How To Make Work More Satisfying

The Science of Happiness

PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2024

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Finding ways to bend tasks toward your strengths and passions can make you happier, more productive and find more meaning in your life — no matter your job.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4ky325rs

Episode summary:

When the poet and former professor Susan Glass first retired, she stacked her days with so many volunteer gigs and passion projects, she felt like she was working harder than ever before. Now, she wants to prioritize living a life of meaning and enjoyment. Susan tried a lab-tested practice called Job Crafting, where you take stock of the tasks that fill your day, how much time and energy they require, what really lights you up, and what changes you can make to better align your efforts at work (or in your free time) with your genuine strengths and passions. Then we hear from researcher Maria Tims about how Job Crafting doesn’t just benefit your own well-being and help to guard against burnout, it can also boost your whole team’s productivity and morale.

Practice:

Create a “before” sketch: List all your regular tasks, and note each one as low, medium, or high in terms of the time and energy you actually devote to them.
Reflect on and write down what motivates you, what your strengths are, and what you’re passionate about.
Create a more ideal (but still realistic) "after" diagram, shifting draining tasks from “high” to “low” or “medium” if possible, and boosting energizing and enjoyable tasks where you can.
Create an action plan: What are some concrete changes that are in your power to make? Are there places where you need to ask for the support of a colleague or supervisor to make a change?

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/job_crafting

Today’s guests:

Susan Glass is a retired English professor and visually impaired, Bay Area-based poet. She’s the author of the poetry book “The Wild Language of Deer.”

Read Susan’s book: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me

Learn more about Susan’s life and work: https://tinyurl.com/j3pcjn6r

Maria Tims is a professor of Management and Organization at the University of Amsterdam School of Business and Economics.

Learn more about her work: https://tinyurl.com/mtp7tpy3

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Make Life More Meaningful (The Science of Happiness Podcast) https://tinyurl.com/39pth57f

How to Be More Engaged at Work: https://tinyurl.com/2s3t5x2c

How Oxytocin Can Make Your Job More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8458h

Four Keys to a Healthy Workplace Hierarchy: https://tinyurl.com/788m6tme

More Resources for Improving the Job You Have:

HBR - What Job Crafting Looks Like: https://tinyurl.com/453yamac

LSE - Can workers really craft their own happiness in the job? https://tinyurl.com/yjavhda9

TED - The Power of Personalising Our Work: https://tinyurl.com/4cvznn8v

Tell us about your experiences finding meaning in your day-to-day tasks. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I am going to be 68 in a couple months. I have more earthly time behind me than ahead of me.
0:08.0	How can I live most gently and most happily?
0:12.0	And what would that mean? and what would that look like?
0:15.7	After the initial relief of retirement I was, well I've got this bucket list I've got to get
0:21.1	it all done and so I was looking at do I want to go
0:23.2	become a harp therapist do I want to go back to school and get a degree and I also
0:27.9	went to every volunteer organization I knew the California Council of the blind and others and I said put me to work put me to work and
0:35.7	guess what happened I found myself with 60 hour weeks busier than when I was working and I was not happy. It's time to move
0:46.8	from the practice of working to the practice of living and it's going to be a battle for me always to feel that if I haven't
0:58.8	structured everything I'm in trouble because I have little guilt whips. They're everywhere, you know, and they pop out. They become problematic if you're trying to be a happy person.
1:10.0	I want to feel more deeply about everything and if I can't feel something I'm notacker Keltner. And our guest today is
1:29.3	Susan Glass, a visually impaired poet who's 10 years retired from being an English professor
1:34.7	but she's been treating retirement like many do like a job so for our show
1:40.0	Susan tried a lab tested practice to make her retirement feel more fulfilling.
1:46.0	It's called job crafting, and essentially it gives you prompts to reflect on what would create
1:52.3	more meaning and joy in your work.
1:55.0	Studies show this practice helps us feel happier and like our lives have more meaning,
1:59.0	both on and off the clock. Later in the show we'll hear from scientist Maria Tims on how
2:06.3	the practice works. We know from a lot of research that if this fit between the
2:11.4	person and the job is good, that really helps you to keep a healthy,
2:16.0	motivated team.
2:17.0	But first, my conversation with Susan after these ads.
	...

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