Fun and work aren’t words that are commonly associated with each other, unless you work for a company that goes out of their way to ensure your time at work isn’t a chore. However, with National Fun At Work Day coming up, you might be wondering how you can add a healthy level of fun to your work day. Luckily, there are quite a few ways to make this happen without forcing you to spend a fortune on items to help out. These ten ideas will help your workplace feel more than just the daily grind, which will make you enjoy spending your time there all the more. So, get ready to boost your mood when you start utilizing a few of these tips.
1. Walk Around
One of the main problems with working in an office is you actually don’t get up and move around a whole lot. This can really make you feel tired and bored a lot faster. Not to mention, it has a lot of adverse effects on your health. One of the best ways to change the way you feel is to get up and walk around every few hours. This will get the blood flowing again and might even help out with your attention span. Walking around can help you get to know your office better too. This will allow you to have more fun and might even help you to meet new people you can casually chat with. If there are stairs in the office then try to walk up and down them too, if time allows. The more you keep your body activity, the happier you will feel and the more fun you will have.
2. Bake Treats
Another great way to find some fun in the work place is to offer some treats to your colleagues. If you enjoy baking, then you can easily make some of your favorites to share with those you work with. Putting some love into your treats will help others feel closer to you, which will help you make better connections with your co-workers. Having delicious treats around will also help boost your own mood, which is certain to make the lull of the day feel a lot better. Try to enjoy your treats while mingling with others though, as it will help give you a boost of joy while allowing others to feel the same way. You might even find that others act on your example and bring their own treats to share.
3. Decorate Your Workspace
One of the easiest ways to have some fun with work is to decorate your space. Looking at stark walls or a boring cubicle can really bring down morale. So, try to incorporate things that you really enjoy in life. For instance, pictures of loved ones, especially those that show you having a good time, will help keep you feeling happier as you work. You might consider placing motivational posters or other forms of art, which will give you a space that is entirely unique to you. Plants are another great item to have, which will create a cozy environment that even helps offer fresher air. This alone can rejuvenate you, while boosting your mood. Apart from that, you might also bring some fun elements like figurines, slinkies or anything you can play with when you’re feeling like work is too much. Before you know it, your space will seem a lot more efficient.
4. Create a Club
A club might not seem like something that should be handled in the office, but many work locations have thriving clubs. This doesn’t mean you should conduct meetings during work hours though. Instead, consider meeting during your lunch hour once a week. You can come up with all sorts of clubs too. For instance, you might find likeminded people who love to read. You can all get together to discuss a book every now and then and come up with ideas for the next thing to read. If you’re interested in a sport, then have some colleagues join a team with you. There are many leagues you can join that work specifically with teams created in the workplace. Creating a club like this will help bring comradery into the office, which will make your day to day tasks feel less grueling.
5. Set Goals
One aspect of having fun at work has a lot to do with the goals you set. If you come into work feeling as if you are going to be repeating the same day over and over again, then you’re not going to have any fun. You may even find that your life feels a lot more meaningless. Your goals can be both long and short term goals to help you get through the hours in the day or the months in the year. You should always reward yourself for the goals you accomplish too. For smaller goals, you can offer yourself the opportunity to play a level on one of your mobile games or a simple piece of candy. Larger goals might be rewarded with weekend trips or a new pair of shoes that you’ve had your eye on. Before you know it, you’ll be working more efficiently and having fun doing it.
6. Be Friendly
When it comes down it, one of the best ways you can find more fun in the work place is to be kind to everyone you meet there. Being friendly will help you make friends and will even get you out of some tough situations you might not want to deal with. If you feel like your coworkers are also your friends, then work will become an environment that brings you less pressure. This is great for your health and will make your day to seem a lot more fun. Having friends in office will encourage joking around as well as laughter. As you know, laughter is one of the great natural cures, so you should be able feel amazing just by altering your behaviors. If you’re not sure how to be friendly with some of your colleagues, then start off with a smile and a simple greeting whenever you see them.
7. Be Open with Bosses
Another major problem with the office dynamic is so many people are afraid of their bosses. The distance between boss and employee can cause a lot of stress and discomfort in the office. You can take the relationship in a healthy direction by being open with your bosses. For instance, if you think it might boost morale in the office by implementing a Casual Friday every once in a while, then you might want to open dialogue to see if this is a possibility. You will be surprised as to how attentive some bosses will be with matters like this, especially if they feel like it could help out with production. Due to company policies, you will probably never be friends with your boss, but having a friendly outlook toward one another can really help make life easier and happier for you. You may even be able to get a few more office parties out of the deal to make life more fun.
8. Mix Things Up
Repetition can be one of the main problems when it comes to working. Doing the same menial task day in and day out can leave you feeling like you’re in a slump. If you want to remedy this problem, then you have to mix things up. Doing things in a different order can help to solve this problem. For starters, you might do one task last instead of first, just to change things up. You can even alter your lunch by bringing food that you wouldn’t normally have. Of course, the best way to deal with this problem is to come up with a fun routine that will keep you on your toes. This is certain to bring some fun to your daily tasks, which will make you feel like you’re having fun with a new game.
9. Utilize Stress Relief
Another problem that really brings people down in the work place is their stress levels. In order to make life a bit more fun in the office, you might want to consider a few things to help you manage your stress. For instance, a stress ball or fidget spinner can really help you get rid of some excess energy while ditching your stress. These items can bring a little fun to your day too, which is an added bonus. A newer technique you might want to consider is tapping. This method actually uses the body to help calm itself down. There are a few places you can tap that are discreet and will help you ditch stress for good while you work. Of course, laughter will also get rid of stress in a hurry, so make sure to try to find some funny elements to cheer you up while you work.
10. Find Distractions
A lot of people don’t think that distractions at work are a good idea, but they couldn’t be any more in the wrong. Distractions can actually help you become more productive at the work place. This doesn’t mean that you should avoid your work. Instead, find ways to distract you that only take a few seconds to a couple of minutes. For instance, you might want to stop and play yourself a song if you find yourself slowing down at work or getting too stressed out about something. You might even consider watching a video or doing some breathing exercises that put you in a good mood. No matter the distraction, make sure you find the time to enjoy something you like once or twice a day, at the least, so you don’t feel as if your entire day was wasted doing something you actually dislike.
Finding fun at work is actually a very important way to maintain your own mental health. These tips should allow you to have some fun while keeping true to your work. So, this National Fun at Work Day try to find a little more enjoyment, so you can start the year out finding even more love for your job.
