Happiness at work

Happiness.

Countless books try to help you achieve it

Research demonstrates that you are more productive with it.

And yet the truth is that so few people feel it at work.

Why?

Is it because leaders don’t create “happy” workplaces?

Is it because work is inherently miserable?

Or perhaps it’s because of our attitudes about work?

There’s really no definitive answer here.

A negative boss, bad working conditions or a toxic culture can certainly make people unhappy.

I’ve also seen how leaders can create happier and more productive employees by creating the right culture and work environment.

However, I believe the biggest determinant of our happiness at work is… us.

Our happiness has less to do with forces outside of us and more to do with what’s inside of us.

Happiness is an inside job.

Our happiness comes not from the work we do but from how we feel about the work we do.

I’ve met bus drivers, cleaners and fast-food employees who are more passionate about their jobs and happier than some professional people earning ten times what they do.

The way we think about work, feel about work and approach our work influences our happiness at work.

We can be happier by focusing on what we GET TO do instead of what we HAVE TO do. We can realize that the ability to work is a gift, not an obligation.

We can enjoy our jobs more by creating a new measuring stick. Instead of comparing ourselves to others we can measure ourselves against our own growth and potential. Each day we can come to work with the mindset that today we will be better than we were yesterday and tomorrow we will be better than we are today.

We can also enhance our happiness by tuning out negativity. Gandhi said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet,” and neither should we. Instead of listening to the negative voices let us focus on our positive choices. We can’t drive someone else’s bus. We can’t control someone else’s attitude but we can control our mindset. Our job is to drive our bus and make it great. If we focus on the positive and tune out the negative our happiness will soar.

Antidotes to excess spending

This is the follow up to my previous post - Is Your Spending Out of Control?

A quick recap:

An out-of-control spender isn't just someone who blows their earnings on shopping sprees every month and then wonders why on earth they have nothing left for essentials. Of course these extremes exist, but having an out-of-control spending habit simply means that you spend more than you earn.

Depending on how much you earn and how much you need to spend on essentials, a few luxuries can easily swing the balance so that your money seems to fritter away without you even realising it. Read on to find out the warning signs that your spending needs reining in.

1. Your 'out' is more than your 'in'

Basically this comes down to the main principle of over-spending - you spend more than you earn, and so what comes into your account each month is less than what goes out of it.

What should I do?

The best way to tackle this problem is to realise, today, that you are over-spending and you need to address the issue. Start by keeping a spending diary so that you see clearly where your money is going each month.

Then, drawing up a budget is the next stage to financial peace-of-mind - figure out from your spending diary what you can drop from your regular spending (for example, a daily lunch out can become a more economical and often healthier home-made sandwich), and plot exactly what you have available to spend on what. Stick to your budget and within a few months you should see your 'in' begin to outweigh your 'out'.

2. You're much too friendly with your overdraft, line of credit or redraw facility

It's all too easy to become over-familiar with our overdrafts. Once they're in place, dipping into them to tide us over for the month can seem like a harmless thing to do, especially if you intend to pay that overdraft back as soon as you can.

What should I do?

Look at your latest bank statement and you should be able to see when you were in your overdraft and when you were in credit.

It may be a good idea to count the number of days you spent in credit before landing in your overdraft again as the month progressed. If the days you spent in your overdraft are more than the days you spent in credit, you need to address the problem.

Again, keeping a spending diary and then drawing up a budget is the best way to dig your way out of your overdraft as soon as possible. Once you know where your money is going you can rein in the non-essentials and concentrate all your efforts on climbing out of the red.

It's easy to see your overdraft as just another nifty feature of your bank account, but remember that ultimately it is simply a debt that will need to be paid back - and will more than likely be accumulating interest and/or charges as long as it remains unpaid.

3. Your cash does a disappearing act

Have you ever withdrawn money at a cash-point, intending to use it for any various small expenses that might come up, then peer in your wallet a day or two later and find it has all but vanished? If this happens on a regular basis, and unless you are being beset by a persistent pickpocket, it's likely you've lost a grip on your spending.

What should I do?

Start by keeping a spending diary and monitoring what you are spending money on for a week or a month. Write down every little thing you spend money on, whether that's using cash or using a debit or credit card. You'll start to see how a withdrawal at the ATM goes on a couple of coffees or a quick grocery shop.

Try to identify if there are any areas of your spending that stand out above the others in that they consume a significant amount of your funds in one go. See if there is any way you can reduce this outgoing or get rid of it altogether.

If you are going somewhere where you know you might over-spend (such as a night out or an afternoon of shopping) try withdrawing an amount of cash and leaving your card at home. That way there is a limit on what you spend and once those funds are depleted, you'll know exactly where they've gone and won't be tempted to go and withdraw more.

4. You buy things on impulse

Again, this is another matter of regaining control over your spending habits by monitoring where your money goes, identifying the times when you are likely to spend without thinking, then curbing that habit.

What should I do?

