You only live once…happiness should be your priority! Yes, even at work you should be having fun. Take a look at these tips to start each day with sunshine on your face!
1. MAKE YOUR WORKSPACE A HAPPY PLACE
It starts with your space! And that space is your workspace. Be it shared or not, where you work and the aesthetics of your workspace can affect your mood. Have you tried decluttering? Or adding some home comforts or pictures of your family and pets to your desk area? Seeing a neat, organized, and productive desk can help to create a similar decluttering in your mind, enabling clearer thinking and boosting your motivation.
There is research which suggests being able to see something green (in the form of color or environment) makes you relaxed. In which case, adding some small plants to your workspace may ease any anxieties, make you feel more relaxed and hence enable you to have more fun at work.
2. PRACTICE EMPATHY
Empathy is a not-so common thing in our daily lives. But being kind won’t cost you too much, will it? You can practice empathy in many ways. One perfect example is doing good for others. Practice empathy to your workmates; check on each other from time to time. By understanding one another more, you can form lasting friendships with your colleagues, create a more harmonious work environment and hence make it easier for you de-stress and have more fun at work.
3. APPRECIATE THE SMALL STUFF
Appreciating the small stuff is like being thankful for having five slices of bread than second thinking you should have gotten a whole loaf. Neglecting to appreciate may lead to disappointment and dissatisfaction.
The small stuff may come in various ways, in various forms in the workplace. Sometimes, the things worth appreciating are just around, existing, and not being seen by the naked eye. Now, try looking around you to see the joy you can gain from the small things.
4. HAVE A GOOD LAUGH
Relax and breathe! Seeing the good in everything is a good starting point for having a good laugh. Do you remember the last time you laughed so hard you could barely breathe?
Exchanging jokes and sharing funny stories with your workmates is one way to have a good laugh in the office. When engaging with people, put down your phone and enjoy the conversation. In the modern world we are always glued to our phones, often neglecting to appreciate the things and people who are right in front of us. Put down your phone and talk more with your colleagues- share your dreams, stories, and jokes.
5. GET UP AND SHAKE THOSE LEGS
Research suggests that sitting down all day in front of a computer at work can affect your mood negatively. Walking every once in a while may help you boost your mood as it releases the right hormones. Take a quick 5 to 10 minute stroll if you can during work breaks.
Or if your are too tired to walk, try stretching. It helps in blood circulation…while also helping you to avoid sleeping at your desk! A little pull and push, twist and fold can keep your energy levels up, allowing you to have fun in the workplace!
6. CELEBRATE EVERY NOW AND THEN
We know special occasions do not happen every day, but it’s possible to see the good in every situation. Try to recognize small victories. You submitted on time or hours before the deadline? Then you deserve a good meal or a nice drink!
You can celebrate work anniversaries, birthdays and many more! Celebrations don’t need to be grand. A good example is to have a good lunch with your favorite dessert- that in itself is a celebration!
7. DO NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Relax. Do not worry so much, because it always get better. Sweating the small stuff leads to anxiety and nervous energy; it’s hard but try not to overthink! It leads to nowhere but a black hole of negativity. Sweating the small stuff won’t do you good; it takes too much of your time and makes you unproductive while stopping you from having fun at work.
8. GAME NIGHT!
Not all workplaces provide entertainment such as video game consoles, dart boards, football tables and board games for employees to relax and bond in the office during breaks. If these aren’t provided in your workplace, consider approaching your human resource department. You can even take it upon ourself to bring some board games or a deck of playing cards to the office to unwind during lunch breaks or after work hours.
Why not introduce a weekly/monthly game night where your team bonds by playing board games or video after work. Having entertainment and games in the office would surely help you have more fun at work. Be proactive- make an effort to introduce these fun elements during breaks in your work day.
Go ahead and try these tips for how to have fun in the workplace- what have you got to lose?
You spend so many hours in the office during the week, you should make an effort to make it a fun place to work.
