10 Habits to Have in a Workplace

Written by: Chane da Costa

A quote by Aristotle “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit”. This is true in all aspects of our life. To excellence exceptionally well in what you do, you need to have good habits. A habit is a regular behavioral pattern that is followed until it becomes as involuntary action.

As majority of the working economy work about 40 -45 hours a week, most of their time is spent at work. Therefore, it is crucial to develop good working habit in the workplace, as living well is to your emotional well-being and overall health. Creating good habits in the workplace will lead to an increase in your job effectiveness and adds value to the organisation.

For those entering the working world, forming good habits will come easier than for those who have been working for more than a year. This is because those who are entering the working world, the concept and everything that goes along with it is new. You have to create new behavioral patterns and habits to follow. Whereas those who have already been working for a while, are already in a routine of habits, and we all know how challenging it can become to make and break a habit. This does not mean that those who have bad habits shouldn’t turn them around and start practicing good habits.  Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, but far more rewarding.

10 Good Habits in the Workplaces

1.       Positive Thinking – People are naturally attracted to optimistic people, no one likes to be around someone who is constantly negative and bringing things down. How you think affects how you feel at work and how people look at you. Think positive, see a better future and help yourself, others or the company get there.

2.       Be Yourself – it is important to be yourself in your work environment. Pretending to be someone you are not, will slowly catch up with you. People who pretend to be someone they not and get caught out and then their morals, values and trustworthiness will be brought up to question.

3.       Be Punctual - For all organisations time is money. If you anticipate you are going to be late, it is important to inform someone as soon as you know, not 10 minutes before. If you are going to work, a meeting or anywhere where you have made an appointment ensure you set enough time for daily commuting with unforeseen circumstance like weather or traffic back-ups. If you are not punctual people start to lose reliability and don’t make you a preference anymore. It also represents your sense of responsibility.

4.       Voice your Opinion – As an employee you need to know your role and when to speak up. If you have a new idea or concepts mention it to your manager. A good manager will always listen and consider input from their employees – they are also human. If there is an issue that has risen in the office or at home, informing your manager of the issues will help make your working environment comfortable for you. Voicing your opinion also ensures that you are fully engaged and your input will be considered in making decisions in the workplace that will initially affect you in the end.

5.       Be a Team Player – as employees in an organisation we interact with many different types of people on a daily basis. Each person’s contribution to the workplace makes it function successful and therefore, learning to work with different people is critical for your own success. Many hands do make light work and with that being said it is important to have mutual respect, compromise, be open and understanding in the working environment.

6.       Have Balance – Having a balanced lifestyle helps you perform at your best. To ensure you lead a balanced lifestyle leave work at work.  Making time for your friends and family ensure that you incorporate time for recreational purposes that refreshes your mind and body. You will feel happier and healthier by having a balance between work and play.

7.       Prioritise – Many people get overwhelmed with the amount of things they have to do and end up doing

nothing and procrastinate about it. To become an effective and efficient employee create a well-prioritised To Do List to help you stay on track. By prioritising the urgent and difficult tasks to be completed first, the

temptation to complete the easiest tasks will be reduced. If you are getting stuck and wasting time on a difficult task more onto an easier one and then back to the difficult task. This normally helps reduce stress. Whilst creating your To Do List ensure that you leave space for flexibility and crisis situations.

8.       Keep Moving - Staying in one position the whole time can put you in a slump in the workplace.  Have some form of activity stimulates blood flow, relaxes muscles and reduces stress. So by getting up, moving, stretching it is one way to have some form of de-stressor. You can also take up a sport or exercise out of working hours to keep a balanced lifestyle.

9.       Eating Healthy – It is so easy to fall into the bad habit of going down to the café and buying lunch every day.  The reality is that most of the time the food is unhealthy and you will walk out with a chocolate and a can of coke. By packing a healthy balanced meal you every day you not only eating correctly you save yourself a lot of money.

10.   Limit your Caffeine Intake – Although caffeine boost your energy, consuming too much caffeine can give you jitters and cause dehydration. You should limit your coffee to no more than three cups a day.  Try drinking more water in summer and herbal teas in winter.