What is Employee Wellbeing and Why Does it Matter?
Employee wellbeing is a critical component of a healthy working environment and organization. Companies that promote wellbeing make it easier for employees to manage stress levels while also maintaining a positive and productive environment. Wellbeing can refer to mental and physical health, as well as more complex things such as satisfaction and engagement levels. In this article, we’ll explain what employee wellbeing is, why it matters, and how to create the best employee wellbeing program in a workplace using a project management solution. What is employee wellbeing? Employee wellbeing is defined as the overall mental, physical, emotional, and economic health of your employees. It’s influenced by various factors such as their relationships with co-workers, the decisions they make, and the tools and resources they have access to. Hours, pay, and workplace safety also have a significant impact on employee wellbeing. While it will vary from person to person, employee wellbeing should average out to a level that allows for a productive and healthy workplace. Outside factors contribute to employee wellbeing too. Stress around issues such as housing, health, and family all play a role in performance at work. However, employers can acknowledge they have no control over what takes place after hours while still taking responsibility for what they can do for their employees. According to a recent employee wellbeing study by Alight, less than half of U.S. employees have a positive perception of their overall wellbeing. Overall, there has been a major decline in employee wellbeing from early 2020 to mid-2021, even as employees return to work at the office again. Why does wellbeing at work matter? It is the employers' duty to provide their workers with the necessary support and care for their physical and mental health. Despite this, many organizations still don't have a dedicated wellbeing strategy. A wellbeing strategy can help employees feel valued and supported at work. It can also improve employee engagement and motivate teams companywide to reach their goals. One recent historical example of why it’s important to improve employee wellbeing comes from the United States film and entertainment industry. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents a wide range of technicians responsible for film and television production behind the scenes, recently considered a strike to improve employee wellbeing. Issues such as inhumane hours, inadequate rest, and inadequate pay are affecting all areas of employee health. In fact, many are now coming forward to explain how a lack of care and action towards improved employee wellbeing is affecting them on a personal level. Clearly, employee wellbeing is a fundamental building block of all organizations. Even if your company is smaller or in a different field, you may still find that there are plenty of meaningful ways to improve the quality of life for everyone involved. Being proactive about employee wellbeing now can improve or even save lives in the future. The advantages of good employee health and wellbeing When employees feel well, they tend to perform better. This increases productivity and helps employees develop better habits. Studies show that workers are 13% more productive when happy. Habits such as healthy and consistent work/life balance policies from management are a good example of how employers can help increase joy. These habits also ensure business continuity, even during busy seasons. Good employee health and wellbeing also leads to higher employee morale. When employees have their needs met, they feel valued and competent as a result. As one corporate wellness program points out, “it’s also about preventing lost time due to absenteeism, stress, and illness. These issues cost many companies far more money than traditional healthcare costs”. Although great employee morale is, in itself, the biggest benefit for companies, preventing foreseeable problems like these is also important. If you’re recruiting or plan to recruit in the next year, creating a plan to improve employee wellbeing can help you attract and retain skilled individuals. For example, 38% of Gen Z job seekers consider a healthy working environment to be their number one factor in choosing a company to work for. Benefits such as increased sick days and mental health services go a long way toward enticing top talent from this generation to apply. Even if you’re not hiring now, an employee wellbeing program can also help you avoid losing talented candidates now. Many companies have learned firsthand that treating employees well is the key to creating a great customer experience. Simply having a happy and satisfied staff has been shown to improve the way clients feel too. As HR Zone points out, this is especially important in the wake of the pandemic, as many customer-facing employees have dealt with extreme emotions and demands from people experiencing prolonged stress from the pandemic. That, combined with safety measures making it difficult to engage in activities most people use to destress, makes it even more important for employers to take responsibility in this area. The challenges of wellness initiatives in the workplace One of the biggest challenges of wellness initiatives in the workplace is setting and measuring goals. Getting a clear idea of what your current employee wellbeing looks like can be tricky. Not only is it subjective, but some employees may not feel comfortable responding truthfully in case their complaints come back to haunt them. For that reason, even anonymous surveys may not give the whole picture. Many traditional incentive programs rely on metrics such as blood pressure and body mass index, but these are often inaccurate too. As a result, many companies are now asking their workers to provide their health information in exchange for insurance plans that are higher-cost. This practice could put older workers and part-time employees at financial risk if they are unable to make up the difference in the cost at their current wage. Another issue is execution. Some companies may not be able to provide the programs that they promised to offer. Or if they do take action, the resources and policies they endorse may not be widely used. Having a constant eye on employee reactions to the program and obtaining feedback can help solve this problem. How to create an effective employee wellbeing program with Wrike Truthfully, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to designing an employee wellbeing strategy. That’s because it should be based on the unique needs and characteristics of your organization. However, if you create a more robust framework to promote mental health, you’ll not only improve the culture surrounding employee wellbeing, but you’ll also improve the lives of everyone involved. That’s where an employee wellbeing program comes in. An effective employee wellbeing program begins with strong communication. To have strong communication, you’ll need to introduce formal project management software for implementing your program. Doing so will show senior leaders and employees that everyone understands the seriousness of workplace health and wellbeing. It’s also a great way to test out, measure, and get feedback on initiatives. Next, you’ll need a project management solution to bring employee wellbeing from theoretical to practical. Even the best intentions fall short when action steps aren’t assigned and carried out. Use Wrike to create a project timeline or to separate employee wellbeing initiatives into quarterly goals. Then, add project phases for program implementation. After, you can begin adding specific tasks such as announcing the program, creating documents explaining the benefits, and facilitating feedback from current employees. Include individual deadlines for each task and assign them to specific managers to ensure that someone is accountable. Wrike can also help you manage and organize goal-related data. Ask for employee feedback and reports from managers directly on the platform. Use @mentions to grab the attention of individuals who need to turn in related paperwork and let them know what’s missing. Once those are collected, you can also securely store documents and manage permission settings within the platform. If your employee wellbeing program is already underway, Wrike can help you manage common health issues employees face at one point or another. For example, if you're noticing signs of employee burnout, Wrike's Workload Charts will help management see and evaluate individual tasks across all projects on one screen to avoid the detrimental effects of assignment overload. Ready to improve employee health and wellbeing? Sign up for a free trial and get started today.
Less Family Time as Workloads and Stress Levels Soar in British Offices
Now a new study from Wrike about digital working culture and its impact on the lives of office workers in the UK, France, and Germany confirms that we’re not alone. British offices are creaking under the pressure of work, resulting in less time for family and rest and heightened stress levels. The majority of British workers would work fewer hours — if only they could afford it financially or their workloads could be adjusted accordingly.
