11 Ways to be Happier, Healthier, and More Productive

Healthcare Leadership

with Dan Nielsen dan@americashealthcareleaders.com

 

Jeff Haden wrote an interesting article for Inc.com recently. The title of the article is: “Want to Be Happier? Science Says Do These 11 Things Every Single Day.”

Who doesn’t want to be happier? I know I sure do. Regardless of your gender, education level, IQ, looks, height, weight, where you were born, where you live, how much money you have (or don’t have), your age, and even your health or lack thereof, we all want to be happier.

So, as leaders and achievers, let’s take a look at the 11 things science says to do each and every day to be happier:

 

1. Smile more. According to Haden, “Smiling can make us feel better,” “Improve our attention and help us perform better on cognitive tasks,” and “reduce some of the pain we feel in troubling circumstances.”
2. Exercise for seven minutes. “Think exercise is something you don’t have time for?” Haden asks. “Think again. Check out this seven-minute workout from The New York Times. That’s a workout any of us can fit into our schedules.”
3. Sleep more. “We know that sleep helps our body recover from the day and repair itself and that it helps us focus and be more productive,” Haden says, “It turns out sleep is also important for happiness.” He goes on to reference several studies on the relationship between sleep and happiness.
4. Spend more time with friends and family. “Several studies have found that time spent with friends and family makes a big difference in how happy we feel.” Haden also notes, “Not staying in touch with friends and family is one of the top five regrets of the dying.”
5. Go outside more often. Haden shares an excerpt from The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor: “Making time to go outside on a nice day also delivers a huge advantage; one study found that spending 20 minutes outside in good weather not only boosted positive mood, but broadened thinking and improved working memory…”
6. Help other people. “One of the most counterintuitive pieces of advice I found,” Haden writes, “is that to make yourself feel happier, you should help others. In fact, 100 hours per year (or two hours per week) is the optimal time we should dedicate to helping others in order to enrich our lives.”
7. Plan a trip (even if you don’t ever take it). “As opposed to actually taking a holiday, simply planning a vacation or break from work can improve our happiness. A study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life showed that the highest spike in happiness came during the planning stage of a vacation as people enjoy the sense of anticipation.”
8. Meditate. “Meditation is often touted as an important habit for improving focus, clarity, and attention span, as well as helping to keep you calm. It turns out it’s also useful for improving your happiness.” Haden goes on to explain, “Meditation literally clears your mind and calms you down. It’s often been proved to be the single most effective way to live a happier life.”
9. Move closer to work. “Our commute to work can have a surprisingly powerful impact on our happiness. The fact that we tend to commute twice a day at least five days a week makes it unsurprising that the effect would build up over time and make us less and less happy.”
10. Practice gratitude. “This is a seemingly simple strategy, but one I’ve found to make a huge difference to my outlook.” Haden says. “There are lots of ways to practice gratitude, from keeping a journal of things you’re grateful for, sharing three good things that happen each day with a friend or your partner, or going out of your way to show gratitude when others help you.”
11. And the easiest tip of all: get older. “As we get older, particularly past middle age, we tend to naturally grow happier. There’s still some debate over why this happens, but scientists have a few ideas,” Haden writes. He goes on to note, “studies have discovered that as people age, they seek out situations that will lift their moods—for instance, pruning social circles of friends or acquaintances who might bring them down…[and] other work finds that older adults learn to let go of loss and disappointment over unachieved goals, and focus their goals on greater well-being.”

 

The wonderful simplicity, beauty, and reality is that by far, virtually every single one of us—regardless of the stage of our personal, professional, or organizational life—can easily do all 11 of these things, every single day. Or, if you can’t do 11, do 10 or 9 or 8.

Think about it. What is more important than happiness? Not much for sure! So, change your habits, do these simple things every day, and you will change your life—and become a much happier you. Those who live and work with you will be particularly grateful…

So what is holding you up? Why are you not happier? Honestly, it is probably because of one or more flimsy excuses. Do you really want to be happier? Well, here is your plan. Go for it. Do it now. “If it’s to be it’s up to me!”

 

Copyright © 2016 by Dan Nielsen – www.americashealthcareleaders.com