How to Have Fun at Work (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

The first step to having fun at work is to believe that the words “happy” and “work” are in the same sentence. It's true – work doesn't have to take you away from the pleasures of your life and even the workplace can actually be your place to be happier and fulfill your needs. Once you realize that being professional doesn't mean being very serious all the time, you can find your own enjoyment at work – while increasing your productivity.

Step

Part 1 of 3: Setting Your Mindset

Step 1. Set a real goal for yourself, not just a plan to follow

One way to be happier at work is to set tangible goals for yourself whenever you are in the office. While size – ensuring that you can write X number of reports or speak to Y number of clients in one week – can be short-term encouragement, having more meaningful goals, such as developing communication skills or writing more comprehensive reports on a particular topic can help you think your work in general. Having meaningful long-term goals as opposed to just counting numbers can really help to make your work environment more enjoyable for you.

Write down your weekly work goals before you work on Mondays, and work on setting monthly or even yearly goals. The more you want to achieve, the more motivated you will feel.
Believe it or not, goal setting and goal achievement will actually make your weekly job more enjoyable!

Step 2. Generate positive energy

If you want your workplace to be more enjoyable, then you must work more positively. Of course, everyone likes to complain about work, but if you have a habit of complaining about work with all of your coworkers, then you will continue to be under pressure. While that can help let go of what's bothering you, try talking about a new innovation or a coworker you'd like to change at work, and see how this can improve your overall fun level and mood.

Work with sincere praise of at least one of your coworkers every day. This will help set something positive for your day.
If you find yourself making a negative comment, try to compensate for it with at least two positive comments.
When your coworkers complain about work, you don't have to stop them, but you can try to change the topic to something more positive.

Step 3. Have a sense of humor

If you want to have fun working, then you have to stop thinking that being a professional means being serious all the time. If you take the time to laugh about funny things that happen at work, to share funny stories with coworkers, or just read funny comics sitting in the fridge, you'll see how much fun you can have at work. If you stop seeing work as an “uncomfort zone”, then you will open yourself up to endless possibilities.

If your work environment is pleasant and open enough, you can even make harmless jokes with your coworkers, like putting a rubber spider in a drawer. Just make sure you know them well enough so this doesn't give the wrong message.
Learn to laugh at yourself too. If you position yourself to be a little less serious, you will be able to calm down and be happier.

Step 4. Be motivated to do your job

Being motivated to succeed can really help you feel good at work. To keep you motivated, you not only set personal goals but truly believe that your company can support them (Obviously, this can get a little tricky if you don't find one that supports you – then you may need a new strategy!) Focus on the fact that you are helping people and create something meaningful, and you'll be more motivated to work hard while having fun in the process.

Being motivated may be easier than staying motivated. One way to stay motivated is to write a to-do list at the start of your work day or work week and take the satisfaction of crossing out every task that has been completed on the task.
Talk to your co-workers about a project you are particularly interested in. This will help you to be motivated and passionate about your work. You can even share your results with your coworkers, which will also make your work more enjoyable.

Step 5. Have a sense of purpose

Generating a sense of purpose is not always easy. If you feel like you are doing the same thing every day or just counting numbers, then it can be difficult for you to be happy with your work. To have a sense of purpose, you have to think that no one else can do your job as well as you do and that your work is meaningful and you should do it to the best of your ability. If you go to the office to count down the moments until you get home instead of focusing on having a sense of meaning from the work you do, then you won't be able to feel good in the office.

Your job should help you mobilize your abilities and interests. If you feel that you are not using your interests or the best of your abilities at work, then it will become difficult to feel good at work.
A sense of purpose can be obtained by helping others. Whether you're a lifestyle blogger or a bereavement counselor, you can have a sense of purpose when you make other people's lives better and that wouldn't be without your role.

Step 6. Don't try too hard to have fun

While it's important to have fun at work, some studies show that if you try too hard to have fun, you're actually making yourself unhappy. One Australian study found that workers in an unsupportive environment smile, appear happy all the time, and engage in “fun” events that actually depress feelings by appearing happy all the time. This suggests that you should try to be happier, but that doesn't have to be the case when you feel like you're putting too much pressure on yourself.

If you're having a really bad day and just want to be alone, then don't force yourself to fake a smile. Be friendly but quiet with your coworkers and do your job alone until you feel better. Too much pressure can make you feel worse.
You also shouldn't try too hard to make everyone in the office happy. Not everyone in the office has the spirit to be happy, and you have to respect that.

