Purpose is passion to a happier librarian

I’ve just finished reading a book called How To Be Happy At Work by Annie McKee. She says that happiness at work is about having a sense of purpose and meaning. Purpose is tied to passion, the theme of this month’s GLAM Blog Club.

Usually the things we are most passionate about also bring us a sense of purpose. For example, I am passionate about helping people, whether they’re my friends or my clients. I’m also passionate about travel, mental health, Indigenous and LGBQTIA+ rights. Through paid work, volunteering and my PhD study I am following my passions for all of these things and, in turn, I lead a happier, more purposeful life.

My tips for finding purpose through your passions are:

1. Make a list of 10 things that make you happy and think about how you can integrate these into your daily life. They can be as simple as brunch food, Twitter and reading a magazine – just make sure you make room for them and enjoy them.

2. Volunteer! It’s linked to increased happiness and allows you to pursue your passions without changing careers. I volunteered as a mental health community presenter with the Black Dog Institute for five years because it gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for mental health advocacy while still continuing my other passion of being a librarian (9am-5pm)!

3. This advice is borrowed from Russ Harris’ book, The Happiness Trap but work out what your values are and only pursue work that aligns with them. If you value honesty look for companies with good communication channels and if you value work-life balance choose employers who offer flex time.

That’s my advice, though even I don’t always heed it. I hope if you haven’t found your purpose yet this post on passion will help you get there because both passion and purpose are vital to being a happier librarian!

Be happy, choose life! Rules for work-life balance…

I probably don’t need to say that this month’s GLAM Blog Club theme, balance is vital to happiness. Work-life balance is an actual thing and having it makes you a happier person. I know this because work-life balance is something I’m very good at it.

I work full time, volunteer with three organisations and I’m doing a part-time PhD. Yet in spite of these commitments (and sometimes because of them) I have excellent work-life balance. I don’t have children, flatmates or a partner that I’m obligated to but I’d like to make the point that single people are entitled to work-life balance too. It’s not just for people with children.

If you’re wondering how it’s done, here are my three rules for maintaining work-life balance:

1. Don’t stay past 5pm: I am lucky to have flexible work hours. Being what Gretchen Rubin calls a ‘lark’ (a morning person) I start work at 7.40am and most days I leave at 4pm. I have one rule: don’t stay past 5pm. THERE IS NO NEED TO! There’s honestly very little in a librarian’s job that would require you to stay late – unless you choose to. Instead leave unfinished work until the morning. Get home early and go for a walk. Read a book, listen to jazz music, call your Mum. Write a blog entry. These are meaningful things that add to happiness and that you actually have time to do if you leave work at 5pm.
2. Put your friends first: I choose my friends above work, volunteering and PhD study. I think friends are the most important part of happiness. Having friends to share experiences with is a good reminder that you are someone outside of your job. Your friends like you for who you are, not what you do. It’s a far better thing to lose a job than a friend.
3. Prioritise your happiness: Make being happy a priority. This might mean leaving work unfinished or handing in a less than polished PhD chapter. But happiness is not about working long hours or getting perfect grades. Happiness is the people you have in your life and choosing to spend your time wisely. Reading, being creative, volunteering, visiting cultural institutions, exercising 30 minutes a day and spending time with friends are the top activities recommended by happiness theorists to make you happier. Working, whether at the office or studying, is not one of these things. So think carefully about how you spend your time.

My top three tips for work-life balance are less about work and more about life. If you have any other tips to add please feel free to share them with me in the comments field or on Twitter. And while work does bring a sense of achievement and meaning, make sure that you also be happy and choose life!