After the honeymoon phase of your fresh-out-of-college nine-to-five has ended, it can be tempting to fall into bitter adulthood. But, we’re Generation-Y, and we’re better than that.
We’re innovative, naïve and pioneers of the new. We have new ways of thinking and new ways of being happy.
Besides from remembering the fact that your life has just begun, there’s a lot you can do throughout your day to be happier and more content with where you are:
18. Take a tea break, and get fun with flavors.
If you should be happy about anything the 21st century has brought us, let it be the overwhelming array of tea on the market.
There’s actually a cinnamon vanilla that is somehow designed to give you a better complexion. Buy it, and when the 3 pm drag hits, soak the bag. Your day will be instantaneously better.
17. Force yourself to collaborate and walk around
Just because you have individual daily chores doesn’t mean you can’t ask for input.
Force yourself to walk around, and get up off that thang! Ask a coworker what he or she thinks of something, and let the creative juices flow.
16. Listen to music whenever possible.
Spotify actually has a station called “Takin’ Care of Business” and it is the mothership of inspiration. Now you have no excuse; stop reading and get back to work.
Just kidding; finish reading first and tell the boss man I said so.
15. Incorporate high-fives.
High fives are a way to bring out your inner 5-year-old. Like, “Yes, I stole his Lego and now he can’t build a better tower of terror! HA!” Only, it’s more like, “Hey, great work on that spreadsheet.”
But, we can pretend it’s as exciting as the 5-year-old reasoning.
14. Have a snack drawer.
When you’ve hit the workday equivalent of writer's block, there’s no better friend than a snack drawer.
Crack open that bag of Oreos or revisit yesterday’s potato chips. Either way, it’s a form of rejuvenation that won’t let you down.
13. Know when to walk away and revisit a project later.
When all else fails, walk away. Take a minute and come back later. I can assure you, it will still be there.
12. Work smart, not hard.
Don’t take steps not worth taking. Get the job done without shortcuts, and without inappropriate pauses.
Don’t send an email asking someone to do something that you could have done yourself in less time than it took to write the email, ya dig?
11. Meditate.
When there are eight million things running through your mind at the same time, find a quiet space and breathe. Think of nothing; even if it’s just for a hot second, it’s a second worth taking.
10. Take a Twitter break.
If you’ve been staring at numbers for two hours straight, look away and scroll through your feed.
Suddenly, you’re reconnected to the world and you don’t feel as bad for yourself.
9. Recite the 90/10 rule.
Life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you react to it. Don’t let the old chauvinist ruin your entire day. Take it for what it is and remind yourself you’re a badass Millennial with so much life ahead of you.
8. Be open to new ways of thinking.
Narrow-mindedness is no fun. Work with open arms and make collaboration your friend.
7. Learn something new, no matter how small.
If the day drags and you’re feeling imprisoned in monotony, ask someone how he or she made that last graphic or what he or she used for a presentation.
Learn something new, even if it’s not necessarily in your job description, because otherwise, monotony will kill you.
6. Ease into your morning.
No one wants to walk into work and be all “LET’S DO THIS RIGHT NOW!!!” Give yourself a minute, if you can spare it.
Take a sip of coffee or the whole mug — or do whatever will you get you prepped and driven for the day.
5. Add color to your space.
If someone told you that you had to sit in a box for eight hours, every day, for the rest of your life, but you could do whatever you please with the space, would you say, “I’m gonna leave it dull, uninteresting and boring?”
Or, would you say, “Let’s kick this sh*t up a notch and add some piñatas?” Yeah, that’s what I thought.
4. Compliment your coworkers.
Feeling connected to the people you see every day is a major positive. Find things you like about your coworkers and acknowledge them for it.
They feel good, you feel good and we all scream for ice cream!
3. Buy yourself some flowers every now and then.
When I find myself in a creativity drought, an inspiration deficiency or a straight-up funk, I drive to the nearest grocery store and pick up a small bouquet of flowers.
They brighten the office, bring life to my personal space and they smell good. They're worth the cash, all around.
2. Smile, dammit!
Don’t let the struggles of having a nine-to-five take away from how lucky you are to have a nine-to-five. Join the gratitude train — you’ll thank me later.
1. Dance break. No, really though.
You know how the slinky dog in "Toy Story" can’t control his bottom half? That’s how I tend to react when my favorite song makes its way to my ears. I just can’t help but booty shake.
If your office allows tunes, or if you work somewhere that music is always on, channel your inner slinky when you feel the beat, and let it go.
