Tools for Increasing Your Well-Being

One of my favorite techie tools and books of 2013 has been Well-Being by Tom Rath and Jim Harter from Gallup. Those who know me well know that I am captivated by the field of Positive Psychology - Listening to lectures about it kind of reminds me of listening to General Conference. The field studies people who are resilient in challenges, happy, and who maximize their personal potential - or at least seem to live life with the most meaning and joy.

The book Well being highlights 4 main areas:

• Career
• Social
• Financial
• Physical
• Community

The book also includes in it a specific code to access to online tools assessments that help you identify and then increase your personal well-being. 

Here are some of the questions that it asks on a daily basis.

Is it rocket science? Nope.

Is it common sense? Kinda

Is common sense common? Good question.

After taking the assessments and a much longer one that offers much deeper insight, it generates charts and graphs for you personally and also provides a place for you to set specific goals. Using the research that the Gallup group has gathered through vast studies, it recommends ways to increase your enjoyment and meaning in life, based on what seems to have been most effective for thousands and thousands of people.

Some of the recommendations in various areas include things like

• Career
• Opt into more social time with the people and teams you enjoy being around at work.
• Social
• Spend six hours a day socializing with friends, family and colleagues (this time includes work, home, phone, e-mail, and other communication).
• Financial
• Buy experiences - such as vacations and outings with friends or loved ones.
• Spend on others instead of solely on material possessions.
• Physical
• Get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day - ideally in the morning to improve your mood throughout the day.
• Community
• Identify how you can contribute to your community based on your personal mission.

With research-based information directly correlated with individuals' quality of life, personal questionnaires that generate not only a snapshot of where you're at but also how to progress from your present state, and also including personalized charts, graphs and goal setting tools, this book is one that I highly recommend for anyone who is "into" studying and enhancing the quality and well-being of their personal life. If you're interested in this kind of a great and relevant read, here's the link.