Spend Less Time Working & More Time Learning (Work Management Roundup)
It's Friday, dear readers. The week's best work-related and productivity-centered reads await you in our Work Management roundup! Some of the most interesting links this week talk about how working less (and learning more) will lead to more satisfaction with your life. Curious? Read on! Why We Should Spend Less Time Working, and More Time Living & Learning (Open Culture): In this long-form blog post, read how two 20th century thought leaders — Buckminster Fuller (American architect/inventor & visionary) and Bertrand Russell (British philosopher & social critic) — both challenged the notion that we must have wage-earning jobs in order to lead fulfilling lives. Their view: we are entitled to indulge our passions and interests even if it leads to no monetary gain. How To Create (At Least) An Extra Week Per Month for Professional Development (Michelle Ockers): "That's all good and well," you say after reading the article above, "but where do you get the time to devote to learning?" Michelle Ockers has a solution: a little bit everyday, especially in the mornings when the brain is freshest. Read her 4 principles for making time for professional development. Getting More Done At Work Won’t Make You As Happy As Just Working Less (Fast Co. Exist): And then there's this article which correlates money, employment, and overall life satisfaction, and shares this food-for-thought: "In that sense, being productive at work helps— but only if you think it’ll lead to a raise." 3 Surprising Habits That Will Increase Your Joy at Work (Inc.com): But if you really want to be happy at work and satisfied with your career decisions, then you have to stop listening to the absolutes being fed to you by other people and start listening to yourself. Here are 3 habits that might help you. Start Something: The Power of Side Projects (Medium): While we're talking about happiness at work, why not start a side project that uses your talents and incites your curiosity? After all, that's how Uber, Instagram, and StumbleUpon all started. More Work Management Reads Think About This: The Rise of the Outrageously Long Commute (The Atlantic) Road Warrior Productivity: 9 Tips & 8 Tools for Being Productive While Traveling (Wrike) Why Entrepreneurs Should Never Feel Guilty for Sleeping (Infographic) (Entrepreneur) Why I Unfollowed You on Instagram: The Social Network is Yesterday, The Interest Feed is Tomorrow (Medium) Factors that Influence Startup Success in 2015 (Infographic) (Design Hill) Go Try This: Two Useless Phrases You Must Eliminate from Emails (Fast Company) Night School: Does Sleep Learning Work? (Aeon) How Should You Be Marketing to Generation Z Through Social? (Infographic) (Adweek) 6 Lists You Need to Make Everyday Productive (Fast Company) A Productivity Lesson from the Prison Debate Team that Defeated Harvard (Cal Newport's Study Hacks) Browse Productivity Works on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your laptop or mobile, then you'll enjoy our magazine on productivity tips. Check out Productivity Works or click on the widget below: View my Flipboard Magazine.
Why Are Habits Important for Productivity?
Productivity is simply a matter of choosing to work smart every day. Ask successful people their productivity secret and they’ll typically say it’s consistent daily habits. But what exactly are habits, and why are productive work habits so difficult to form? Our short Slideshare tackles these questions in 14 slides, sharing input from neuroscience, psychology, and business leadership experience. Key takeaways: Habits take up 45% of daily life. Habits are "autopilot" behaviors which save our energy for creative problem solving. 45% of these habitual actions are even done at the same location every day. It takes approximately 66 days to form a new habit. More details in the actual presentation below: Check out the "Productive Work Habits" presentation on Slideshare And if you want to discover concrete tips for forming productive habits in your workplace, download our free eBook: 5 Strategies for Forming Team Productivity Habits.
Moving Beyond PTO & WFH: 5 Companies With the Best Work-Life Balance
As millions of office workers around the world juggled their home and working lives in the same space last year, one thing became clear — work-life balance is arguably more important than it ever has been. According to Bloomberg, we are working an average of three hours extra a day. And the companies who do not prioritize work-life balance for their employees are likely to lose out and fall victim to the ‘Great Resignation.’ In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some four million Americans quit their job in July 2021. The Harvard Business Review found this is most likely to impact 30-45-year-olds who work in health and tech and attributes a lot of it to high burnout associated with increased workloads. So, who are the companies with the best work-life balance and what can we learn from them about recruiting and retaining the best talent? And what lessons may work best at our own organizations? Read on to find out how companies with good work-life balance are coming out on top, post-pandemic and what that may mean for the future of how we work. 1. Capital One’s holistic approach to wellbeing Named in The Washington Post’s Top WorkPlaces of 2021 list, this financial giant employs 40,000 people and takes the approach that our financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing are closely linked. To maintain this, the group offers on-campus healthcare centers and access to affordable mental health care for their families. Capital One also encourages staff to get involved in community mentoring programs and increased paid time off for parents and caregivers during the pandemic. The company also encourages their staff to discuss important societal issues (such as the killing of George Floyd) with dedicated town halls and has pledged $200 million to support Black and Latinx small businesses. 2. Better.com’s emphasis on family support Topping Fortune’s 2021 Best Workplaces in New York™ list, mortgage company Better.com had big plans for an on-site daycare ahead of the pandemic. To support parents working from home last year, they launched a virtual day camp called Better Birds to give their staff parents a much-needed break. As Alex D’Amico, senior director of talent strategy, told Fortune.com, it’s all about listening to your staff’s needs and reacting to them: “We always speak about being first-to-market and being nimble in the delivery of our product to our customer. And I think from an HR side, from the people team, we want to meet that model for our employees.” Photo: Alexander Dummer via Unsplash 3. Sisense’s long weekends every quarter For employees at data analytics software company Sisense (another one that made it onto Fortune’s 2021 Best Workplaces in New York™ list), work-life balance is helped immensely by ‘Coming Up For Air’ days. A unique perk, Sisense gives every staff member in the company the first Friday following the end of the quarter off. Nurit Shiber, chief people officer at Sisense told Fortune: “The intention was to allow us to recharge after each quarter by spending more time with our loved ones, participating in a fun activity, or by just taking a break and getting ready for the next quarter.” To really commit, the company bans emails and phone calls during this time. Each employee has two self-care days every quarter to rest up. 4. Forster Communications’ rewarding healthy commutes Trying to change the culture of PR, an industry not known for work-life balance, Forster Communications not only developed a toolkit to help others in the sphere, they practice what they preach. Developed with Public Health England, the toolkit is free to download for employers in the UK and provides insights into physical activity, healthy eating, mental health, sleep, and recovery. To help encourage time out from the office, staff at the company who walk or cycle to the office are rewarded with extra PTO days and can gain money back from every mile they actively commute to meetings. 5. Expedia’s travel allowance for loyalty Once called “The Happiest Workplace in the UK” by Business Insider, travel company Expedia rewards staff who stay at the company for at least 12-18 months with a travel allowance of between £6,000 (around $8,176) and £10,000 (around $13,626). The company also encourages staff to pursue activities of their choice with a wellness allowance of between £400 and £1,200 ($545 - $1635). Staff can spend these on items such as running shoes, tennis rackets, or gym memberships to help them switch off from work. Whether you would benefit most from a healthier commute, an on-site daycare, an amazing free holiday, access to Nike’s 286-acre sports center, or Netflix’s full year of parental leave, companies with the best work-life balance are changing the landscape. They are showing us that there are more ways to reward employees than just salary or seniority and that now is an important time for companies to really listen and provide for their staff’s work-life balance needs.
5 Ways to Bring Mindfulness to the PMO
Even though technology has advanced, the workforce is still largely human. When was the last time you took a break and rested in your project management office? Read our list of five common situations and ways to practice mindfulness in your workplace.
Dealing With Bullies, Jerks, & Toxic Personalities in the Workplace
Ever had a conversation with a colleague where you walk away thinking, "Whoa, that person was a real jerk." Turns out you're not alone. These head honcho, give-me-your-lunch-money-type personalities are not only affecting high school hallways, they're invading our office culture.
