7 Ways to Find or Create Joy at Work
The idea of having joy at work or during your career might seem counterintuitive. Many people settle into jobs they don’t love because they see them as practical. Others find joy in their career by giving to others around them. But joy shouldn’t be seen as an unqualified emotion. Joy can exist in even the most dismal jobs.
It might seem like joy and career don’t mix well—and if joy is essential to your happiness, you may want to change. But joy isn’t always connected with our emotions. It can be cultivated. It’s a practice, not an emotion or feeling that descends on us unexpectedly.
As the saying goes, “When you do what you love, it doesn’t feel like work.” We have heard this many times and know intuitively that joy at work exists for people who create joy in their work. But joy is more than that—it’s the overarching experience of infusing it into your life, whether you are working or not.
Here are seven great ways to find joy and peace at work:
1. Mindfulness Meditation/Prayer
Meditation/prayer is essential for joy at work because it reduces stress and sharpens your focus. When our thoughts are cluttered, and we’re distracted, joy is next to impossible. Meditation helps us gain control of our thoughts and emotions. Meditating at work can help you focus on your tasks and keep your joy intact.
2. Slow Down
Doing things quickly isn’t the same as doing them efficiently. It might seem counterintuitive, but taking your time at work can help you feel joy and peace. Overworking at the expense of mindfulness only increases your stress level. By slowing down, you reduce anxiety and increase joy.
It’s a good idea to turn off all distractions at work. This includes putting your phone on silent and not refreshing social media sites every five seconds—and don’t answer the door! By eliminating distractions, you give yourself priority over everything else. And it can help us be much more productive at the beginning of the day.
3. Be Grateful
If having joy at work is something you struggle with, try to acknowledge the things that are going well at work. When you focus on what is successful, you feel better. Sometimes you can joy in the simplest acts—knowing that you have a job to go to and co-workers who value your contributions can be satisfying all by itself.
Acknowledging gratitude is important for joy at work. Being grateful brings joy to the present moment and helps cultivate happiness for your future. A simple daily practice of writing down five things you are grateful for (personal and work) can help shift your perspective and open joy – this helps me tremendously.
4. Focus on What You Do Well
If we spend our time dwelling on our shortcomings, our minds will be negative. Focusing on what you do well and recognizing your successes is important. Your joy is cultivated when you give yourself permission to be present and acknowledge the moment.
If joy at work is a challenge for you, write down three things you do well every day, even if they seem small or not connected to your job title. If joy at work is tied to your sense of identity, it’s important to separate joy from what you do and who you are.
5. Change Your Perspective
If having joy at work seems impossible, think about this: it is a choice. There’s no joy in basing your self-worth on what you do (or don’t) do for a living because joy can exist in any job if it’s chosen. So when you feel your joy slipping away, remember that it comes from within and not without – do not let anything or anyone steal it from you.
Working in a place that inspires joy is more than just having pictures on the wall of things you enjoy. It’s dedicating yourself to creating joy by surrounding yourself with the right people and routines to make it happen.
6. Leave Work at Work
We all need a break from work—not five minutes to scan the Internet, not thirty-minute lunch breaks where you tweet and check your email, but a real break. If this is a challenge, set boundaries and never let your job follow you outside the office.
Having joy at work doesn’t mean having joy 24/7 – it means finding joy in the middle of what you do (or don’t) get paid to do; we can enjoy our jobs without loving them. This can be difficult when your joy at work is tied to your sense of purpose or joy in the job itself.
7. Take Time for Yourself
Schedule joy. If joy at work is elusive, take time out of your day to do things you enjoy. Maybe it’s walking around the block or taking ten minutes during lunch to read. Whatever it is, joy comes from being intentional about what makes you feel good—not surfing your phone for two hours or watching Netflix without realizing it.
Our lives at work (and everywhere) are constantly changing, but how we experience them is up to us. If you’re used to working in a traditional 9-5 job and your company implements 4-day weeks or flex hours, the joy of these changes is in their freedom. Imagine how joy at work can change when you decide to take back your Sundays!
8. Distance Yourself From Energy Vampires
You know who these people are – the complainers, gossipers, kingdom-builders. Yuck, you don’t need or have time for that! They are draining, and you need to avoid them. Spend time with people you like at work and add value to your work life.
If you are around people who constantly bring you down, they will rub off on you and try to steal your joy (likely without you knowing it) – so it’s important to distance yourself from them!
Many people believe joy in the workplace is an oxymoron. But joy comes from within, and it’s possible to find joy in the work you do every day, no matter your job title. When you take your happiness into your own hands, look beyond what others think, and focus on creating joy for yourself – this then becomes contagious, and you will spill over to others. The bottom line is joy in the workplace is possible, and each day we find joy not just at work but everywhere! I hope you do too.
