One day I walked into the office, placed my bag inside my cabinet and took a step back. I had never realized my space was almost completely bare aside from my computer, bamboo plant and a mini Aflac duck key chain. I had been with LRG Marketing for about three years at that point but still it almost looked as if no one sat there.
I’m a fairly comfortable person wherever I am, but the title of this post isn’t exactly true. There are plenty of familiar places that I still don’t feel completely at home in. I’m not exactly sure what the ingredient is that constitutes a place of comfort, but I do believe that any space aside from your own home where you spend a lot of time throughout the week should become one. Being at work might be the furthest feeling from “home”, but why not make your work space as comfortable to be in as possible?
Here are six tips I use to help customize my space to my personality.
- At the end of every day, I minimize all of the emails and programs I want to keep open for the next day. Waking your computer in the morning to a clear screen is not only calming, but a great excuse to have a photo or quote background image that you find to be funny, inspiring or just plain awesome.
- I took a count and found that I surprisingly have a collection of 14 different teas at the moment. Ironically I’m actually much more of a coffee drinker, but being able to swap out plain water in the afternoon for something that tastes and smells great is something I won’t turn down. Plus it’s healthy and can be colorful regardless of whether it’s hot or cold. I also have 3 awesome mugs to choose from that I’ve brought in, each designated to their task – obviously.
- Two words: Pop! Funko. Here’s a link in case you live under a rock and haven’t heard of them: http://funko.com/. These things are everywhere and I recommend Amazon for your ultimate purchase. You can buy any one of these guys based on your favorite movie or show. I have a few that I rotate out but I won’t bore you with the details (Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Sirius Black & Luna Lovegood). It’s personal, you see. They even offer a version of Tobias Funke from Arrested Development in his cut off jean shorts. If you know what I’m talking about, you now understand how personal these Funko’s can get.
- Snacks. I don’t know what makes me feel more at home than snacks. Specialty popcorn, a mailing box full of granola and power bars, pistachios, peanut butter, bread and a bag of caramels. I’m hoping as few of my co-workers read this as possible.
- A comfortable sweater for the air conditioned or rainy day vibes you may have. Comfort isn’t just about your surroundings, it’s how you physically feel in any situation.
- My last personal touch within my space is a “SIT UP STRAIGHT” post-it on my monitor. Because I do spend so much time at my desk, slouching has literally created discomfort for me. This post-it is my daily reminder to keep myself healthy in a way that will continue to follow me when I step out the door at the end of the day.
With your busy days filled with time spent on everything but yourself, having a few personal items surrounding you will give you the perfect excuse to give your eyes a break from the screen.
I wrote this post to be helpful, but it also felt appropriate to write as I sit here at my desk drinking coffee out of my Marauder’s Map mug and jotting down notes with my red feather pen like a pirate.
