I was reading this article from Brip Blap about 15 ways to make your 9 to 5 job more enjoyable, and I thought that I would share them with you.
- Get Up Early
- Stop Smoking
- Stop Eating Junk Food
- Exercise
- Groom
- Hygiene
- Smile
- Read/Listen
- Eat Lunch With Humans
- Take Breaks
- Leave Early
- Do Errands on the Way Home
- Take a Shower When You Get Home
- Go to Sleep Early
Tips I Agree With The Most:
I really like his idea about taking breaks and leaving early. I always took a break every hour and a half when I was working in an office setting. I also always left at about 4:55pm every day. I made sure that all of my work was current or even MORE than current, and I would leave just a little bit early. Some people think that this shows you are too anxious to get out of the office, which is probably true, but I think it shows more that you worked efficiently throughout the day, and you can afford to leave five minutes early. Bosses like employees that are on top of things, not staying late every day to catch up on work. It’s also very important to take care of yourself, because this greatly affects the outlook you have on your work and work life. It also gives bosses and employees a better impression of you when you show that you care about yourself.
What I Need to Work On:
I really need to start going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. Ever since I left the conventional office life, I have been going to sleep a little later, and waking up a little later than normal. I feel so much better when I go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 6:30pm, rather than going to bed at 12am and waking up at 7:30am. I also had a hard time eating lunch with other people. I always sat out in my car, listened to the radio, and took a short nap during my lunch break. I would encourage you to consider taking short naps on your lunch break as well. I would doze off for 30 minutes during my lunch break and feel much more refreshed for the next four to five hours. It helped curb the 3pm low that we all experience from time to time.
If you have any other suggestions for improving the mundane work life, write a comment below!
3 responses so far ↓
1 Brip Blap // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Hey, I’m glad you found that useful and built off of it. Taking a short nap - if you can get away with it - is a great idea. Once it’s warmer in the New York area I will probably get back in the habit of dozing on a park bench for 5 minutes, but not having a car around means that my only real napping opportunity would be sleeping, a la George Costanza, under my desk
2 Karl Staib - Your Work Happiness Matters // Mar 26, 2008 at 10:36 pm
More companies should have little napping areas. A 2o minute nap is better than chugging down a cup of coffee - better decisions and no crash.
I would suggest trying to improve yourself at work. We think that work is for work, but work can be used for personal growth too. When on the phone try to cut down on the ah and ums. You’ll probably be surprised by how unaware you are of this habit.
Let me know if you want a few more ideas.
3 Jonathan Mead // Mar 27, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Hey there Erik, these are great tips, thank you for sharing them.
I think the hardest one for me is the same as what you’re struggling with. For some reason it takes a lot of discipline for me to go to sleep early and wake up earlier. But I always feel better and more fulfilled when I do.
I guess it’s time to work on the self-discipline muscles.
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