Office Productivity

British Bulldog Puppies on a Park Bench, 1994 Framed Photographic Print
(Mirrorpix)
Buy at AllPosters.com

I read an article a while back about how closely related happiness and health were.  Somewhere between extoling the virtues of a happy marriage (which I completely agree with) and extoling the virtues of saving money (which I completely ignored), the author said something really interesting.  He/She (I guess I ignored the name, too) said that we should fill our homes with things that make us happy. 

I glanced around and realized that I’ve certainly done that.  Animals are one of the rare things that I love as much as coffee, so there are animal-themed goodies here, there and everywhere.  I’m also all kinds of wild about movies and the golden age of Hollywood, so there are Audrey Hepburn, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe Prints on the walls as well as I Love Lucy memorabilia. 

Every member of my family loves books, so there are countless (filled) bookshelves as well.  Agatha Christie even has her own shelf.  She rubs that in Grisham’s face from time to time. 

Basically, our home is filled with things that make us smile, so it’s a fun place to be.  The same mindset should be adopted in one’s office, whether it’s a home office or not.  Just because work has to be done within the walls shouldn’t mean that the office can’t have some life and personality.  Bonus points if you cause it to mirror your own personality.

Putting a little creativity into your decorating will put a little more happiness into your world - even your work world. Take for example the print at the top of this post. It makes me smile every time I look at it. I’m flipping mad about bulldogs, anyway. In fact, we have an invisible one named Duchess. It’s the only kind of dog our cats will allow us to have. And even then she’s only allowed in certain rooms.

Click through the Bulldog Puppies to see other bulldog prints. There are countless other categories as well, of course. Just keep browsing until you see something that makes you smile. Then, find a spot for it in your office and make a date with future smiles!

Click the link below for a video featuring a trainer that’ll get you in tip top office shape fast.

http://www.webmd.com/video/exercise-at-your-desk-overview

If you’re as into ”getting personal” as I am, you’re going to love these products from Personilization Mall.com.  Personilization …or getting personal… is their thang.

The “Shopping List” Ruled Notepads, on the left, are pretty cute - they’d be a good way to make sure you get credit for the “dos” on your to do list.  Then again, if they’re undone, you get the credit for that, too.

 The Initial Impressions Silver Post-It Holder is another one of the products they have geared toward offices and the freaks that inhabit them.  It holds the post it notes you see in every store as well as the personalized ones on the site, itself.  They’re pretty snazzy, I must say.

From the Website:
Our Initial Impressions Silver Post-It Holder is a premium choice for both personal and professional use.

Our stylish holder not only helps you maintain an organized desk, but it also makes an impressive, personal statement. 

The Post-it Holder measures 4″ square and weighs approximately 12 ozs.

We custom engrave your 2 or 3 initial monogram at the top for a lasting impression.

A single post-it note pad is included with the engraved holder, as shown. 
Will hold any 3″ x 3″ note pad. 

A truly great selection for graduates, colleagues, clients or of course yourself!

Add our personalized post-it notes or engraved silver pen for an impressive gift combination.  Sold separately below.

I have a complete obsession with pens, so I was an easy target for the Pinnacle Executive Roller-ball Pen (<—).   Not only is it a proverbial shiny object that we all love, whether we admit it or not, it’s classy.  And we office dwellers are nothing if not classy, right?

Click through using any link or image in the post to see everything else they’d be willing to let you buy.  Seriously, they have some really sweet things - from mousepads, desk sets, executive gifts, and coffee mugs to pillows, clothes, luggage, frames, and letter openers.

Next time you need a gift for a co-worker, this is the place to go. 

Yesterday was Earth Day, but due to a vehicle that got pissy, I didn’t get to my computer top put up this particular post. My lovely Dodge Caravan has thrown some amazing things at me over the years - a transmission that had to be replaced, a window that forgot how to go back up, tires that did the Sean Connery (balded), and other little glitches that I can’t even begin to identify.

This time it caught me off guard, though. My youngest daughter and I came out of Kroger (our grocery store and home away from home - it even has a Starbucks inside). We put our groceries in the back and ourselves in the front. She gets her Mayday Parade cd ready to throw in, I put the key in the ignition and….and… And nothing. The key won’t turn. My mini-me is like, “Are you kidding???” and reaches over to try (after all, Mom must be doing it wrong, right? There are so many different ways to turn a key…).

We’re stuck. One call to the husand and countless minutes later the wrecker hauls my darling off - the Caravan, not the Mayday Parade fan or my knight in khakis…

Anyway, here’s the link I would have posted about yesterday if yesterday hadn’t been in such a nasty mood: It’s Easy Being Green: Five Ways to Go Green in 2008 deals with how you can, and should, get your green on at the office. Great stuff!

Green is the New Black, and Yellow, and Red, and Blue… is a post on one of my other blogs - one that I did pre-Kroger yesterday.

