Working nine to five: 6 Achievable Tips on how to feel great at work.

For many of us, working “nine to five” is part of our day-to-day experience. You get up, go to work, perform discrete tasks at a desk or cubicle, leave the office and go to bed. Exhausting right? 

Well, it doesn’t have to be.  Here are a few ideas of tips you can do in order to feel good about where you work which will result in greater productivity, creativity, and overall fulfillment during your daily commute

1. Dress to Impress

Dressing for work should be an exercise in self-expression. Choosing the right outfit can be the difference between feeling excited and nervous when you step out of the house and head into the office. This applies to office workers as well. Dressing for work should be relaxing, even fun. 

You don’t have to have to stick to the classic work attire: pants and a nice blouse are perfectly acceptable. Or if you work in marketing, you could wear a rash guard or sneakers instead of dress shoes. No matter what you do, or where you work, let yourself be seen by the people interacting with you.

2. Get Your Coffee Fix

Start your day with a cup of coffee before heading out the door. Whether you’re getting started for the day at work or have just arrived for your first day, this habit will help you start your day on the right foot. It also has the added benefit of keeping you productive throughout the day. The caffeine will keep you awake, focused, and ready to tackle whatever tasks you have coming up.

3. Be the Best You Can Be

Being the best means always putting your best foot forward. Or at least trying to. Here are some rules for meaningful work and how to get started.

• Focus on the process. Write down what you need to do, then do it. Keep making small improvements like adding one more step here or there until you’re done. Avoid deciding what you should do until you’re almost done. You should decide what is worth doing and then act upon it.
  
• Don’t try to force results. For example, if you don’t have the necessary information to write a detailed report, you would rather wait until you have everything.  
   
• Don’t take on more than you can handle. If you are going to take on a new project, be sure that it’s within your capabilities and that you’ll have the time. You don’t want to get so caught up in a project that it ends up biting you in the butt.

4. Stay Focused At Work

The best way to work every day is to set some modest goals and then work your butt off towards them. First, make a small to-do list of tasks for yourself each week. This is kind of like a mini personal project and will help you establish some clear weekly goals for yourself. Then, every week on Sunday, return to the things you said were important in setting those goals. Make sure they are still on your list and do them. 

As time goes by, you’ll notice that your work will start to become more efficient. You can then use those extra hours on Sunday and spend them at home with friends or family doing fun activities instead of wasting time in front of a TV screen or playing video games all day long.

You won’t believe how much faster things get done when you’re not constantly stopping everything for every little distraction.

4. Stay Motivated

The greatest gift you can give yourself is to stay motivated in the workplace. People who are good at their jobs naturally enjoy their jobs. If you want to get good at something, setting yourself an ambitious goal is one of the best ways to get yourself motivated.