Part 2 of 3: Making Your Work Environment More Enjoyable

Step 1. Bring fun activities to work

One way to make your work environment more enjoyable is to bring some fun activities to work. While you'll want to explain this to your boss and make sure that it doesn't interfere with your work time, having some fun things in your office can make you and everyone else feel happier. This will give you hope when you walk into the office and will allow you to take short breaks that can lead to greater happiness and productivity. Here are some fun activities you can take with you:

Stick some magnetic poems in the fridge and have fun creating quirky phrases with your coworkers.
As cliché as it may sound, a little basketball and a basketball hoop can be fun activities and conversations during break times, just like a little Koosh ball that you and your coworkers can play with.
If you've just returned from vacation, bring some small pieces of jewelry as gifts to your coworkers or some photos to show off your vacation spot.
Bring a board game you can play during your lunch break.

Step 2. Try to change the scene

If your workplace allows, changing the scene can sometimes have an effect on your enjoyment level. Try holding a meeting outside with one of your coworkers instead of a meeting at the office. If you're giving an informal presentation, try doing it outdoors or in a new room in the office. If you always eat lunch at the cafeteria, walk outside for a sandwich. Those small changes can make a big difference in how much fun you have.

Of course, you should talk to your boss first to make sure you can do it. You can reason that it will lead to higher happiness and productivity

Step 3. Tidy up your workplace

Another way to have fun in the office is to tidy up your workplace. This could mean bringing flowers every week, hoping that other coworkers will follow suit, putting cute magnets in the fridge, bringing treats for breakfast, or even if allowed, you can bring your dog sometime. As long as your boss allows it, making the effort to make your work environment more fun, cheerful, and bright can really make a big difference when it comes to the fun factor of going to work.

You can even ask if you can tidy up the common areas of your workplace. Adding some cute posters, a pretty painting, or some potted plants can make the workplace look more comfortable and fun.
Bring activities that can make your office feel more alive. Bake a cookie or bring a crossword puzzle that hasn't been completed yet and ask for help doing it.

Step 4. Participate in fun activities with coworkers outside of work

If you want to have a more pleasant work environment, then you should engage in activities with coworkers so that your work environment feels more pleasant because you get to know each other. You can go out for happy hour or trivia night every week to joke with your coworkers, join a book club with some of them, or be part of a softball team. All of these activities will create a more pleasant and friendly work environment.

Another fun thing you can do with your coworkers is get involved in volunteer organizations together. This can help you contribute to a good cause.
If people in your office seem to like each other but are hesitant to get started, then you can take the initiative to organize some social activities. You'll be concerned about fun things and your coworkers will thank you.

Step 5. Take your eyes off your computer

This may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference. In some workplaces, people are glued to their computers, as if a magnetic force keeps them looking at the computer, even if Jennifer Lawrence or Ryan Gosling come into the office. While completing the job is important, you have to think that you can't ignore your friends and the things around you. Once you're more flexible and take the time to smile at someone else or to look at the croissant someone brought to the office, you'll feel happier.

When someone passes by, make it a habit to see and say hello and even have a quick conversation. This will make your work day more fun and interesting.
If you start taking your eyes off your computer frequently, then other coworkers will follow suit. You can start a trend of more fun and socializing at work.

Step 6. Be friendly instead of gossiping

Another way to make your environment more pleasant is to develop positive relationships at work. While everyone enjoys gossip at the office, starting to really say positive things about your co-workers and developing a strong relationship with them rather than bringing them down can make you happier going to work. You will feel happier at work if you think that your coworkers are your friends rather than your enemies.

If one of your coworkers hears that you compliment him, then he'll like you even more. Everyone will be happy.
If you're in a gossip-filled conversation, you don't need to punish them, but you can try to make excuses, even if you just said you were going to call. Alternatively, you can try to change the topic of conversation to be more positive.

Part 3 of 3: Make an effort during your Workday

Step 1. Make more effort to interact with your coworkers

One of the easiest ways to feel good at work is to make more effort to talk to your colleagues. Instead of being busy at your desk and spending time on your computer, make an effort to stop and talk to your coworkers whenever you can, even short conversations in the kitchen or hallway. Taking a few minutes each day to talk to coworkers will not lower your productivity and it will make you more happy when you come to the office.