10 Gadgets to Keep You Healthy & Productive at Work
90,000 hours. 10.3 years. 18.5% of your waking hours over your entire lifetime. This is how much time you spend at work. You've probably read the stats on how all those hours are taking their toll on your health: sitting is the new smoking, work stress is killing you, the unhealthy habit of forgoing vacation days. 28% of us have gained more than 10 lbs. at work, and 13% have put on more than 20. Our waistlines are expanding and our attention spans are shrinking. With so much of your life spent at the office, it's more important than ever to make your work environment as healthy as possible. Yet most of us simply don't feel we have the time or resources to make our physical well-being a priority at work. These 10 gadgets are designed to help you feel better while you work, so you can improve your health without compromising your productivity. 1. StorkStand If a full-size standing desk is either too bulky or too expensive for you, try out the StorkStand. It clips onto the back of your regular office chair so it's easy to be productive and stretch your legs, then quickly go back to your normal desk setup when you're ready to sit. 2. Lumoback When you spend your days sitting, good posture is essential. Unfortunately, many of us need some help in that department. (I know I do!) The Lumo belt gauges your posture, how long you’ve been sitting, how many steps you’ve taken, and even how well you slept. The accompanying app shows an animated recreation of your posture throughout the day, and you can program the device to buzz and remind you to sit or stand up straight, or go for a walk. 3. Cubii Desk Elliptical If you want more prolonged activity that'll still let you get work done, an under-desk elliptical (or bike pedals, or mini-stepper) is a great solution. It's low-impact so you can still focus on your work or make phone calls without being out-of-breath, but it'll keep your blood flowing — and the increased circulation will actually help you be more creative. 4. Dumbbell Alarm If you’ve got your own office where the noise won’t disrupt others, this dumbbell alarm is perfect for alerting you when it’s time to get in a few minutes of exercise. You can put it in normal alarm mode, where a single curl will silence it, or exercise mode, where you’ll have to complete a set number of reps. At just over a pound you won’t exactly achieve an Arnold-level pump, but it’s a great reminder to take periodic breaks and get in some physical activity. 5. Darma Smart Cushion This gadget may look like a simple seat cushion, but its built-in sensors monitor your posture, sitting habits and stress levels — it even coaches you to improve your posture and alerts you when it’s time to stand up and stretch your legs. 6. Carpet Skates Remember that episode of The Office where they stage a company-wide Olympics? Get your heart rate up or take a fun team building break by hosting an office speed skating race.( Just make sure you clear the course first so no one gets hurt!) 7. Desktop Air Purifier This bad boy captures up to 95% of airborne particles, so you don’t have to worry as much about that co-worker who insists on coming in to the office with a cold. Fewer days feeling under the weather means you get more done — and you can save that PTO for a real vacation. 8. USB-Powered Flower Pot Like sleep, looking at plants and foliage helps refresh your brain’s ability to focus. Unfortunately, fluorescent lights don’t necessarily provide an ideal growing environment, and if you’re busy, you may not have the time to tend to a houseplant. But with this USB flower pot that reminds you when to water, you can get the benefits of greenery even if you aren't blessed with a green thumb. 9. Noise-Canceling Headphones If you work in an open-office setting or travel frequently, you need a way to shut out distractions and focus. Noise-canceling headphones are an ideal solution (I personally could not function without a pair). 10. Water Bottle Even mild dehydration (just 1-2%!) makes us less alert, causes a decline in cognitive function, and hinders our ability to manage stress and anxiety. One study even found that workers who were dehydrated by only 1% experienced a 12% drop in productivity. This water bottle by Hydros has a built-in filter, and a portion of proceeds helps fund sustainable water projects to bring clean water to those who need it most. Want more personal productivity tips? Check out our collection of resources, strategies, and techniques to fight procrastination, find your motivation, and be more productive.
How to Increase Productivity at Work:<br>6 Mindset Hacks
So take a deep breath, go on a break, and: …change your environment Switch the scenery to reboot your mind. Once fatigue seems to be overtaking, take a walk around the building, go to the terrace or even stand outside under the sun for 5 minutes. And if you absolutely can’t get up from your chair, spend some time listening to music that would help your mind meditate and travel to a different place, for example, Roberta Shapiro’s relaxing “Calming Collection” or the diverse “Playing for Change” project’s compilation. …occupy your hands source: lsned.com This is another pleasant way to get a quick mind-reboot and mobilize your brain’s hidden resources. Here’s why: Besides being efficient stress-reducers, manual activities with thingies like hand grippers, yo-yos, ball of whacks and even baby beads implement fine motor skills and therefore motivate your brain to work. Being compact, they can easily fit on your work desk and come to the rescue when you need it. …write the problem down A modern creative worker can hardly imagine a single hour without digital interaction. But sometimes it makes sense to visualize your problem in an alternative way. As a matter of fact, researchers say that the process handwriting inspires spontaneous ideas. After all, it’s our natural habit. So grab a pen or a pencil and phrase your questions on paper. For example, you have trouble organizing a TV commercial shooting. Write down all the grey areas you have at the moment, like “How to make Angelina Jolie make a guest appearance for free?” “Where to get a blue talking parrot in 5 days?” and “How on Earth to make this parrot read the script?” and then give it another brainstorm. Once you get an idea, don’t forget to enter it into Wrike to make sure it doesn’t slip out of sight! …use a whiteboard source: cbs.com Think wider. If you can write it, why not do this on a whiteboard? Adepts of the agile methods in software development and project management saw the benefits of this tool long ago. Similar to the pen-and-paper trick, this can give you a different perspective of the problem. Your brainstorming process can be more visual and, therefore, this might be the source of an extra dose of efficiency. But there’s also the benefit of the collective brain that you can leverage. With a fresh and unbiased look, your colleagues who see the same whiteboard might help you find the thing you missed for solving your problem. …do some exercise When the load of a task presses too heavily on your head and shoulders, another way to have a fresh start is to get moving. Surely it shouldn’t be a strenuous workout in the middle of the workday (this would drain your glucose, which is essential for brain effort). Walking the stairs to another floor, stretching your back, doing a couple of squats — that’s the kind of exercise that will cheer you up and help you to keep fit. During physical exercises, your brain will be way more captivated with producing endorphins (a.k.a. “the happiness hormones”), rather than staying painfully fixed on your work. …go be social Chatting with your colleagues, playing office games, and getting a good laugh is, apparently, practical. Some companies have already taken laughing seriously. For example, Rich Enos, CEO and co-founder of innovative learning center Study Point Inc., says that his company uses laughter and humor to build a corporate culture: "We have impromptu theme days, as well as caption contests, like the ones in the New Yorker." You don’t need any research to know that laughter not only reduces workers’ tension and stress, but also improves general team spirit in the office. So might the office games like darts or foosball: Get away from the desk for a short while, challenge your peer in a quick game, have some fun and watch your productivity blast! As Stephen King once said, “Change is as good as rest.” Some of the world-famous companies shared the well-known writer’s opinion on this matter and made the project-switch a part of their official policy. We have to admit, they report impressive results: Google’s “20 percent” time policy resulted in projects like Google News and Google Reader; 3M’s “15 percent” rule led the way to the creation of an innovative polymer and, according to legend, the well-known “Post-It”; Gore’s “dabble time” model added up to the launching of the ELIXIR guitar strings, which now outsell competitors’ products two-to-one. All together, we believe that productivity depends not only on a concentrated and devoted work, but also, to a certain extent, on a proper rest. We hope these entertaining, yet useful, rest hacks will help you reboot your mind, freshen up and crack even the most resistant problem easily!
Taking a Stand: The Evolution of the Desk Employee (Infographic)
We decided to revisit history and unravel the evolution of sitting as well as the revolution of standing in the office. Check out the infographic below for the stories behind sitting, standing, and even kneeling in the office.
