Work—Renew Yourself and Last the Day

Q. I’m on a treadmill at work. I worry about getting laid off, not being able to keep up with the pace, not meeting the boss’s expectations, and putting up with the same job I’ve had for 10 years. Is there a way out? This is a good company, but it’s getting to the point where I don’t want to go to work. —Denise T. Tucson, AZ

It sounds like everyday burnout—if you let it get to you every day. No job is perfect, and your company can do only so much to keep you motivated. I’ve found that staying renewed with my job is closely linked to stayed renewed in my life, and I’m the only one who can do that. Here’s what many have discovered to make this happen.

Explore ideas outside your usual habits.

For example, go to a magazine store and choose one you’ve never read before—a topic that’s unfamiliar to you. You might be surprised and pleased at what you learn. This is another way of “thinking outside the box.”

Look for more than one right answer.

It’s really easy to do things the same way day after day—especially for 10 years. Look for at least one new, different answer to a problem each day.

Be foolish now and then.

Sometimes we can get so serious with daily living that we take a lot of the fun out of it. Once or twice each week, do something completely different, silly. Some examples: write a daily routine as a “rap” song. (You may have to get some help from a neighborhood teenager.) Take dance lessons. Spend time playing and talking with a three-year-old. Make a list of things you think would be fun to do. Then start doing them regularly.

“Whack” Your Ideas.

Roger von Oech has written several great books on creativity

like A Whack on the Side of the Head. He also created a Creative Whack Pack of cards that will give you a wonderful, fresh view of your day, or something difficult you’re working on.

Tolerate ambiguity.

Look for the inconsistencies around you, and try to understand (maybe even enjoy) them. It’s the inconsistencies in life that make it so interesting.

Start your day happy.

Instead of getting up at the last possible minute, how about getting up 15 minutes earlier, and focusing on what’s good about your life and job? (I still remember my Dad’s getting up in the morning and singing. He had a difficult, boring job and supported five children, yet he filled his life with joy—and it spread to everyone around him.)

Have fun with problem-solving and "play" with ideas.

Look for each problem as a opportunity to stretch your mind and look for alternate solutions. Have fun with brain-teasers; they’ll stretch your thinking.

Accept mistakes as natural.

They’re a by-product of the creative process. Instead of getting down on yourself when you make a mistake, look at each one as an opportunity to grow. When Charles Edison, inventor of the light bulb, watched his factory go up in smoke he simply said, “There go all my mistakes.”

Enjoy breaks.

Spending your breaks and lunches listening to people complain about their jobs is no fun. Instead, look for ways to renew yourself—with interesting people, self-motivational books, maybe even a new hobby.

Choose words carefully.

Avoid “down” words that kill ideas and enthusiasm. (“That won’t work.” “We tried that before.” “It’s not in the budget.”) Better: Put plenty of

“up” words in your speech, and see how much better you’ll feel. (“Wouldn’t it be great if…” “How many other ways can we look at this?” “I’d like your help with an idea I’m working on.”)

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Joann Lublin finds that a small but growing number of companies are coming up with novel ways to reduce the pressure on overworked, overwhelmed and over-connected employees. Part of the problem is that employees are stuck in meetings all day, she notes, forcing them to work late and weekends to do other work. “They also rarely have long stretches of time to think creatively. So to give staff time to think, take uninterrupted vacations and renew energy, businesses are instituting Meeting-Free Fridays, Guilt-Free Vacation programs and Thinking Day.”

The S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. places signs outside darkened conference rooms that say, "Room Sealed by Order of 'No Meeting Day' Police." The tactic seems to be working. At a meeting-free pilot at S.C. Johnson last fall, the company reported that "nearly two-thirds of headquarters participants said their productivity rose on the test Fridays, and 16% said their office hours work decreased."

During new employee orientation, Radio Shack Corp. advises, "Don't call the office while on vacation." One manager, who visited Italy on vacation, said it was the first vacation she had ever taken where she didn't call in or check e-mail. She came back feeling recharged and "ready to hit the ground running."

Some employers also discourage Sunday travel, so that employees can have a full weekend at home. Deloitte & Touche eliminated Sunday business trips for its U.S. consultants. The lesson: Rest and renewal are essential. Every day, on and off the job.