October 13th is officially Treat Yo Self Day! <singsong> It’s the best day of the year! </singsong> Now I know we visit the CITT Bulletin to share best practices, pedagogy, and technology that we love, but it doesn’t hurt to take a short break from revitalizing courses or ranting about how rubrics get no respect to think about how we treat ourselves and the rest of the folks on our team.   

Treat Yo Self was the highlight of an episode of Parks and Rec when Donna and Tom spent all of October 13, 2011 (wow, 10 years ago!) treating themselves to whatever they wanted. While I’m focusing on more professional, reachable treats in this bulletin, I will always encourage you to go all out. #treatyoself 

Daily Office Treat Yo Self Tips from our Team: 

• Take rest periods encouraged by UF: 15 minute breaks every four hours (in addition to your lunch break). To do this well, you need to log off of or walk away from your computer. 
• Re-schedule hour long meetings to 50 minutes so that you can take a “bio break” and prepare for your next focus. 
• Park farther away to add more steps into your day and more time to listen to podcasts or audiobooks. 
• Listen to your favorite music as you work through simple tasks. 

• Set aside an hour or two each week to research and/or reflect on your work. 

I know, this list is nothing like the list in the show Parks and Rec, but I mostly want to emphasize the importance of workplace wellness. At the end of the day, you’ll need to leave work feeling well so you can enjoy all of the fun you have outside of the office, too. 

Treat Yo Self Tips for Your Team/Colleagues 

Keep your team-mates well by doing the following simple tasks: 

• Use their correct pronouns and remember and correctly pronounce their names (in case you’re wondering, my last name is pronounced Mo-jay-co) 
• Listen to them share something they’re passionate about 
• Invite them for a walk, coffee, or lunch 
• Ask them how they are doing and what you can do to help 

Whether it’s stepping away for a few minutes, eating sushi, or buying fine leather goods, I sincerely hope you have <singsong>the best day of the year</singsong>. 

Photo by 2Photo Pots on Unsplash

Tags: Instructional Design, Wellness