Feeling disengaged at work can be a draining experience. Explore six practical strategies that can help reignite your passion, boost your productivity, and rekindle your commitment to your professional life.
6 short switch-ups to help you approach your work life and career differently
Do the opposite
- Spend a few hours outdoors at an inspiring location away from your desk
- Subtract, not add
- Working from home can mean extended days, with often little segue from our desks to the family dinner table
- Give yourself a break with a FriPlay afternoon
- Every Friday, I clear the decks around 3 p.m. to do something restorative: go for a walk with a podcast, jump on my bike, read a book
Wear your red sneakers
Professor Francesca Gino taught two classes at Harvard Business School in which she experimented with her footwear.
- For one class, she wore a conservative suit with dress shoes. For the next group, she paired her suit with her favorite pair of red Converse sneakers. She discovered the “red-sneakers” students were more attentive and thoughtful, and they laughed more.
- The sneakers made her feel more confident and more poised when leading discussions.
Hold a party for one
When you’re working hard, it’s important to press the pause button and celebrate how far you’ve come.
- Terin Izil, a freelance creative director, awarded herself for her achievements, delivered a state of the union address to herself, and went out for dinner with a plus one to celebrate her one year anniversary of working for herself.
