Little Things That Brighten the Workday

From reading romance novels on the train commute to eating a handful of Hershey’s kisses at 3:00 sharp, many workers have small rituals that they look forward to each day. Here, some people share their “happiness boosters.” We’d love to hear your own in the comments section!

“My company, Carmichael Lynch Spong, offers free sodas and five different flavors of sparkling water to employees. No matter how challenging my day has been, walking down to the soda fridge and picking out my can of La Croix brightens up my day.” – Whitney Mares McChane

“Here is my guilty pleasure: The New York Times crossword. Completing one is all-consuming for a few minutes, the focus is intense, and there is a real feeling of accomplishment when you leave no word or letter empty. It is like the brain equivalent of caffeine. The process re-energizes and elevates.” -- Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide

“I like to take breakfast at the office instead of rushing to eat before I run out the door. Just me, a yogurt and granola parfait, and my Outlook inbox open sorting through my morning emails. It's a nice way to start off the day!” -- Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation.com

“I love to sneak away to Panera Bread and have their cinnamon crunch bagel. Anything combining cinnamon and a bagel already makes me stand on my head, but then they put brown sugar on the bottom and caramelize it. Of course, this guilty pleasure isn't complete without the caramel latté, but it must be in the pretty mug. No paper cups with the cardboard koozie. The oversized, pretty, I'm-so-cool mug is part of the experience.” -- Rémy Chaussé, author

“My workday pleasure is music. Even when I worked in a cubicle, I would play 70s or 80s music to ‘pump up’ while I signed in for the day or back from lunch. Calorie-free attitude lifter/amplifier. Seriously, it's hard to be angry after listening to ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’!” -- Jodie Jensen

“Every day at noon, I take a three mile walk. Being alone - what a simple pleasure.” -- Bob Shirilla, owner of Keepsakes Etc. and Simply Bags

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