Tired of working? Take a break!

Cube potato, definition: An employee who sits in their cube, does their work, and speaks to no one – every day. Instead of a couch, they have a chair. Instead of a TV, they have a monitor. And in place of their remote, is their mouse. Are you a cube potato? Try these five steps to get out of the chair and in to the office social scene.

Step 1: Leave your cube. Instead of emailing the graphics department asking when your slides will be ready for the big presentation, take a walk down the hall and try a face to face inquiry instead.

Step 2: Join work activities. If your company holds charity drives, fund raiser events, or employee personal growth trainings such as, “how to knit yourself a sweater,” give them a try. Raising money for charity can be a fulfilling way to meet new people and connect on a personal level to those you work with day in and day out. And we both know you don’t care about knitting a sweater - or wearing it for that matter because it’ll probably turn out two sizes too small for you anyway - but you might pick up a new friend along the way. Who knows, if you’re new friend turns out to be the head of the graphics department, you might get those slides a little quicker next time Some companies, or employees on their own, organize yearly picnics or weekly or monthly happy hours. These events are a great way to be social as they take the work mindset away and give each person the chance to get to know their coworkers outside the work atmosphere.

Step 3: Have fun! Some days the entire office seems to drag with fatigue or just plain burn out. Try sending coworkers in your department a joke or funny article you found on the internet. See something funny on Letterman last night? Share it with the crowd!

Step 4: Be social: Visit your cube neighbors to say hi. Ask how their weekend was on Monday morning or drop by Friday afternoon to see what plans they have for the upcoming weekend. Talk to them about trips you may be taking or a new restaurant or store you visited one night during the week. Ask your neighbor or fellow coworker if they’d like to go out for lunch. Leaving the office can give you a break and some social stimulation all at the same time. If your office has a cafeteria that people frequently visit, see what food is there or bring a brown bag lunch one day and share a table with someone. Even walking to the cafeteria or vending machine for a quick cookie trip can surely spark some conversation with whoever you run into along the way.

Step 5: Send information to others about helpful tips or interesting information. If you’ve just learned how to archive your meeting calendar through outlook to decrease your mailbox space, send the tip to others as well. People will appreciate the advice, and the next time someone needs help, you may find a new visitor in your cube. Have you seen any articles about your company on the internet lately? How about articles relating to your field of business? Send them along to spark conversation. Send some comments along as well on what other companies are doing that your company could incorporate easily, or mention how well your company is doing in relation to the competition.

Social involvement can have its rewards. When your manager is looking for someone to lead the next brainstorming session, he or she will not be looking for someone who shy’s away in their cube, but for someone who is outgoing. With your new networking skills, this could be you. You may also experience ladder climbing. The daily “Hi, how was your weekend,” can lead to, “So what do you think about our production numbers for this month?” The back and forth exchange of ideas may lead to your coworkers mentioning your great ideas to your manager. And good feedback to your manager can lead to recognition, more responsibility, promotions, and higher raises. Not bad for a little effort, huh?

Employees stay at their place of employment for many reasons, one of which is their social environment. The more fun you have at work, and the more tied you are to the employees that work with you, the better your odds are of being happy at your job. Ever hear someone say, “If it wasn’t for the people I work with I would have left a long time ago?” Exactly.

Make friends. Have fun. Get your managers attention. Get out of your chair, out of your cube, and peel your potato skin!

     “We’re thinking about a bus tour,” said my friend when talking about possible ways to see Italy. “A bus tour?” I said. “Oh no, absolutely not. I’m not doing a bus tour.”

     Or so I thought …

     With a cost of $2300 for thirteen days, including airfare, the thought of the bus tour was hard to ignore. After reading the free brochure I obtained from the tour’s website, I realized I would never see as many places in a short amount of time for the cost of the trip that was offered – and so off we went – me, my friend, and my friend’s friend. In thirteen days I explored the Colosseum in Rome, the Duomo in Florence, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the small walkways of San Gimignano, the canals of Venice, the ruins of Pompeii, the waters of the Isles of Capri, and countless other sights.

