If I know one thing about myself, it’s that I’m a high-achiever who’s prone to burnout. Every fall, as Q4 ramps up, I slip into the mindset that success means doing more, working endless hours, and squeezing every ounce of productivity out of my day. Unsurprisingly, that approach has never ended well.
This year, instead of trying to miserably power through, I’m romanticizing my workdays. Not in a “pretend deadlines don’t exist” kind of way, but by adopting small rituals and a renewed mindset that make the hours I spend working feel more enjoyable and intentional. From curating a cozy workspace to actually allowing myself to slow down amid the sprint to year-end, I’m embracing gentle shifts that make even the busiest days feel a little less overwhelming.
Sometimes, we don’t necessarily need to change our workload—we just need to change how we move through it. Ahead, I’m sharing all the ways we can romanticize our workdays this fall to make this busy season feel a little cozier, more intentional, and a lot more enjoyable.
1. Remember what you like about your job
If you’re working a job that doesn’t make you leap out of bed every morning, you’re not alone. Having to work for a living isn’t something that most of us want to do, but that doesn’t mean you should view it as a chore and slog through the day. Waiting until 5 p.m. or Friday to roll around is no way to live. Instead, start to think about what you actually like about your job as you approach your workday, even if it’s a small thing.
For example, I love writing and the flow I get into while strategizing and editing other people’s work, so I am choosing to focus on that part of my role and reminding myself how lucky I am to get paid to do that. It might sound fluffy, but I find myself actually enjoying my Sundays instead of spending them with the scaries. So far, I have more enjoyment during my day because I am making an effort to focus on the positives of my career.
2. Make tiny upgrades to your workspace
I don’t know about everyone else, but sometimes I get so set on the functionality of my office that I don’t take the time to optimize it for what I actually like. To create a space that makes me feel like the main character in a cozy fall rom-com, I am revamping my home office. I’m bringing in some fall decor, hanging aesthetic prints from Etsy, and swapping out my clunky black office chair for a cute beige fuzzy one (that still supports my back, because that’s key!). When your workspace is mindfully created to be both enjoyable and functional, you will be more productive. That’s just a fact!
READ: 30 Desk Essentials for Romanticizing Your Workdays This Fall
“Sometimes, we don’t necessarily need to change our workload—we just need to change how we move through it.”
If you’re in a physical office or have less ability to modify your space, focus on the small things to make your day more enjoyable. For example, always have a soft sweater or blanket nearby if it gets cold, keep photos you love on your desk, have a stash of your favorite pens or office supplies ready to go, and rely on a relaxing, seasonal playlist to set the mood.
I also recommend that everyone update their laptop background photo to something seasonal and inspiring (*cough* The Everygirl monthly backgrounds *cough*). It might seem trivial, but the little things can really impact your overall mindset each day.
3. Plan your breaks
If taking a work break often looks like scarfing down a granola bar while scrolling TikTok for 10 minutes, only to jump immediately back to your computer or hop on the next call, same. But also, listen up! This is the opposite of being slow and intentional. I know that my breaks need to change for the sake of actually enjoying my career, so I am starting to plan out what they look like at the beginning of the day.
For example, I like to take phone-free walks outside, slowly brew special coffee drinks, play with my dogs, or call my mom during my breaks, so I am intentionally planning to do more of those things. By actually taking a break and giving my brain time to not be online or productive, I am noticing that I feel refreshed and ready to pick back up when I sit back down at my desk. This calmness is trickling through the rest of my day, giving me perspective and helping me feel less overwhelmed.
4. Engage all of your senses
When I started to think about how I could slow down my day and be more present, I quickly discovered that engaging all of the senses is key. To bring this into my day and my evenings spent doing freelance work, I am dedicated to covering all my bases. For smell, I am lighting candles, and for touch, I am wearing clothing that is comfortable instead of stuffy corporate wear or yesterday’s sweats. For sound, I’m playing soft folk or instrumental playlists, and I’m sipping on fruit-infused water, coffee, or tea for taste. Finally, for sight, I am hanging new art and making an updated vision board with some aspirational career goals. These are small things, but they make my day feel much more enjoyable and remind me that my 9-5 can be more pleasurable if I put a little effort in.
“Adding more calm to your day comes down to being mindful about how you will take action.”
