Workplace Habits That Will Make You More Successful

Habit Definition

Habits are routine behaviors done on a regular basis. They are recurrent and often unconscious patterns of behavior and are acquired through frequent repetition. Many of these are unconscious as we don’t even realize we are doing them.

Is a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

Can also be  as a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance.

So we can see that habits define our character, our thoughts and feelings and our ‘usual’ behaviors. We can also see that habits are behaviors that are nearly or completely involuntary and because they are repeated frequently, we become ‘better’ at them that is, increased facility of performance.

Psychology Definition on Habit

Can also be thought of as a link between a stimulus and a response. It serves as a mental connection between a trigger thought or event (stimulus) and our response to that trigger (the response). Repeating this connection time and again forms a habit and affects all subsequent decisions and actions. If repeated often enough, this connection becomes near permanent unless we take conscious action to change it.

For example, a stimulus for overeating might be stress. The stress may be physical, emotional or mental and triggered by such things as a restricted diet, tiredness, an argument, a bad day at work or even negative thinking. A learned response for dealing with this stress may be eating. Over time, the bond may become so strong that our automatic or habitual response to stress is to eat. In psychology, this is known as classical conditioning, as demonstrated by Pavlov’s dogs. The dogs learnt to associate a tone with food and would salivate whenever they heard the tone whether there was food present or not.https://www.learnafrica.co.ke/management-consultants-kenya/

Good Habits

A behavior that is beneficial to one’s physical or mental health, often linked to a high level of discipline and self-control. Examples are;Regular exercise, balanced diet etc.

A good habit is something which you do out of choice and is not addicted to it.

A bad Habits

A bad habit could be the same good habit but you over do it or become addicted to it. For Examples; Internet is a good habit but when it becomes an addiction it is a bad habit, Smoking, drug abuse, gambling etc

Note. Positive thoughts and actions lead to good habits. Negative thoughts and actions drive to bad habits. Good habits are hard to develop but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to develop but difficult to live with.

Workplace Habits 

1)Prepare for Your Day:

Arrive at work early and get ready for the day by anticipating what you will have to do while you are there. Do not get flustered by last minute changes. You may have to modify your plans. Be punctual for work. Even better, be early. Start the day feeling relaxed and settled.

2) Initiative.

Take the initiative to get things done, even if that means you have to fill up the kettle and boil the water, just do it.

3). Organised – Neat, tidy and clean.

You’ll be much more efficient if you clear away unnecessary items and then organize the rest of your space. And, while you’re at it, consider working on your computer, too. File away documents and delete anything you no longer need. Make sure your desk or workstation is neat, clean and pleasant. The same attitude applies to the general office area and restrooms, use them considerately for others to enjoy as well.

The best indicator is to see if your tray, desk, drawers and cabinets are cluttered and messy or well-labelled and orderly. https://www.learnafrica.co.ke/business-branding-kenya/

4) Systematic.

A good system smoothens work processes. Generally, established companies have a standard operating procedure (SOP) manual as a guideline. If all you have are verbal instructions, develop your own checklist of how a task should be done.

5) Efficient.

Some people are naturally efficient. You can develop this skill by thinking things through. By doing so, you will know how processes can be done in a faster, smarter and more convenient way.

6) Be a Problem solver not a Complainer.

Understand what you are doing and improvise on existing work processes. Give feedback, ideas and suggestions to colleagues and clients to help them come up with solutions. If you have a complaint about something, always have ideas about how to make it better. When you turn negative action into positive you, will sound professional instead of fretful.

7) Follow-up.

This does not mean chasing people after a day’s notice. Give them a gentle reminder after a space of three days. Most people understand urgency and will help you expedite matters if you underline the importance of the deadline. Always exercise diligence in matters of finance and when forwarding documents to a third party. Have a tracking system on your calendar.

8) Fast.

Learn to work fast on routine jobs. But this does not mean rushing to get things done.

10) Accuracy.

Learn to pay attention to details especially if you are dealing with numbers and dates.

11) Fewer mistakes.

Everybody makes mistakes, but you should aim to make fewer mistakes on routine jobs. Always be mindful that some mistakes come with a cost.

12) Interpersonal. 

Be friendly, pleasant and have a positive attitude towards your colleagues and your boss. Don’t show your temper, keep a long face or be sarcastic as it is totally unacceptable. Maintain a pleasant and upbeat telephone voice when you make or take calls as this reflects the image of the company.

13). Teamwork.

Be a team player. Be willing to share ideas, work experience, information, templates and so on, so other colleagues won’t have to re-invent the wheel. This is how you build trust with each other.

14). Engage More Deeply in Relationships

The point is to spend more time on the relationships you value, which could include your family, friends, significant others, yourself, and so on. Engaging more deeply in anything you believe in whether it’s spiritual or otherwise, is extremely beneficial. build relationship with other people, with God, with business world. Interacting with your colleagues, for example, is really good for you, they can help you get through the tough times, solve problems, and celebrate wins.

15). Be Kind

There is nothing to be gained by not being nice to others. when you are kind, it will make others happy, and they will have goodwill toward you. Be kind especially to those who seem the most miserable. They may really need it and it could have a positive effect on them.

16) Office etiquette. 

Don’t spend too much time on personal calls, e-mails, text messages or tea breaks. Respect others’ personal space and desk. Avoid using office paper and stationery for personal reasons. Put your phone away while at work. Texts and notifications that pop up on your phone can be a big distraction while you are working. Check your phone only during breaks.

Dress decently. The way you dress give the position you want lets your employer visualize you in that job.

17) Responsibility.

Know your level of responsibility with the company and take ownership for your job scope and inventory. A positive work culture is the essence of every thriving business. According to the study done by the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick, happy workers are 12% more productive than average workers.

18). Embrace failure and take Criticism Well: ​

Your boss’s feed back is valuable. He isn’t necessarily criticizing your performance because he dislikes you. He may be trying to help you succeed.

Failure might seem like a strange habit to include on the road to success, but the truth is failure is inevitable. You’re going to make mistakes in life, you’re going to fail at some things. You might even fail at forming some of these good habits.

However, you must make a habit of embracing every failure, obstacle and mistake as a learning opportunity. If you learn from every failure, think of how much you will be able to up skill without even taking up that new course.

19). Make Sure You Understand Company Policies

If you don’t know what they are, get the facts from someone whose job it is to know them, for example, the human resources department. If you ask a coworker instead, he or she may give you the wrong answer, and you will bear the consequences.



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