Are you looking forward to going to work today? Or do you feel a sense of dread or stress just wishing you could do anything else but go to work?

It happens. Some days you’re ready to embrace the day, and other days you’re ready to race for the nearest exit.

But what if you could find a way to embrace the day every day? Bring a little more fun into your life. What would that feel like? What could you achieve with that kind of mindset?

Probably anything you put your mind to, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Let’s go step by step through the shortcuts you’re going to need to bring a little more fun and enjoyment into your day.

Are you ready? Let’s get started.

First, go to bed earlier than you might like. I know this can be a hard one for some of us, but the benefits are immense.

• You won’t stay up late mindlessly watching a screen.
• You won’t stay up late having a second (or third) drink.
• You won’t be eating junk food because you are bored.
• And you’ll naturally wake up earlier the next day.

Which happens to be the second step to improving the fun factor.

Get up earlier than you might like. This one can be especially challenging at first. But getting up thirty or forty minutes early promotes additional healthy habits.

• You could get in a workout.
• You could mindfully eat your breakfast.
• You could take advantage of the extra time to peacefully get ready for work.
• You could leave the house on time, unhurried, and ready to seize the day.

That all sounds great, but what if you wake up feeling a bit grumpy or uninspired?

Try this little shortcut to boost your mood. Shake off the blues with a whiff of some essential oils to lift your mind and reduce tension.

There are two specific oils that will help you most effectively – lemon and peppermint.

Lemon essential oil can boost feelings of happiness and calm agitation. Studies have shown that limonene (not lemonade, limonene), a major component of citrus oils, may increase norepinephrine, a brain chemical linked to lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Looks like a little lemon scent first thing in the morning could balance out our emotions and get us primed to get up and brush our teeth. Speaking of which…

Peppermint essential oil stimulates the senses awakening the mind and increasing alertness. Many studies have shown that the menthol contained in peppermint oil helps relieve muscle pain, headaches, and tension.

Maybe that’s why so many toothpastes are peppermint flavored. Hmmm.

If you want to double-up on this effect, don’t just sniff and hope that it works for you; think about the science behind it and know that you are intentionally doing something to boost your mood and improve your well-being.

It’s kind of like being in the treatment group and the control group at the same time. You get the natural neurobiological remedy, and the added bonus of the placebo effect.

It’s a one-two punch to positivity!

Ok, your morning routine is set. Let’s get on the road and head in to work.

We all agree the morning commute is no fun. It’s busy, there’s a bunch of maniacs racing and swerving, and causing mayhem all around.

But you don’t have to worry because you woke up early today, which allows you enough time to spend a couple of extra minutes on the road if needed.

Because of this, you’re able to maintain your sense of peace and calm as you move along with your fellow travelers. If one of these lovely people inadvertently cuts you off or tries to squeeze into the turn lane at the very last second, don’t sweat it. Just allow them to make their way in and breathe a sigh of relief that no one was harmed.

Keep calm, be cautious, and wish your traffic troublemaker a safe commute. When you arrive at work, you’ll feel more relaxed and ready for action.

Of course, now is when the real challenge begins. There are other people you actually have to interact with. And some of them are not always as pleasant as you are.

If it looks like you’re entering a swarm of killer bees ready to assault you in a full-on buzzkill, try to keep focused on your current state of well-being. Just smile to yourself and think about how gracious you were to all those drivers this morning and how grateful you are that you’re on time and not frazzled.

Now, if these bees continue with their menacing gaze, bite back with a little bit of kindness. Pay a compliment, offer some help, or even take a moment to show some compassion for their feelings of woe or resentment.

Whatever you do, please do NOT say something like, “Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays.” Sarcasm and fake cheeriness are not attractive. Be sincere in your words and caring in your actions.

And remember to pick your battles. Not everything needs to be a battle. If someone is just not ready to get out of their funk, let them be. It’s their battle, not yours.

If you are on a mission to “bring the fun”, see how many people you can make smile or laugh during the day – especially when your mood dips a bit. Paying a compliment or offering to help is a dual-edge sword of serenity. When they smile, you’ll smile. You both win.

Right about now I’m getting the feeling that maybe I’ve lost a few of you, or I’m about to. You’re probably saying, “Hey Mr. Shortcut Man, get out of here with your talk of fun in the workplace. This is business and we call it work for a reason. It’s work. It’s not supposed to be fun.”

Yeah, I get it.

But what makes you think that? Did someone tell you that and you took it on faith, or do you really believe it?

Pause the podcast and take a few minutes to consider those questions. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Alright, welcome back. Even if you didn’t take a moment to consider the questions, don’t worry, I’ve got some good news for you.

If the word ‘fun’ makes you bristle or burn, I’ve got you covered.

If just the thought of using the ‘f’ word makes you feel compromised or fake or somewhat of a sellout, you don’t have to use that word at all. I’ve got shortcuts to make things easier for you and more enjoyable for your team.

Here are a few practical phrases to use next time you see morale waning or mood dropping.

If you need to emphasize well-being or engagement, instead of saying, “We need to make work fun,” try “We need to boost engagement with activities that foster creativity and teamwork.”

Notice what we did there. First, we didn’t use the word ‘fun’ and we incorporated words like ‘engagement’, ‘creativity’, and ‘teamwork’. Those are meaningful, practical aspirations that combine to improve performance and productivity.

Here’s another one.

If you need to improve team building and trust, instead of saying, “Let’s do something fun together,” try “Let’s do a team-building exercise to strengthen our collaboration and communication.”

Again, we’ve nixed the word ‘fun’ and employed the words ‘collaboration’ and ‘communication’ which are strong links to ongoing success in team building and goal achievement.

Alright, one more.

If you need to enhance workplace culture, instead of saying, “It’s good to have fun at work,” try “It’s good to enrich our workplace culture with activities that bring us together.”

There’s no ‘fun’ in this sentence either. But we have introduced the idea that working together is part of the company culture and you, as leader, are an advocate for belonging and socialization.

These phrases will keep you in alignment with your values of what work looks like, and it sends the message to others that you acknowledge the ancillary attributes of success in the workplace.

So, how will you take advantage of your new “early to bed, early to rise” routine? How will you trade road rage for commuter compassion? And how will you bring the idea of fun to work without actually saying the f-word out loud?

These are challenging questions for sure. But implementing just one of them this week will foster a way of being that improves your self-perception and your executive presence.

And if you really want to get nerdy with it, make fun a KPI.