I've recently started at a desk job. Which is great because I love the result and reward in my work, but the routine of the office has been grueling. I like movement, fast-paced, and some intense hype that keeps me on my toes. The slow office walks with convenient coffee Keurigs always within reach, accompanied by the quiet lull of noisemakers above my desk have made my brain turn a little bit to mush. All of the computers, administrative tasks, flats for shoes, and fluorescent up-lighting has me sleepy and a bit dull, so I've come up with some tips that have helped me survive the days of office life.
1. Wake Up And Do Something You Enjoy
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Start it off right, every morning I try to do something I like. I'll either go outside for a sunrise walk, get in a hard workout, read some good words in my Bible, or make a hearty breakfast. I choose something that wakes up my body and gives my brain a settled outlook for the day. After an activity, I take some time to stretch out and sit on the floor. There's nothing like watching the ceiling fan above you and thinking about whatever your mind is tending towards. With all of the high input and stress, the stretching of our bodies and minds can help us to break out of the four walls and breathe a little bit calmer.
2. Pay Attention To Your Meals
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In order to feel not only confident, but energetic, it's important to give your body good things. Take the time to pack lunches that have variety, nutrition, and something that your taste buds will agree with. Every once in a while go out to lunch and get a different view if you can. With the lull of typing and air conditioning, the eyes can feel a bit weighty. Spice up your water with some lemon, bring an apple as a snack, and make sure your filling your body with food that's going to help keep your energy up and your tummy happy.
3. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
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Set a timer for twenty five minutes. In that twenty five minutes you are not to look at your phone, open up an unrelated tab, or welcome any distractions. It's so important to remember that you have purpose in your job, and that the tasks in front of you are relevant and fundamental to the work you have been hired to do. Set a timer and commit yourself to doing your job well and with attention. Let momentum carry your thoughts and accomplishments once you're done.
4. Walk
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Do not allow yourself to sit in a chair all day long. Get up every hour. Go to the bathroom, take a quick loop around the cubes, grab some water from the water fountain. Move your body. And if you can, poke your head outside or look out a window intentionally a couple of times throughout the day. Notice what's around you, and take some time to admire your surroundings. Also, it's so nice that we have legs that we can walk on. Appreciate that, too.
5. Leave On Time
Make sure you're guarding the personal time that has been allotted to you. Your job, though important, is a part of your life and not the making of it. Leave work at work and compartmentalize your energy to that work for the time intended for it. If there is not enough time in the day for all of the tasks that has been delegated to you, ensure that you are taking the necessary steps to communicate that to the people responsible for that delegation. If you are the boss, consider hiring on another hand to delegate those 'somethings' off to. Respect yourself, your brain, and your family to take the necessary steps to protect the precious time for them.
6. Remember Why You Chose This Work
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Sometimes it takes a good 10 minute sesh of reminding yourself why you took the job in the first place. Maybe it's time to reevaluate, remember, and resettle the decision in your mind. If you feel that it might have been a mistake, pray about what it might look like to search for a different position in the workforce. Maybe it's time to hunker down and put in the hard labor to reach an important dream you've been pursuing. Maybe your goals have changed and it's time to reorient yourself and make a beeline to a more relevant goal. Whatever it is, pep yourself up and figure out your motivation, then focus on that and do the next right thing.
7. Create Your Space
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If you're going to spend eight to ten hours at work, you might as well make your space somewhere you like being. Hang some pictures up, display some literature you like or a special keepsake, spend the extra money on a chair that's going to relieve your back pain. Make it a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable place where you feel ready and willing to work. Individualize and own it to make it feel compatible with your own vibe and likings.
8. Think Of Reasons To Appreciate Your Co-Workers
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These are the people that surround you. Take the time to figure out the things you appreciate about them, and emphasize those good things in your mind and with your words. Be kind and considerate to their work space. Be a good team player and hand your shit in on time. Respect them. Have healthy boundaries. Care for them outside of work and ask them how they're doing. Do they like their job? What brought them here? Let them know who you are and find out who they are.
And last but not least, pray. Pray for perspective to value each day, and sit in thankfulness for the opportunity to work.
Have fun at the office, everybody!
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