Contributed by Paul Seaburn, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
When I was an office worker, the opening lines to Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run” best described my life as a cubicle rat:
“Stuck inside these four walls, sent inside forever, never seeing no one nice again like you.”
It’s estimated that some 42 million Americans spend most of their working hours in cubicles, most of them staring at four drab and really short walls. It doesn’t have to be that way, especially if your company or manager lets you “pimp” or decorate your space.
If I had to do it all over again, here’s my Top 10 Pimp My Cubicle Ideas.
10. Display Some Photos
Pictures of your family or your loved ones (they’re not always the same people!) are a safe and easy way to start pimping your cubicle. Small frames on your desk are best so you can remove them if needed for space. Keep cubicle wall photos to 5-by-7 – your office mates don’t want the eyes of your relatives following them around.
9. Grow A Plant
A little green goes a long way in a cubicle, so add a small plant or flower to your desktop or shelf. If you’re not too good at remembering things – like watering – go for low-maintenance, drought-resistant indoor plants or a cactus. Or go totally kill-resistant and purchase some lush artificial plants. If you have a green thumb and your management doesn’t mind, lots of greenery and flowers can make the walls disappear.
8. Rainbow your Office Supplies
Manila is vanilla, so fold up those drab folders and brighten your cubicle with folders, binders, penholders, wastebaskets and other office supplies in bold radiant colors. Even when they’re piled high in your messy office, they’re still look great.
7. Crazy Calendars
Sure, you can get the date from your PC, your phone or your watch, but none of them will add color, style or humor to your cubicle like a calendar for your desk or cubical wall. . Keep them clean so no one gets offended, but do let your personality shine through. (Which means that the freebie one you got from the local real estate agent won’t cut it!)
6. Add A Light
Overhead lighting in most offices is harsh, while undershelf lighting can be intense. Give your eyes a break and your office a mood adjustment with a colorful desk or table lamp. Keep it below the top of your walls so you’re not a beacon on others in the office.
5. Cool Candles
Everyone knows candles can be relaxing – until they set off the smoke alarm. Battery-powered flicker candles look almost real and have the same effect. Some even have a scent that isn’t overpowering.
4. Bean Bagging
If you have some flexibility and open-minded management, add a beanbag chair to your space instead of an office chair. It’s great for brainstorming, meditating, relaxing or just adding a big blob of color.
3. Bring Some Weather In
When your cubicle is deep inside the maze and far from a window or a weather station, it’s tough to know what the weather is like. An ambient weather beacon fixes that by glowing and pulsing in the colors used by the Weather Channel to let you know what’s happening outside. It’s also a radio.
2. Hang Some Wall Paper
OK, you don’t want to glue it on, but pinning a piece of wallpaper or wallpaper border to your cubicle wall will make it feel less … beige. Prints of nature scenes, vacation views or even bricks will change the décor and the best part is, you don’t have to do any scraping to take it down and put up a new one.
1. Go Fish
A little goldfish in a bowl will brighten your day from start to fin-ish. Little USB-powered fishbowls make the fake fish look alive and makes caring for them easy, especially over the weekend. No filters or food required.