How to improve flexibility at work without succumbing to intent

Flexibility is an important skill to master both for managing stress and for adapting quickly to change.

Having a good level of flexibility makes life easier, less stressful and hectic. However, there is also another side of the coin: flexibility does not mean being a “rod in the wind” that lets itself be carried away passively with each change.

In this article, we look at some tips for becoming more flexible at work while maintaining a good balance with your personal life and goals.

Treccani defines flexibility as “the property or characteristic of being flexible, ease of bending, and, figuratively speaking, to vary, to modify, to adapt to different situations or conditions“.

Being flexible in life means that you can change your plans and easily adapt to new situations. It is very common for people to prefer flexibility in their professional life as well: taking care of flexibility at work means learning new skills and taking on responsibilities outside of your starting position or what you have always done.

It’s a feature that can undoubtedly offer more career opportunities, get you more clients if you work independently, and make your work routine more satisfying.

One of the main benefits of embracing flexibility is to avoid the fear that often feels in the face of impending change.

When you’re flexible, it gets easier:

Usually embracing flexibility in your personal life can help you be more flexible at work too. Each person faces different types of change over the course of their life. Some life changes can be predictable and you can prepare yourself a little in advance: think of the times you changed school or job, faced a move or decided to expand your family. Other types of change, such as losing a job, getting sick or an unexpected breakdown in your home, can happen unexpectedly.
But you can learn to deal with the unexpected with some little tricks that will also be useful in your professional life:

There is no way to escape changes because they are inherent in human nature and in the social system in which we move every day. Accepting that changes are inevitable and mentally preparing for the fact that they will come sooner or later can reduce some of the fear and anxiety you feel when circumstances really change.

Exercise proactivity

The term proactivity originates in the business environment and indicates an attitude with which people act in advance to face a future problem . The Garzanti dictionary defines proactive as the person “who does not just react to events but strives to foresee them and to prepare new action plans”.

Exercising proactivity therefore means having some form of control, even minimal, over future changes. By doing this you will be able to have more confidence in your abilities and eliminate some of the fear of unexpected changes in your life.

One way to improve flexibility is to set long-term goals that inspire you to take extra steps to achieve it . It can be a goal of career advancement, acquiring new customers, increasing income or even reducing the weekly working hours to devote more time to a hobby.

Whatever your medium to long-term goal, always keeping it in mind will also help you deal with moments of discouragement and the inevitable obstacles you may find along the way. Dedication to your goals also allows you to learn to say no when necessary .

Another great way to heal flexibility is to get out of your bubble and learn new things , about your job but beyond. Read, take courses, hang out with other people who work in your sector or in related sectors. You may find that there are alternative ways to manage the headaches that bother you most at work; that people approach change differently; that always relying on “it has always been done this way” risks chaining you to limiting and harmful situations or attitudes.

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