What little things do you do at work that make it more fun/ bearable?

[KillerReels]

I'm having bit of a crappy time at work. My motivation has been really affected and id like to feel more happier like I used to. My work colleagues, though not my friends are nice and I get along with them and we have a laugh too.

What small things do you do that help keep your spirits up and make you look forward to the next day?

Nice lunch
Nice coffee
Fun nails to admire 😂

Why are you having a crappy time though? Is there too much work or not enough training or difficult customers or what? I think I'd focus on that first if possible.

Good idea for a thread! I'm feeling a bit like you OP. My colleagues are great too. Getting outside for a bit when it's sunny boosts my mood a bit.

I realise you were asking the OP, but In my case it's just that there's always too much to do and not enough time to do it! Oh and a bad person in charge.

I take a lovely hot decaf milky cappuccino or hot chocolate in my travel mug out into the playground every lunchtime. ☺️ ☺️

I draw a grid on my note pad reflective of the amount of hours in my shift. And then I colour one in for ever hour that passes - when I’m really struggling and clutching at straws, I will divide my boxes again so I can cross off every 15 minutes that passes.

I volunteer for the tasks that take me on a little wander as that passes time well and breaks things up.

Try to leave my lunch break as late as possible into the day, so that when I come back from lunch I’ve only got 1.5-2hrs till home time.

I worked in a call centre where we got shouted at a lot. Before picking up a call a colleague would hold up a piece of paper with a random word on and you got points for including the word into the call without the caller realising. We had a good morale and staff retention

@AllProperTeaIsTheft bad person in charge affects everything IMO. Sorry you're having a bad time too. And too much work and not enough time sounds like a them problem as my kids would say!

Obviously it depends on your job but I used to listen to the radio which meant it felt like the time passed quicker (because of the radio schedule - adverts every 15 minutes etc).
There was a daily phone in quiz that I always used to play along to (wasn't brave enough to actually phone in).
I made a point of going out on my lunch break even if just for a walk in the park.
I would also try to have the late lunch slot so the afternoon went quicker.

Oh yeah, then when I’m on my break as late as possible into the day, I’ll make sure I go for a walk around the building (it’s a hospital so not difficult to take an incognito stroll) or to the nearest supermarket so I can get bits for dinner as that again tells my brain “it’s over soon and you’ll be back to dry land”.

Gosh, it almost sounds like working in a hospital it’s traumatising right now (or for the last ten years), lol.

We have the radio on in my office. 😎

A good book at lunchtime and a can of coke!!!!

Get out for a little walk at lunchtime. Fresh air and a bit of exercise really helps. I can’t work with music or radio on because it’s a shared office and I don’t like wearing headphones as it shuts me off from my colleagues. We do have time to chat a bit though.

I download all my favourite podcasts & and make sure my earbuds are always fully changed. I appreciate that it doesn't work for all jobs.

Listen to the radio or a podcast.

Have nice teas/coffee in your drawer and a lovely mug.

I love nice stationery - a nice pen or a fresh new notebook here and there is a treat.

If you can get out at lunchtime for some fresh air it can work wonders, even if you just step away from your work area for a few minutes to refresh.

Always try to have some annual leave booked in, even if it's only a half day, so you have something to look forward to.

Bring some biscuits or sweets in to share with your colleagues (on the basis that you like them!). It can really perk up a long afternoon and many will reciprocate.

When I was a tour guide on coach excursions in a part of Southern Europe well known for its mournful male voice choir folk singing, we would turn the sound system up in the afternoon after the clients had partaken of a few rough wines on the lunchbreak.

"I'm sure you've had enough of me banging on about history and geography...Enjoy the landscape with this..."

They would either fall asleep or go into some kind of depressive rêverie as we bombed through the mountains on a clapped out bus.

I'd try to catch some kip at the same time. "Wake me up at This Town, Dumé. Vincent's got me on a double shift doing the boats tonight."

Good times.

*I would say to the driver.

That anecdote is giving big “Nessa from Gavin & Stacey” energy.

If its dry I do a litterpick at lunch.....we have a lovely garden and I do like to keep it litterfree for the public. Its very satisfying

Listen to the music - we always have the radio playing but sometimes I bring in a bluetooth speaker and play some absolute 00s or 90s radio from my phone instead, that always makes me feel good.
Someone that works in the other side of my building brings his dog to work so sometimes I go and cuddle the dog, but obviously that's not a common option at work, unless you work in a vets or dog groomers.

l

I hope I was better than her.

Use semicolons.

Smug fucker that I am.

We used to send silly emails, like everyone would write one sentence in a story and pass it on. Or word association games. It was a big open plan office where everyone silently sat in front of a computer.

At one stage there was an ongoing one where everyone in the group tried to remember characters from old TV shows.

We used to take turns ordering Deliveroos on Friday afternoons. We'd each pay for ourselves, but it meant that across the month we'd have five different treats, and you could join in if you liked that week's choice.

I’m a teacher and there’s very little time to talk to people between 7.30 and 4.30 Lunchtime is half an hour so no time for a walk. It’s often a choice between a wee, a drink and something to eat.

I agree with a previous poster that nice stationery can be a boost. I have a beautiful diary/notebook and a fountain pen, both of which make every day feel nicer, whatever happens.

I’ve also finally found a leak proof coffee cup, which means I can take a coffee out on duty or when running around before the children arrive.

Our teaching assistants are worth their weight in gold and I couldn’t do my job anywhere near as well without them. I try to make sure they know this.

My pupils are a mixed bunch, but not a day goes by without at least a few of them filling me with joy or making me laugh or smile or feel proud. It’s so important to notice those good moments, which can easily get hidden behind the stresses of workload, behaviour, marking deadlines etc.

Other than that, a few of us have a WhatsApp group. I rarely see it whilst at work, but it provides lots of laughs in the evenings sometimes. That and the odd Friday pint after work help us vent and have a laugh.