If you haven't yet discovered the secret to success at work, this is just for you.
Most of us practically spend more than three waking quarters of our life working in an office.
Be it colleagues or the nature of work we do, we've all had our fair share of challenging moments.
Instead of complaining about the things that don't work for us, why not try and make those few hours worth the while.
Organise your desk
If you feel like you just can't think any more or are all clogged up from the day's work, then leave whatever you are doing and clean and organise your desk.
It's probably all the clutter that's messing you up, of course in addition to your irritating boss and the distractive hot colleague.
Delete some tasks from your to-do list
Striking something off the to-do list is mini therapy and we often tend to have more stuff on it than we ever plan on doing.
So, strike off the useless to-dos or maybe something that's almost done and you will feel a lot more relaxed.
The Thumb and Pinkie break
If you need a quick distraction from your work you should never venture into the murky lands of social media where time flies at the speed of light.
Why not try this tiny finger trick which makes your brain shake off the monotone you were subjecting it to and makes it active instead?
It's quite simple. Take your left hand, have your fingers in and your thumb up.
Take your right hand, put all fingers in except the pinkie (little finger) and the thumb.
Now switch roles of your hands. Try doing it faster.
Also, it isn't simple at all. So either you will get sick of not being able to do it and get back to work or you will feel like a superhero for being able to do it and get back to work.
Listen to guided meditation
If you are not the meditation type and find it difficult to make your mind go blank or just think it's dumb, then you can listen to a guided meditation routine to help freshen your mind.
There are plenty of 5 to 7 minute meditation routines available online. So put on some headphones and let your mind follow the words.
Such routines are known to trigger creativity, release muscle tension and of course they create an envelope of peace in your chaotic office environment by taking your mind off the task at hand.
Take a break
If nothing works then just take a 10 minute break.
According to research regular breaks are necessary for better productivity.
You can even put a tiny alarm to remind you to take these 10-minute breaks every hour or two and eventually your mind will associate that sound with relaxation and the alarm itself will make you feel more relaxed.
(Don't put the same alarm tune as your morning alarm though, because you already hate that devil)
Stretch
There are hundreds of mini power routines to re-energise yourself and avoid your muscles from getting sore that you could do during your breaks.
But let's face it, we are neither that focused nor that disciplined to utilise our breaks so well and also we would look weird doing such healthy stuff while our co workers hog double cheese burgers.
What one can do is stretch your hands, arms, back and legs in a normal oh-I-am-sleepy pattern to feel more relaxed without looking any weirder than you already are.
Make some calls
Try and contact a friend, a family member, your favourite aunt or your favourite chaiwala from college (he would be on JustDial now) and just chat.
This will freshen you up by taking you out of your office space and bring a smile on your face that will last quite sometime after the break is over.
And if your friend is a too-busy-for-the-world kind of corporate slave, make them read this article and coordinate breaks.
Breathe to Music
Put on your headphones and play some soothing music, could be Pink Floyd or a Bollywood love song whatever works for you and take 10 yoga-like deep breaths.
It would be more beneficial if you are standing in an open space (which is not next to a pollution-loving factory).
Tune into some comedy
Although, it is not recommended to do anything on your phone or laptop during your break after hours of working on the laptop as it is. But everyone has their own way to relax and if born in this technology driven world, a laptop screen brings you peace, then you go or it!
Don't let them tell you to close your eyes or breathe, tune into your own brand of meditation and watch some comedy on YouTube. It's a lot more relaxing, anyway.
Learn stuff
Not major stuff like JAVA or impossible things like who is the president of Algeria (It's Abdelaziz Bouteflika, FYI) but simpler things like a little bit of French every day or something like juggling or maybe clicking (yes, there are people who can't do that).
These things can come in handy as first impressions go. Who knows what your next potential partner may like.
(Although, we would suggest not to 'click' at people in an attempt to impress them)
Do something artistic
Make a doodle of your boss, a caricature of your colleague or write a poem about the out of order coffee machine.
It is not only a great way to unwind and take your mind off your work but it also is a future investment.
You can keep all that art and compile it all and make it into a bestseller later and become a billionaire. And then send us a thank you note, maybe.
Snack
Take a walk and pick up a few munchies for when you feel those hunger pangs in the middle of an important assignment.
This will prevent you from being distracted during crunch time and you also wont waste too much time looking for something to chew on. In the bargain you'll lift your tush off that seat.
Lead image used for representational purposes only. Image: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
