Stressed at Work? Read Your Desk Calendar
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I fully embrace technology, really I do! There are times though that just holding a tangible item, like a book or a piece of paper, helps me feel at ease. To keep your sanity you need to have something that will put things into perspective when the room won’t stop spinning. For me, it’s a simple desk calendar that I bought at the local Barnes & Noble.





Every year I go after Christmas and I sift through the clearance calendars. Whether you choose a word of the day calendar, one with cartoons, an inspirational quote calendar, or a calendar with quotes from one of your favorite shows there is always one that will appeal to your sensibilities. My calendar for 2014 is based around dialogue from Modern Family. I try to start off each day at work by reading the days quote from the show. This way I start off the morning with a laugh, and as they say laughter is contagious. If I find one that appeals to one of my coworkers I’ll gift that day on paper to them. The next thing you know they’re sharing it around their area. In a way I’m paying it forward with my good mood.



It is never a good idea to check your personal baggage in at work. While it’s hard at times to leave it at the door, it really is a necessity. Finding something as small as a funny quote from your favorite show can be a mood saver. How you come into work can dictate the mood for your entire day. While I may not be the sunniest person around, I still like to think of myself as having a borderline bubbly personality. Sometimes coffee isn’t enough, you need a quick laugh or a silent punch in the air to make the rest of the day seem worthwhile. Never go in with the “screw this” attitude at work. That is one of the worst ways to go down with your coworkers and your boss; especially when there are so many ways to bandaid your broken mood.



So, yes, I use my desk calendar as a way to sort through my stress before I even reply to emails in the morning. Think back to a time that a coworker or a client sent you a steamy and seething email the night before and you opened it first thing in the morning. Did it give you warm fuzzies? Or did it turn you into a hungry grizzly bear? Put yourself first and find something that makes you smile before you start work each day. You will find that that mood may just carry you past all the negativity that people are trying to unload. Keep that item visible too. Since your memory will tie your mood to that object you will want it in view in case something stressful comes down the chain.