After a buildup of thoughts, experiences, discussions and observations, I’ve come to the following conclusions:
Even if you’re very busy at work, always set aside some time to:
- Stretch, take a drink of water, get some fresh air, look at far objects through the window
- Pop by to talk to a colleague face-to-face instead of calling him/her (especially if you’re only 3 cubicles away!)
- Smile at the person who clears your trash and vacuums your floor. Say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ to everyone who helps you.
- Get some exercise every week, or at least, use the stairs instead of the lift (you can combine this with having face-to-face discussions with colleagues on different floors)
- Have lunch with other people, not by yourself with a takeaway box at your desk all the time
- Get to know someone in another department or division better, even if you don’t work with him/her directly
- Have dinner with former colleagues to catch up with their lives
- Make people laugh
- Keep on learning. Read up on areas of interest (even if you only have time to skim), send relevant articles to people and if you can, sign up for a short talk or seminar
- Clean up your desk from time to time, or come up with a new way to organise things so that your cubicle feels new and different. Give it a personal touch so that visitors feel welcome
It does help if you’re a people person, of course, but no man is an island. Knowing people better, and likewise, having people know you better, makes your job easier. You won’t need to make cold calls anymore; people may be more flexible in making arrangements with you; the vibes are better and you’ll go home feeling a little more lifted than if you behaved like a hermit.
The work will always be there, but if you’re spending at least a third of your day in the office, you might as well make it a bit more enjoyable, no?
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