Get More Done While Maintaining Mental Health

Working faster sounds great, and if it were as easy as just flipping some sort of switch, we’d all be doing it. The challenge that we often run into is a trade-off between getting more done and our mental health. Fortunately, there are ways to balance working quickly and mental health.

Over the last two year, many of us are also facing the challenges that come with working from home. Even with those who are returning to the office, many are doing a hybrid model by working from home some days. With children in the home as well, it can be more difficult to maintain our mental health and get work done.

Since it’s mental health awareness month, we wanted to provide some thoughtful ways to accomplish your work while also prioritizing your well-being. But first, we need to address the issue of burnout.

WHAT CAUSES BURNOUT?

The American Psychological Association defines burnout as a physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion that comes from an overburdening workload. Employers are starting to recognize that burnout is a real problem and are trying to lighten the workload for their employees. Unfortunately, you may even experience burnout with a manageable workload. If you’re experiencing burnout, know that you’re not alone. A 2020 survey conducted by FlexJobs found that 75% of workers have experienced burnout.

Fortunately, if you are feeling burnt out and your workload is manageable, there may be a solution. Working faster will help you finish tasks while also maintaining quality. One way to work faster is to recognize what type of work style works best for you.

FINDING YOUR WORK STYLE

Think of your work style like your personality type from a Myers-Briggs personality test. Similar to the Myers-Briggs, knowing your work style can help you navigate the world a little bit better through self-awareness.

The six primary work styles include:

Independent: Determined, hardworking, and works better alone
Cooperative: Excellent communicator, interpersonal, and thrives in groups
Proximity: Adapts well to any project thrown their way due to a variety of skills
Supportive: High emotional intelligence, helps resolve conflict, and can bring people together for collaborations
Detail-oriented: Very thoughtful, great at reducing risks, and notices small details
Idea-oriented: Really creative, full of ideas, and optimistic

Once you discover your work style, you can then find the fastest way to work that also works for you and your mental health. This flowchart can help you find your work style and begin testing out various methods.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT YOUR WORK STYLE

When you decide that you’re going to prioritize your mental health, it’s important to communicate your wants and needs to others. Many of us don’t work alone, and even if you do, there are going to be people in your life that you may need to speak with. Let’s go over some common situations where you’ll need to communicate with others to implement your work style.

BE A TEAM PLAYER

If you work with others, communicating your work style can benefit everyone involved. You don’t necessarily have to tell your co-worker, “I’m an idea-oriented worker,” but much like other aspects of your well-being, it can help to communicate what you want. For example, if you’re working on a collaborative project and know that you’re detail-oriented, offer to take on the tasks that suit your work style.

Those are fortunate enough to have a boss who listens may want to consider chatting with them as well.

By doing this, you’ll be able to get work done faster, and what boss or coworker wouldn’t love that? For you, this helps prevent having to work late or have additional work the following day.

SET BOUNDARIES

People pleasers may struggle with this one, but it’s an important one. A crucial aspect of working faster is knowing when to say, “No.” If you’re an independent worker, this is even more important because you work the best when you can focus. This means that although you want to be helpful, you may need to decline when someone asks you to take on an additional task that may interrupt your work.

For people who work from home, this may mean that you need to communicate with your family and set boundaries as well. This can be difficult, but remind them that you want to be able to complete your work faster so you have more time to spend with them.

TAKE BREAKS

Finally, we sometimes need to set boundaries with ourselves and develop a habit of taking breaks. Being a hard worker is an admirable quality, but denying yourself breaks can take a toll on your mental health. Not only that, but research shows that taking breaks improves your focus, which will result in being more productive.

Always remember that prioritizing our mental health and overall well-being makes not only makes us more useful at work, but it helps us be more present for the people around us. Most importantly, taking care of our mental health is an act of kindness to ourselves as well.