The more you talk to other people, the more friendly faces you will find, and the happier you will be at work.
You don't have to be best friends with your coworkers to laugh and joke with them.
Instead of sending an e-mail or Skype message to a coworker who works just steps away from you, make an effort to get up and talk to him in person. These daily interactions will make your workday seem more enjoyable.

Step 2. Build meaningful relationships with your coworkers

Having a close relationship with your co-workers can not only help you advance in your career, but it can also help you feel good at work. If you really make an effort to get to know your coworkers, to socialize with them outside of work, and consider some of them to be friends, you will be able to have more fun at work because you will be happier to work if you know that your friends are in the same place. Give your coworkers a chance and see which ones can really become your friends; as friends spend time off, work on building friendships, healthy relationships with them.

Don't make excuses why you can't be friends with your coworkers; If you think that the person is too old, too young, or too busy with family to be your friend, then you will lose the friendship.
This doesn't mean you have to be in a relationship with your co-workers; Romantic relationships in the office can be fun at first, but will cause discomfort and awkwardness.
Try hard to be friendly. Your co-workers may expect a more friendly relationship but they are afraid to start it first.

Step 3. Do some activity during your lunch break or other break

Instead of having lunch with your coworkers, you can try to do yoga or ballet classes during your lunch break several times a week. If you don't have time for physical activity, then try to be as active as possible. This can help your body feel more energized and make your mind appear happier. Here are some other ways to be active at work:

Use stairs instead of escalators
Walk over to a coworker's desk to chat instead of e-mailing
Do basic stretches or exercises at your desk for 5 minutes
Take a short break to walk out, even just for lunch or coffee

Step 4. Enjoy your trip

One way to feel good during your workday is to turn your commute into something you want to do instead of something you dread. Most people spend their commute time listening to music and are afraid of the workday, or forgetting about it. You can do better. Doing something you really want to do on your trip will encourage you to do it rather than scare it, which will make the day more enjoyable.

If you drive, listen to the news, make an appointment over the phone with a good friend (as long as you use a headset), or even listen to a lecture about the fall of the Roman empire.
If you're on the train, read a magazine, make fun plans for your weekend, or keep a journal.

Step 5. Have lunch together

While most people use lunch as a time to relax, take care of the house, or be alone, making it a habit to eat lunch together can make you feel closer to your coworkers and have more fun. Even if you can't do it every day, spending time with your coworkers at least a few times a week during lunch will help you feel happier than when you're alone. As long as you find time to calm down, having lunch with your coworkers will make for a more positive work day.

Try to relax during lunch and enjoy talking with your coworkers instead of rushing through food to get back to work. Social time is important for regaining your energy and it will actually make you happier when you get back to work, not to mention having more fun when you eat.
Another way to have fun during lunch is to avoid routine. If you have a habit of having lunch with your coworkers several times a week, try Mexican, Indian, Italian, or Thai food so you don't get bored with the same food.

Step 6. Rest

Another important thing to do if you want to be more cheerful at work is to take a break from your work at least once an hour. Ideally, you should take a 10-15 minute break after your hour and half hour of work so you can regroup, rest your mind, and give your body a break too. Taking a break could mean taking a 15-minute walk, reading your favorite gossip site, reading a poem from a book you keep in your drawer, or even drawing. If you are too fixated on your work, you will not get pleasure.

Rest also encourages you to look ahead and maintain your motivation. If you tell yourself, “After I finish this report, I will check to see if Josh and Andi are both single,” you will be more motivated than if you think, “After I finish this report… I will start with the next report.”
Even a short break to rest your eyes to meditate, sweep your room, or just look out the window for a few minutes can have a huge impact on your productivity as well as your enjoyment.

Tips

Try not to think how bad your job is. Think about why you are working and your benefits.
Keep an open mind about what activities occupy your time. Learn a new language, do magic, or even try yoga or meditation (this also helps you calm down and relax yourself).
Group activities are best (for example, playing chess with coworkers after a day's work -- this will encourage you to come to work).
If you want to sleep, listen to music or choose a comfortable place and time where you won't wake up suddenly.

Warning

Never take a nap with the alarm on. The worst thing that can happen is to waste 2 hours of sleep. Ask your coworkers to wake you up after 30 minutes.
Not all jobs have fun activities. Check with your boss or co-workers first.
Your boss may give you more regular work when they see you're not working as productively as possible. They don't pay you to play, sleep, or learn magic tricks.
It's especially good that you don't do anything else if you have a very tight or close time limit!