A new book out this month is offering up nine ways to bring satisfaction back to the workplace and alleviate excess stress.
In a short preview published by the Wall Street Journal this week, author Bruce Daisley lays out nine workplace intervention techniques from his book, Eat Sleep Work Repeat: 30 Hacks for Bringing Joy to Your Job. He cites a 2017 American Psychological Association survey that says 61% of people chose work as their highest source of anxiety,
Daisley’s tips include avoiding distractions by setting aside do not disturb time in the morning to prevent workflow interruption, embracing headphones to tune out noise, agreeing to stay off the clock during nonwork hours, and getting a coffee with colleagues to encourage office socialization.
Creating a “monk mode” morning or “deep work” time where interruptions are limited can unlock a new world of brainpower. Daisley writes that it can take up to eight minutes for someone to get refocused after a distraction. So CEOs, especially those of small startups, are establishing a trend of setting aside an hour or two every morning for deep focus work.
Many of his other tips center around time-consuming meetings: make it a walking meeting, leave phones in another room, block off days where no meetings are allowed and replace presentations with written memos.
Meetings can make everyone feel drained, Daisley says. A walking meeting can be re-energizing. A recent study says a 50-minute walk outside can boost concentration “and work as a sort of palate cleanser for the mind.” Read the full story.
