Top 7 Tips To Put Some "Life" Into Your Work

Want to put more "life" into your work? Take some of it with you! Everyone has a life -- work is only a part of a well-balanced, satisfying, fulfilling life you work at day by day, minute by minute. The old adage, "All work and no play makes Jack (and Jill) miserable to work and live with" is so true. If you're thinking, "with my job I don't have a life," you need to GET ONE! Jobs come and go, but life happens every day. Bring the best of what makes your life worth living to work, and plan strategies to improve the rest. The choice is yours!

Here are seven tips to put some "life" into your work day.

1. Bring them along.
   
   Bring a favorite picture of your kids, dog, significant other, spouse, plant, or whatever to work! Not the posed, department store portrait type with the fake background. The one with the kids with finger-paints all over them, the birthday "surprise," the spectacular blooming cactus, or Fido wearing the holiday reindeer antlers. Find a picture that makes you laugh or smile -- and display it in a nice frame.
   
   
2. Spread some cheer.
   
   Got a favorite quote, short inspirational story or funny cartoon that makes a point? Post it on the outside of your office, work station or cubicle for passers-by to read at their leisure. Smile and greet everyone you encounter -- from the boss to the custodian. Everyone needs a little encouragement, and yours may be just what someone needed.
   
   
3. Get Moving!
   
   Are you a runner? Walker? Bring your athletic shoes to work and get out of the office at lunch time or for a short ten minute "sprint break" around the building. Even walking through a gentle drizzle or crunching through the snow can be invigorating. Getting out of the building can give you just the amount of distance from your work to see a situation in a different light.
   
   
4. Get Lost!
   
   Bring your favorite book, crossword puzzle, crafts project, etc., to get lost in while you're eating your lunch. Whether you knit, needlepoint, or solve brainteasers for fun, getting lost in an activity completely removed from work is a great "brain-break" and can refresh the mind and soul for the rest of the day.
   
   
5. Get Out!
   
   Lots of companies have picnic tables or other outdoor rest areas. Take your lunch outside and watch the birds, clouds, or talk with a friend. Pack a picnic -- a hot dog and bun to microwave, chips, soft drink, watermelon chunks, and your favorite cake snack. Add a red-checkered paper napkin and you're all set.
   
   
6. Trip Out!
   
   An art aficionado? Homeless advocate? Mountain climber? Find a poster that depicts where your interests or passions lie, and
   display it in your work area where you can see it. When the day gets hectic, take a moment and put yourself in the poster -- scaling the peak, strolling leisurely through the art museum, or raising walls at a Habitat for Humanity home site. Feel stress fade away as you take a virtual mini-vacation. When you return, you'll be refreshed to take on the rest of the day.
   
   
7. Chill Out!
   
   Pass on the regular lunch session with your co-workers. Find a quiet spot to think, plan, or write down your thoughts in a
   journal. Close your office door (if you have one), find an empty conference room, put your feet up and take a power nap. Plan your next vacation; write a poem, some letters or thank-you notes. Make a list of all your blessings. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a long while and let them know how special they are to you.

Mary Nestor, President of MJN Consulting, is a national performance consultant; motivational speaker, seminar leader, technical writer, author, and executive coach who specializes in quality of work life by helping client organizations improve performance, quality and productivity of people and processes. For information on balancing work and life, customer service, communications or teambuilding for your organization, call her at 800-725-1147, email at or visit the website at www.mjnconsulting.com