How to Make Work Fun

As a member of the 24/7 society, work is an essential part of life. In an ideal situation, you love what you do and wouldn't trade it for anything - even if that means being strapped to your smart phone during your daughter's soccer game and answering emails at 2am. However, many people are working in a position that they may not have dreamt about. They're sitting at their desk with a stack of papers trying to stay motivated enough to finish (I blogged on that, too!). So...how can they beat the blues?

Fun, possibly silly refreshing things to do at the office. Here are a few ways you can do to liven up your day and actually make work fun*.

Work Happy Now Suggests:
1. Bring in stickers that a third grade teacher would have i.e. “You are Great,” and pass them out.
2. Have a paper airplane contest on break. Whoever’s plane goes the farthest gets an extra 15 minute break/a prize/lunch for the day.
3. Give every co-worker a special rock that you picked for them and tell them why they got the rock that you gave them.

Project Magazine Suggests:
4. Have an adventure - Be an adventurer.  Look at each day as an opportunity to do something different.  Some adventurers we have had include: hold supplier workshops, start a supplier advisory council, visit some major customers, work on a cross functional team, or organize a talent show.  An adventure can advance your career and make your job more fun.

And from Tom Stern at Fast Company, here are some tongue in cheek ideas:
5. Bring a karaoke machine to the office and stage "American Idol" contests at lunch break (that was the tamest idea).

Ideas like this can help break the monotony of day to day tasks without pulling too much away at the job you have to do. I hope they help!

* These suggestions will vary from person to person - I hope at least one will add a new perspective to your day or at least make you smile to yourself.

~Kendal

Professional Resolutions for 2012

We are in the middle of the 2nd week of January and as I have already destroyed my diet plans by eating cake and bangers and mash for supper last night, I plan on refocusing my resolutions for 2012 on my professional self. January is a great time to refresh goals, plan for the future and start something new. So...what do you plan on accomplishing in 2012? Here are a few ideas:

1. Get Organized: Look around your desk space at work and at home. Spotless?  Probably not and it doesn't necessarily need to be. But if you have a pile of papers you can't remember the last time you went through or a file drawer that hasn't been opened since 2008 - you may want to go through and recycle. Keep the important items, shred or dispose of the unnecessary. Often lose items or documents? Make a place for each item - get that pencil holder/file holder/paper tray/cabinet. Now is a great time to make your space work for you!

2. Set Goals: Want to get your MBA? Learn a new language? Take charge of your finances? Clean out your closet? Create a better social media strategy? Write it down and put that goal in a place you can see it daily. Every time you get a little bit closer, give yourself a small reward. Positive reinforcement can remind you why you're aiming for this in the first place.

3. Start Networking: Seattle is full of clubs and organizations where you can meet people with similar interests (and possibly goals). Join your chamber of commerce, attend that working woman's lunch, see if your Alma mater has a mentor/mentee program you can become part of (or a local chapter of the alumni association). In addition to giving your business a promotion and possibly meeting customers (in a non-formal/non-sales pitch like atmosphere), you may start networking with people with interests and concepts beyond you current scope - thus teaching you something new.

Two additional articles with some great tips and ideas for 2012 are at Turnstone's Blog and  at About.com. (I personally like about.com's #9 tip, but didn't want to self promote. But I'm glad to see they thought of it, too!).

Good luck with your resolutions - it's never too late to start anew! Would you add any tips to my list?

~Kendal

Helpful Technology for your Class or Office

Working in a showroom, I often get to see cool and useful technology that many people may be unaware is available. You could have seen it at a client's office or vaguely remember something similar on Star Trek, but the truth is there are some really great tools out there that can help make your work life much easier. Here are 4 of my favorites (click on the vendor name to visit the product site)

From Steelcase, "Through the integration of furniture and technology, media:scape is reshaping the way people collaborate in a connected world. Most collaborative work spaces today support leader-led presentations where information is controlled and shared by one person at a time. media:scape removes these barriers and democratizes how people access and share information by allowing all participants to contribute their ideas – equally, quickly and seamlessly".

From Polyvision, "The flexible and agile eno one height-adjustable mobile solution is tailored for the comfort and safety of teachers and learners. Gliding the board up or down brings math problems to eye-level. The unobtrusive ultra-short throw projector minimizes shadows and glare. And, the dedicated projector icon strip gives the teacher more control—right at the board. No matter the teaching style or accessibility challenge, eno one meets teachers and students wherever they are".

From Steelcase, "RoomWizard works with a variety of calendar systems including Microsoft® Outlook® and Lotus Notes®. Meetings can be managed seamlessly via web, laptop or smart phone. When workers find an open meeting space, they can reserve it instantly and get to work. It even keeps track of space utilization with a database that measures and reports reservation patterns".

From Details, "The Walkstation is the combination of a fully integrated electric Height-AdjusTable Worksurface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. At a maximum speed of 2mph the Walkstation lets you walk comfortably, burn calories, feel healthier and more energized...all while accomplishing the work you’d normally do while seated". Personally, I can't wait until we get this back in the showroom!  

All of these tools help organize, create, collaborate, and/or keep you moving. Please feel free to leave a comment for any feedback about these products!

~ Kendal