Do you want to have a blast at work? Then make work a blast!
Foster the Right Environment
I just had an amazing time filming several video projects at Avalon Design Studio with a wonderful cast and crew. We had a lot of fun and were able to complete six projects of varying complexity in five afternoons. It was a great accomplishment and much of it was due to the environment.
There was stress and frustration. There were opportunities to yell, throw a tantrum, and gripe. There probably always will be. Just because there are, doesn’t mean it will help. It doesn’t mean it will improve the set. It doesn’t even mean it’s warranted.
Quite the opposite actually. Creative people do their best work when they feel comfortable and supported. Sometimes patience is the best course of the day. Despite the frustration, the best option is to encourage, and change the tone.
If you want to have a fun workplace, have fun. Enjoy yourself. Let others enjoy themselves. Find ways to make work exciting.
Bring the Energy
One way to do that is to bring the right energy. Sometimes you might have to take a chance by sharing your thoughts about making work more exciting with coworkers, or simply bringing an upbeat and positive energy into the office. Sometimes it might just be you until others catch on.
You also want to think of others. Other people want this too. No one wants to hate their job. Even if it’s scary for you, being excited about your job can help others become excited about theirs. Sometimes we just need other people to lead the way. Once other people follow it starts to snowball.
Take Time for Creativity
Finally, if you want to make work an adventure, you will want to find unique ways to inject adventure into the day. Perhaps it might be nerf gun fights, crazy games where people have to do something every time the word of the day is said, or Compliment Brian Day.
To do this, you will have to take time to stop. If you really want to jump in, that requires time to plan. You will have to get away. You will have to find ways to be creative. Downtime is simply time to stop doing physical work, so our brains can be free to be creative.
Make Work an Adventure
You can make your work an adventure by fostering an environment that people enjoy, by bringing energy that excites people and draws them in, and by taking time for creativity which will generate new ideas and new ways to keep the adventure going.
This can make work both more enjoyable and more exciting, resulting in higher productivity. There may still be times where work is not fun, but overall people will be more motivated and more engaged.
