If the 9-to-5 grind is getting you down, try these ideas to make your day more satisfying and productive. 1 Your environment affects how you feel. Turn your tired, cold, gray office/cubicle into a personalized space that energizes you! Hang fun photos, add a plant or fresh flowers, use bright colored fabric to cover bulletin boards - anything that inspires creativity!

2 Find something in common with coworkers. Start a company softball team or bowling league, organize a Friday afternoon happy hour, bring a post-work yoga class into the office. You may end up developing friendships that would have gone untapped.

3 Take Five! Everyone needs to take a break once in a while. Stop for a few minutes to breathe deeply, get some fresh air and stretch. Create structure by knowing when to call it quits for the day.

4 Are you involved in the office 'gossip tree'? This could be dragging you down. A recent study shows that positive chatter can increase cooperation. So say anything you want, as long as you'd repeat it word fro word to the person you're talking about.

5 Maximize every second. Create a focused to-do-list for the day on a 3x5 index card. Place the top priorities at the top of the list and put the card in your line of sight on your desk.

6 Get in the habit of checking your e-mail only after the project at hand is completed. Set four to six times to check and answer e-mails throughout the day. You'd be surprised at how much you can get done by eliminating this distraction!