At a yoga class the other day, the instructor excitedly and in a heavy whisper told us she was going to shake things up a bit. “We’re not going to do the same moves you’re used to.” I peered down the hall at the Spinning class and contemplated rolling up my yoga mat and making my way there. I am glad I stuck with yoga that day because it not only stretched my limbs, it challenged my mind in new ways beyond the 60-minute class.
The instructor was nervous about these changes and kept apologizing: “Sorry, but no Downward Dog today!” It was all about Child’s Pose. “Be a Warrior,” she declared, as she implored us to just forget about Mountain Pose today. The Seated Twist was totally new to this class, and you could hear the grunts over the soothing music. “I hope you’ll forgive me for requiring a different path today. I only wish it gets you thinking about what routine you may change in your life this week.”
It was a Sunday and I decided to take her literally. From Yoga I went grocery shopping and started my excursion in reverse – Aisle 18 (milk and eggs) rather than my typical starting point of fruits and vegetables, Aisle 1.
I had a spare half hour for a manicure. Instead I got a pedicure and selected a nail color that my 10-year-old niece would have chosen for herself. My yoga instructor would either be proud or appalled.
Later that night, I made my to-do list for the coming week. I put family things first on this list, then work items, and within the work to-do’s I listed only 2 things (rather than 10) for each day. I handed the sticky note to my husband to check it out. “Why are you showing me this?” he asked. I said, “Because I never show you my to-do list.” It was not exactly a romantic moment, but it was different.
At work, there are a lot of ways to shake up your routine. I’m not referring to barging into your boss’s office and asking for a raise, throwing your old computer on the floor demanding a new one, or launching a new product for a new audience. I’m talking about the little things you can do to rejuveniate, to challenge your muscle memory and to think of your day's work in different and possibly more creative ways. This week, consider these changeups:
1. Walk down a different hallway to your office or cubicle: you’ll run into colleagues you normally don’t interact with and see areas of your work environment you never pay attention to.
2. Discard one item for every year you’ve worked at your company – pieces of paper you know you’re never going to read or need, items gathering dust, old plasticware. (Crumbs don't count.)
3. Go to a competitor’s Web site, find something great there, and share it with your team in a positive, non-defensive way.
4. Favor a different social media platform: if you spend the bulk of your social media time on Twitter, for this week spend more time on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+ or LinkedIn. Post, respond, join a conversation.
5. Ask a colleague if you could shadow him or her for a few hours. Assuming this will be kosher with the highers-up, consider spending 120 minutes with your IT guy or 120 in Accounting; or a few hours with Marketing.
6. Go to lunch with a colleague you don't know well. It might not sound appetizing, but chances are you’ll find common interests and learn something new about her and your company.
7. Write with pen and paper: Send a thank you note to 3 people: one person you work with, one customer or client, and someone who’s influenced you in your career. Don’t forget to mail it.
Just as my yoga instructor got me thinking in new ways, I hope this list will inspire you to shake up your routine and start to see new things in your environment and different ways of approaching work.
And with that, Namaste.
-- Diane Schwartz
Find your way to my Twitter @dianeschwartz