughout your day due to lack of sleep.
It's good to set yourself a 'bedtime', no one is too old for bedtime.
We need a routine to help us stay in line with our working week but most importantly to look after our self.
Turn off all our distractions, TV/game consoles and mute your phone.
Aim to get 7/8 hours of sleep each night.
#3. STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE TALK
Even if it feels somewhat therapeutic to complain to co-workers or friends about your work or anything else going on in your life you're only making it worse for yourself.
Your mind latches on to negative thoughts that you believe about yourself.
It's ingrained in you.
So it's important to talk to yourself in a positive light, encourage and coach yourself.
If you've done something well praise yourself for it or discuss with your friend or co-worker rather than talking about the things you've done wrong.
It not only lifts you up and boosts your confidence but people will be able to tell. E.g like smiling down the phone when talking to a client/customer. They can tell from the tone of your voice.
You can literally transform your day within minutes.
Also journaling your thoughts down in a book can uplift and remove the negativity from your thoughts as it is now down on paper.
#4. BE KIND TO YOURSELF
When working alone it's easier for the voice in our heads to have a significant impact on our working day.
With limited reinforcement and encouragement from co-workers you to tend to talk to yourself in an unsupportive, demeaning way.
Instead of belittling yourself, raise yourself up. Talk to yourself like you would a friend or colleague that has messed something up or is not feeling well today.
You would not talk to them in a negative way at all.
You would big them up, reassure them. So do this for yourself too.
What also helps as well is if you have got goals and plans either for your career or outside of this, then fill your desk with things that remind you of this.
Create a vision board, with photos from either a magazine or print some off from google or Pinterest and stick them on a board and have this in front of you.
Alternatively, you can use online programs such as canva to create a digital one, but wouldn't be as effective as you wouldn't be looking at your phone all day unless this was part of your job.
You can put posters up on your wall in front of you of affirmations, gratitude points for your day, quotes that you absolutely love and motivate you.
Even photos of your loves ones.
#5. MANAGE WORKLOAD
When you have a lot of work to get completed it can be overwhelming.
The pressure to get it all done inflicts stress on to you.
If you are able to delegate and pass on tasks to other people then this can really help you out and relieve the stress upon you.
If you are unable to do this, then it can help to break the task up into smaller tasks. Tick off as you go so you can feel the same satisfaction as the above example.
Writing it down or printing the task and ticking it off is such a powerful tool to use, so many people disregard this because it takes effort to write the things down.
Don't.
It is what you need and will help you so much.
This will save you time and energy in the long run.
#6. WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Working from home it can be hard to balance both work life and home life.
Disconnect yourself from this by creating an area that is solely used for work.
If you have a spare room or desk room in your house then great use this, but if not then try and create an area that is not in your 'living' space to set up your computer etc.
A good idea to incorporate is to pack away your work essentials when you finish or put a cover over it so you can't see it.
Just like the saying 'Out of sight, out of mind'.
If you carry work around with you at every point in your day, you will never be excited to go to work the next day.
Separate this from your hobbies and interests and family time.
I recommend muting group chats both on Microsoft teams and messenger, this is what I do a lot because I cannot stand getting notifications when I am outside of working hours.
Especially if you have teams on your phone or emails that come through. 100% mute all of these on your devices.
You can always check through these whenever you like but the point is that you don't get the notifications flooding your devices.
Of course, if there is an important message you need to read then you can do this, or there may be other methods they can reach you on if they have your personal number.
#7. USE YOUR BREAK/LUNCH WISELY
Whether you have an hour for lunch or 30 minutes use this time proactively.
In a lockdown, you are allowed out for exercise so use this to your advantage.
Go for walk on your lunch even if it's just 10 minutes the fresh air is so good for your self-care and mental health.
It keeps you active but also fuels your mind with positive energy.
You always feel good after a walk, and you never regret a walk or workout, it makes us feel good.
You can be debating to do it all day, but you will never regret doing it.
Also, another idea is to take breaks during your working day, just 5 or 10 minutes away from your computer will do wonders.
Grab a coffee or refreshing drink in this time. It will reduce burnout and will benefit your mental health and will help to develop a positive attitude towards work.
#8. BEFRIEND YOUR CO-WORKERS
You have a long working week ahead of you, some may work longer than others.
It's a great way to socialise and meet your co-workers especially new ones that have joined.
Video calls either in your morning meeting or before this or generally throughout your day.
Introduce yourselves, not only do you make them feel at ease, but you improve your mood as well.
Even scheduling a virtual lunch with them, new or old co-workers.
Having a friendly community for work releases a lot of tension and stress for your day.
Another way to increase a positive attitude at work is to do activities with your work buddies in or out of work.
Although you're with your work colleagues, you wouldn't be 'in work' with them.
Be friending your co-workers will make you feel more connected and supported. You don't need to know every detail about them.
Just simple conversation.
#9. BE PROFESSIONAL
If work or an issue at work is affecting your positive attitude it's important to voice this.
The way you interact with your co-workers speaks volumes around your work ethics.
So it's incredibly important to be open and constructive.
It's not about being perfect because no one is positive at work 100% of the time.
It's just unrealistic.
But in being open and professional about your feelings at work will gain you respect from your peers in how you handle the situation.
#10. MOST PRODUCTIVE HOURS
Manage the most productive hours of your day.
Dedicate your most productive hours whether that be first thing in the morning or afternoon, to the most hard-working tasks.
Therefore you save your easy to go through tasks for your less productive hours, perfectly managing your tasks.
REFLECT
I hope these tips help you with keeping a positive attitude working from home and remember it's a new month, new year and your life is full of endless opportunities.
Live in the moment, think before you speak and nourish and care for your body and mental health.
Most importantly believe in yourself.
Positive energy flows and is infectious you can be impacting others with your energy of abundance. Likewise, if you have a negative mindset and attitude.
Sending you all love and positive energy.
Trace
xxx
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