5. Set boundaries around your workload
Setting healthy boundaries is a key part of making your work days more mindful. If you’re spending all of your time accommodating other people’s needs or doing things you don’t want to do, you’re going to feel resentful and burnt out pretty quickly, instead of relaxed and motivated. When it comes to your career, take some time to consider if you can take on another task with your current workload or if you want to volunteer for that extracurricular before signing up. As someone who is tempted to say “yes” to everything, this really helps.
If you need proof that this is effective, I chatted with my manager earlier this month and was able to delegate projects that were less interesting to me so I could focus more on the work I enjoyed. This, in turn, has allowed me to finish work by 5 p.m. more often. It is also giving me back my evenings so I can focus on new at-home hobbies, self-care, and socializing. Naturally, I’ve been a lot happier and more relaxed overall.
READ: 8 Work Hacks That Save Me From Staying Late at the Office
6. Swap one productivity habit for a pleasure habit
It’s tempting to want to productivity habit-stack yourself into oblivion in the fall. This is when most businesses are the busiest, so wanting to optimize your day is only natural. But over-optimizing your routine can actually backfire, leaving every minute feeling scheduled and every break feeling like something you have to earn. That’s why I love swapping one productivity habit for what I like to call a “pleasure habit” this time of year.
“Tiny moments of enjoyment don’t make you less productive—they remind you that your workday is still your day.”
For example, instead of answering emails while you eat lunch, read a few pages of the fall book you’ve been meaning to finish. Rather than listening to a business podcast on your commute, put on your favorite fall playlist. Skip squeezing in one more task before signing off and spend those 10 minutes making a cup of tea, taking a walk around the block, or journaling. These tiny moments of enjoyment don’t make you less productive—they remind you that your workday is still your day, and that can make it feel far more sustainable.
7. Take your time
Slowing down and being mindful is something I desperately need to try to pull into my fall work days, especially because I receive constant emails and never-ending Slack messages. After taking a closer look at my habits, I am shocked at how often I immediately drop everything for someone else. I’m always responding to an email or hopping on a call without taking a moment to collect myself first. This makes me feel like I never have enough time in the day (plus my stress levels jump with each *ping*).
READ: 6 Email Hacks That Keep Me From Spiraling Every Time I Open My Inbox
This season, I am implementing the rule of waiting before responding to messages or calls to ease my anxiety levels. So far, it is helping to reduce the amount of back-and-forth needed since I am stopping to really examine an ask or question before responding. This isn’t to say you should ignore everything or completely disregard all deadlines (definitely don’t do that). But it’s worth remembering that not everything is an emergency. Adding more calm to your day comes down to being mindful about how you will take action. Your peace at work is worth slowing down for!
8. Dedicate a portion of your morning to yourself
Seriously, I can’t overstate how different my days feel when I actually carve out moments for myself before diving into my workday. It’s not exactly a revolutionary idea—my TikTok has been preaching the importance of a morning routine for years—but during the madness that is Q4, it’s never been more crucial.
I work on a later schedule than most of my team, so by the time I roll out of bed, my Slack is exploding with messages. Paralyzed by the fear of being “behind,” my overstimulated self usually can’t help but check them immediately. This usually means tossing “me time” out the window completely, but this season, I’m changing that.
Whether I can manage five minutes to myself or 15, I’m making time to check in with myself and remember I’m more than just an employee—I’m a human too. Ironically, this act of self-love has the power of making my work feel better, too. Because my brain isn’t immediately flooded with Slack pings and mental clutter the second I wake up, I feel more alert, productive, creative, and happy during the workday. And that’s exactly the kind of energy I need to hold onto to enjoy work during my favorite season.
Devin Cleary Gooden, Contributing Writer
Devin is a Toronto-based content creator and marketer with 10 years of experience writing about finance and career tips for women. She is passionate about helping women understand finances so they can create the life they want to have, whatever that may look like. She is currently a senior manager of content at a fintech company, where she works on websites, emails, social media, videos, and podcasts.
Hailey Tagliarino, Assistant Managing Editor
As Assistant Managing Editor for The Everygirl, Hailey Tagliarino oversees, writes, and edits content across various categories on the site. From the pitching stage through publishing, she works alongside the team to ensure that the content that our readers see every day is inspiring, relatable, and timely.