Crash and Burnout: Is Workplace Stress the New Normal?
Wrike asked more than 1,600 US and UK employees about the primary causes and effects of stress in the workplace. Our results show that with their health and home life at risk, workers are refusing to tolerate stress and looking for a way out.
Bring Back the Lunch Break! (Video)
We all want to be productive at work and gain recognition (and hopefully a raise) for our dedication. But that doesn’t mean you should chain yourself to your desk! Longer hours don't automatically translate into increased productivity. In fact, that mid-day break for lunch is more important than ever if you really want to wow your colleagues with your creativity, focus, and ability to do great work. Click 'play' on the short video below for 7 compelling reasons to step away from your desk at noon. Do you agree that the lunch break deserves a comeback? Share this video on social media, or get a conversation started in the comments below. Increase Your Productivity At the Office For those hours you are at your desk, try out the Wrike team's favorite workplace productivity tips: 10 Workplace Productivity Tips From People Who Actually Use Them (Video)
Who Buys the Cake? Tackling Gender Inequality in the Workplace
The past 18 months of increased remote work have made us all question what we want from our office culture – from whether a commute is really necessary to whether the "increased productivity" it creates is actually just a facade. After all, as The Washington Post reports, up to 80% of US workers are as productive (if not more productive) when they work from home. This period has also made us question whether some aspects of ‘office culture’ can actually be quite detrimental to equality in the workplace. One of those aspects is the arbitrary division of certain tasks by gender that often go unrewarded. A recent article by Nieman Labs explained it is not your female colleagues’ job to buy you cake. Let us explain. In your office, who tends to organize the leaving cards, the birthday cakes, or even the Secret Santa? As the Harvard Business Review outlines, unfortunately, these tend to be carried out by women, and are what they call “non-promotable tasks.” Not only are women more likely to volunteer for these kinds of tasks, but they are also more likely to be asked to do them, and to say yes when asked. As this report details, taking these tasks on (and indeed, saying no to them) tends to have a negative impact on their career prospects, and ultimately, increase gender inequality in the workplace. And as one study published in the American Sociological Review found, although women are more likely to be described as "helpful" or "community-oriented" in their performance evaluations, this was not associated with receiving the highest performance rating (for men or women). The simple solution? These tasks need to be divided at a management level, or as Niemen Labs puts it, “managers buy the cakes.” So, why can gender roles in the workplace be so detrimental? This expectation at work is especially detrimental when you account for what sociologists refer to as “the second shift” of extra household duties that many working women must complete after work each day. As a recent article by Vox explains, although women may be more likely to want to work from home than men, they have a harder time doing so. Women (and especially mothers) working from home tend to report higher rates of stress, depression, and hours clocked. “In other words, women need more flexible work arrangements, because women have more to do.” Of course, not eradicating supposed gender roles at work can also have a negative impact on men. One of these destructive gender stereotypes is that men should prioritize work over family. As Thekla Morgenroth, a research fellow in Social and Organisational Psychology at the University of Exeter, told the BBC: “Men who do take parental leave can therefore face backlash and be seen as weak, lacking work commitment and so on, which can result in consequences at work such as being demoted or not taken seriously. Men are, of course, aware of these potential consequences, and this could definitely contribute to them deciding against taking parental leave even if it's offered.” How do we tackle that? Sarah Forbes, a researcher at Birmingham University Business School, suggests visible “fatherhood champions” at companies, both to inspire fathers to take leave and improve their knowledge of leave provisions. Calculating the cost of gender inequality in the workplace Unfortunately, the nature of discrimination tends to be cross-sectional, meaning that Black women don’t just have to contend with gender discrimination at work; they also may experience racial discrimination. For example, The Guardian reports that Black women in the US have to work 19 months to earn what white men earn in one year. In fact, Black women are only paid 63c to every dollar that non-Hispanic white men earn, equating to a potential loss of $946,000 over a lifetime. To combat this, the report iterates performing regular pay audits and creating a plan to address significant pay gaps for employees with similar roles and experience but who may differ only by race or gender. Building equality and inclusivity into workplace language There are other powerful ways we can target gender inequality in the workplace for a better division of what The Financial Times calls ‘office housework.’ One of these is the role of language and how gender-coded language can affect employees. According to the BBC, as we tend to associate particular language and behaviors with particular genders (‘agentic’ with male and ‘communal’ with female), using this language in job advertisements can put off great candidates from applying for particular roles. John Fiset, of Canada’s Saint Mary’s University, shares an example of the two from actual job posts: Communal: “We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones as you help our customers reach theirs.” Agentic: “Tell us your story. Don’t go unnoticed. Explain why you’re a winning candidate.” It’s a simple adjustment to make but a powerful one. One so powerful that behavioral designer Kat Matfield created an online tool called Gender Decoder so you can check your job descriptions for subtle gender bias. What each person can do to tackle gender inequality in the workplace Each day, there are simple steps each of us can take to strive for better equality in the workplace. These include (but are not limited to): End imposter syndrome: Have direct conversations with employees about perceived inadequacies and what you can do about them, have empathy and share your own experiences. Take time to understand the biases that women (particularly women of color) may encounter and see what you can do to tackle these. Be an ally for female employees: Share your time generously with female colleagues and be available for impromptu support. Ensure you make an effort to share their wins and to be heard in meetings. Finally, make an effort to ensure office housework is evenly distributed and normalize saying “no” if not. As our workplaces evolve post-pandemic, it’s time to leave antiquated ideas of gender roles behind and promote equal pay, less burnout, and equal time with our children. It is the perfect opportunity to do what we can to tackle gender inequality in the workplace once and for all.
Daily Writing Habits to Boost Productivity—Even If You're Not a Writer
Even if you don't consider yourself much of a writer, you'd be surprised at how much the act of jotting your thoughts down on paper can help you get more done every day. Getting into a daily writing habit has multiple benefits: putting your goals down in writing makes you more likely to achieve them, it improves the clarity and focus of your ideas, and it declutters your mind so you can think and solve problems more effectively. Plus, a daily writing habit can help you get into a productive mental flow. Here are a few useful tips and tools to help you get started. Write fiction in the morning to shake up new ideas Even if you've never tried writing fiction before, try writing a short story in the morning, before you do anything else — even if it's silly. Making yourself think creatively helps open your mind up to more imaginative ideas and increases your creativity. Record your thoughts in a diary Keeping a diary isn't just for teenagers; it's a great way to reflect on and analyze your day. What went well, and what could you have done differently? What do you hope to accomplish tomorrow? You'll soon uncover patterns, reinforce good habits, and find ways to improve how you go about your everyday work. Send postcards to people you're close to Don't save postcards for holidays. Sending them regularly to loved ones helps you express yourself and nurture your personal relationships, resulting in a healthier mindset, improving your overall health, and boosting happiness (which in turn leads to greater productivity). Write academic papers You may cringe at the thought of returning to the days of thesis statements and transitional sentences. But writing academic essays helps develop your critical thinking skills, forces you to consider and balance arguments for and against a topic, and encourages you to think more deeply about complex topics. Plus, it'll hone your research skills. Create jokes and funny stories Making yourself think creatively in this manner is great for your productivity, as you're practicing using your brain in ways you're not used to, and you're developing new skills as you do so. As an added bonus, you'll soon be the life of the party, as you'll have a whole host of funny stories with which to regale your friends. How to get started? All you really need is a pen and paper, or even the Notes app on your phone. But if you're looking to further hone your writing skills and start making it an everyday habit, give these recommended resources a try: Zen Pen: Sitting down to write is one thing, but avoiding distractions is another. Zen Pen is an app that offers a clean, distraction-free way to focus on getting your thoughts on paper. ProWritingAid: This online app/service shows the grammatical and spelling errors in your writing, and provides suggested edits— so you can focus on getting your ideas down without worrying about typos. BoomEssays: If you're publishing your thoughts as blog posts online, you'll want your writing to be error-free. This service provides assistance and advice. And check out their writing blog for new skills and ideas. Hemingway App: This online editing app highlights run-on and complex sentences, keeping your writing bold and concise (just as Hemingway would want it). Wrike: Store and organize all your writing and ideas as tasks, and then share selected them with friends or colleagues to collaborate. They'll be able to leave comments on the entire work, or highlight specific sentences/paragraphs for editing. Start Your Daily Writing Habit for Greater Productivity Ready to give a daily writing habit a shot? Try these tips and tools, and you'll see your productivity start to soar. Who knows, you may even discover that you're a natural with the written word! Author Bio: Gloria Kopp is a web content writer and elearning consultant from Manville City. After graduating from the University of Wyoming, she started a career in creative writing and is currently working as a part-time editor and writer at Essayroo writing service. She has also recently launched her Studydemic educational blog.
