Fun at work

Get ready for Fun At Work Day. It’s January 30 according to Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009.

 

As an entrepreneur and virtual assistant, I get to make work fun every day. While most of you can’t just leave your desk and take a walk around the pond for a spot of fun, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Play with trade show giveaways like fold up fliers, balsa gliders, stress relief balls,  and foam sports equipment to decide which to brand with your logo.
• Do the unexpected–cancel all afternoon meetings and hold a ping-pong tournament in the conference room.
• Plan a company picnic even if you have to hold it indoors because of the weather.
• Go on a ten minute online treasure hunt to  find the best free stuff. Everyone wins by getting to try out these discoveries.
• Auction off unclaimed items in the lost and found box. Bidding currency is a donation of time to the company’s charitable outreach (if you need a suggestion, we donate time to Good Works, an organization improving living conditions for low-income families in Chester County, Pennsylvania).  
• Collect and display employee baby pictures. The person with the most correct matches of employee name and picture gets to go home an hour early.
• If all else fails, take frequent five minute breaks from your greatest source of irritation at work.

What does your company do to boost morale and make work fun?

Take back your time

I have to laugh. I’m sitting here, writing about National Take Back Your Time Week (January 26-30, 2009) and wondering where the rest of my day went.

 

What if I had followed this advice?

1. On a workday morning, don’t go back to bed  unless you are sick.

2. If you have to make time for exercise, run really fast.

3. Leave the cooking and clean up to others. Meals will take less time.

4. Plan for surprises. (Who knew it would snow in Pennsylvania in January?)

5. Schedule time in your day to do nothing.

6. Don’t W-A-I-T (waste another instant tackling-jobs-that-you-dislike).

    Do what you love best instead.

 

What will you do to take back your time?

Compliments

It’s National Compliment Day (Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009), and I thank you in advance for the compliment you give me just by reading this blog.

 

Think back to compliments you have received. The sincere ones are often a great encouragement.  Being complimented on a job well done, on exceptional character qualities, and on making wise choices in difficult situations inspires similar behavior in the future. A compliment may also soften the blow of bad news or comments on less-worthy behavior.

 

The less-than-sincere compliment is edifying in its own way—you get a moment to discern the mood, motives, or character of the giver. You also don’t have to say anything, giving you an opportunity to demonstrate your wisdom. In hindsight, these can also be extremely funny.

 

A last thought on compliments (it’s the proofreader in me): you can remember to spell this compliment with an I because it means I think highly of you. Notice the vowels. Complement, meaning to complete, uses the vowel E.

National Handwriting Day

According to Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009, today is National Handwriting Day. Good penmanship is encouraged.

 

John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born on this date. He, like many of his co-signers, had ornate but legible handwriting. (Judge for yourself by checking their signatures here.)

 

I remember using my best cursive handwriting to write letters to my grandmother. Now I see cell phone calls, text messages, e-mails, and faxes being substituted for handwritten notes. This much technology is a good thing  for virtual assistants and for every person whose writing is indecipherable, but do you think it lacks the personal touch?

 

If a computer or QWERTY keyboard has replaced the pen in your hand, you can still hand write notes. Create a computer font in your own handwriting at Fontifier and then type away.

Erwin Denissen left a comment on the About page. I moved it here so my readers can check this out for themselves. He wrote, “I found your post about National Handwriting Day and thought our free online font generator might be of interest to you and your readers: http://www.yourfonts.com/.”

Thank Your Mentor Day

Today is Thank Your Mentor Day. Plan to say thanks.

 

The process is easy

·         Identify people who have invested in your growth and well-being—neighbors, Scout leaders, religion teachers, after-school tutors, coaches, counselors, senior business associates

·         Use the Internet or the resources at your public library to locate your mentors

·         Make a phone call, write a note, send an e-mail or electronic greeting card expressing your thanks for the contribution each one has made to your life

·         Pay it forward by mentoring someone yourself, perhaps in memory of your mentor

 

How have you expressed your thanks?

