Has your desk become a cluttered ruin filled with half-empty coffee mugs, teetering stacks of books, dusty piles of paper, and crumbs from your breakfast bagel?

Does your working environment make you feel refreshed, energized, and inspired or do you feel cramped, tired and overwhelmed?

Did you know that by changing the features of your working environment you can actually help yourself focus better, work more efficiently, and be more creative?

Whether you work at home or at an office, there are many ways that you can improve your desk space so that you can work to your maximum potential.

Reduce Clutter

Having a lot of junk on your desk is not only distracting when you are trying to work, but it can also make you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Just like staring out at the open ocean or the horizon can be calming for your mind, working at a clutter-free space will help you relax.

You will also find important documents and files quicker and easier rather than having to sift through piles of debris for them.

Here is a quick list to get started:

1. Clear off everything from your desk and sort it into piles of things to thrown away and things to file.
2. Create a filing system to organize your documents, which can be anything from folders in a drawer to a special cabinet.
3. Make sure that everything is off the desk and put in its rightful place, and get in the habit of taking 10 minutes at the end of your day to organize your desk so that the clutter never builds up.

Light Up Your Life

Inadequate lighting in your work space could be sapping your energy, straining your eyes, and making it more difficult to get your work done.

Invest in a desk lamp which sheds light directly onto whatever you are working on so that you can see everything clearly.

Avoid florescent bulbs, because when they flicker they can cause eye strain after a while.

Inspire Yourself

Now that your desk is organized and bright, you can add a few items which will inspire you while you are working.

You can put quotes from your heroes and photos and artwork that represent your dreams and goals on the walls near your desk.

If you ever are stuck for ideas, you will have your own little gallery of inspiration to gaze upon.

Enjoy working in your new and beautiful workspace!

Every office has at least one; the person who makes you want to curl up under your desk and cry, or beat them senseless with a stapler.

You can’t choose your co-workers, and sometimes it can be incredibly frustrating to work in an environment with someone like this.

When they don’t deliver work when promised, refuse to collaborate, and fail to listen to feedback they make your job difficult and increase the stress level for everyone else.

So what can you do with that co-worker who drives you crazy? Here are a few strategies who dealing with these difficult workmates:

• Keep your cool. Although you might want to send them an email jam-packed with obscenities on a particularly stressful morning, use self restraint. Losing your temper and lashing out at the person will not help the situation at all. You will have more power in this situation if you deal with it in a calm and controlled manner.
• Consider their intentions. Perhaps this person is not being rude or difficult or purpose, they might just not realize the impact their actions are having on others. Or they might be acting up for a completely different reason. Try to get to know them and find out the motivations behind the way that they are acting.
• Consult others about the problem. Have a confidential conversation with another co-worker that you trust. Ask them for support and advice on how you should deal with the situation. They might also have their own experiences with the person that they could share with you.
• Approach the person first. No one likes being “tattled on” to a higher authority, so running to the boss when someone does something that upsets you should not be your first solution. Speak with your colleague in a calm and respectful manner, and tell them exactly what they have done and why you don’t appreciate it. If they are reasonable, or if they didn’t mean any harm, they will apologize and try to resolve the situation.
• However, if you have approached them in this way and they have responded rudely, ignored you, or refused to stop, it’s time to get the boss involved. Provide documented evidence and clear examples to your boss of your co-worker’s inappropriate behavior, and ask them for help.

Although you and your co-worker might not become best friends, hopefully you can find a way to work together in harmony.

Do you find that after a few weeks of going to the gym at the same time and doing the exact same exercises you become bored?

If your workout gets in a rut, you can feel unmotivated to go to the gym and this can get in the way of accomplishing your fitness goals.

Also, if you always do the same exercise each time you work out, you won’t enjoy the benefit of strengthening all of your muscles. Just sticking to one exercise routine is not the best way to achieve overall fitness and better health.

So what can you do to keep your fitness routine varied and interesting and keep yourself motivated?

Here are some tips:

Try a Class

Check the group exercise class schedule at your gym or your local recreation center. There will likely be a good selection of different classes to attend, such as yoga, dance, Pilates, kick-boxing, step aerobics, and many more.

Make it your goal to try as many as you can until you find your favorite. Classes can be a great way to work out, because you are more likely to push yourself more than when you exercise by yourself.

You will also work different muscle groups, and meet other people who are motivated and living a healthy lifestyle.

Challenge Yourself

Here’s another way to kick start your motivation for working out. When you go to the gym, take a small notebook and pencil with you.

When you do an exercise, such as push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights, swimming lengths do as many as you can without stopping until you just can’t do any more.

Make a note with the date and write down the details of how many you did. Now, your goal for your next workout is to beat all of your past records. You can also make a goal to try a new exercise every time you workout.

Keeping score in this way helps you to track your progress, and it also gives you a goal to aim for. If you are trying to outdo your own performance, you will push yourself harder and be more motivated.

You can even promise yourself a reward if you manage to beat your previous totals, such as going to see a movie or doing something else you enjoy.

Bring a Friend

If one of your friends is moaning about how they need to get in shape, bring them to the gym with you! Most gyms will offer free guest passes or let your friend come for the day at a discounted rate if they are with you.

You can challenge and encourage each other, and teach each other new exercises. Just make sure that you don’t spend all of your time socializing!

These are a few ideas for mixing up your fitness routine and getting yourself motivated.

Have fun working out!