Internet Productivity, Why Your Mood Affects Your Work!

Is Your Mood Holding You Back From Success?

Your mood or attitude is one of the primary factors that determines your results. The fact is that a positive mental attitude is the foundation for success in any endeavor. How can you improve your mood or mindset? There are a number of ways, some of which have to do with the way you think and plan each day. There are always some simple changes you can make to your immediate environment that can improve your mood.

Setting Goals and Getting More Organized

One way to improve your attitude is to get more focused and organized. When people are unfocused and not sure what to do next, they tend to get distracted and even depressed. Everyone has heard how important it is to set goals. Not everyone, however, knows how to do this in the most efficient possible way. You should set both short and long term goals. Long term goals, like earning a certain amount of money by the time you reach a certain age, help to motivate you.

They remind you of the big picture and give you a reason to keep going. Short term goals are equally important. This means goals for the month, week, day and even hour. You can break them down as you see fit, but the point is that goals help to keep you organized and on track. When you have a large task, you should break it down into smaller parts. You can then set a goal for how much you want to accomplish in a day, or by lunchtime. If you have employees or a team, you can work together on these goals.

The Importance of Time Management

Another crucial factor in helping you stay focused and positive is time management. Time is the key to how much you get done every day. While we all have the same number of hours each day, we don’t use them with equal effectiveness. Managing time works hand in hand with short term goals. If, for example, you set the goal of finishing a certain report within 2 hours, this gives you a specific deadline. You must then manage your time in a way that lets you meet this deadline.

If you let yourself become distracted, the time will slip away and you will fall behind. Some people find it helpful to use a system such as Pomodoro for managing time. This is a system where you work steadily for 25 minutes, with no distractions. This means not checking email or Facebook, taking calls not directly related to your task or anything else. You are then allowed a 3 minute break. After 2 hours, you can take a longer, 15 to 30 minute break. This is a simple yet powerful way to manage time all day long. If you want to try this, you will need a timer.

Further reading: Maximize Your Productivity By Getting Focused On What Matters

Transforming Your Environment

You might not realize how important your environment is for keeping you in a positive and productive state. Everything, from the color of the walls to the carpet has a subtle effect on how you feel. That’s why it’s a good idea to take inventory and see how you can improve your surroundings.

Further reading: Tips for Organizing the Office

Here are a few things to keep in mind regarding your environment:

• Lighting -If your working space is too dim or there’s a glare, this can definitely affect your mood. Whenever you can, take advantage of natural lighting. The next best thing are bulbs that are just the right brightness. Do a little research on light therapy and experiment with different types and colors of bulbs and find out which puts you in the best mood. 
• Decor -No matter where you live or work, you could probably lift your spirits by making some changes to what you have on your walls. Uplifting and bright images, whether photographs, paintings or posters can help keep you in a positive state. If you are looking for a simple way to create a cheerful mood, check out a site like Vinylsplash that has a variety of items that can help.
• Sound -The sounds that surround you also have an impact on how you feel. Having a high quality sound system with good music playing in the background can be very helpful. You don’t want music that’s too loud or distracting, though. It’s best to have the music suit your purposes. Classical or ambient music is often good for staying focused and feeling positive when working. 
• Air Quality and Aromatherapy -The air we breathe is also something that affects our mood as well as our health. An air purifier, humidifier or de-humidifier can help to make the air more healthy and invigorating. Don’t forget the sense of smell. Flowers or essential oils can be used to create a more positive mood in a room, office or home. There are many different scents to choose from, and research shows that this can indeed affect how we feel. Plants and flowers are great for not only scent, but also visual appeal and air quality.
• De-clutter–Clutter can have an insidious impact on your mood and productivity. This is true both at home and at the office. Clutter makes the space around you feel smaller, and gives you a sense of being out of control. It also makes it harder to find things, and therefore slows you down. Take the time to go through your piles of paper and other types of clutter. Get rid of what you don’t need, and organize the rest! If necessary, get some efficient storage units so that you can keep things more orderly.

Conclusion: Your Mood Can Help You Succeed!

Your mood plays a significant role in how successful you are. By learning how to focus your time and energy more effectively, you can accomplish more each day. We’ve looked at a few ways to start doing this. Time management skills can help you stay on track on get more accomplished. Transforming your immediate environment can also make you feel better and make you more productive. These are just a few of the ways you can achieve more by improving your attitude.

Featured images:

• Image: Now-later

Trinda Robbins is a home maker & business entrepreneur at heart. When she gets time to herself, she likes sharing knowledge about home decor. The rest of her time is spent operating VinylSplash.com, making sure customer satisfaction is at the highest of standards.