I’ll answer first: One thing that I do that helps my work environment feel a little nicer is I have a stuffed Totoro on my desk, a nice-smelling candle, and a few tasty snacks in my drawer. I also very quietly play video game music or ambience to remind myself of my hobbies that I like 😊
I just started this job, but I’m trying to make myself feel a bit more cozy, since the work can feel a bit heavy sometimes.
Curious what others do to make their environment a little nicer. :)
I reduce my actual productivity and output so that I work about as fast as everyone else while still wasting time bopping around online, reading books, and etc.
Yes! Me, too!
It’s not good for my bank balance though, I order random crap on Amazon that I don’t need.
Oh man, I’ve been in my little office cubicle for like 2 years now and have slowly added things to make it almost as cozy as home. Here’s what I’ve done:
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Rice bag
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A drawer full of basic self-care, hygiene things. E.g., a brush, ibuprofen, on-the-go toothbrushes, hair ties, etc.
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String lights on the walls
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Tiny fake plants, so I don’t have to worry about keeping them alive, but they’re still cute
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My favorite coffee mug
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A box full of ADHD fidget toys (for mind-numbingly boring meetings)
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A phone charger
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A phone stand so I can watch TV sometimes
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A small end table for snacks and food
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I brought in a few small dishes from home, like a plate, bowl, silverware, etc.
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A cozy blanket
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SO MANY pictures of my fur babies and husband to hang on my cuby walls
I think that’s most of it? It’ll be a bitch when I eventually move to another job, but for now it’s a pretty great set up 😁
Ooh, these are all really good ideas! I may borrow some of these! :) Especially the string lights, fake plants, and blanket! That sounds so nice.
I should also get some little photos of loved ones that I can look at; that’s another very good idea!
Back when I actually worked in an office we used a hot desk, so that sort of thing was never an option.
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I have a dog at work who jumps up on my lap and “helps” me work.
Ahh, lucky!! I’m very envious!
We have dogs in the office semi-regularly and it’s a massive mental health boost! Great for reducing stress
I brew a big pot of tea in a proper teapot, and sip it from a proper teacup. If there any leftover at the end of the night, I decant it into a container and label it, then put it in the cooler to enjoy as iced tea the next day.
Find a sense engaging ritual and do it regularly.
For me it was having elaborate spice teas or herbal teas. I’d mix up batches and keep it in the office, when I needed some sanity taking the time to just focus on a damn good cup of tea helped me relax some.
A treat you enjoy, a stretching routine whatever you can do that is highly engaging would be a good choice. Force work out of your head even for 5 minutes. We aren’t meant to work like a steam engine.
When I inherited my office I also inherited a big underdesk file cabinet. Whoever had it before me must have really loved tape, as it had tons of the stuff, practically glued on by age. It was a long process but I have since fully cleaned it, 100% tape and dust free. It’s a small thing but it makes me happy.
I limit myself to only processing 4 tickets per hour rather than working nonstop for 2 hours straight until my next break like they demand
I do the pomodoro technique: 25 min focus, then 5 min small break (doing nothing, not using the brain). It’s great, I am less tired after (focusing for 2 hours straight is tiring) and I am also more productive
I’ll try this out today. Thank you for sharing
I’m looking into this technique! I’m going to definitely try this method out! I wonder if I should get an app/website for it or get a physical timer that ticks.
Reading some of the replies here makes me wish we didn’t use flex work spaces. I have to keep my personal belongings in a locker whenever I go home. I’d love to have a desk I can decorate :)
Anyway, I keep Lapsang Souchong tea in my locker and like to brew a strong mug before I start my day. Then I just sit on the couch in the lounge area and stare outside for a while and enjoy my tea. The tea stinks of smoke, so early morning is the only time of the day I can enjoy it without people complaining.Ohh I love Lapsang Souchang and haven’t ordered any in awhile. Thanks for the reminder, perfect timing for fall I think!
I’ve never heard of this tea, I will have to try it!
Maybe there are some things you could stash in your locker each evening, which would be fast enough to unfurl at a flex space in the morning?
Piece of fabric to lay on the desk, couple of photos to stick up or prop, some item you find soothing to look at or touch. Tiny jar containing something you like to smell. Pieces of stiff card hinged together with tape to make a folding standup “wall” to prop on the desk - stick things you like to it then just fold it up for your locker each evening.
I’d be trying to join you for the Lapsang Souchong. Love the stuff. Can understand why the taste would not be for everyone, but sort of assumed that the smell of campfire was very popular. Anyhow, if it isn’t specifically the smoky flavour that draws you to it, there is unsmoked Lapsang Souchong - or rather, made without using pine needles as fuel when roasting the leaves, but you’d probably have to go to an online specialist to find the stuff. Story goes that the smoky stuff came about after a batch got messed up in production, and that as nobody could afford to sell at a discount it was sold at full price all the way down to the end customers, with all of it going for export, but that enough people came looking for more of it that the tea producers ended up making it that way specially for export to the West. There are other smoky teas which aren’t really exported, though I don’t think any come close to being as smoky as smoked Lapsang Souchong.
The idea of some portable personal decorations do sound nice. My first instinct was to be dismissive (it’s just how I am, don’t take it personal) but the more I consider it, the more it sounds like a fun little project :)
Oh I love the smokey scent, it’s just that other people are a bit… startled by it. I used to work in a team room and had a proper black, cast iron, tea pot in which I made tea for the whole team. So, one day I made a pot of the Lapsang Souchong tea. The smell became rather overwhelming and it didn’t take long for people outside the team room to start looking around for signs of a fire with rather worried expressions :)
I managed to explain what was going on but decided it was best to limit the brewing of that particular tea to the early mornings when I’m usually alone.
I listen to different kinds of music over my headset (keep one ear uncovered, so it doesn’t seem too rude/uninterested). Lately it’s mostly been video game music and AURORA.
Also, when I get the chance, I dabble a little deeper into programming Excel with VBA (although much of my job has me working with spreadsheets, so it’s only natural for me to try and optimise them).
I plan my diary a week in advance so I have all my lunch breaks in. I’m terrible at making myself work without breaks so the reminders help me to do it. I also listen to podcasts (or music when I’m working from home) and make myself go and eat lunch by the river so I have a solid hour away from everyone else. I struggle with being around people all day and having to constantly be ‘on’ do that time is precious.