Improving Your Work Ethic

Surveys and studies indicate that the most common reason for missing work is “being sick”. While this is a general term for many different things other studies show that on average 30% of workers call in sick when they are not actually ill. (This doesn’t include using sick days because you are out of PTO.) When pressed in other studies workers gave reasons such as not feeling like going in, needed to relax, needed a mental health day, etc. Many of these employees calling in sick when they are actually healthy lack motivation or a desire to accomplish tasks at work. They have a poor or low work ethic. A work ethic is a set of values and ideals based on hard work and discipline. Building a strong work ethic means training yourself to be disciplined and follow these values. Different companies and industries value different things when it comes to work ethic. Some may value time in the office while others value number of tasks accomplished. Even other value quality of work, so the fewer bugs your code produces. Regardless of the particular industries values a good work ethic includes time management, focus, discipline, and dedication. To improve your work ethic takes effort, introspection, and discipline. This isn’t something that happens over night. It takes time, you will be working at this for a while and learning about yourself and your own motivations as you go along. Improving your work ethic will benefit you for a long time. Not only will your job satisfaction and reputation improve but you will improve your efforts in all areas of you life. Episode Breakdown First off, you have to take care of yourself. Being physically healthy will help you be more productive at work. Being physically unhealthy can lead to feeling lethargic. This could be from lack of sleep or not exercising regularly. It’s amazing how much replacing sugary drinks with water makes a difference. Part of having a good work ethic is also knowing when it’s time to not be working. Working too much leads to mistakes and being overwhelmed. This in turn leads to burn out, where you are extremely unproductive. You need time to recharge, this makes you a better person and better connected to the users of your app. Exercising will increase your energy level. Physical exercise will help you body but also energize your mind. Lack of exercise leads to imbalances of hormones and neurotransmitters. Push yourself, this will help build self-discipline. A key to being productive is to be well rested. Being truly tired, not just procrastinating, means that you need a break. This is more than just getting enough sleep, that varies from person to person. It is also being mentally rested, which could be reading a novel, playing video games, painting, hiking. Create your own set of standards. These standards will help you define your work ethic. Set them high so as to give yourself something to aim toward. You are in charge of your own career, it’s up to you to work toward improving it. If you don’t like your situation at work then set your goals toward improving it. Use your standards to develop a professional attitude. Professionalism is more than just dressing nice and showing up on time. It also involves your attitude, values, and how you carry yourself. Practice being positive and polite. Be respectful of others. Avoid gossip. Built up your reputation as an honest and consistent employee. Creating standards is one thing, following them takes self-discipline. Stay focused on the goals you had when setting your standards. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by short-term, quick gratification.