5 Ways to Have Fun While Getting Work Done

Being a productive employee who's engaged in your work takes effort in itself. Part of that is creating an environment which is enjoyable to be a part of. Having fun at work is a great way of keeping your spirits up, your productivity high, and staying engaged in the work. You spend the vast majority of your waking-hours working, so why not make it enjoyable? Happy people tend to be more productive, less prone to burnout, and are even sick less often. Being happy at work also means you'll get more enjoyment and fulfillment out of your job. As a result, you'll find it easier to stay motivated, be creative, and get on with the great work you know you can do. But how do you make your job enjoyable? Let’s take a look at five strategies for making and keeping work fun.

1. Get involved in extracurricular events

The main source of fun in the workplace is often all around you: your coworkers! Look for fun ways to increase your interactions together. Organizing events, office contests, and day trips can inject some fun into your day-to-day routine. If it’s someone’s birthday-- celebrate it! Be careful, though, that fun events don’t become a distraction. Keeping these events short and concise is the key— if they take up too much time, this will make your work more stressful as you’ll have to catch up on the work you missed— not fun at all.

2. Take the time to work on creative projects

Every employee has a list of tasks they need to get done, but they also have those longer-term, bigger-picture projects that require some creative thinking and brainstorming. When you’re in the midst of the daily grind, it’s sometimes a good idea to take a break and work on something else. These alternative projects give your mind the opportunity to expressive itself a little. Without fun mind exercises like these, it’s easy to get bogged down in the more straightforward work your job entails.

3. Gamify your work

Gamification is a term you might have heard without necessarily understanding what it’s all about. Basically, it involves turning everyday tasks and activities into a game. In a work setting, this would involve adding attributes to your task that make completing it more like a game. Try coming up with a system of points and rewards for the accomplishments you need to get done— the bigger the accomplishment, the bigger the reward. There are also plenty of apps out there that can help you with gamifying by enabling you to set reminders and track your points.

4. Be kind to yourself at work

It’s all very well working hard and getting a lot of things done, but part of making your job fun is taking care of yourself. Be sure to step away from your work at consistent times throughout the day. Short breaks enable you to give your brain some space to relax and give you the opportunity to refocus on the tasks at hand.

5. Customize your workspace

Transforming your work space into a more personalized, comforting area can be a great way to have fun while getting work done. Try bringing in some pictures of your loved-ones from home to create a personal touch to your desk. People also decorate their desk with all kinds of knick-knacks and toys they enjoy looking at. Some workplaces do have limitations on what you can and can't decorate your desk with, so it's always advisable to check with your HR department before undergoing any drastic redesigns. Most companies are fine with how you keep your workspace as long as it doesn't become a distraction to other employees. Think carefully about how you can make your work area more fun, and go wild-- even the process of decorating can be fun!

Having fun at work means better work

Part of being a productive, valued employee is putting yourself in a position to get things done. By adding fun to your work environment, you can not only improve your mental health but improve your ability to be productive as well. While you should take care not to have so much fun that it becomes disruptive to your work, a little fun can go a long way.

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