Talking Out of Turn

The holidays are over, and it’s back to reality. While some people are over the moon about their resolutions and goals, the rest of us are just trying to survive. With no three-day weekend in sight and the holiday excitement over, the office can feel like no man’s land. How do you get it all back in gear? Is it too late to even start on your resolutions? What day is it? Hello, is anybody out there? Desk Sets Getting back to the grind can be tough, so it’s time to break out some surefire productivity hacks. Here are a few to help you get your head back in the game and crush it in Q1. Stay Tidy Sure, it may not be spring yet, but why not get a jump-start on your spring cleaning? Having a neat and tidy desk can do wonders for your productivity and headspace. Don’t believe it? Maybe you’re one of those people who thinks sticky notes everywhere, a pile of empty kombucha bottles, and pens flung around is a sign of genius. While creative chaos has its merits, try actu...

Random Acts of Kindness Day is on February 17th—what do you have planned? Kindness makes the world go ‘round, and it’s the random acts of kindness that can mean the most. Even something small like holding the door for someone or complimenting them on how they ran a meeting can mean a lot. Although random acts of kindness shouldn’t be designated to just one day out of the year, now that you know that it’s an official holiday, you have no reason not to participate. Here are a few fun and easy ways to celebrate around the office.  Pencil Pouches Compliment a Good Parker Parking can be hard. At least some people make it seem that way, so whenever we see someone fit into a tight spot like it was made for their car, it’s worth celebrating. You’ll often hear of people leaving nasty notes for bad parkers, but never does anyone leave a kind one. Do that instead, and bonus points if they parallel parked too!  Give a Random, Practical Gift The holiday season m...

The new year is here, and what better way to close out the first month than spreading some feel-good vibes? There has to be some sort of scientific formula for the relationship between happiness and compliments, right? Maybe not, but until someone comes up with one, we have to assume that a good, genuine, heartwarming compliment has a ton of influence on a person’s confidence, self-esteem, and general happiness. Just think about those times someone gave you a compliment and it made your day—pretty extraordinary, right? Funny Coffee Mugs In fact, there’s an entire holiday on January 24th dedicated to giving compliments called National Compliment Day. Although you shouldn’t have to save all of your compliments for just one day of the year, here are some good ones to spread year-round. And if you don’t have a chance to say one of these compliments to a special person in person, write it out on cute stationery and send it to them!  “Your perspective is refreshin...