Pause for Praise

The practice
What do you do when you finish a task? Do you get started on to the next one straight away? Or do you pause for a second to tell yourself, "Great. I just did that. That's a good job well done."

This week, try the second strategy: Washed the dishes? Well done. Pause for a second and appreciate them looking clean. Finished the spreadsheet? Fabulous. Pause for a second, breathe and give yourself credit.

The theory
Workplaces have become more stressed as downsizing has squeezed workforces over the last few years. Many of us have to rush from one project to another, multi-tasking to get everything done. We receive little or no praise for our work. The result is chronic stress.

Pausing for a few seconds to appreciate your own work is not only a little rest, and a chance to assimilate the fact that something is finished, but it will gradually shift your focus from the endless list of things that haven't been done yet, to the fact that you're accomplishing things all the time. This builds a sense of mastery and satisfaction, rather than anxiety and stress.

The results
This experiment may sound like a waste of precious time, when you have a To-Do list as long as your arm. But it makes a huge difference to your sense of yourself and your motivation to cultivate a self-praise habit over the long term.