Become 31% More Productive With These 5 Easy Habits
How the Happiness Advantage can help you perform better
When we're happy, we perform better.
In his both amusing and informative Ted Talk, psychologist and happiness researcher Shawn Achor states that when people are happy:
They're 31% more productive
They have better, more secure jobs
They improve as salespeople, with 37% better figures
They're better doctors, with a 19% increase in presenting a faster and more accurate diagnosis to their patients
They're better at keeping a solid job
They're more resilient and are much less likely to burnout at work
So why can't we all hop out of bed every morning, put on our happy pants and crush our days?
Estimated reading time: 4-minutes
Think about this.
How often have you thought to yourself, "When I get X, I'll finally be happy"?
A promotion at work
A new romantic relationship
Purchasing a new designer pair of shoes
In all of these examples, happiness is a destination we arrive at via a trip to the store, a right swipe on a dating app or a promotion into a job we never really wanted in the first place.
These societal definitions of 'success' lead us to believe it's the shiny new thing that makes us happy.
However, Achor states that our brains don't work like that. In fact, they work oppositely.
He says, "If you can raise someone's level of positivity in the present moment, then the brain experiences something we call the happiness advantage".
This means that when the brain is happy, it "performs significantly better than it does at negative, neutral, or stressed state". Moreover, a happy brain increases intelligence, creativity and energy levels – All of which are accessible in the present moment.
Sounds feasible, doesn't it? All we've got to do is raise our present-moment positivity, stop chasing after Destination Happy, and we'll reap the rewards.
However, I know firsthand it's more challenging than that.
I lived much of my life chasing happiness and less focused on the present. Unfortunately, it's what we're conditioned to do.
When I left a corporate job a few years ago because of a lack of purpose and severe physical/mental burnout, I expected to wake up the following day with the weight of the world no longer on my shoulders.
I'd cut the head off the problem and instantly see the wood for the trees.
Whilst there was an immediate feeling of relief upon deciding to quit, it was a mask for what I thought would be a newfound long-term happiness.
My happiness was fleeting, and after a week or so, I found myself just as lost as when I was working the job I'd hated for the previous nine months.
Embrace The Journey
My journey to happiness since quitting my job has been three years and counting, and it is one I'll be on for the rest of my life.
Happiness doesn't exist in a far-flung place or from a dramatic change in circumstance. Chasing it can be likened to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The more we go searching for it, the further away it becomes.
Instead, being happy is a home we can choose to inhabit forever. It's not a rental.
It exists within us. It's up to us, and only us, to get up, make the bed and turn the house into a home each morning.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to make it all the more accessible.
Rewire Your Brain For Happiness
If happiness feels like a stretch for you, you're not alone. It did for me in the aftermath of quitting my job.
Achor provides a scientifically-proven blueprint allowing you to "rewire your brain over 21 days".
The activities he suggests "allow your brain to work more optimistically and more successfully". Effectively allowing you to access happiness in the here and now.
Recall three things you're grateful for - According to Achor's research, practising this for 21 days can positively change how people's brains scan the world. They start looking for positive things first, leading to increased happiness.
Journal one notable experience: "Journaling about one positive experience you've had over the past 24 hours allows your brain to relive it."
Move your body - "Exercise teaches your brain that your behaviour matters", and it helps you solidify the connection between your actions and their rewards.
Meditate - "We find that meditation allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we've been creating by trying to do multiple tasks simultaneously. It allows our brains to focus on the task at hand."
Perform a random act of kindness - No matter how small or big your kind gesture may be, it can make a difference. Achor suggests that "when people open their email, they should take a moment to write a positive message to someone in their social support network, expressing gratitude or admiration."
So today, I implore you to turn your attention inward.
Block out what you think might make you happy in the future (at least in society's definition) and give the activities from Achor's happiness blueprint a go.
Happiness is never a destination. It is a journey that requires time, commitment and effort to get right.
Let the regular happiness activities you decide on implementing act as your north star. I promise you; there'll be no better voyage you can embark on.
Keep smiling,
Jack