Post-it (madeleine)
Originally uploaded by joganelken

Here is a few ways to brighten up your office environment and take it from drab to fab - because it's about the little things, really.

- Use pretty pastel post it notes, rather then generic fluro yellow ones.

- Multi coloured filing!

- Use stamps: draft, file copy, sent, emailed, for your info, go on! Post it stickers too, (the flaggy things you stick onto the edge of a pile of paper to point something out) either plain colour flags or ones such as "sign here", "initial here". Colourful fun!

- Say hi to people in the lift, no one likes to be ignored.

- Don't wear any black, even just one day a week. You're going to work, not a funeral.

- Put a few photos/pictures up behind your PC.

- Get a lolly jar on your desk. Sugar is a pretty exciting thing at 3pm.

- Got a label maker? Leave little labels notes on your coworkers PC's (don't let the office dragon catch you, though, this activity may be considered non-work-related-tape-wastage).

- Decorate the cover of your notepad/daily book with cut outs of your favourite things, quotes and photos.

- Play music! (Within reason: don't aggravate the person at the next desk, or have foo fighters pumping if you're taking incoming calls regarding insurance policies for over 55's).

- Take your lunch break and try not to use this time to do banking/post/mundane boring tasks. Go sit by the river/in the park/at a quaint cafe. Use your lunch break to recharge the batteries and prepare for the afternoon.

- Mix it up, don't spend an entire day doing the same task- it'll do your head it. Work your routine so that you rotate through a whole bunch of different jobs in a day. Create your own variety.

- Learn. Take a look around you- what is everyone else's role in the business? What does their job entail? Learn things from those around you and help out where you can.

- Be organised. If nothing else it'll save you a few headaches.

- Learn to love tea: there are so many delicious takes on tea these days, it's a great way to curb the munchies & break up your day-. Try peppermint or chai with honey.

- Change your Windows theme & wallpaper. You've gotta stare at it all day, it may as well be pretty.

- Don't use times new roman font. Go with verdana, arial/arial narrow, trebuchet MS, Tahoma. All much nicer too look at.

- Give your space an overhaul. Clean out the cupboards, organise the filing, rearrange your desk.

- Use triangular paper clips, because they're cuter, & this is important.

- Lucky enough to do work lunches/ days out of the office at another site/interstate travel? Don't see it as a drag, get excited about it and see it as a perk of the job!

- Take 5-10 minutes to read the newspaper/news website in the morning. It will give you a little perspective.

- Subscribe to a 'quote of the day' type email (if your company email policies allows) it'll give you something different to think about/ponder over/smile at each day!