     What I envisioned from a bus tour is what everyone generally envisions: crying children, elderly folks who would cause us to slow down from our normal pace, and people in general I did not care to know - let alone sit next to on a bus for two weeks. What I actually experienced were adults - all eighteen to thirty-five years of age who were fun, outgoing, funny, and ready to explore all day long and party all night. I even made a friend along the way.

     One of the girls on the bus, Quinton, had gone on the tour alone. She paired up with us for some sightseeing along with her assigned roommate. On the third or so day, Quinton and I were talking like we had been friends for many years, and even after the tour we kept in touch through email. A year later, Quinton and I paired up for another two-week tour - my second bus tour; her third. We traveled from Amsterdam to Barcelona, seeing Paris, Lucerne, Chamonix, Nice, and Monaco.

     There are many options to choose from for your ideal bus tour. You may choose to see several cities in one country, such as my first tour of Italy, or you may choose to see several cities in several countries, such as my tour from Amsterdam to Barcelona. There are also options for the duration of each tour, ranging from seven days to a full month. Whatever tour you choose, your tour bus, with assigned bus driver, will drive you to each city - while you are napping or reading, I might add.

     Each tour is assigned a tour manager who travels with you. The tour manager is loaded with information, and will distribute detailed maps of each city you visit along with metro information. Your tour manager will also tell you where you can find the best places to eat, give you directions and suggestions on the best places to see, and will also give you mini language lessons to greet the locals accordingly. We were told that in France you will have a phone line to your hotel room, but you must call the front desk and have them activate it to place a call – a helpful fact I would not have known on my own.

     The time in each city is usually just one or two days. In some cases you may have three days in one city, but this is generally the city you fly into and out of. The one-night stops are mostly small towns, such as Lucerne in Switzerland, or Chamonix in France, which can be explored satisfactorily in a few hours. About half the time allotted in each city is alone time for you, and those you have met on the bus, to explore and see the sites. This is when your map of the city with its metro stops will come in handy - try getting around Paris on foot! But with only one full day in each city, you’ll need to prioritize your wish list of sites and visit those at the top of the list. And even with having only a small amount of time, you can be sure you’ll leave feeling enriched with culture, sites, and pictures that will last a lifetime.

     Be warned, there can be some drawbacks if you don’t like who is on tour with you, such as the Teeny Boppers. The Teeny Boppers, as we un-affectionately called them on my second tour, were a group of five girls ages seventeen and eighteen. On the first day during orientation, the girls were giggling uncontrollably. It was apparent they had participated in some of the “activities” Amsterdam has to offer. I looked at Quinton and said, “This is gonna be a long two weeks.” Each day on the bus was filled with their incessant giggling, and obnoxious and sarcastic questions to our tour manager. During a lunch stop in Italy the entire bus voted to leave them behind. Fortunately for them, our tour manager was kinder than we were. A few nights later we heard yelling from their rooms. The Teeny Boppers had a major blowout; they stopped talking to one another – and the rest of us had peace and quiet for the remainder of the trip.

     At the end of my Amsterdam to Barcelona tour, we each signed a sheet with our email addresses and contact information. As our tour guide collected the sheet from the last person, she said, “Keep in touch with each other. Many people have taken these trips, but nobody has experienced this trip in the way you all have together.” She was absolutely right - Quinton and I have kept in touch for the past two years - and we still talk about our amazing trips. We’ve gone on new trips too - to see each other - from Florida to Canada.

     ”I don’t know.” I was sobbing uncontrollably. This was my answer to my husband’s questions of “what’s wrong?” It was at least the third time that week I had cried without knowing why. Some days I would cry, wipe my tears, take a breath, clean myself up, and start the cycle all over again – and this would continue for hours. My husband put his arms around me and rested his head atop mine. “I think you may need to talk to Marge,” he said. Crying even harder now, and feeling completely defeated, I knew he was right.