Look at your last few bank statements (or credit card statements), zero in on the 'out' column, and try to identify the times you spent money on something in the spur of the moment rather than making a purchase that was carefully thought through.

If this happens a lot it means your spending is out of control because you are letting the thrill of buying have control over your spending power rather than the other way around. Try to think carefully through a purchase before making it - leave the shop and ask yourself whether you really need it, and if so, whether it might be worth saving up for it or looking for a better price for it elsewhere.

Again, it might be worth leaving your debit or credit card at home if you are going somewhere that might tempt you to spend more than you can afford - and simply take out a limited amount of cash instead. As well as giving you a self-imposed cap on what you can spend, you'll be more aware of what you are spending as handing over cash will feel infinitely more real than handing over a piece of plastic.

5. You spend money on things you don't use

Naturally, why would anyone in their right mind spend money on something just for the sake of it? Spending money on something you don't get any use out of is the same as throwing money in the bin, but in fact you might be doing this on a regular basis without even knowing it.

What should I do?

First, update yourself on what exactly you have going out of your account automatically by way of direct debit or standing order. You can often access this information online, or simply visit your local branch and ask a teller to bring up a list of them.

You may be surprised to find a payment you set up a while ago that you've completely forgotten about but is still diligently siphoning off an amount each month. Ask your bank to cancel it then and there.

Remember however that you should also inform the company in question that the payment has been cancelled, and of course if you are still within a minimum contract period (or any other contract where you are obliged to keep paying) you must see out the contract before cancelling the payment so that you don't incur any penalty charges.

Is Your Spending Out of Control?

Ever look at your bank balance a week after payday and wonder where all your money has gone? You're not alone. Find out how to identify when your spending is out of control.

An out-of-control spender isn't just someone who blows their earnings on shopping sprees every month and then wonders why on earth they have nothing left for essentials. Of course these extremes exist, but having an out-of-control spending habit simply means that you spend more than you earn.

Depending on how much you earn and how much you need to spend on essentials, a few luxuries can easily swing the balance so that your money seems to fritter away without you even realising it.

Read on to find out the warning signs that your spending needs reining in.

1. Your 'out' is more than your 'in'

Basically this comes down to the main principle of over-spending - you spend more than you earn, and so what comes into your account each month is less than what goes out of it.

Modern technology means there's one easy way to check this and to see at a glance if your spending is outweighing your earnings. Look at your latest bank statement and you should find two figures at the top or bottom: one represents your total income for the month (everything that went into your account from wages to earned interest to a refund from the tax office) while the other represents your total outgoings for the month (everything that went out of your account from mortgage payments to a supermarket shop to a credit card repayment).

If the 'out' figure is more than the 'in' figure, even by a small amount, this means you are over-spending. This can only lead to one thing: your available funds are depleted until you are in a position where you need to borrow to stretch your finances through to your next payday.

2. You're much too friendly with your overdraft, line of credit or redraw facility

It's all too easy to become over-familiar with our overdrafts. Once they're in place, dipping into them to tide us over for the month can seem like a harmless thing to do, especially if you intend to pay that overdraft back as soon as you can.

The problem is that when your spending outweighs your earning, residing in your overdraft throughout the month rather than in credit can easily become the norm; and the further you plunge into the recesses of your overdraft, the harder it is to climb back out again.

Again this comes down again to spending more than you earn and then gradually depleting your available funds - in credit and then in your overdraft - until you have nowhere left to turn but to borrow more money.

3. Your cash does a disappearing act

Have you ever withdrawn money at an ATM, intending to use it for any various small expenses that might come up, then peer in your wallet or purse a day or two later and find it has all but vanished? If this happens on a regular basis, and unless you are being beset by a persistent pickpocket, it's likely you've lost a grip on your spending.

Whenever you're in a position where you don't know where your money is going, whether that's a bank balance that seems to drastically drop over a matter of days, or cash you withdraw that seems to evaporate, you need to take a long, hard look at your spending.

4. You buy things on impulse

Again, this is another matter of regaining control over your spending habits by monitoring where your money goes, identifying the times when you are likely to spend without thinking, then curbing that habit.

You might already be well aware that you're prone to buying things on the spur of the moment if you like the look of them in a shop window or you spot something online you just have to have. Whether this is a regular habit throughout the month or something you only do once in a while, it's still worth addressing it so that you can bring your spending back under control rather than letting it control you.

5. You spend money on things you don't use

Naturally, why would anyone in their right mind spend money on something just for the sake of it? Spending money on something you don't get any use out of is the same as throwing money in the bin, but in fact you might be doing this on a regular basis without even knowing it.

Many of us have set up direct debits or standing orders long ago with good intentions, for example a gym membership, health plan, or cinema membership, but then have never got round to making use of it. You might have gone to the gym for the first few months but then let it go by the wayside - but there's still a regular amount coming out of your account every month to pay for it.

If you have any regular payments being drawn from your account paying for things that you don't make use of, it's time to cancel them.