5 Things We Need For Sustainable Performance At Work
We all want to perform well at work and live a fulfilling life. It all gets down to these two simple needs. If we take a minute to contemplate this idea a bit more, those two simple needs get down to a few simple actions. I’m writing this for those folks who work in offices at computer screens: software developers and others.
#1. Get enough good sleep
Big things start with simple habits. The heroic sagas about office super-achievers used to have it that sleep is an annoying waste of time, and people should cut down on sleep wherever possible. Turns out, sleep is vital for our well-being and performance, and here’s an exhaustive read to confirm that. Researches aside, from what I’ve personally observed, some people can sleep for 8 hours straight, while some sleep in chunks, waking up several times per night. What matters most about sleep is that we work in offices. We are not construction workers, who are able to wake up simply by staying outdoors and doing physical work. Anyone whose work involves staring at a screen and thinking will not get away with it. If your body wants to have its share of sleep in chunks, you have to attend to it. No hacks will do the trick. Our problems with health, and hence with performance, are rooted in the careless attitude to the way we sleep. The earlier in life we start taking care of our sleep, the better our chances for long-term viability are.
#2. Re-think your commute to work
You woke up in the morning. You haven’t had enough sleep, for one reason or another. Your morning commute will then add up to the impending stress of the day. We somehow take it very lightly when our doctor says that we need to avoid stresses, and we keep on driving in congested areas, stressing ourselves out in bad traffic jams. If the commute takes more than half an hour, and this happens continually, you will have to re-think your approach, in the end. Either find a way to work remotely, or at least drive to the office only several times per week. We’re doing better with letting people work remotely, looks like. Unless there’s some compelling reason that makes you burn your life in excruciating commutes, consider staying away from them altogether. It might appear that we’re just fine putting up with bad commute or bad sleep. However, as we get beyond our mid 30’s, all those small stresses build up and insidiously sabotage our performance. For someone whose work involves cutting logs in the woods this all is not that bad. The lumber people get their share of fresh air and release their stresses via muscle work. Unfortunately, as knowledge workers, we do not have such privilege. Even if we work out in the gym, the larger part of our day is spent sitting in a chair, and there’s no natural way to release this stress. Bad commutes add up to the unreleased tension which works like a delayed action bomb that ruins us from inside.
#3. Work in a comfortable office space
Our stress ball is rolling on. Office is next in line. Is your office customized to your individual needs? If you feel that you need fresh air, and not an air conditioner, or some green plants around you, or more control with the artificial lights turned on/off, fight for it. If your office looks like a cattle farm with no room for privacy, run away — or educate your higher-ups about the benefits of working in comfortable offices. We are where we spend our time. Harmonious environments endow us with the ability to think clearly, decide justly, and work effectively. Hence, a comfortable office space is another major component of sustainable performance.
#4. Work in a comfortable personal space
This is about interactions with co-workers, work-related or not. We simply need to work with people we like. Besides, a comfortable personal space at work implies smooth communication flows. If we recount how many times a day we need some information to proceed with our work, and what a roadblock to productivity it is when we are not getting this information right away, then we have to write off the time that we spend idling and catching back up with the task at hand as a waste. This is great if a software developer or a QA engineer immerses into a monk-like meditation state in front of their screens, requiring no input from anyone else. If your work stretches beyond solitary meditations, however, you interact with the others; and it’s in your best interest to fine-tune those communication flows, especially if the collaboration is remote. Arranging a comfortable personal space at work also requires a smart approach to meetings. If your energy is drained by too many meetings, flag this to your co-workers.
#5. Work with comfortable tools
Count all those occasions when you face mini-bummers because the tools that you use — all kinds of them — won’t let you do the work comfortably, in the flow. If you were in a packing business, and your job would be to wrap packages, naturally, you would want… a packing table! Just imagine what damage to your knees and to your back would be done, if you were to wrap the packages on the floor for hours, with no table! In office work, if digital tools that you use are lacking and give you a hard time, make effort to obtain the tools that help you do your work with comfort.
This article has been revised and re-written from an earlier version.
