3 Ways to Be Happier at Work

There’s a proverb that says: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” If only it were that simple.

Even if your days are spent at a job that feels like work, you can still be happy if you follow these three guidelines.

1. Find ways to break the momentum of the day. Emails, meetings, spreadsheets and presentations tend to rule the day. That can lead to feeling out of control. A lot of the work of injecting happiness into our days is stopping that momentum. Pause to breathe for a few seconds before you talk to, call or email someone. Or, go for a quick walk around the block.
2. Monotask at least once a day. Everyone tends to list “multitasker” on their resumes. While it is important to be able to juggle multiple projects at once, you should give yourself one point every day where you focus on one thing for you. Enjoy a cup of coffee, get a manicure, exercise, or do something else you enjoy.
3. Wait to click send. There will be situations that cause you see red. If you find yourself writing an impromptu email with direct language, breathe and reread it before sending it. Much of real happiness is a matter of being aware of what you're doing while you're doing it, according to Sharon Salzberg, the author of Real Happiness at Work—and enraged people aren't typically conscious of their actions.