A lot of people have a love-hate relationship with their jobs. Even those who are the most passionate in what they do sometimes find themselves in a rut, most commonly on Mondays. What to do during days like these? Here are 5 simple but highly effective ways to make your days more pleasant while at work.
1. Smile!
Whether you’re in a permanent position or a temp job, and whatever industry you’re in, a smile makes all the difference. Smile for yourself, smile at your co-workers, smile at your clients. Even if you’re shy, try smiling at strangers too! More often than not, a warm and genuinely friendly smile gets reciprocated. You make yourself feel better, and you bring joy to someone else’s day as well.
Here’s a tip: try to wake up smiling, and then hold it for 5 minutes. It’s been proven that if you wake up smiling, you are more likely to have a happier day. Putting a smile on your face will instantly up your mood and change your attitude for the rest of the day. This causes a chain reaction that can positively affect the workplace and the customers or clients you may be dealing with.
2. Redecorate
Rearrange your work space, whether it’s a huge corner office or a small cubicle. What’s important is that your space is a reflection of who you are. It should be inspiring – it doesn’t have to make sense to everyone, just to you. Move your desk, reorganize your cluttered bins and drawers, or add a few decorations. New pictures, inspiring words (or even a dream board), or basically anything you can do or add to make the space as inviting as you need it to be. It cuts the monotony and feeling of dread you probably unknowingly associated with your little personal nook.
3. Do Something Kind
Whether it’s for a co-worker or a customer, doing something kind for others is one of the easiest (yet sadly often overlooked) way to make your work day and environment better. Take a sincere interest in people, try to help customers to the best of your abilities, or even leave a sticky note on your team mate’s desk just to say hi. Buy a friend a cup of coffee if he or she seems to be having a bad day at work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small or huge gesture – things like these works!
4. Focus Rather Than Multitask
Instead of doing many things at once and juggling a ridiculous amount of work, do something you’re passionate about (or at least, focus on and do something really well). Guess what? There has been scientific studies that prove humans are not supposed to multitask, as we simply are not built to do so. Keep your focus on one thing at a time, and apply all your energy to it so you can do that well. You’ll be more productive, rather than a jack of all trades who’s a master of none.
5. Leave the Office for Lunch
A study revealed that at least 2-3 times in a week, 75% of Americans eat lunch at their work desk. What’s shocking is that some companies even offer bonuses for people that do this! It’s a bad idea, because not only do you suffer – so does your work. A new atmosphere, even if it’s only for a 15-minute break spent walking, gives a person that much needed good kind of interruption to keep themselves in check. If you pack lunch every day, at least go to the pantry or eat elsewhere other than your work desk. Mingle with the people you work with, explore new restaurants (especially those holes in the wall), or just take a general breather from the four walls of the office.