Take Breaks. It’s a fact that taking breaks will increase productivity. It’s been proven in studies. If you need to, find someone to help ensure you take a morning and afternoon break.

My favorite way to take a break is through a short nap, followed by a rich cup of coffee (although some researchers recommend that you drink coffee prior to napping, so that the caffeine will act as a natural alarm clock when it kicks in 20 minutes later).  In Japan, where workdays often  last 12 hours, naps are becoming a common tactic to maintain mental agility throughout the day.  Read more about their innovative nap salons here and here. I wish every public space has a safe, clean place to take naps.  Can you imagine how well rested and cheerful we would all be?

Another effective way to take a break at work is through “desk yoga.”  I always feel better at work, physically and mentally, when I take a few moments every now then to stretch out my cramped legs, strained back, and typing-weary fingers.

If you’re a guy, and you’re about to skip reading this section of the article because you think of yoga as a predominately female activity, wait just a second.  Read through these simple yoga-inspired stretches and seriously consider giving them a shot.  They are designed to increase alertness and release stress, and most people find that they really do work.  Read instructions for desk yoga here and here.

What kind of breaks do you take to stay contented and alert on the job?

-MJ

Don’t Check Email First Thing. Unless this is required in your job, then let it go until after you’ve completed your top priority of the day. And then process email in batches, say two or three times a day.

This makes sense.  I would feel very happy if I could knock out my day’s top priority before checking email.  Unfortunately, I often feel like I have about 10 things to do in a day that are all labeled “Top Priority.” By working at them all a little at the time throughout the day, I generally finish enough of them to feel satisfied.

How do you manage your email? Do you really feel like wading through email each day decreases your contentment or productivity?  Do you have any suggestions for alternatives?

-MJ

The United States and other wealthy countries need to downscale their lifestyles and try to focus more on inner contentment, the Dalai Lama said Sunday.

There simply aren’t enough natural resources on the planet to support all 6 billion people on Earth imitating western lifestyles. Because there are limitations on external material resources, but not on internal ones, it’s better to seek contentment and peace rather than material things, he said.

Click here for the full article.

Americans grow happier as they grow older, according to a University of Chicago study that is one of the most thorough examinations of happiness ever done in America.

The study also found that baby boomers are not as content as other generations, African Americans are less happy than whites, men are less happy than women, happiness can rise and fall between eras, and that, with age the differences narrow.

“Understanding happiness is important to understanding quality of life. The happiness measure is a guide to how well society is meeting people’s needs,” said Yang Yang, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and author of the new article.

The research relies on data that social scientists consider the gold standard of happiness research–responses to questions about contentment with overall life gathered in the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center, which the National Science Foundation supports at the University of Chicago.

Click here for the full article.

Written by Tal Ben-Shahar and Geri Weis-Corbley

If happiness is the currency of life — the true measure of success, how hefty is your happiness account? How abundant is your contentment? How much happiness can you afford to give? Do you hoard or hide your true desires? Do you resent others for their happiness and curse their rose-colored glasses? Here are seven ways to boost your levels of happiness, and therefore, your success.

Click here for the full article.