27 Critical Non-Essentials for Happiness at Work

Last month was not great for English Rugby, and as the England team reflects on their time in New Zealand and what might have been, I’m reminded of the tremendous success of 2003 when it was all so different and then captain Martin Johnson lifted the Webb Ellis trophy.

In his book, ‘Winning’, Sir Clive Woodward OBE charts his team’s 2003 success and shares the strategies and approaches that made the difference. One such approach, that Woodward borrowed from Australian dentist Paddi Lund, is to pay attention to ‘critical non-essentials’ (CNEs). It’s the idea that focusing on 127 small things and making each of them a little bit better gave England the edge over their competition. None of these 127 ideas alone made the complete difference, but together they contributed to a successful mind-set for the players, helping them to win 42 out of 47 matches between 2000 and the World Cup final in 2003. Thus, Woodward was a stickler with the players for such disciplines as turning up 10 minutes early and not swearing in public.

Lund applied the concept of CNEs to his dental practice to create a happiness-centred business that works on a referrals only basis and is successful beyond belief. This got me thinking about applications for us in the workplace. Let’s say you want to feel happier at work. No doubt there are some pretty big changes you might make that look as if they could move you closer to this outcome. But what happens if you apply the CNE principle instead? I figured that 127 ideas would make for a rather long list, so here are 27 critical non-essentials for feeling happier at work…

1. Wear your best outfit today (and see how many people ask you what’s the occasion).
2. Stand up straight and put your shoulders back when you walk into a room.
3. Make a point of telling 3 people about something you’re really proud of.
4. Give a heartfelt piece of positive feedback to a team member. Be specific about what was great.
5. Do something today for no other reason than that it makes you feel alive.
6. De-clutter your desk and notice the effect on your mind.
7. Pay it forward – do a good deed for someone without need for compensation (pay for a stranger’s coffee at Starbucks, or sign up to be an organ donor).
8. Smile at everyone you work with today (and those you don’t).
9. Take a brisk half hour walk at lunchtime.
10. Breathe deeply before making a speech or giving a presentation.
11. Make a list of your wildest dreams – anything goes!
12. Turn your next team meeting into a game.
13. Make your time out of work special, for example, eat ‘properly’ this evening. Set the table with candles and napkins – and take your time over the meal.
14. Have an email free day and pick up the phone instead – or better still talk to people face-to-face.
15. Write down everything you’re good at.
16. For a whole day, resolve to see the best in everyone you meet.
17. Make smiling the first thing you do in the morning (a friend of mine swears by this).
18. Drink 8 glasses of water – it really does make a difference.
19. Listen to a fab piece of music you haven’t heard for ages.
20. Learn how to do something new.
21. Write your ‘ideal job’ spec – and tick off what you’ve got already.
22. Have a coffee with someone you don’t know very well.
23. Engage with a client or internal ‘customer’ and ask them what they like about the service you / your team offers.
24. Do something sporty with a colleague – go for a run, play squash, or attend a yoga class.
25. Have a 20-minute ‘moan’ session with your team. Capture everyone’s moans on a flipchart – the more outrageous the better. Then fold the paper and put it through the shredder.
26. Write just one thing on your to-do list and do it really well.
27. Stand up from your desk and take a walk around every 30 minutes.

So, there are 27… just another 100 to go then … suggestions?

Which ones make it onto your personal Happiness at Work CNE List?

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