Contributed by Korina Rossi, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru
After a weekend of pool parties, beach volleyball, and tequila body shots, the Monday morning blues come fast and hard.
But before falling into despair about the next five days that separate you from the weekend, keep in mind there are ways to rock at your office. Use a few of these tips, and you might even find yourself partying at your office next Saturday night.
Here are my top ten ways to party at work:
10. Dress with flair
If your office seems like a prison with grey and beige uniforms, deck yourself out in bright colors, especially statement-making bowties or scarves. With just a few accessories, you’ll be conquering office place drabness.
9. Tunes
Don’t follow the crowd by filling your cubicle airspace with easy listening music; instead, choose energetic music—swing or country—that’s easy to dance to while your sashaying to the filing cabinet.
Be sure to keep a good set of headsets in your desk drawer so you can rock on even after the party ends. The right music, and every day can seem like a party about to happen, you know!
8. Pinball machines
Advertising agencies and graphic arts firms know the importance of arcade games to creative types. Incidentally, playing a quick round of air hockey or shooting hoops is also a great way to party.
7. Snazzy wall colors
If you work at a small business, ask if you can paint your walls an electric or eye-catching color. If not, try hanging favorite posters of vacation photos to your cubicle walls.
When it’s party time, add color with posters made for the occasion, plus brightly-hued streamers, balloons, and paper goods. Color counts when it’s party time.
6. Cool furniture
Gussy your office up by adding a few colorful splashes. Beanbags are an economically priced, stylish addition to your small kingdom at work.
5. Stationery
Everyone appreciates lighthearted wit in an office setting, so make your post it notes stand out by using funny sticky notes. You can even use the funny sticky notes as clues to the party’s theme, location or time.
4. Bring snacks
Parties are all about bringing people together, and nothing lures co-workers into conversation quicker than a plate of homemade brownies or a mail-order key lime pie in the dead of winter. Drop a tasty snack off in the employee lounge, send a group email to alert your co-workers, and reap the rewards.
3. Cool lights
You might not get away with attaching a strobe light to your cube or hanging a disco ball in your department, but add a few strings of party lights to cubicles and walls can instantly turn office-boring beige into party time brightness. If it’s a themed party (like a birthday or holiday), look for shaped light strings to add an extra festive feel.
2. Keep a candy dish
Dollars to donuts, your co-workers will flock to your desk when it sports a well-stocked candy dish filled with premium chocolate squares. Or tap into their retro vibe with a selection of candies from the 80’s, 70’s or earlier. People love seeing the candies they grew up with, even when it’s not party time.
1. Pick your poison
While your co-workers are slaves to the Styrofoam cup of coffee, bring a little panache to work by drinking a bottled soda—like sarsaparilla or cream soda. Sure, these brews don’t hold a candle to real adult beverages, but they let the office know you can party anywhere.
Or if you’re celebrating a special milestone, opt for sparkling cider or grape juice, and some stemmed plastic drinkware. All the fun, none of the “oops, I got drunk at work” embarrassment!