Learn Well and Work Well – Ways to Achieve Optimal Mental Health – Part 3 of 4

According to the World Health Organization, “Learn and work well,” is the third attribute of good mental health. Both learning and working require a commitment to keep growing and to do your best in your career. (Let’s add parenting as a career here since it’s certainly a full-time job). Mentally healthy people naturally want to excel in both areas. There’s something inside a person that drives them to want to keep doing better.

Learn Well

Learning well means two things. First, we continue to learn beyond the basic requirements of a particular demand. You aren’t satisfied with just checking off required assignments. You desire to go beyond the basics and learn as much as possible. This isn’t essential in all topics, mainly the ones you’re interested in. Hopefully, these topics coincide and or support your career. They should also coincide with your hobbies and interests. For many people, these topics can turn into careers. They also broaden one’s knowledge and help to instill a greater sense of confidence.

Continuous learning is a great defense against all the current concerns about ‘work imposter syndrome,’ and anxiety. The more you learn about a topic, the less fear you have of being inadequate.

Aside from mastering a particular area of learning, it’s good to dabble around areas that may not be as appealing. Stephen Covey’s book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, recommends daily reading. I usually have three or four books bedside and read a couple of pages a day out of each. Over time, you can broaden new interests and increase areas of expertise.

Learning doesn’t just concern academia. It’s also about engaging in personal growth and how to keep stretching. When you keep easing out of your comfort zone, you’ll continue to be a better version of yourself.

Work Well

There’s a big difference between working well and working a lot. Working well means you accomplish what you set out to do, or more. One of the most important aspects of working well is refusing to procrastinate. You have a ‘do it now’ mentality. This allows you to get things done in a timelier manner and have more free time to enjoy doing what you want.

Working well means you accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively. You’re organized and stay on task. You’ve learned how to prioritize tasks and check them off as soon as (instead of as late as) possible. If you finish early, you work ahead with future projects so that you create more relaxing time when you’re off.

People who work well balance delegating with overseeing tasks. They know they can’t do everything and share responsibilities with others. This provides an opportunity to share knowledge and teach others specific skills. At the same time, they still maintain oversight (with diplomacy) to be sure those duties are correctly completed.

A good work ethic also means being a team player. You step up to help other people. You allow others to help you, so you don’t waste time struggling with something easily resolvable. You give credit where it’s due. Getting the job well done prioritizes any personal credit.

Learning and working are just two aspects of mental health that go hand in hand. Learning not only contributes to being an enthusiastic and more capable person. Choosing the challenge to learn and work well can be an exhilarating journey throughout the game of life, ending with the feeling of a well-lived life and a job well done.

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