10 Ways To Have More Fun At Work

Not everyone has the luxury of enjoying what they do on a daily basis.

But if some of the start-ups in Silicon Valley and all around the world are anything to go by, work does not have to be a drag.

It’s International Have More Fun At Work Day and we’ve compiled 10 ways you can add a little bit more sunshine to your daily life at work.

1. Plan your day around food

If there’s anything most humans can agree on is that food is awesome, so why not structure your day around food? Start with breakfast and then lunch. One way of making meetings a lot more fun is by turning them into food events. Instead of staring at a white screen in some dreary boardroom, perhaps set up a table and some chairs outside and ask everyone to bring their breakfast or lunch to the meeting and you’ll see some happy faces that actually look forward to meetings. Have one dedicated day where everyone at the workplace brings a food item to share and voilà, you have yourself an office buffet. Ask the company to subsidize drinks. Companies that offer free lunches, specials and different menus rate much higher than the one’s who don’t.

2. Find the great outdoors

Nature is a very important part of the human psyche. Spending our days staring at walls is enough to drive anyone crazy. Having a dedicated area outside with some plants, trees and flowers will make taking breaks a much more fulfilling experience for people. Office spaces need enough light and some greenery to balance themselves out, not to mention more oxygen flowing into the space. Some companies have even gone as far as creating glass boardrooms in a garden setting to make those long meetings a lot more bearable.

3. Shake your body on the office floor

A large percentage of people spend a large portion of their day sitting down and staring at a computer screen. There are many ways to combat this, dance is one. While many offices cannot afford to have a room just dedicated to dancing, having a 15 minute dance off at least once a day could be fun. Get your colleagues to compile a playlist and play three songs from the playlist every day and you’ll instantly turn your office into a fun space. Dance has many healing properties and is a great way to relieve stress and encourage a fun-filled work environment.

4. Insist on downtime  

The human brain can never function like a robot. We can push ourselves to the limits by working long hours but at the end of the day, we will crash and burn, it’s just logic. Taking your lunch breaks, tea breaks and embracing the down time is the key to staying focused and energised. Most reputable companies have dedicated spaces to chill and unwind during your breaks and after hours. Contrary to popular belief, a company that encourages breaks and relaxation times will increase its productivity because the employees feel a lot more refreshed and willing to tackle work.

5. Party

Although not encouraged during work hours, hanging out and partying with your co-workers will make for a better work environment. Firstly, it gives you a chance to get to know them outside of the work context, which benefits you at work, it’s a win win. Office bars have become quite popular since the 90s and have been adopted by many companies, old and new, why not start one and ask colleagues to bring their own drinks for the last hour of every Friday afternoon.

6. Laugh as much as possible

Still the reigning queen of feel good times, nothing beats laughter in the office space. If your office gets to laugh together at least once a day, it will make for a happier environment. Although people have different senses of humour, sharing a video or a funny article with your colleagues can spark great laughs amongst colleagues as long as it’s light (cat videos), universal and not offensive. If you take five minutes every day to laugh together, the result will be astounding.

7. And laugh some more

8. Inspire Creativity

Even if you are not in a creative field, creating an environment where people can express themselves freely will result in much higher productivity and inspiration. How about setting up a company Pinterest or space where people can share ideas and inspire each other or a dedicated creative room with a lot of puzzles, activities, visual stimulants that can help unearth the creative potential of your colleagues or employees.

9. Acknowledge that you have a life outside work

All work and no play makes for a very dull life. One thing that will make you instantly happier at work is knowing that you are just as fulfilled outside of work. Yes, we might spend most of our lives working but that does not mean our lives have to be boring. Take leave, go on holidays, leave work at the right time, make up for the days you worked late, spend time with friends or family and you’ll be a better person at work as well.

10. Make it a mission to be happy

There’s a popular belief that happiness should just fall from a tree and land on our laps because it is our birth given right to be happy, well it isn’t. You have to make yourself happy and by doing that, you will be able to deal with people around you a lot better because you will never put yourself in situations that make you unhappy and will recognise those situations immediately.

And lastly…

work…