Podcast Summary
Wondery Plus subscribers get early access to '10% Happier' episodes and a free work-life challenge with Dr. Laurie Santos: Wondery Plus subscribers can join a free work-life challenge with Dr. Laurie Santos to improve their relationship with work using science-backed strategies, and early access to '10% Happier' episodes
Wondery Plus subscribers can access early episodes of "10% Happier" and a free work-life challenge featuring Dr. Laurie Santos. This challenge, starting November 8th, includes daily conversations and guided meditations to help listeners improve their relationship with work. Dr. Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University and host of "The Happiness Lab," provides science-backed strategies to increase time affluence, challenge work dislikes, use rituals, job crafting, and handle success at work. The challenge is available for free in the 10% Happier app. Additionally, listeners are encouraged to check out "The Happiness Lab" podcast. Whole Foods Market sponsors the show and offers high-quality products for hosting brunches during Easter.
The impact of time affluence on well-being: Prioritizing joyful activities and using convenient services can enhance time affluence, leading to reduced stress and improved happiness.
Time affluence, or the feeling of having enough time, is important for our well-being. According to social scientists, this sense of time wealth can have a positive impact on our health and happiness, while time famine, or feeling overwhelmed and short on time, can have negative effects similar to those of unemployment. To make the most of your time and improve your overall well-being, consider prioritizing activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as listening to audiobooks or ordering groceries for delivery. For instance, you can take advantage of services like DoorDash for convenience and save time for more enjoyable pursuits. Additionally, you can try Audible for a 30-day free trial to discover new audiobooks and expand your knowledge and entertainment options. By focusing on time affluence, you can reduce stress and improve your overall happiness.
Taking control of your time for happiness and well-being: Making deliberate decisions to prioritize self-care and invest in time-saving activities can lead to increased happiness and well-being, despite feelings of guilt.
Making deliberate decisions to take back control of your time can lead to increased happiness and well-being. The speaker, who recently left a long-term job due to the demands on her time, emphasizes the importance of recognizing when something has to give and making an active decision to prioritize self-care. She suggests reframing time-saving activities, such as ordering takeout or hiring help for unwanted tasks, as valuable investments in one's schedule. It's important to acknowledge the guilt that may come with these choices, but ultimately, the time saved can lead to a greater sense of ease and fulfillment. The speaker's experience serves as a reminder that our time is a precious resource, and it's essential to prioritize it wisely to avoid burnout and maintain overall well-being.
Investing time and money to save yourself time: Research shows a 4-day workweek can lead to increased productivity and happiness. Prioritize and make the most of your time to focus on enriching work.
Investing time and money to save yourself time in the long run can lead to greater overall well-being. This can include outsourcing tasks like cooking or cleaning, or making the most of small pockets of free time throughout the day. Research suggests that a four-day workweek could be an effective way to achieve this, leading to increased productivity and overall happiness. By prioritizing and making the most of your time, you can feel less time-starved and more able to focus on the deep, innovative work that truly enriches your life. So consider where you might be able to save time or outsource tasks, and make a plan to use your newfound free time wisely.
Quality of breaks matters for productivity and well-being: Instead of wasting time on mindless activities, prioritize activities that provide flow, social connection, and fun for high-quality breaks.
Taking breaks is essential for productivity and well-being, but the quality of those breaks matters. Guilt can hinder us from taking meaningful breaks and engaging in activities that truly recharge us. Instead of wasting time on mindless activities like scrolling through Netflix, we should prioritize activities that provide flow, social connection, and fun. For example, playing an instrument with a child or learning a new hobby can be both enjoyable and fulfilling. By recognizing the importance of high-quality breaks and making intentional choices about how we spend our free time, we can avoid the guilt and make the most of our downtime.
Engaging in fun activities with children strengthens bonds and provides personal growth for adults: Adults can learn and bond with their children through playful, connected activities. This not only enhances the parent-child relationship but also offers personal growth and identity shift.
Finding activities that provide playful, connected flow with our children can be a source of fun and bonding for both parties. This concept, as discussed with Dr. Laurie Santos, is defined as fun. It's essential for adults to engage in these activities, not only to bond with their kids but also to learn something new and avoid appearing bored and uninterested. Tom Vanderbilt, a journalist, shared his experience of feeling unfulfilled while watching his daughter learn, leading him to join her in her activities and learn together. This not only strengthened their bond but also gave him a sense of identity shift and personal growth. So, whether it's drum lessons, chess, or surfing, adults can learn and have fun alongside their children. Additionally, discovering new brands like Quince that offer high-quality essentials at affordable prices can contribute to personal growth and wardrobe upgrades. Lastly, exploring companies like GEDIFY, dedicated to relieving knee and back pain, can help adults alleviate discomfort and engage more fully in these fun, connected experiences.
