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In honor of the unusual holiday on October 4th, Improve Your Office Day, I wanted to come up with a list of ways you can improve your work environment! Lots of these things are physical items, which can obviously cost money. I’m definitely not rolling in dough, but these things aren’t going to break your bank– especially if you only choose the ones that make you the most happy! Prioritize and get creative! Lots of fun stuff can be found at dollar stores, in Target dollar bins, or DIY’d for super cheap. Either way, my intent is to make your work space and experience a fun one, because we spend SO much time at our jobs! It’s basically a third of our lives, so we better make sure we’re enjoying ourselves!

50 Ways To Improve Your Office

1. Buy colorful versions of all the basic supplies you use like paperclips, staples, binder clips, scissors, pen cups, mail sorters, everything.
2. Hang a funny/cute/inspirational wall calendar
3. Put a funny/cute/inspirational once-a-day calendar on your desk
4. Step up your colorful supplies for novelty ones (like a magnetic unicorn paper clip holder or a calculate shaped like a heart)
5. Cover your wall or office space in pictures, quotes, and other visually appealing things to you
6. Use fun-shaped Sticky Notes and page markers
7. Get colorful/novelty pens that still write in black ink #professional
8. Hang twinkle lights around the perimeter of the ceiling, or use another source of funky lighting
9. Post a community bulletin board where you can post incentives, games, and seasonal stuff [example]
10. Host a Spirit Week with different days to dress up and celebrate like “Dress Up From The Neck Up” Day
11. Make (appropriate) playlists to listen to while you work
12. Put out a bowl of candy (share if you’re cool)
13. Customize your computer settings as much as you are allowed to (like a desktop image, screensaver, fonts, mouse cursor, etc.)
14. Wear fun, colorful statement pieces within your dress-code
15. Leave candy or inspirational quotes in coworkers’ mailbox (or the copy machine!)
16. Use a patterned/colorful water bottle to hydrate in style

17. Bring in your own roll-y chair in better color or state of comfort, or get a seat cover
18. Do an add + pass mail piece around the office (or via the mailbox system)
19. Host interactive projects like “Tell Me Your Life Story In Six Words” and post the results [example]
20. Bring in fresh flowers (and be kind and dispose of them before they start to stink)
21. Try sitting on a bouncy ball or using a leg hammock to mix up your seating position/comfort
22. Celebrate (appropriate) unusual holidays; anything food related is probably a good bet like Chip Day!
23. Plan after-work Happy Hours
24. Host contests with prizes (like a trivia question in a morning e-mail)
25. Hang beautiful art, mirrors, and plants
26. Hang a dry erase board with colorful markers and add inspirational quotes every day
27. Set a timer every hour to get up and stretch your body
28. Host a Dundee-themed event where you hand out fun awards to coworkers (you can also make this a post-work event)
29. Make a lounge area/relaxation place where people can go to wind down
30. Bring snacks to munch on and definitely keep an emergency stockpile in your desk
31. Have a phone charging station with cool cords and an electric strip shaped like a lightning bolt or something else awesome
32. Make a collaborative list of things new employees should know and make a binder for new trainees

33. Have a bookshelf of resource material to refer to (and also fun books for break time)
34. Try having meetings outside when weather permits
35. Encourage employees (and yourself) to leave the building on your lunch hour
36. Keep a stock of calming materials (textures you like, a galaxy jar to shake, stress ball, etc.)
37. Celebrate individual birthdays (or at least a monthly recognition) with cake and decorations
38. Host a pot luck lunch where everyone brings a dish and takes their break at once (or in group shifts)
39. Have/offer interactive, fun and/or relaxation trainings like drum circles and meditations
40. Offer group activities after work like workout sessions or book clubs
41. Hang nice signs/Sticky Notes on bathroom stall doors or the mirrors above the sinks
42. Provide amenities in the bathroom (lotion, hand sanitizer, mints)
43. Get a color keyboard sticker sheet [where I got mine]
44. Have a sign-up sheet for rotating who brings in morning treats like donuts
45. Promote the option of Casual Friday
46. Keep a happy lamp in your home office/at your desk, especially in winter to shine on you while you work
47. Provide a place to hang coats (bonus points for a funky coat hanger)
48. Have a treasure chest you can pick something out of when your boss says you did something great
49. Have a suggestion/complaint box where you feel you can be honest and heard
50. Keep back-up supplies in case you leave stuff at home (sweater, sunglasses, phone charger)

Want to print out something to hang on your office wall? Check out this I Am Awesome certificate you can have for free!

“I Am Awesome” certificate printable!

How else can you improve your office?