Leave Your Bad Day at the Office


Posted February 9, 2016

Bad days; we all have them.

More than just a nuisance, bad days can ruin productivity and morale - making you less efficient in both the short term and long-run. In order to keep yourself productive, you need to be able to walk away from your desk or workstation at the end of the day and mentally separate yourself from the stresses of the past few hours.

Of course that sounds easier said than done, but with some discipline and a few good habits - leaving a bad day at the office isn't really all that hard.

Invest in some 'me' time

If you're having a busy and stressful day, the tendency might be to take your aggravation out on your work and stay late. However, that can only exacerbate the problem. In fact, if you can, try to leave early instead. Giving yourself time to approach the problem with fresh eyes and energy can actually be more productive.

Also, spend your commute home 'decompressing' from the day. Don’t rush home. Listen to some of your favorite music or put on a funny podcast. This decompression time means you won't make it home to family or friends in a full-tilt fit of rage. Taking your frustrations home will only have you lashing out at loved ones, and then you'll have a whole other set of problems on your hands.

Draw a line between work and home life

Unfortunately, a bad day may mean taking some work home to finish. If that is the case, set aside a part of your evening for work and stick to that schedule. You'll need time to calm down before bed to ensure a good night's sleep. Combining a bad day with a bad night's sleep will make it difficult to bounce back with a good day tomorrow.

If you have appointments to keep, do everything in your power to keep them. Don't put off a dinner date with your romantic partner or skip your child's recital. If you get into the habit of breaking promises for work, you are sending a bad message to your loved ones. Keeping a promise can also get your mind off work and help lower your stress level for the next day.

When you are spending time with a loved one, make every effort to be present mentally. Just like not keeping your personal appointments, thinking about work when you're supposed to be thinking about someone close to you sends a bad message.

In order to leave a bad day behind, practice self-discipline. It may be difficult, but doing so will not only make your home life better, it will also make you better at your job. Keeping a good balance is also key to having a long and successful career.

If the bad days keep piling up at your organization, a talent acquisition arrangement could be the solution. Feel free to contact one of the leading employment firms in the South. At Ambassador, we can get to work on finding the right solution for your company.