Focus on what aligns with your strengths and values in your job: Job crafting allows individuals to transform their work experience by focusing on aspects of their job that align with their strengths and values, leading to higher job satisfaction and a stronger sense of purpose.
Every small adjustment in our jobs, no matter how mundane they may seem, can lead to significant improvements in our overall job satisfaction and well-being. This concept is known as job crafting, which encourages individuals to focus on the aspects of their job that align with their strengths and values, even if they are not explicitly stated in their job description. A great example of this comes from a study on hospital janitorial staff members, who found that those who saw their job as more than just cleaning up vomit, but rather as an opportunity to make patients laugh and feel better, reported higher levels of job satisfaction and a stronger sense of purpose. By embracing the flexibility within our jobs and focusing on what we find valuable and fulfilling, we can transform our work experience and make it less stressful and more enjoyable. So next time you're feeling stuck in your job, try incorporating some elements of job crafting to help you find meaning and purpose in your work.
Finding joy in monotonous situations: Through job crafting and incorporating fun activities, individuals can make monotonous situations more enjoyable and fulfilling. Establishing work-life boundaries is also crucial for maintaining balance.
Even when faced with monotonous situations, such as pre-med coursework or a humdrum job, individuals can find ways to make their experiences more enjoyable and fulfilling. This can be achieved through job crafting, which involves utilizing personal strengths and interests to enhance one's role, or by incorporating fun activities into daily routines. Additionally, during times of blurred work-life boundaries, such as during a pandemic, it's essential to establish rituals to create mental separation between work and personal life. This can be as simple as shutting down a laptop and covering it with a towel at the end of the workday. Overall, taking charge of one's circumstances and finding ways to incorporate personal passions can lead to a more satisfying and balanced life.
Creating Separations for Better Wellbeing: Designate a workspace, establish routines, mindfulness practices, recognize and address social comparisons for improved wellbeing.
Creating physical and mental separations between work and personal life can significantly improve wellbeing. This can be achieved through simple actions like designating a specific workspace, establishing routines such as family dinners, or incorporating mindfulness practices like meditation. Recognizing and addressing social comparisons is also crucial for maintaining mental health. Our brains are wired to focus on those who seem to be doing better than us, but by becoming aware of this tendency and shifting our focus to our own progress and accomplishments, we can reduce the negative impact of social comparison.
Comparing ourselves to others can lead to negative emotions, but we can reframe our perspective and find joy in our accomplishments and in others' success.: Reframe perspective, focus on progress, practice empathy, and cultivate joy through Moodita meditation to reduce negative emotions from comparisons.
Comparing ourselves to others, especially those who have achieved more than us, can lead to negative emotions like contempt, sadness, and anger. However, the bronze medalist's reaction can serve as a reminder that we can reframe our perspective and find joy in our accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. By focusing on our progress and practicing empathy towards others, we can cultivate feelings of sympathetic joy and reduce our unhappiness. Moodita, an ancient Buddhist meditation practice, can help us develop this skill by encouraging us to take pleasure in the success of others. By closing our eyes and imagining someone we know doing well, and repeating phrases like "may your happiness increase," we can train ourselves to feel genuine joy for others and reduce our own comparative thinking.
Cultivating happiness and success for ourselves and others: Research shows that doing good for others can increase overall happiness and success for everyone involved. Practices like Metta and Mudita help us cultivate compassion, happiness, and equanimity towards ourselves and others, benefiting both parties and the collective.
Happiness and success are not zero-sum games. Contrary to the common belief that good things happening to others means less for us, research shows that doing good for others can increase the overall happiness and success for everyone involved. This concept is emphasized in meditation practices such as Metta (loving-kindness) and Mudita (sympathetic joy), where we learn to cultivate compassion, happiness, and equanimity towards ourselves and others. These practices can have significant physiological, psychological, and behavioral benefits. Therefore, instead of harboring resentment towards our rivals or competitors, we can choose to be happy for them and see their success as an opportunity for us all to grow and add to the collective happiness and success. Love and kindness, like these practices, are not fixed traits but skills that can be trained and developed.
Managing and acknowledging emotions in the workplace: Practicing emotional intelligence, letting go of negative emotions, creating an inclusive workplace culture, and utilizing resources like therapy and hiring platforms can lead to better performance, health, and productivity.
