I’m generally a very positive person.  Glass half full, benefit of the doubt, belly-laugh regularly kind of person.  But there are some times when I need a little push, a little motivation to remind myself how wonderful life really is.  Maybe it’s raining and gray for the third day in a row, or I was up too early with my daughter and feeling sleepy, or I’m feeling sluggish after eating too much junk food.

I mean, I need to be feeling fabulous when I’m making fun things like this:

The best part of my job is that I get to design something for life’s biggest milestones – birthdays, birth announcements, graduation and engagement parties, and I want to be in the same state of mind that I would be if I was the guest of honor or new parent ordering stationery from me to commemorate their accomplishments in love and life.  That is, excited, hopeful, and reminded of all the sweet moments that we collect as we live our lives.

So, no schlumpy stationery designer here.  Pretty much never – if I have a mood I just can’t shake, I use that work time to do accounting and pay bills – and honestly, the thought of those two tasks are usually enough to get me to snap out of it so I don’t have to do it!

But here are some of my tried and true tricks to get the day going right (or back on track):

1.  Music. It’s a no brainer, yes, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that I did have musical tastes before I ever knew that Kidz Bop and remixed nursery rhymes existed!

If I’m working on something that’s really pretty or lovey-dovey (like an engagement party invitation), it’s the Amelie Soundtrack all the way.  In fact, I would love to know more about French music in general, but this album is simply sweet.  You can’t help but see the world through rose colored glasses when listening (or get a strong craving for a glass of red wine and a baguette).

2.  Take a 10 minute cleaning time-out.  Yes, I know.  Cleaning is not fun.  But if you are surrounded by clutter and coffee cup rings and paperwork and dust and stamps and stationery proofs and a little dust and…well, you likely feel just as overwhelmed as you did while reading that sentence!  Take 10 minutes and do a quick clean up.  Clear your desk so you can actually see it again.  Dust your computer monitor.  Sort the paper into a few piles, with one of those piles going straight into the recycling bin.  You’ll feel better.  It may even inspire you to clean out your email inbox, which always feels good too!  I find that whenever I am working in a bright, uncluttered area, I am much more productive.

3.  Look through your Happy Folder. What’s a happy folder, you ask?  Well, since I’ve been in the post-college working world, I’ve kept a folder with me containing notes of praise and thanks from bosses, colleagues, clients and (my favorite) kiddos from my teaching days.  I usually pull this out after I’ve made a silly (errr, costly) mistake, crashed my computer, or any other time I need to be reminded that people appreciate what I do.  I love looking back at over a decade of notes that I’ve saved as a little ego boost.  We all need that sometimes!  Don’t have your own happy folder?  It’s never too late to start one!

So those are my top three foolproof “snap out of it” ways to find a happy zen at work.  I would love to know what you do to find instant work happiness!