Monday? Check.

Tax Day Eve? Check.

The “cream” of our “political crop” bickering like first graders? Check. Check.

If today doesn’t call for a little funny bone tickling, I’m not sure what does.

THE REALLY WILD WILD WEST

A successful rancher died and left everything to his devoted wife. She was determined to keep the ranch , but knew very little about ranching, so she placed an ad in the newspaper for a ranch hand.

Two cowboys applied for the job. One was gay and the other was a playboy with a drinking problem. She thought long and hard about it, and when no one else applied she decided to hire the gay guy, figuring it would be safer to have him around the house than the playboy .

He proved to be a hard worker who put in long hours every day and knew a lot about ranching. For weeks the two of them worked hard and the ranch was doing very well.

Then one day, the rancher’s widow said, “You have done a really good job, and the ranch looks great. You should go into town and kick up your heels.”

The hired hand readily agreed and went into town on Saturday night.

He returned around 2: 30 am, and upon entering the room, he found the rancher’s widow sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine, waiting for him.

She quietly called him over to her.

“Unbutton my blouse and take it off,” she said. Trembling, he did as she directed.

“Now take off my boots.” He did as she asked, ever so slowly.

“Now take off my socks.” He removed each gently and placed them neatly by her boots.

“Now take off my skirt.” He slowly unbuttoned it, constantly watching her eyes in the fire light.

“Now take off my bra.” Again, with trembling hands did as he was told and dropped it to the floor.

Then she looked at him and said: “If you ever wear my clothes into town again, you’re fired!”

Disclaimer:
* Joi, and Office Freaks, knows full well that not all playboys drink and not all drinkers are playboys. Oh, and most gay men dress better than all of us put together, and wouldn’t be caught straight in any of the aforementioned items of clothing.

How beautifully unique are these
Chinese Fragrant Wooden Bookmarks—Characters of Three Kingdoms?

I love just about all things Oriental - the food, the art, the writings, the clothes. Everything’s just so beautiful and exotic!

This set of bookmarks is no exception.

From the Web Site:

Ten famous characters of Three Kingdoms (Zhou Yu, Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei, Sun Quan, Liu Bei and Lv Bu) are featured on these wooden bookmarks. The set of 10 are handcrafted in fine hardwoods with the dimensions of 6″3/4 x 3″1/2.

Gorgeous!

Even if you aren’t that into bookmarks, you’ll want to click through the link (or image) to see everything offered on this web site. The more you look around, the more blown away you’ll be.

If you spend as much time at a desk as I do (at least 6 hours a day), you’re all too familiar with the backaches, the muscle tension, the aches, the pains, etc. Research has shown that long hours at the desk can cause a host of problems: lower back pain, fatigue, headaches, a loss of flexibility, and even lead to poor posture. I add to my own woes by having a weird tendency to sit on at least one leg most of the time. I’ve been known to pull them both up into the chair with me. A quick self check just discovered that I’m doing it now, actually.

Certified personal trainer and founder of “Get Fit in 6″ suggests that those of us who are in this particular boat look into purchasing a “foam roller” and/or a Medicine Ball.

The image at the top of the post is a foam roller. Target sells this particular one. You can click HERE to find it online, but if you have a Target near you, I’m pretty sure they’d have it in stock.

I’ve never tried one of these foam rollers, but I HAVE used a Medicine Ball before, though, and recommend them highly. They are a back’s best friend because they provide you with a gentle but oh so effective stretch.

I’ve also treated my feet to smaller medicine balls before after a long day at the mall. Shopping can be pretty draining on a body, too. Rubbing the soles of your feet over the balls gives them a great little massage that makes them happy campers again.

When you get a chance, you might want to check out a Medicine Ball for yourself. They’re pretty sweet.

To super charge your week, start it off by reading some profoundly motivational quotes by Orison Swett Marden.

Be warned though, he makes you feel as though you could face any challenge, overcome any obstacle, and come out on top of any situation.

Good stuff.

Here’s a great entry for the Samsung Printer Giveaway contest:

Temperamental would be a good word to describe the monstrously behemoth laser printer in my office. One day, in the midst of a large printing job, it abruptly stopped due to a paper jam. I became dumbstruck when I opened the tray to see what the problem was. There, smack dab on the jammed piece of paper was the perfect impression of a large cockroach! On closer inspection, I realized a cockroach had rolled through the rollers and then traveled through the laser printer. The cockroach had unwittingly sacrificed his life to become a unique piece of office art which subsequently adorned our bulletin board. Thus, the ultimate paper jam has since gone down in our office history. - MKR

I love that they made him into art!

The GPX 7 Portable DVD Player is currently on sale…..to the tune of really big savings…..at Montgomery Ward.

If you have to ask what a portable DVD player has to do with work or an office….I don’t even know you anymore.

Click the link above to see how much you can save.