5 Rules For Surviving Cubicle Life
No one envisions a cubicle as the holy grail of places they’d like to spend their waking hours. While you can love your job to the moon and back (well, maybe just to the moon), sometimes the cubicle life can get down right intrusive. It’s not a personal attack on your fellow cube-mates, but when you see the same people all day, everyday, you’re bound to leave with one eyebrow raised and stressed shoulders from all the tension at the end of the day. (And did I mention a strong desire to dive into a tub of ice cream?)
I’ve learned that how things look on the outside is really just how we perceive them to be from the inside. To make it through the day-to-day in a cubicle, you just have to get in touch with the happier part of yourself and change your perspective a little. Here are some tidbits on how to feel more pleasure and less pain in your cubicle.
1. Make a friend.
I’m sure there is someone, or maybe even a few people, that you see yourself potentially getting along with. As tempting as it is to tune out the office chatter with your headphones, don’t be afraid to buddy up to a cubicle neighbor. Chances are you’ll find something you really like about that other person.
2. Don’t set the office on fire.
I remember starting a job and within the first week of joining the team, I burnt the popcorn and almost set the office on fire. I’m not kidding. My manager (yes, the person who hired me) found the burning popcorn and screamed. The following week, some team members were visiting the office from out of state and they greeted me with “Hey, popcorn girl!” The company had to buy a new microwave. Everyone makes mistakes, but try to steer clear of the big, avoidable ones.
3. Go somewhere special on your lunch break.
Listen, not everyone can work non-stop all day. We’re not robots, we’re humans. And yes, we need to step away from the computer’s light and catch up on some natural rays. Find a place where you can venture off to that’s within walking distance from your job, but far enough away at the same time. It’s also nice to get some solace by not telling other people where you’re going. This place is for you only.
4. Say no to gossip.
This is a tough one because it’s the hardest to resist. Everyone has an opinion about something or another. Whether it’s the person who left 10-day-old milk in the refrigerator, who doesn’t wash their dishes, who coughs all the time, who breathes really loudly—the list goes on. Personalities flare and egos can reign over the cubicle empire. Sometimes it’s better to not get involved.
5. Leave the fish at home.
You don’t want to be that person stinking up the office by microwaving fish. And even if you do want to be that person, is it really necessary? It’s probably not the best decision since your co-workers are bound to the office for a majority of the time. Fish lingers. It’s almost as bad as burning the popcorn.
Deanna Mercurio is working toward her health coach certification and hopes to successfully run her own health coach business in the near future. She enjoys wellness blogging, baking cookies, and eating Mexican food—maybe not in that order. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and Management. You can reach her on Facebook at Facebook.com/behappyandfab, on Instagram at @behappyandfab, or you can check out her website, fabulousandhappy.wordpress.com.
