The Green Sheet Online Edition

February 25, 2013 • Issue 13:02:02

Inspiration

Make the most of work

Procrastination is common enough in the workplace. Who hasn't run out for an extra cup of coffee or talked sports or current events at length before making the first sales call of the day? While procrastination can become serious enough to undermine job performance, fortunately, for most of us, it can be overcome - or at least lessened. And the solution is all in the mind.

A productive mindset

Here are several thoughts to help you focus on the job at hand:

• Work is good: The first thing to do is remember that it feels good to be productive. Work keeps the mind and spirit active. It also provides structure to our days. No matter how much you might long to retire to an exotic island and relax all day long, a life of endless leisure can be extremely boring. Work provides contrast that makes our hobbies and recreations all the more enjoyable.

• Work is healthy: Work also makes people feel useful. Whether you work in a little sales office or at a big corporation, you are part of a team that is striving to reach a shared goal. It might be a sales quota or a team project, but it is an endeavor in which you are important to its success. It is a blessing that others count on you. Just look at the loneliness and lack of self worth that plague people who are unemployed to realize how important work is.

• Work is work: Get over the idea that work should be fun. Supposedly "fun" jobs, like acting or playing sports for a living, are often highly stressful occupations, with high rates of unemployment and depression. Fun jobs are also often low-paying, as fun is considered compensation for getting paid $10 an hour. So not having fun at work can be a good thing.

• Work works for you: Not everyone can be in love with their jobs. If you're not one of the lucky few, view your job as a means to an end. Make your work part of some grand, larger goal, such as funding a trip to Europe to trace the history of your ancestors, or founding a scholarship at your former high school, or making a large donation to a wildlife preserve.

If you focus on the goal, work automatically becomes more meaningful, and often more satisfying - even enjoyable. So, click off that YouTube video and make that call.

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