MONAD 6 | Page 15

maximise creativity by making it your objective ing research or writing. Then fi nd a way to use your to leave having gained three new ideas. strengths within your role. If this isn’t immediately obvious, you could even think of an additional activ- When I practice this, I aim to assimilate new informa- ity to showcase your ability. For example, I work in tion from the material covered. If the content doesn’t fi nance and I am one of the ‘Well-being Ambassadors’ engage me, rather than losing the time completely, I in the offi ce. This gives me the opportunity to eff ect look to learn from the presenter’s delivery style or the change in an area I am passionate about. PowerPoint slides. I always take a few notes, not neces- sarily to refer to again, but to help keep me focused. Similarly, if there is a gap in your knowledge that’s No longer do I dread long meetings and fear boredom. slowing you down, such as IT or project management skills, invest the time to improve in this area. It can Also try to change your attitude to meetings in general. be challenging when there are so many demands on Most of them are set up for your benefi t, so plan your your time, but you will benefi t from it in the long-run. week around them so that you’re not stressed at the idea of attending. Exercise 6 – At the end of the day, refl ect about Three Good Things that happened (work related or Exercise 4: Find something short-term and long- otherwise), bringing focus to the positive. term to look forward to. Even better, share these Three Good Things with your Short-term events could be a fancy dessert you’re family at dinner. What I love about this exercise is that treating yourself to after dinner or a fi tness class on days when you’re not in the mood, someone else you have booked. Long-term could be a holiday or a in the family will be and this moral support makes date in the diary to catch up with a friend. Reminding sure you keep up the habit. myself of my next ‘feel good’ event makes a tough day more bearable and amazingly, the anticipation Try one or all of these exercises and observe the brings me almost as much pleasure as the event itself. eff ects. Some may be more effi cient for you than others, you’ll only know once you try. Consistency If you’re someone that struggles with getting pulled is key when you’re trying to create a new habit. Pick into unrealistic deadlines and fi nd yourself working one exercise and try it for three consecutive weeks. late on a regular basis, make evening plans. This forces None of them are overly time consuming or require you to assess what really must be done in the day any fi nancial outlay, so you have nothing to lose and leave everything else for the next day. and a lot to gain. Work takes up a large chunk of our lives, so I think it’s worth implementing strategies to Exercise 5: Utilise a key strength. increase the quality of that time. Success and happiness is much easier to achieve when For more information on the numerous studies that you are utilising natural talents. Firstly, identify what support some of the ideas presented, read ‘The Hap- your key strengths are, such as presenting, conduct- piness Advantage’ by Shawn Achor. Monad 5 / 2017 | Page 15