Managing and acknowledging emotions in the workplace is crucial for both personal and professional growth. Suppressing emotions can negatively impact performance and health. By practicing emotional intelligence and letting go of negative emotions, individuals can reduce emotional burden and improve overall well-being. The workplace culture should be more inclusive and conducive to emotional expression, allowing for healthy metabolizing of emotions rather than suppressing them. Employers can utilize tools like therapy and hiring platforms to support their employees' emotional and professional needs. Embracing emotions and creating a more inclusive workplace can lead to better decision-making, improved relationships, and increased productivity.
Suppressing negative emotions at work can harm mental and physical health: Ignoring negative emotions can lead to emotional stress, physical symptoms, and extreme emotions. Practicing mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help us respond to negative emotions in a healthier way.
Suppressing negative emotions at work can have detrimental effects on both our mental and physical health, as well as on our relationships with colleagues and loved ones. Negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, and overwhelm, are like warning signals that something is wrong and needs attention. Ignoring these signals can lead to a build-up of emotional stress, which can manifest in various ways, including physical symptoms and extreme emotions. Practicing mindfulness and emotional intelligence can help us respond to negative emotions in a healthier way, allowing us to deal with them before they escalate and cause more harm. By acknowledging and addressing our emotions, we can prevent the negative consequences of emotional suppression and create a more positive and productive work environment.
Labeling workplace stories can improve communication and relationships: Recognizing and articulating negative thoughts can challenge and rein in negative thinking patterns, leading to less frustration, better decision-making, and stronger relationships in the workplace. Understanding the root cause of disliked aspects of work can lead to more meaningful solutions.
Recognizing and labeling the stories our minds create, especially the negative ones, can help us manage emotions in the workplace. Dan shares how practicing this with a trusted colleague or partner can lead to better communication, stronger relationships, and increased self-awareness. Dan's CEO and he use the technique of acknowledging their amygdala's fears and biases, framing them as their own thoughts rather than facts. By articulating these thoughts out loud, they can challenge and rein in their negative thinking patterns, leading to less frustration, anger, and better decision-making. This practice not only helps individuals but also fosters understanding and empathy between colleagues. Dan also mentions that many people hold a misperception that they hate work, but in reality, they may just dislike certain aspects of it. Understanding the root cause of these feelings can lead to more meaningful solutions and a healthier work environment.
Setting Intentions for Happiness During Leisure and Work: Setting intentions can help us be more present and engaged during leisure and work, enhancing overall happiness. Practice focusing on goals and the present moment to improve leisure time and job satisfaction.
Our perceptions of happiness during work and leisure may be distorted. According to a study, people often feel more engaged and in flow at work than during leisure time. However, when asked which they would prefer, most people choose leisure. To improve our leisure time and increase overall happiness, setting intentions can help us be more present and engaged. This practice, called sati in ancient languages, involves remembering and focusing on our goals and the present moment. By intentionally disconnecting from work during leisure and focusing on the joy and experiences, we can enhance our overall happiness. Conversely, setting intentions at work, such as creating awesome products or having good relationships, can improve our engagement and job satisfaction. By regularly setting intentions and practicing mindfulness, we can better align our actions with our goals and increase our overall happiness.
Counteracting negativity bias and seeking dopamine hits: Join the Work Life Challenge on 10% Happier app for intentional practice and positivity in work life through educational videos and guided meditations.
Our brains have a natural negativity bias and a strong pull towards dopamine hits, which can negatively impact our experiences and memories, especially in the areas of leisure and work. To counteract this, intentional setting and practice are necessary to help us focus on what truly matters and create positive emotions. Dr. Laurie Santos, from the Happiness Lab podcast, emphasizes the importance of this practice and encourages listeners to join her upcoming Work Life Challenge, a free meditation program starting November 8th on the 10% Happier app. By combining educational videos and guided meditations, this challenge aims to help individuals navigate their work lives with more intention and positivity.
Balancing business and leisure while traveling: Frequent business travelers can earn rewards and discover new places, while everyone can save money with Bakers' offers and membership benefits.
Traveling for work comes with its perks, whether it's earning rewards points towards airline status or discovering new national parks. But it's important to remember to pack for both business and leisure. Meanwhile, saving money is a priority for everyone, and Bakers offers not only low prices but also digital coupons, fuel points, and membership benefits to help customers save even more. So, whether you're a frequent business traveler or just looking to save on your grocery bill, these offers can make a big difference. And if you enjoy listening to "10% Happier," consider joining Wondery Plus for early and ad-free access to new episodes.