What Is Psychological Safety at Work? How to Achieve it
What makes a team effective? A few years back, that was the question plaguing Google’s leadership. When they set out to find the answer, they conducted over 200 interviews, examined 250 different attributes, and studied over 180 Google teams. But they only came up with a few answers. The first variable they identified was psychological safety. According to the Harvard Business Review, psychological safety is paramount. Team members who feel psychologically safe are risk-takers. They’re open to new ideas. They operate on a level that isn’t held back by fear, trepidation, or worry of embarrassment. If it sounds like a magical elixir, it’s because some companies find psychological safety hard to define. As author Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” The same could be said for psychological safety. Let’s break down this concept to make it seem less elusive. What is psychological safety? Why is it important? And how can you bring it to how your workplace approaches its daily tasks? What is psychological safety? According to HBR, psychological safety is “the belief that you won’t be punished when you make a mistake.” Have you ever heard a teacher say, “there are no dumb questions?” Then you’ve experienced someone trying to create a psychologically safe environment. With psychological safety, the emphasis isn’t on feeling literally protected. The emphasis is on not feeling embarrassed for spitballing new ideas. Psychological safety also has a strong social component. One definition of team psychological safety is the “shared belief that people feel safe about the interpersonal risks that arise concerning their behaviors in a team context.” In short, someone who feels psychologically safe can: Perform better at work. The science shows a link between psychological safety at work and performance. This includes outcomes. Workers who felt more psychologically safe were more effective at meeting a company’s goals. Cooperate better in teams. This was a proven result in Google’s findings. Simply put, people who feel safe in their team context have more incentive to cooperate and try new ideas. Boost creativity, learning, and quality of work relationships. The mutual respect between colleagues that have psychological safety creates tangible improvements in work relationships. This has a noticeable effect on how much creativity and learning each team member is able to exercise in a work setting. What are the four stages of psychological safety? Psychological safety isn’t inherent — it’s something that’s intentionally cultivated and encouraged. Typically, that process is broken down into four distinct phases or stages. Stage #1: Inclusion safety One of our more primordial fears is being excluded from other people. That’s why stage one grants us one of these basic needs: feeling like we’re part of the group. Stage one focuses on the potential for alienation that might result from new contexts. For example, an individual suffering from “imposter syndrome” might feel that entering any new group in a work context could “out” them as not being worthy of making contributions. With “inclusion safety,” however, the individual learns that they are on equal footing with their team members. From a leader’s perspective, you’ll want to establish a sense of equality. An example of this is a TV writer’s room, wherein the “best joke”—the one that gets the most laughs—is the one that goes in, regardless of rank. Writers frequently talk about this being the case at The Simpsons. “All we had to do was please ourselves,” John Swartzwelder, famed Simpsons writer, told the New Yorker. Inclusion safety is all about cultivating that same environment, company-wide. The work, not the social hierarchy, is the true priority. The feeling of inclusion also helps avoid employee overload and encourages each employee to feel a sense of investment. Stage #2: Learner safety Learning can be a surprisingly alienating endeavor. It requires letting go of past paradigms, humbling oneself, and trying something new. It involves going out on a ledge of uncertainty—along with its requisite risks of failure—before finding out what works. For someone to feel psychologically safe at work, they also have to feel free to learn. And since failure is part of the learning process, psychological safety requires separating the perceived connection between failure and personal performance. Learning is inherently a humble mindset. It requires asking questions that feel silly or making silly mistakes. According to LeaderFactor, “Conversely, a lack of learner safety triggers the self-censoring instinct, causing us to shut down, retrench, and manage personal risk.” Stage #3: Contributor safety What could be more deflating than joining a team meeting at work, only to feel you’ve contributed nothing? Contributor safety is the feeling of active participation; that your role in the team wasn’t only necessary but helped the group achieve its goals. According to PredictiveIndex, one of the best ways to cultivate a sense of contributor safety is to highlight an employee’s past contributions. Team members also need to be a part of the decision-making process. If you asked a team for their thoughts but ultimately made your own decision, you shouldn’t be surprised if the team then feels a lack of contributor safety. It’s one thing to offer their opinion — but if their opinion changes the course of a project, it says more about your trust in them. Stage #4: Challenger safety So far, an employee should feel free to join, learn, and contribute to a team. But there’s a final stage to safety. You need the ability to challenge the existing paradigms without being thrown out of the group. On the one hand, a manager doesn’t want a mutiny on their hands. But the Harvard Business Review points to the example of Peter Isenberg, an executive at an investment bank. He noticed that workers questioned his authority less if he listened to their challenges more. “To establish his credibility,” writes HBR, “[Isenberg] adopted a hands-on approach, advising traders to close down particular positions or try different trading strategies. The traders pushed back, demanding to know the rationale for each directive. Things got uncomfortable.” HBR writes that Isenberg was eager to demonstrate his competence to establish authority. Oddly, it had the opposite effect: people didn’t feel challenger safety. But Isenberg eventually learned not to fight the instinct to challenge him. He soon saw how well things could work if he listened: “Once I stopped talking all the time and began to listen, people on the desk started to educate me about the job and, significantly, seemed to question my calls far less.” -Peter Isenberg, to the Harvard Business Review What happened? If Isenberg was willing to listen to challenges, it demonstrated the competence he’d been so eager to display. And it made people feel that their expertise, contributions, and even challenges were valued. Psychological safety was established and team harmony instantly improved. Why does psychological safety matter? According to one report, psychological safety had all sorts of positive effects, including: Increased confidence Boosts in creativity More trust between team members Improved engagement Going back to the Google study, they also found that this sense of safety was integral to the success of their groups. It was the same no matter what that group’s task was. Despite the obvious advantages of psychological safety in teams, only 47% of respondents reported they feel it at work. That means something is amiss. But what’s happening—or not happening—to create this kind of disconnect? How does psychological safety affect performance? In the report quoted above, researchers noticed a 12% boost in productivity when employees felt psychologically safe at work. But how does that work practically? How do intangible feelings of safety translate into better work? Let’s go directly to the source. A 2018 report on Humble Leadership and Psychological Safety found that this safety was essential for encouraging everyone to be at their most creative: “A work environment that is safe to take interpersonal risks and express new ideas is critical for follower creativity because the environment can motivate and increase one’s willingness to show creativity… -Frontiers in Psychology Someone who feels safe taking risks feels safe making contributions. That can apply to any type of project — creative or otherwise. A screenwriter throws out a funny line of dialogue. A mid-level manager floats an idea for a new ad campaign. An IT expert suggests changing a company’s digital infrastructure. Some of these will be bad ideas. But without a level of psychological security in place, the good ideas will go out with the bad ones. However, the benefits of psychological safety go beyond that. Feeling safe to contribute also inspires employee engagement, participation, and team trust. How to create psychological safety at work It’s easy to see how feelings like comfort and security can make the work environment a better place. But it’s also important to ask how to do it. Here are some ways you can create psychological safety at work: 1. Ensure leadership is humble No one feels safe around a tyrant. The 2018 report on Humble Leadership and Psychological Safety found a direct connection between a humble leader and psychological safety. Peter Isenberg showed this principle in action: by listening to the input of his employees, Isenberg didn’t prove himself unknowledgeable. Instead, he proved his competence as a leader. This built trust and the result was a better work environment for all parties. 2. Share knowledge Simply put: unless you’re working on the Manhattan Project, don’t keep secrets. The same report above identified “knowledge sharing as one potentially important moderating factor” for creating a sense of safety. By encouraging knowledge sharing, you’re helping people feel like they belong. The more they know about the project and its objectives, the better they’ll feel about making contributions. 