Office Tour & Tips for Staying Motivated at Work

This might come as a shock to some of you, but blogging isn’t all that I do. I work as a Marketing and Design intern at a retreat and training center in Michigan. That means that I usually have pretty long list of to-do things on my mind, with waaay too many papers scattered around my desk.

In a day, I manage a whole host of things, ranging from yearly calendars, management of our social media, brochure creation, logo design, branding, photo editing, and newsletters creation and management.

I also work on the blog, so I write, edit, photograph, edit some more, plan future posts, manage my social media, and research new ideas/products/authors/etc., and market.

It’s a lot. And it means my desk can get pretty cluttered sometimes. So today, I’m showing off my work desk, along with a few helpful tips on staying organized and motivated without loosing your head!

I love having this little corner to make my own. When I first moved in there were these three photos hanging on the wall of the camp (they were lovely) that I promptly took down. And that’s probably my first suggestion at staying motivated at work:

Make the Space Your Own

You have your own individual style and tastes that make you unique. Let your office space show that! If you feel comfortable in your work space, you tend to get more done. There’s less fussing and fixing if everything is already set the exact way you want it.

Hydrate or Die-drate!

The camp I used to work at said this a lot. Hydrate or Die-drate! Then again we also used to say “Drink water or you’ll bust your chicken and die!” Yeah. We were a little weird. BUT! My point still stands! Drinking water daily has a direct impact on your mental performance, which then has an impact on your mood. Staying hydrated boosts your immune system which helps you fight off all kinds of gross like the cold or flu. Even if your office has a water cooler, I suggest bringing a bottle of water to work.

Tips and Tricks: Hate drinking plain water? Add in fruits to your water bottle for an infused flavor! My favorites are lemons and limes, although adding strawberries, blueberries, mint leaves, and cucumber are also hit favorites. Try it out!

Stay Organized

Planners are cheap. Dirt cheap. I got mine from Walmart on sale for less that $5 and it’s the best planner I’ve ever had. I would highly suggest TF Publishing as their planners are beautiful and cheap and simple. Mine is laid out by academic year meaning it runs from September 2017 to December 2018. Perfect! It’s simple, giving me a month-by-month look at what’s going on. I use sticky notes to plan out posts and updates and can plan out whole months in advance if I like. It keeps me on task for what I need to do, and if something changes I can always just move over a sticky note instead of having to erase a bunch of stuff.

One key to stay motivated and keep your stress levels low at work is to know what you have on your plate. Trying to remember it all or (even worse) have it written on 52 random pieces of paper scattered throughout your desk drawers, gives me anxiety. And that anxiety makes me not want to do anything. Maybe your stress and anxiety is coming from a messy pile of scrap paper, and can instead be simply transferred to an easy-breezy planner.

Move Around & Take A Break

Sitting in one position all day is boring. So move! Get up, stretch, go to the bathroom, take a walk, run-to-your-car-for-something-even-though-you-didn’t-need-anything, or get some water. Just do anything to get yourself out of your current frame of mind. Do it right now! You’ve been sitting here reading this post, so get up and do something else! Then come back and finish reading. It’s ok, I’ll wait.

Aromatherapy

Some people love essential oils, others can’t stand them at all. Everyone is different. And that’s ok! I personally look at essential oils as an awesome natural resource that works for me. I am also a huge fan of candles. Either way, having some sort of scent that can help you stay positive throughout the day is an excellent way of staying motivated. I keep motivational essential oils in my desk (a gift from my mother-in-law who is a genius) with a roll on applicator, giving me a boost when I need it. I also have this great white Thyme Basil Candle by DW Home on my desk (which is almost gone, sad face) that really helps me set my mind for the day.

Yoga/Mindfulness

I try and do yoga every morning. Does it always work out? No. Some mornings I like to sleep in, getting up at the last possible second. I’ve found that I tend to be more productive, motivated, and overall more cheerful on the days where I’ve started with yoga. On the days I sleep in, I’ve found myself more irritable, tired, and the day seems to slug by. That in itself should be enough motivation. Yoga and mindfulness = Good day! Sleeping in until the last minute = Grumpy day. Simple as that

Well I hope these tips helped you out a bit and gave you some oomph in the right direction. Only three more days till the weekend!