6 Ways to Find Purpose and Meaning During Your Work Day

In a perfect world, each work day is filled with meaning, purpose, and variety. You find it easy to stay engaged with your work, face challenges head-on, collaborate seamlessly with your colleagues, and consistently make progress toward your goals.

The problem? It’s not a perfect world. If you sometimes feel like you’re in a rut, uninspired, or disengaged, you’ve got plenty of company.

Thankfully, there are a few simple but impactful things you can do each day to boost your mood, clear your mind, and motivate you to keep moving forward with purpose and clarity.

1. Focus on outcomes, but don’t forget to reward effort. At work, we’re usually laser-focused on the end-product because we want investments of our time and money to be worthwhile. But studies show that rewarding effort, not just results, creates a positive feedback loop. By associating favorable feelings with effort, we develop a penchant for tackling more arduous tasks in the future. In other words, we can condition ourselves to enjoy hard work.

2. Say “thank you” to someone. Think of the last time you felt unappreciated at work. Now imagine how fulfilled you would have felt had someone reached out to you to say thanks. Every day, you have the power to make a positive impact on somebody with a simple “thank you” - and it won’t take more than a few minutes of your time. Not only will you feel a sense of purpose in lifting others, but you’ll also develop a greater sense of connectedness and happiness at work.

3. Change your scenery. While having a productivity-enhancing workstation is incredibly important, don’t underestimate the value of varying your locale every now and then. The stimulation that new environments provide your brain can carry over to work by catalyzing new ideas and problem-solving. What’s more, research shows that a change of scenery can put you in a more positive frame of mind.

4. Create meaning by talking about experiences (e.g., shared purpose). As you are going about your day, take the time to look for opportunities to talk to others about their experiences. Hearing how others have found purpose and meaning in their work can give you some great ideas about how to do the same throughout your day.

5. Level-up. Just like in video games, there’s a thrill you get as you level-up. In much the same way, you can find creative ways to improve your skills and test your abilities. The key is to constantly learn new things to improve your performance. Leveling-up will help you feel accomplished and fulfilled.

6. Work-Life Integration. Find a way to integrate your work with the rest of your life. However, do not allow your work to overpower and consume your life. It is important that you make sure to take the time you need to be alone and with your loved ones. This will help you maintain a healthy perspective on both your work and your life.

In a fast-paced world, it can be difficult to find purpose and meaning in work. We often feel like we are on a roller coaster day after day, without any real sense of accomplishment or fulfillment. This can lead to a lot of unhappiness. However, it is possible to find purpose and meaning throughout your workday; you just need to know how and where to look for it. By experimenting with these tips, you can start to find more satisfaction and fulfillment throughout your day.

This post was co-authored by John Masella, Abraham M. Gutsioglou, Ph.D., and Ron Riggio.