I recently read an article with this title and as I was reading I thought, well some of these have merit. But others don’t. So, I decided to compare my ways to theirs.
1. Have an Organized Workplace
I agree. You have to be organized. But I have found throughout the years that everything doesn’t have to be neat and clean in order to be organized. I had a friend who had the most obnoxious desk. There were post-it notes all over the place. There were stacks of everything everywhere. If he needed me to find something on his desk for him that would not have happened. But he knew where everything was. He never lost a thing. By contrast I had another friend who had nothing on her desk. But she could never find a thing. She drove me crazy. Your workplace is a sacred place. Pay attention to it.
2. Be Exposed to Sunlight
Lighting is so important. Everyone will tell you that. But I don’t think you have to have natural sunlight coming into your workspace. You do have to be comfortable with the lighting. I can’t stand too much light. And I can’t stand too much dark. So when my workspace was too bright I asked maintenance to come in and take out a row of fluorescent lighting that caused a glare in my eyes. There have been times that I have kept the lights off and only had a desk lamp. But at the time I had a big window in my office so I had plenty of natural light. Get comfortable.
3. Keep a Plant on Your Desk
I don’t agree with this. I kill plants. All the time. So a plant on my desk stresses me out. Plus I don’t want to have to worry about them while I am out of town or something. But I do think that flowers are the most wonderful thing that you can have on your desk. They smell wonderful and they just make you smile. We have a local florist where you can pick up a loose bouquet for next to nothing and it will last for an entire week. It wouldn’t hurt to have a standing order.
4. The 3 Martini Lunch
Personally I don’t go into drinking at lunch. If you’re going to drink, do it at the office. Ha! There was a time I worked for corporate America and I had a very stressful job. I wasn’t the only one. Everyone who worked in our office was stressed most days. We had an exceptional month one time and I talked our General Manager into stocking an old bar that was in the office. He gave us $200 to buy whatever we wanted. Well, I brought a blender in from home so we had the makings for Margaritas. But we had other things in there as well. It was more of a joke than anything else. But there were plenty of days that I would sneak into the bar and help myself to a stress reliever. When I left that job I kept a travel-size bottle of Maker’s Mark in my desk. I still have it. I have never been that stressed in a job again. And I don’t plan on ever being that stressed again.
5. Sitting Most of the Day
Several years ago I found out that I had degenerative bone disease, another fancy term for arthritis. I had it in my lower back. I had it because I have spent my entire working life sitting. Seriously. The experts say “don’t sit for more than an hour at a time”. That’s nice to say but not all of us have the luxury of being able to get up and walk around every hour. We might be toggled to our computer or to a phone, or both. My recommendation is to stand when you can and if you run to the restroom, take the long way. And when you get home at night, don’t sit around there.
6. Pets in the Workplace
I have a supplier who has a cat in their warehouse. That cat is treated like a king. He has the run of the warehouse and is played with whenever he wants and gets to eat whenever he wants. Someone even comes in on the weekend to feed him. The thing I have noticed though is that lots of people really enjoy going to the warehouse, for whatever reason. I know the reason: to play with the cat. I have an office to myself. I don’t have to worry about anyone having an issue with one of my pets coming to work with me. But I have the issue. I bring my dog on occasion. Usually the occasion is when he needs to go to the vet. But then I spend the entire day worrying about him. I worry that he needs to go out to relieve himself. I worry that he’s going to drink too much water or not enough water. I worry that he needs more to eat than what I brought. I don’t like that. But if you have the opportunity, try it out. It might work out fine for you. Maybe it would be different with a cat.
7. Don’t Eat at Your Desk
I think that’s good advice. I don’t like to eat lunch at my desk. I do like to eat at my desk: cookies, candy, pretzels. But I do agree with the theory to get out of the office. If you have errands to run, get out and run them. If you don’t have anything else to do, get out and walk. Move. Breathe. Enjoy the sunshine. Interact. But if you can’t get out for lunch, get away from your desk. Find a picnic table and just sit down. Breathe. Enjoy.
8. Listen to Music
Can I get a “hell, yeah”! To me this is a no-brainer. Research has shown that employees who listen to music “complete tasks quicker and come up with better ideas”. Music also reduces stress, especially if you are able to choose your own music. I have always touted that you had to have a soundtrack of your life and there is no better place than your own workplace to develop and embrace it. I know that there are reasons why some workplaces won’t allow music but if you have any opportunity to listen, please do so. Keep in mind that your co-workers may not like your playlist so either keep it down or use headphones, if you can. Music keeps you sane and just might put a smile on your face.