Determine the exact online color with Pixie

I love color in all its many forms—crayons, pastels, acrylic and oil paints, colored pens and pencils. Sticky notes, stationery, and greeting cards. Art, jewelry, clothing. Nature, sunbeams, rainbows, flowers, fresh food. Outlook categories (but that’s another blog).

 

Pixie goes on my list, too. This handy tool tells you the color value of the spot where your pointer (the arrow on your computer screen) is hovering. When a client sees an online color they just have to have on their Web site or printed material, this is how you get it in CMYK, hexadecimal, HTML, HSV, and RGB. Discover your favorite color for free.

National Mentoring Month

I admit it—I love to learn. This is probably a direct result of being blessed with a number of memorable mentors and teachers including

• Mrs. Esther Lewis who enriched young lives both inside and outside the classroom and instilled character qualities like graciousness and hospitality
• Mrs. Basham who offered much-needed praise and modeled the art of encouragement
• Mr. Michael Hamp and Mr. Conrad Guthrie who made learning a treasure hunt and inspired me to do the impossible
• Mrs. Betty Barber who shared her faith and explained what matters eternally.

I am so thankful for their positive and enduring contributions to my life. I have tried to pass their lessons on.

 

By Presidential Proclamation, January 2009 is National Mentoring Month. Use the tools provided by the Harvard School of Public Health to share your testimony of a mentor/mentored relationship, send your thanks, or pass on the guidance and encouragement you received. What is your mentoring story?

 

National Clean Off Your Desk Day

Today is National Clean Off Your Desk Day according to Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009.

 

Here are a few of the more creative desk-clearing solutions I have found over the years:

·         Turn on a large fan and aim it at your desk (opening the windows on a windy day works, too)

·         Put everything in a large box—you get to choose whether to store the box in your attic, the basement, a closet, or a more prominent place

·         Circular file everything—if it is really important, someone will contact you again

·         Let your pets or your children loose in your home office

·         Make wild promises to get your best friend or a family member (one who is not a pack rat) to do the job

 

There are also a number of serious solutions to the problem of desktop clutter. Ask friends and associates for their favorites. Browse your office supply superstore for ideas. Recycle or repurpose items around your home.

 

For years, I have controlled the pile of incoming and outgoing mail, bills, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, school notices and permission slips, etc. with an old-fashioned sheet music stand, successfully keeping it all off of my desk. A recycled kitchen cabinet holds my office supplies.

 

Make creative use of your wall space to organize information. Try white boards (or blackboard paint applied directly to your wall if you prefer the smell of chalk to white board markers). Add hanging file folder holders, French memo boards, wall calendars, and cork board with push pins. Dangle wire or ribbon from the ceiling and use hooks or clothespins at the ends to capture items you don’t want out of sight or out of mind. Use acrylic picture frames for the same purpose.

 

For those who prefer to keep their walls (as well as their desks) uncluttered, try on-line banking and bill payment. Scan business cards and tax receipts into your computer. Enter as much information and paperwork as possible into electronic files in order to eliminate some of the paper clutter.

 

What is your favorite way to clean off your desk?

Safe free downloads

Given my vocation as a virtual assistant, I get excited about computer learning, computer gadgets, and stuff that makes work and personal life easier. Best of all, some of the nicest things in life are free.

 

Check out the software available at download.com. It’s guaranteed to be free of spyware, viruses, and other malware. You can get your own security software here  as well as educational and business software, developer tools, and desktop add-ons, to name a few. Once you try a program, tell me and others about it.

Thank God It’s Monday! Day

Today is Thank God It’s Monday! Day according to Chase’s Calendar of Events 2009. This every-day-of-the-year-celebrations resource is cause itself for thanksgiving.  What are you thankful for today?

 

Did you enjoy time with family and friends or get some much needed rest and relaxation over the last two weeks? Are you are looking forward to new clients or exciting possibilities in 2009?

Have you learned something new (or at least retained a good part of your memory so you remember what you have already learned)? Are you healthy?  If you are reading this, you definitely lived to see another day, and that’s a lot to be thankful for, too.

 

Today, and every day, is a great time to give thanks.