A good number of us these days spend the majority of our nine-to-five hours in front of a computer screen, myself included. Most of us are contained in a cube, in one form or another. I challenge you to join me in
the journey of making that cube a place you love to be. I have tried to create a work environment for myself that reflects ‘me’ while encouraging productivity and playfulness. So, while there are kid pictures of me and Jason on my bulletin board, I also have inspiring quotes, and pictures of people who remind me why I am doing what I am doing everyday. One picture is of my hero, Kyle. Jason’s office has been a huge inspiration to me. Kids love visting his office! It is a collage of colors and childhood, adorned with action figures, retro toys, and cool art. My descriptions could never do it justice. You’ll just have to come by and see.
Other than some fun desktop wallpaper, how can our computers help us de-stress? Lisa Haneberg writes an insightful business blog called Management Craft. Last week, after doing research for her book, Focus Like a Laser Beam, she highlighted an intriguing computer program that helps with stress management. It is called Stretch Break and it is designed to give you reminders to stretch while you are working on your computer.
Lisa shares,
It has computer generated people that guide you in doing the stretches. There are 36 stretches in all. You can let the computer pick them for you or you can select stretches if you have preferences or want to work on certain muscle groups. You can determine the frequency of the reminders, too. I have mine set for every 60 minutes. Each stretch break is very short, just a minute or two. You can determine the number of stretches you do each break. Reduce stress and reduce injuries related to computing. What’s not to love!
Sounds interesting. It is a neat way to make these machines work for us and not the other way around. It is quite a reality check about our culture to realize that the majority of us need a computer program to remind us to take care of ourselves.
[…] Kim:A few months ago I read the book, Fish, which inspired me to make my space more playful. I spent a Sunday afternoon while Jason was watching football adding fun pictures, quotes, and toys to my workspace. Because I feel pretty good about the childlike feel of my office, I wanted to add something more intangible. Having Adultitis often leaves me with frustrating side effects. Maybe you experience them as well – worry, doubt, pessimism, fatigue. Even though I want to have that childlike joy and hope which shines from every childhood picture of myself, it doesn’t always come naturally. It would be hard to put childlike joy and hope on my shelf but I can try to consciously do things that help me to live with passion and to have a better perspective on things. So, I made a ‘joyful hope’ container, in which I will put little notes of things that give me hope and bring me joy, as a grown-up. On those days in which I need to be reminded of these childlike Adultitis-free qualities, I will take out one of the small folded up pieces of paper and hopefully be inspired to change my attitude and actions. The first thing that I wrote down was the hope I felt seeing the sun shine today, after two weeks of clouds. […]