Turn Your Workspace Into a Joy Toolbox

Every office has its decoration culture. There are the private offices with mahogany desks and degrees on the wall, photos with important people, mementos meant to impress. There’s the shared workspace and the dreaded open office plan. 

At my last workplace, there was a strong culture of “desk flair,” where employees would display little tchotchkes brought back from their friends’ vacations. And there’s the other end of the spectrum--at a government contracting job, I once had a desk that was literally on a hallway, and everyone could look right into my half-cube and see what I was working on. 

As we wait for vaccine distribution, many of us are still working from home. Which, for most of us, means making do. 

“Upstairs used to be the guest room, but now it’s my home office,” my neighbor told me as we took out the trash. 

A friend told me she has a giant monitor set up in her bedroom: “I wish I didn’t have to work where I sleep.”

Another said she was working from the couch until months into the pandemic, when she finally caved and bought a desk. 

I saw some argument online the other day about how you should keep your workspace completely clean and empty so that you can work without distraction. My whole body recoiled. It took me back to working from a library carrel in college--staring at a blank cubby wall and having no idea what to say about Henry David Thoreau.

If anything, working from home gives us an opportunity to recreate what a workspace looks like. Grace Harry, a music business manager and “joy strategist,” says she often tells her clients to create a joy toolbox: a box, envelope, or tray containing a few items or ideas that bring joy. This idea translates especially well to the work-from-home desk. Imagine approaching your workspace early on a Monday morning and not feeling a sense of dread because you’re surrounded by things that bring you joy.  

When choosing items for my workspace, I find myself coming back to Marie Kondo’s interpretation of identifying the sensation of joy: “a little thrill as if the cells in your body are slowly rising.” In essence: you know it when you feel it. But unlike Kondo, the joy toolbox is less about purging and cleaning and more about...acting like a raccoon. Gather all the shiny things! Here are some ideas of items you could include in your workspace joy-makeover: 

ART BY YOU

If you’ve made a piece of art that you love, keep it on your desk, especially if it holds good memories or associations. For me, that’s a paperweight I made in high school (a time when I felt completely creative and full of possibility), a doodle of a Mary Oliver quote I like, and a reminder of my “one word” resolution for the year: REST. 

ART BY OTHERS

Think professional and personal. Your workspace is a great place to display a print or painting by your favorite artist. Even just something printed from the internet or torn from a magazine will do, as long as it in some way brings you joy. I’d also suggest displaying art given to you by people you love. Art from your kids is the obvious (and totally joyful) pick. On my desk, I also have a small ceramic vase made by my cousin and needlepoint art by my little sister. 

A PHOTO YOU LOVE

While the family photo seems like standard desk fair, think beyond what photos you would take to your desk at an office. A precious family photo too dear to “live” at work? A giant photo collage of all your favorite people? A completely not-flattering photo of you in a swimsuit, living your best life? (The vulnerability NSFW.) Go wild! These photos are for you, not to signal to your colleagues that you’re human. 

A PLANT

Research suggests that plants can lower stress levels, improve concentration, and promote healing. If you’ve been resistant to hopping on the pandemic plant-raising train, start with something low-maintenance and high-reward, like golden pothos. Give it a mug-full of water once a week, and watch the vines tumble. Amazon will even deliver one to your door if you’re not visiting stores right now. 

SOMETHING TO FIDGET WITH

Thinking putty, model magic clay, a fidget spinner, a Rubik’s cube--anything that might relieve stress when you’re trying to write a hard email. 

THE WOO-WOO STUFF, IF YOU’RE INTO THAT

There are tons and tons of people who swear by the powerful energy of crystals, the mood-easing effects of essential oils, and the uncanny predictions of oracle cards. If that’s your jam, bring them to your workspace. When a stressful task comes up, I say, take whatever the universe has to offer. These kinds of objects can be helpful even if you’re not feeling especially mystic. Maybe the things that bring you joy are a rock that you found on a meaningful hike, a favorite candle, or a pack of Here & Now Cards to remind you to take a moment for yourself during a busy day. 

THE GOOD PEN / THE GOOD SCISSORS

When you reach for a pen or a pencil or scissors or a marker, does it always take a minute to find the one you want? This one’s out of ink, that one bleeds weird, those scissors are too tiny. Get rid of all the second-choice office supplies and treat yourself to a new pack of your favorite pens. Every time you reach for a tool, it should be “the good one.” It’s not just about aesthetics Utility brings its own kind of joy. 

JOLLIFIERS

And, to the opposite of utility, I recommend having something on your desk that has little function whatsoever other than to bring joy. Scraps or mementos. A little toy or doo-dad. For me, it’s a sculpture of a kiwi bird. He just looks so...resigned?? He makes me laugh. 

The best part about turning your workspace into a joy toolbox is that you don’t need to buy anything new, and your workspace doesn’t have to be anything special. If you find yourself moving your laptop from room to room depending on what your family is doing, change your desktop wallpaper to a photo that brings joy, and tape a little note-to-self mantra to the edge of your screen. If you love the plants in your living room, but you never work in there, re-locate one to your work-from-home desk. Walk through your home and see if any of the small items you love (currently displayed elsewhere or hiding in a drawer) should move to your workspace. 

Then, when you’re on yet another stressful Zoom meeting, trying to finish up a hard project, or just counting the minutes until Friday at 5PM, your eyes can rest on the things that make you feel connected to the world beyond your job. Maybe, it turns out, desk flair isn’t just to signal to our colleagues that we’re human. It’s also a reminder for ourselves. 

Show us your workspace! Tag us on Instagram @alexandriaarttherapy, and we’ll feature some workspace joy in our stories.