A Habit to Less Drama

Studies show this one daily habit reduces gossip, nonsense, and cliques

Is there anything worse...? Going to work every day knowing grudges and interpersonal conflict is inevitable. Its a sure way to distract us from our work and make us feel exhausted and fatigued even before looking at our first email for the day. When our teams are rife with these issues the possibility of collaboration, sharing, or cross-functional problem solving become near impossible. I have seen teams self-destruct and entire careers derailed because of this.

But, there is one practice everyone can do to dramatically reduce these friction points in our teams. A new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology tells us that the daily practice of gratitude directly reduces the incivility, gossip, and ostracism seen in workplaces. In this study, participants wrote down a few things they were grateful for every day for just 10-days. Participants reported they were involved in a lot less rudeness, back-stabbing, and general nastiness than others.

I have been habitually journaling and keeping a gratitude journal for a few months now, as studies suggest a practice of over 10 weeks will yield strong and significant results in terms of happiness and sustainable mental fitness. I have found it to be an enjoyable process and cannot see myself stopping. 

A few tips from my learnt experience:

• Keep it simple - a pen and paper. Write three things you are grateful for per day.

• Add why - state what you are grateful for and add why you are grateful for it. 

• Be specific - the more detailed the more helpful your gratitude journaling will be.

Here is template I found online.

In the toughest of times, a low-to-no cost practice like this can make a significant difference. If you are anything like me, you'll just give it go. Who knows, it may work wonders for you and your team!