7 Ways To Make Work Suck Less

I was thinking the other day that I have been working ever since I graduated from college, and I graduated from college 22 years ago, y’all.  22 YEARS AGO!!!  I’m at that point in my career when I think I’ve come a long way, but then I look ahead and realize that I still have several more years of work before I hit those golden retirement years.

Isn’t it funny how your mid-career and mid-life crisis hit around the same time?  I digress …

I have definitely learned some valuable lessons over these 22 years of working with many different people in many different places.  I’ll share a few with you.

Here are seven ways to make work suck less (lol):

1.  Decorate your space.  Let’s face it.  We’re at work for 8+ hours a day for 5 days a week.  We spend a considerable amount of time at work, so we might as well make ourselves comfortable and at home.  Who wants to stare at blank, drab walls all day?  Decorate your work space.  Bring in pictures of your loved ones.  Brighten your space with a lamp.  Add a plant or flowers to the office or cubicle.  Cover your cubicle walls with contact paper with a bold pattern.  Get creative.  It’s amazing how simple things can lighten your mood.  And let’s be real.  Sometimes you need the pictures of the spouse and kids to remind you of why you are working … to provide them with a good life.  And sometimes you need the pictures as a reminder not to go off the deep end.  Look at those pictures and repeat the things you know you need that paycheck for … mortgage, groceries, daycare, tuition, car payment, vacation, etc (lol).

Cubicle Sweet Cubicle

"Black Girl Magic" Wall

2.  Play some music.  Keep an iPod and a speaker or earbuds at your desk and have a playlist going to get you through the day.  Music is good for the soul.

3.  Take breaks.  This sounds simple enough, but I have lost count of the times that I have been so busy and consumed with work during the day that I don’t realize I didn’t take a break until it’s time to go home.  You need that time to unwind to keep your sanity.  Take a walk around the parking lot or deck.  Get out of the office and go to lunch.  Just get up from your desk and clear your head.  The break will do you some good.

4.  Avoid negativity or your negative coworkers.  That coworker that’s always complaining but never offers any solutions?  Yeah … steer clear of Doug or Debbie Downer.  Don’t get sucked into their pity parties. 

5.  Avoid all office gossip.  For real.  For real.  Run away like Usain Bolt when folks start talking.  When stuff starts to hit the fan around the office, you don’t want your name attached to any mess or messiness.  You hear folks talking?  Keep it moving.

6.  Stay away from the office “Becky” or “Jeff”.  Who are Becky and Jeff, you ask?  They are the backstabbers.  They are the smile-in-your-face but talk-behind-your-back and throw-you-under-the-bus coworkers.  They are the insecure ones who are always figuratively (and sometimes literally) shouting “look at me!” and reminding folks every chance they get how they worked hard to make their way up the ladder.  They are also the same ones in the corner pouting when others in the office are getting some shine.  They hate when you call them out for being wrong or messy, and they throw a loud temper tantrum about it until you ask them to repeat themselves.  Then, all of a sudden, they are church mouse quiet.  Every office has a “Becky” or a “Jeff”.  If they speak to you, be cordial and say “hello”, but keep it moving.  Becky and Jeff are not to be trusted.  Disclaimer – These are generic names that I randomly chose, so don’t go getting all in your feelings if your name happens to be Becky or Jeff … unless, of course, YOU are your office’s Becky or Jeff (lol).

7.  Your coworkers are not your friends, so keep your private life private.  Seriously, keep your work life and private life separate.  The workplace can be cut-throat at times.  Don’t share your personal business with people that aren’t in your inner circle.  Your coworkers don’t need to know you like that, and you don’t need them knowing anything they could possibly use against you later.  Be careful when choosing which coworkers to connect with on social media sites.  To be safe, don’t connect with them at all.

Follow these rules to help eliminate workplace drama and stress and to attempt to create a more productive work environment.  Give ‘em a try!