     After speaking for over two months with Marge, a psychologist, I realized the unhappiness and stress I felt with my job had taken over my life. I cried at least three times a week, I almost never left the house, and the television had become my new best friend. And I work from home, which had further enabled me to adapt the lifestyle of a hermit. I had cut myself off from everyone by not even picking up a telephone to call a friend. I was working long hours, often ten hours a day, without taking a break for lunch. I was living solely for my job. All the energy I had during the day was exerted towards my work: I made phone calls to solve problems, answered emails to complete daily tasks, attended meetings, and learned of new initiatives within the company. And at the end of the workday, I was exhausted. All of my energy was gone, all of my ambition was gone, and any concern I had for the things I loved, and for me, was also gone. According to Marge I had worked myself into a depression. Oddly enough, I didn’t even like my job. I felt like I was the only one having problems. Was there anyone out there living this same life?

     You betcha.

     I spoke with a co-worker during my sessions with Marge. He told me he had been working long hours, including weekends, and his wife was often crying from the lack of time they spent together. Adding to his already stressed marriage, he made his wife wait four hours for medical attention after injuring her hand, so he could speak with a client on a project of his. And in the next breath he said, “I might be getting a divorce soon!” The awkward laugh in his voice told me he was joking, but not really.

     The “Take Back Your Time” organization, “a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment,” states, “the average American works nine weeks longer per year than those in Western Europe, and receives an average of two weeks vacation per year. Our European counterparts receive an average of five to six weeks per year.” According to NIOSH, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “40% of workers reported their job was very or extremely stressful, 25% view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives, and job stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than financial or family problems.”

     How much are we sacrificing for our work? Have we decided that our mental health, physical health, and personal relationships are no longer worthwhile and working is the way to be happy? When we die should our tombstones read, “Here lies Mr. Jones. Promoted to senior management after five years of service. Inspired others to work hard and achieve success. Work employment 1965 – 2006. May he now rest?”

     Why are we working so hard? There really are many reasons why people work at jobs they do not love, or even like. Some work for higher salaries. Others feel there is no other way to get “ahead” unless they multi-task to the point of chaos each day. Let’s face it, working extra hours has come to be expected, and working yourself into an early grave is now the way to put yourself in the spotlight. Looking at the extended rush hour times during the workday will tell you you’re not the only one out there working longer days. There are also peer pressure and guilt everywhere. “If Dave is working fifty hours a week, shouldn’t I be also? And if Dave can work long hours without complaining, why can’t I?”

     As I have learned, in the end, it’s a choice. Some of us are willing to work fifty-hour work weeks because of our love for the job, or for the love of success. Some of us work long or stressful hours because we can’t change our jobs or careers at this moment in life. Whatever situation you encounter, here are some tips from Marge to de-stress during and after the workday.

     1. Exercise. Patients who exercise at least three times per week show the same mental health improvements as those that have undergone psychological treatment.

     2. Do things you enjoy in your spare time. Turning your attention to your interests and hobbies each day eliminates your job from your center of focus.

     3. Don’t work long hours. Speak to your manager about excessive time you spend at the office. Review with him or her what you can accomplish realistically each day. You will, however, need to be prepared for pushback from your manager if your overtime is something he or she has come to expect.

     4. Take a lunch break during the day. Don’t fall into the “eat at your desk and work” trap. Employees who take breaks during the day are more productive than those who do not. Give your mind a rest. You’ll be ready to tackle the rest of the day when you return with a full stomach and a clear mind.

     Taking Marge’s advice, I picked myself up and began concentrating on life after work hours. At 6:00, unless the building was on fire, I was done. I began walking a few times a week, spending more time with my piano lessons, and taking at least a half hour lunch break during the day. I also instituted my own TV time policy that only allowed me to begin watching television after 7:00 at night, which forced me to find something else to do other than being a couch potato. The crying stopped and a few weeks later I began to feel like myself. And the better I felt, the better I felt.

     The choice is ours to make: to live our lives for our careers and the top dollar job, or to live life on our own terms – caring for and being loved by others, learning new ideas, and traveling to new places. I have made my choice. I choose love, I choose happiness, I choose to walk on the beach with my husband, and I choose to travel as much as I can. My tombstone will no longer read, “I was an excellent employee.”