3. Reward initiative A simple word or two of praise for taking the initiative can be enough. The most important thing is that someone should feel validated for having shown initiative. It can be dicey to test out a new idea or ask a new question. It inspires feelings of fear — what if people laugh at it? Learn to reward the act of initiative alone, regardless of the outcome. 4. Encourage the idea of “no bad ideas” Sure, some ideas will work better than others. Some might not work at all. But in a teamwork environment, the only bad idea is the one never voiced. The freedom to fail — to say the wrong thing — is just as important for psychological safety at work as the feeling of success. How to create psychological safety in a remote or hybrid environment Many of the same principles hold up for a remote/hybrid work environment. But when a worker is remote, their psychological safety needs can increase even if you’re doing an otherwise stellar job of team management. A good remote manager will make psychological safety a bigger priority to ensure everyone feels like they belong. 1. Make time for interpersonal connections Teams’ psychological safety doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. And it’s easy to take one-on-one conversations and eye contact for granted when you’re in an office. When someone is working from home, it’s harder to get a gauge on them. Do they feel like they belong? Do they feel psychologically safe? You can’t find out unless you make time for these interpersonal connections. Make a solid commitment to this. Open a Slack Channel that’s only for the “personal stuff.” Set a calendar reminder to ask how someone is doing. With remote work, small gestures can go a long way. 2. Don’t check in too often Resist the urge to constantly look over the remote worker’s shoulder. Trust, after all, is a two-way street. “Humble leadership” occurs when you give someone free rein to complete a task. Feel free to set big goals with realistic milestones along the way — otherwise, let your workers know that you trust them to deliver. 3. Empower them with information One of the best ways to ensure your remote team feels equipped to do their jobs is to confirm that they have all of the information, tools, and resources they need to succeed. That can feel increasingly challenging in a remote environment as updates and comments can get missed or lost in the shuffle. Centralizing your team’s communication and project management in a platform like Wrike will boost transparency and ensure that everybody can get their hands on what they need. Reduce fear and improve performance Psychological safety in teams isn’t an exact science. But it’s not something that’s totally out of your control, either. If you want your team to be both happy and high-performing (of course you do), then fostering psychological safety at work needs to be at the top of your priority list. Sign up for a free trial of Wrike to see how it can help you boost safety and comfort with every new project.
Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace After the Pandemic
For some employees, returning to work feels like an important step toward regaining pre-pandemic normality. However, for others, returning to the office after an extremely stressful and/or traumatic 18 months will be daunting. While employers can’t turn back the clock for their employees, they can and should offer options, strategies, and benefits that will aid their employees’ mental health and wellness. The effects of the pandemic in the workplace Every worker has experienced the effects of an increased and sustained level of uncertainty and fear over the course of the pandemic. Some employees experienced even more extreme versions of mental health stress. For example, many people cared for or lost loved ones and friends to COVID-19. Others worked from home under difficult circumstances or while also managing at-home learning for their children. Some worked without adequate childcare for small children or kids with additional needs. Employees may have had family members lose work during the pandemic, adding financial strain to an otherwise trying time. COVID-19 also interrupted treatments for chronic illnesses or mental health or substance use disorders. In fact, according to research from McKinsey, the pandemic actually “placed broader segments of the population at risk for developing conditions such as depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.” Restrictions on medical appointments may also have kept some people from seeking help for these types of mental health-related issues. Why promote mental health in the workplace Many employees returning to the office have had their mental health impacted either mildly or severely over the past year and a half — and it's important for employers to keep these extenuating circumstances in mind. Even mild additional stress can take its toll on employees and make them less resilient in the face of changing circumstances and less able to cope with stress in the workplace. In the past, it was common for employers to concern themselves only with employees in a working capacity, leaving workers to deal with their health and wellbeing on their own. However, it is becoming more common for employers to take an interest in their employees’ general wellbeing, as this impacts their ability to work productively. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” Increasingly, employers are taking it upon themselves to help build up employees’ mental health to create a more holistic workplace. The benefits of good mental health and wellbeing for employees are fairly obvious and critically important, but there are benefits to employers as well. Focusing on mental health in the workplace creates resilient employees that can deal with reasonable adversity, disruption, and stress. Employees with optimal mental health are able to focus better and be more productive in the workplace. Creating a workplace that helps sustain good mental health and wellbeing, while being flexible enough to help employees cope with any issues that crop up, is good business in the long term. How to promote mental health and wellbeing in the workplace Here are 10 ways employers can help lessen the impact of mental health issues as employees return to work. Communicate upcoming changes: The sustained stress of the pandemic has impacted employees’ abilities to deal with change. Offering earlier notice of changing work schedules, return to work procedures, or office routines will allow employees to prepare. Promote return-to-work safety (link to ultimate guide to return to work checklist): Many employees may not have been in close proximity to others for a long time and may be anxious about staying safe in the office. Knowing that their employer is focusing on their safety can lessen these fears. Create flexibility for scheduling and leave requests: For example, you could offer flexibility for employees to work from home if they need to deal with other elements of their lives (like children, pets, or appointments) or provide leave to employees facing mental health struggles. This will give them the space they need to recover and return to work more quickly. Employees who don’t have this flexibility can end up burnt out and require even more time to return to full productivity. Encourage employees to take advantage of employee assistance programs: Many employers offer employee assistance programs that are designed to help workers resolve problems that may impact their ability to work. They are typically programs that assist employees with alcohol or substance abuse, child or elder care, relationship challenges, financial or legal problems, and traumatic events. Normalize conversations about mental health in the workplace: Mental health struggles used to be taboo topics in the workplace, but the pandemic brought many of these issues to the forefront. Normalizing the discussion of mental health and wellbeing in the office can destigmatize the topic and ensure employees seek help sooner. Check in on your employees more often: Many workplaces check in on employees annually, typically by issuing a survey on wellbeing. Managers should instead check in with team members more regularly to get a better understanding of the issues they are dealing with outside the office. Offer counseling as part of standard health benefits: Many employers are beginning to offer counseling as a standard part of employee benefits. This shift reflects the changing place mental health now takes in workplace priorities. Develop an internal mentorship program: Internal mentorship programs can help mentees feel more supported and connected in the workplace, and mentors feel affirmed and fulfilled as they pass along new skills. Fostering stronger connections in the office can create resilience in employees. Create robust wellness programs: Wellness programs can help build coping mechanisms that can in turn increase employees’ capacity to deal with negative situations in the workplace and at home. These are most effective if they create an impact in employees’ lives, like teaching financial wellness or building a meditation habit. Consider soft-launching your return to work schedule (link to Brandon’s blog post): Instead of scheduling all employees to return to work full-time on the same day, soft-launching the return to work can help employees ease back into office life at an easier pace. As employees return to the office in earnest in the coming months, employers have the opportunity to offer more robust support that can mitigate some of the effects of the stressful pandemic era and help employees recover from the trauma of the COVID-19 era. Employers who encourage employees to focus on their mental health will see marked benefits in the long run, fostering a more resilient workforce better equipped to manage future disruptions and uncertainty.
