How to Find Fulfillment In Your Work, According To The Study Of Positive Psychology

We as human beings have an innate need for novelty; we thrive on taking on new tasks and discovering fresh ways to pursue our interests. Although I am a full-time writer and freelancer, I have never considered speed to be a measure of productivity. To me, productivity is devoting more time to activities that really count.

As a general rule, I believe that people are at their most productive when they are engaged in work that they find personally meaningful, and that this can be achieved in almost any profession. Just follow these steps:

The factors that drive productivity are critical.

One may find inspiration to prioritize important tasks in a variety of ways, with some being more potent than others. For instance, monetary compensation isn’t always an inspiring incentive to excel. Neither is the hope of getting forward in the company or winning over a demanding boss. These might be effective short-term motivators for increased production, but the benefit and associated good emotions will soon wear off.

As levels of stress and burnout reach all-time highs, more and more individuals are wondering why they even bother going to work. As a result, it’s tough to accomplish your best work when you’re constantly questioning the significance of your labor and, worse, your own value to the organization. However, studies suggest that productivity increases by as much as $10,000 per employee when they feel their job is worthwhile.

Our job must have value to us for us to be productive in a way that releases our full potential. Of course, we’d all want to have fulfilling careers. Nine out of ten employees would accept a lower salary in exchange for a more meaningful position, according to a recent survey. That number may shock you, but it may also be deceiving. It is assumed that certain types of work are intrinsically pointless. This is not the case and reflects a widespread and perhaps harmful misunderstanding of what constitutes worthwhile labor.

Why every job can be meaningful?

Most people would immediately think of a physician or nurse when they hear someone describe themselves as a “healer,” someone whose job it is to do anything they can to help patients get well and feel better. Can you imagine your astonishment if you found out they really worked as a hospital janitor?

Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski found that?one-third of hospital custodians shifted their perspective on the job in order to find significance in it, in her seminal study of these individuals. To some, cleanliness was only a means to an end. However, there were many who felt they had a vital part to play in the patient’s recovery. These housekeepers became familiar with the patients and their loved ones, going out of their way to ensure their comfort. And they felt their efforts had great significance.

Many individuals have the false belief that only those working in helping professions, organizations, or social impact work may find fulfillment in their employment. While it’s true that certain occupations are designed to provide purpose, even (or particularly) those that are considered “mundane” in our society may have significance.

For the last three years, my coworkers and I have investigated the question, “What gives work purpose?” We identified three characteristics of fulfilling employment that cut across disciplines. There is value in our labor when we are able to

1. Feel like our efforts are making a difference
2. Are provided with stimulating challenges that allow us to learn and develop
3. Gain a sense of community membership and belonging.

Let’s dive-in to see three tips that’ll 10X your productivity and help you do meaningful work:

1. Find your contribution

Feeling like your efforts benefit your team, company, or the larger good is what we mean when we talk about making a contribution. If things were perfect, managers and executives would do a better job of tying together employees’ regular efforts with the impact their company has on the globe.

Although it may be difficult to find significance in your job when you are away from the people whose lives are improved by your organization, “cognitive craftsmanship” may be a useful tool. The process of cognitive craftsmanship entails digging deeper into the significance of a problem.

Wrzesniewski and her colleagues came up with the word to characterize the transformation of the janitors’ self-perception from service provider to healer. By looking underneath the surface of their employment, a cashier may come to recognize that they are doing more than just scanning items to assist individuals put food on the table for their families. It’s possible that a hairstylist’s primary responsibility is not cutting hair but rather relieving the tension of their clients for an afternoon.

To give your job deeper significance, consider the good effects it has had on others.

2. Try something difficult

When we aren’t pushed out of our comfort zones, we get a serious case of the blahs. It’s crucial to take advantage of chances to learn and develop your skills if you want to give your job greater significance.

As the author Alain de Botton so eloquently puts it,?“work is most gratifying when you are at the comfortable, exhilarating edge of not quite understanding what you are doing.”

Set a lofty “stretch” objective for your job that will need you to utilize your imagination and newfound knowledge to achieve. If you want to challenge yourself, volunteer for something you’ve never done before. Seek for situations where you can learn something new.

3. Empower community

Because of our innate need for social connection, a supportive workplace environment is essential to our sense of fulfillment as individuals and as members of a team. Multiple types of workplace communities exist. There is a feeling of belonging to be found in one’s professional network, even for solo practitioners and lean startup teams.

The one catch with community is that it must be founded on genuine connections. Make time in your calendar for social interaction in 2023, particularly with folks who have the same beliefs as you.

When we care about what we’re doing, we give it our all.?Making one’s job meaningful is a key to unlocking productivity and performance in 2023.