Great Whimsical Work Idea #1479

Today’s post is my 1479^th great work idea (notice how I never shared with you my 1478 other great work ideas? Pretty nifty, don’t you think?).

 
Jazz up a dull work day by cleaning your desk. Now I know at first this may seem boring. Or maybe you’re one of those really neat and organized people that don’t have any clutter at your desk so there’s nothing to clean. If that’s you, you’re reading the wrong blog. I’m talking right now to the people who should have cleaned their desk years ago (i.e. people like me).
 

Anyways, I digress. A fun way to clean your desk is to use the interoffice mail system of your company to mail unknowing co-workers the stuff you don’t want. For example, I have sent old 2010 and 2011 calendars to co-workers (for some reason they always figure out it’s me sending these to them). Scrap paper that you’re holding onto is another treasure for someone in your workplace.

Maybe the co-worker(s) you send this stuff to don’t get any mail so this is something that would get them excited (until they open it) and add some whimsy to their day (let’s be real…whimsy can be hard to come by in today’s fast-paced, high-stress office environment).

 
My suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg. Unleash your creativity people! Don’t let your senses be dulled by the drugs your company puts in the air vent (see my expose on this subject:  Drugs in the Air Vents  ). THINK! For once just stop doing what you are told and think of how you can brighten someone else’s day AND clean your desk.

I must go now. There’s a Remembrance Day poppy and plastic mouse on my desk I need to put in the mail.

WTF: The Perfect Notepad

Bewildered? Frustrated? Need a way to express your exasperation with those you work with?

Check out this nifty notepad, perfect not just for the office but for your family, friends and strangers!

Available at Chapter's while supplies last.

Lionel Ritchie: In The Office?

When you think office decor, your first thought is likely "how can I integrate pictures of Lionel Ritchie into my work space?"

Consider using a picture like this on your office wall or even in one of your work meeting rooms to captivate the attention of your colleagues.

By the way, I am not making fun of Lionel Ritchie at all. I am simply saying from the experience of having this at my desk, it is a great conversation starter. For example, if someone comes to your desk because they're going to ask you to do something, they may become distracted by this picture. They may stop mid-sentence and say, "why do you have that picture up?"

This is your perfect chance to change the subject. You can talk about how you found the picture on this super cool blog (note: I am talking about this blog). You can talk about how you love Lionel Ritchie. You can talk about how you like his hair in this picture. You can start singing "Dancing on the Ceiling" and see if a Glee-like spirit takes over your office area and everyone starts singing and dancing along (note: I would seriously be so jealous if this happened to you...seriously).

Hopefully through the art of distraction, your co-worker will leave feeling confused and will forget what they were going to ask you to do! Give it a try. What do you really have to lose?

Janitorial Supply Catalogue - A Way to Liven Up Your Work Day

What could make your day at work better, than to receive this beautiful shipping supply specialist magazine FEATURING Janitorial supplies?! My colleague is so nice. She has decided to give me a page from this catalogue every day as a product of the day.

So, if your work day is dull, why not do something similar? You could send random janitorial supply product pages in interoffice mail (without indicating who it's from) to people that you work with or that you don't know. Try it and see if that doesn't at least somewhat liven up your day.

Note: this is in no way meant to be offensive towards those who are interested in janitorial supply service products.

Help To Get Through a Dull Day

Last year, I posted a My Favourite Things article which listed all of my favourite Dull Co-Worker posts (after all, Oprah isn't the only who can have favourite things).


Since it's been awhile, I thought I would share with you some more of my favourite posts in the hopes that they will help you get through a dull day.


Getting Hammered At Work

The Do's & Don'ts of Office Romance

Today's Work Horrorscope

There's No Accounting For Taste

The Best Birthday Gift

The Continuing Chronicles of Adults Who Have Been Bullied By Children

This post is a follow-up to check on my friend who was bullied by children not just once but TWICE. For more on her saga, please see my post entitled: Adults Being Bullied By Children: The Untold Story.


The Dull Co-Worker (DCW): So how are your wounds healing after the bullying?


BFF (Best Friend Forever): I still get stressed when I see children outside when I go for a walk. So far nothing else has occured. I feel that like the saying goes "time heals all wounds."


DCW: Do you ever see the children who taunted you?


BFF: No. I've never come across the little girl who had the plastic gun, but I have her little face memorized. I can see her mocking me.



DCW: How about the boy who commented on your highlights?



BFF: I didn't see his face because there was a large group of children. But I am getting my highlights done in a month and I am a bit worried. Should I go darker instead of blond?



DCW: It is traumatic when bullying leads to one questioning their next hairstyle. Do you know that my article on you being bullied was my highest post for the month of May (note: I only had one other post that month but I wanted to make feel better so I told her this in hopes of cheering her - plus I was hoping that the bullying didn't stop her from getting the highlights)? How does that make you feel?



BFF: It makes it worthwhile that I endured that pain if I helped one other adult who was bullied by a small child.


Are you an adult who has been bullied by a small child? If you want to share your story and help others around the world who face similar traumas, please email thedullcoworker@gmail.com. Bullying: it's not just involving children anymore.

Staplers - Simply Stunning

Product Review: Swingline 405

As you can see by the picture above, I have a beautiful stapler at my desk! I would like to do a product review of this stapler in case you are ever at Grand & Toy or Staples and are unsure of what to buy.

First of all, what I love about this stapler is that it works (except when it's out of staples).

I also like how it's black, which is a staple colour (not just a stapler colour!) as it goes with everything. Plus, black is slimming! I look slimmer when holding it!

That is my product review.

Oh, one more thing, as I type this, my co-worker (who is not dull), wanted me to remind you to put your name on the bottom of your stapler in case someone takes it accidentally.

Finally, I want to conclude today's post by showing you this heavy duty stapler for larger staple jobs. Beside it is an example of a box of staples. It is always good to have these around.

So my dear friends, I hope you enjoyed this product review. If you have any staplers you'd like me to review that I didn't mention, please let me know.

Oh yes, this is about the stupidest, dullest post I've done to date on this blog. I'm sorry you wasted 5 min's or less of your life reading this. Sorry for your life.