Crank up Your Work Volume with Music in the Workplace
As conventional workplace barriers continue to break down in favor of open, exposed spaces, music is proving to be an effective tool to boost focus and improve productivity in the workplace. We asked academics at the forefront of psychology to weigh in on the positive effects of music on productivity in the workplace.
Addicted to Multitasking: The Scientific Reasons You Can’t Stop Juggling Work
Confession time: in the course of writing this article, I’ve checked Facebook, Slack, Skype, and Reddit. Instagram twice. I've switched to two other tasks and sent four emails. No, the irony is not lost on me. Distractions are everywhere, and blocking them out can feel impossible. New emails never stop coming, along with questions and requests from colleagues. We jump between tasks on our to-do lists and respond to notifications in an attempt to juggle all of our responsibilities simultaneously, telling ourselves we’re getting more done by tackling two (or more) things at once. Many people know that focusing on one task at a time leads to much better results, yet we still find ourselves multitasking in an attempt to check items off our to-do lists twice as fast. So why is multitasking so seductive? And what can we do to make our propensity to indulge distractions work for us, instead of against us? Let's make like Miss Frizzle and delve deep into the brain to find out how attention works, what happens when we try to multitask, and what we can do to make our desire to do too much at once work to our advantage. Neuroscience 101: This is Your Brain on Multitasking Trying to multitask actually changes the way your brain works. When you focus your attention on something, it activates part of your mind's motivational system: the prefrontal cortex, which wraps around the front of your brain. When you're focused, both the left and right sides of the prefrontal cortex work in tandem. But when you multitask, they attempt to work independently. Even though it feels like you're doing two things simultaneously, you're actually switching between the two sides of your prefrontal cortex. This switch takes a fraction of a second, but those microseconds add up: it actually takes you up to 40% longer to complete the same tasks than if you were to tackle them separately. Not only that, switching between tasks drains your cognitive resources, making you more prone to mistakes. Your working memory, which is responsible for reasoning, decision making, and learning ability, has a limited capacity. It's like a muscle that can only lift so much weight and do so many reps before it needs to rest and recover. Complex tasks have a higher cognitive load, and are more taxing on your working memory. Trying to do multiple complex tasks at once (say, making a phone call while driving), is simply too much for your brain to handle, and you're more likely to make mistakes. When you add a third task (like following your GPS directions) you make three times the number of errors than when you're trying to do two things at once. You're only able to do several things at once when the cognitive load of each task is low; for example, going for a walk while eating a snack and listening to your favorite podcast. Your Brain’s Anti-Distraction System Focusing your attention takes more than channeling your brainpower into a single goal; it also involves blocking out all the other stimuli that's trying to distract you. When you’re focused, your brain is functioning differently even at the neural level. The messages your neurons send each other when you're trying to pay attention are both more intense and more clear — like they’re in a noisy room, trying to shout a single, simple message to one another. In addition to your neurons communicating more forcefully, key sections of your brain synchronize with each other. Lines of communication open up between the different regions of the brain required for attention, and unrelated signals are suppressed in order to prevent distractions from getting through. Multitasking Fries Your Brain You may think staying focused and blocking distractions causes your brain to work harder, but in fact the opposite is true. Switching between tasks makes your brain eat up more glucose, making you feel exhausted and disoriented even after a small amount of multitasking. Moreover, recent studies show multitasking has a physical, possibly permanent impact on the brain’s structure. Heavy media-multitaskers have smaller gray matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps regulate both automatic bodily functions like blood pressure and heart rate, as well as rational cognitive functions like decision making, empathy, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Multitasking causes new information to get stored in the wrong part of the brain. It compromises your short-term memory. Just knowing that there’s an unread email in your inbox can lower your working IQ by 10-15 points, effectively turning you into the cognitive equivalent of an 8-year-old. Not only is multitasking bad for your brain, it’s bad for your body. It increases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, which can result in narrowed arteries, increased blood sugar, and suppressed immune systems, among other health problems. Given all of these concerning downsides, why do we still spend so much time multitasking? The Hormone High of Distraction Even though you need it to focus, your prefrontal cortex craves novelty. New stimuli cause a surge of endogenous opioids to the reward-seeking parts of the brain. It feels good to indulge in distractions. This not only makes it incredibly difficult to focus on a single complex task, it makes you more likely to complete a dozen simpler, more inconsequential tasks like responding to email or making phone calls, rather than tackle bigger, more significant projects. Every time you respond to an email, post a Tweet, or send an instant message, you get a shot of hormones directly to the pleasure center of the brain that can be incredibly addictive. In fact, in laboratory studies, rats that could press a bar to send an electrical impulse directly to this pleasure center were so absorbed with pushing the lever that they ignored food and sleep to the point of starvation and death. That’s how powerful this addiction can be. Exceptions to the "No Multitasking" Rule In spite of all these compelling reasons to avoid multitasking at all costs, there are a few situations where juggling tasks is actually beneficial. One example: exercise. Physical activity boosts circulation to your brain, delivering oxygen and other nutrients necessary for optimum mental performance. It also produces chemicals that improve memory, problem solving, and decision making skills, while releasing hormones that boost attention, motivation, and focus. In a recent University of Florida study, participants cycling on stationary bikes completed a series of tasks of varying difficulty. Easy tasks actually caused participants to cycle faster, with no detriment to their cognitive ability. Both their brains and bodies were working efficiently on simultaneous tasks. As tasks increased in difficulty, their cycling speed did slow down, but even the most difficult mental work only set them back to their original cycling speed. Another instance where multitasking can improve your performance is during tedious tasks that are low cognitive load. Letting your mind wander while you wash the dishes or fold laundry fosters creative problem solving and aids effective decision making by allowing you to imagine the outcomes of different choices, or come up with a completely new alternative. Your brain is better at solving complex problems when it breaks away from the situation and comes at it from a different angle. (That's why you always think of your best ideas in the shower, or while brushing your teeth.) Lastly, a new type of multitasking is emerging in the digital age of information overload. "Continuous partial attention" involves mentally skimming several streams of incoming data simultaneously and gleaning only the relevant details from each. Imagine you're working on a task while listening to music, and suddenly hear a specific word in a background conversation that catches your attention. Although you’re mainly focused on one central task, part of your brain is still attuned to the background. You’re simultaneously aware of multiple