Bringing Your Whole Self to Your Work

There are many ideas and approaches to being successful- what success means and how to go about achieving it.

Conventional wisdom has generally advocated “being the hardest worker in the room”. Or, the somewhat disingenuous, “more facetime”. I’m not sure if facetime is still a thing, since many office jobs, to which this term might apply, are now done remotely. You get the idea though. In order to be successful, one must work longer and harder than their competition. 

I not only disagree with this philosophy but would propose that in most cases these strategies don’t result in a superior work product, or even more volume. If someone is truly working hard for long hours, they will either burn out, get sick or eventually produce an inferior work product. And if the long hours are mostly for show, well, it probably goes without saying that any reward or recognition will most likely be short lived.

Instead of working longer and harder, it is more effective to bring your whole self into your work each day. 

Being present and focused is far superior to putting in more hours. When you are fully present, you can focus on what is important. You can prioritize work with a clear head and complete tasks efficiently. Also, when fully present, you will be a better listener, leading to clearer understanding and continuous learning. You’ll be more receptive and less forgetful when you are given directions and will communicate more effectively when making collaborative decisions. In general, you will be a better, more productive contributor. You will also know when it is legitimately necessary to put in some extra time.

I teach how to bring presence into your work in more depth in my course, but here are a couple of simple practices you can put in place today. One, set an intention each morning that you will be present throughout your day. You can even set an alarm midday to check yourself and bring this intention back into focus. Two, if you catch yourself getting distracted, or notice your mind wandering, just pause and take three mindful breaths. You can even do this while in a conversation with someone. 

I promise you that being present will be much more enjoyable and more effective than trying to outwork everyone. And I’m guessing your loved ones will appreciate it when you find more time for them that used to be devoted to work.