streams of information, sifting it all in the back of your mind and shifting your attention to whichever stream is most urgent or interesting. Modern technology gives us access to incredible amounts of incoming data, and we're using this type of multitasking to quickly pull helpful information from a wealth of available resources. Debunking The Multitasking Myth In the late '90s and early 2000s, with the rise of PDAs and other personal productivity devices, we embraced multitasking as a way to keep pace with the new speed of business. We highlighted our ability to juggle tasks on resumes, and bragged about how many assignments we were able to complete at once. Multitaskers were seen as efficient, high-performing employees. Now we know the truth: multitasking impairs our work. It slows us down, we make more mistakes, and it wears us out both mentally and physically. But we also know the few key situations in which multitasking can provide some real benefits, so we can indulge our brain's appetite for distraction without sacrificing our mental clarity or compromising our intellect. Read Next: 101 Productivity Tips to Improve Focus, Motivation, and Efficiency (Infographic) Why Email is Addictive and How to Break the Habit Amazing Online Productivity Resources for Procrastinators Gifs source: HR Cloud
Daily Rituals to Steal From Successful Creatives and Innovators
Walk in the door. Hang up jacket and put on cozy, hand-knit cardigan. Swap loafers for canvas sneakers. Ever since we were children, our brains have thrived on ritual and routine. And while it’s easy to assume that creative thinkers and visionaries eschew predictability and find inspiration in the unexpected, following an established daily routine is what has allowed many of the most famous innovative thinkers in history to tap their creative potential. From mid-day ice baths to counting out exactly 60 beans for a morning cup of coffee, read on for the fascinating daily routines of history’s famous minds — plus the most common practices to steal for your own daily habits. Daily Routines of Famous Artists, Authors, and Entrepreneurs Victor Hugo “A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labour and there is an invisible labour.” 6 AM: Wake up to coffee and two raw eggs 6:30-11 AM: Writing 11 AM-Noon: Ice bath on the roof Noon-1 PM: Lunch and socializing with guests 1-3 PM: Vigorous exercise 3-4 PM: Go to the barber 4-6 PM: Spend time with mistress 6-8 PM: Writing 8-10 PM: Dinner, cards, out with friends 10 PM: Go to sleep Stephen King “It’s not any different than a bedtime routine. Do you go to bed a different way every night? Is there a certain side you sleep on?” 8 AM: Wake up, make a cup of tea, and take a daily vitamin 8:30 AM-between 11:30 and 1:30 PM: Write 2,000 words, however long that takes. Writing desk and environment should stay exactly the same, even piles of papers kept in the same spot. (For King, this consistency signals his brain that it's time for creative work.) 1:30 PM-End of day: Free to nap, write letters, read, spend time with family, and watch Red Sox games. Pablo Picasso “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” 11 AM-3 PM: Wake up, have breakfast, and spend time with friends 3 PM-11 PM: Paint 11 PM-Midnight: Eat dinner Midnight-2:30 AM: Paint 2:30 AM: Go to bed Ludwig Van Beethoven “There are no barriers for a person with talent and love towards work.” 6 AM-6:30: Wake up and make a cup of coffee, measuring exactly 60 beans 6:30 AM-2: 30 PM: Compose music at desk, with periodic breaks to walk outside 2:30-3:30 PM: Break for dinner and wine 3:30-4:30 PM: Take a long walk 4:30-9:30 PM: Go out to the tavern to eat and read the newspaper 9:30 PM: Bed Steve Jobs “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” 6 AM: Wake up and log in to computer to start work 7-8 AM: Have breakfast with kids 8-9 AM: Head in to work 9 AM-Noon: In-person meetings with Apple's product, management, and marketing teams Noon-End of workday: Spend time in the Apple design lab Evenings: Dinner and family time Fred Rogers “The number 143 means 'I love you.' It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you.' One hundred and forty-three. 'I love you.' Isn't that wonderful?” 5:30 AM: Wake up to read, study, write, pray, and respond to letters from fans Morning: Daily weigh in (a steady 143 pounds, every day) and swim Afternoon: Work, take break to nap 9:30 PM: Bed Elon Musk "Tip #1: Work super hard." 7 AM: Wake up, make coffee, and head in to work 10 AM: Morning phone calls 10:45 AM: Engineering team meeting 12:30 PM: Propulsion scheduled meeting 1 PM: Eat lunch during meetings 1:30 PM: Work, include a daily walk of the SpaceX factory floor 7 PM: Interviews and events 1 AM: Bed Common Practices to Apply to Your Own Daily Routine 1. Get Up Early Examine the daily routines of history's most prolific minds and you'll see it time and again: early to bed, early to rise. For many great minds, the secret to productivity appears to lie between the hours of 4 and 8 AM. As Frank Lloyd Wright says, "I wake up around 4 AM and can’t sleep. But my mind’s clear, so I get up and work for three or four hours. Then I go to bed for another nap." Plus, science shows that your willpower is highest early in the morning. So take advantage of the unique mental clarity and relative calm of the pre-dawn hours to focus on deep creative work and get your most important work done. 2. Break a sweat Along with rising early, daily exercise is another practice embraced by the vast majority of famous innovators. Whether it’s John Milton walking his gardens for three hours every day, Charles Dickens walking 20 to 30 miles around London each afternoon, or Peter Tchaikovsky’s daily two hour walk, many of history’s geniuses found a lengthy walk essential to both their physical and mental health. Studies have shown time and again how regular exercise boosts alertness, energy, productivity, creativity, and mental focus. 3. Stick to a schedule Novelist Haruki Murakami compares the repetition of his daily routine to hypnotism: “I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; its a form a mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind.” Whether it’s Steve Jobs wearing the same black turtleneck every day or chef Bobby Flay eating greek yogurt with fruit for breakfast every morning, following the same patterns can trigger the mental flow state that is the key to creative productivity. As Stephen King says, "The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon." 4. Take lots of breaks Start looking into the daily routines of famous artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and inventors and you'll quickly notice that nearly all of them do creative work in bursts throughout the day, taking several breaks to enjoy a leisurely meal, spend time with family and friends, and explore the world. Not only do regular breaks keep your brain from burning out, new experiences and distractions feed creative thinking. 5. Caffeinate Drink your coffee (or tea)! Beethoven counted out 60 beans for his daily cup, Kierkegaard started every day by pouring black coffee over a cupful of sugar, and Balzac drank up to 50 cups a day. While you may not want to go quite that far (Balzac did die of heart failure at only 51, after all, and too much caffeine can interfere with sleep and make you too jittery to focus), a moderate amount of caffeine boosts energy, improves cognitive performance, and improves short-term memory, problem solving, and concentration. As any creative knows, 90% of the job is showing up and putting pen to paper. For many inventive minds, caffeine is the key to doing just that. Simple Ways to Inject Your Day with Greater Creativity and Productivity Of course, there's no one "right way" to structure your day for better mental performance, but experimenting with the above techniques to find what works for you — and then sticking with your ideal daily routine — can unlock improved focus, creativity, and productivity. Share your preferred rituals and routines with us in the comments below so we can try them out ourselves! Related Reads: 14 Online Resources to Break Through Your Creative Block 5 Surprising Ways to Spark Creativity 50 Productivity Tips to Boost Your Brainpower (Infographic) 16 Simple Motivation Tips to Get More Done (Infographic) Sources: TheGuardian.com, Litreactor.com, Marksdailyapple.com, Entrepreneur.com, 99u.com, Onlinecollege.org, Podio.com