Work hard and laugh often!

The first day of April is on our doorsteps and we all know that this day is always a great excuse for bringing smiles, jokes, and fun in the office, more than usual.

Here, in Quantox, we are all big fans of high spirits and positive atmosphere because that's the main thing which makes those less-fun parts of the business easier. That is simply a defence mechanism for every possible problem.Problems and challenges in work will and will be always present, and the only question is how will we handle them. Our way is a quality joke and it has shown amazing results. It makes us feel like we are not working so much, and in my personal opinion, something which improves creativity in its special way.I'm surrounded by people who make every situation little bit humorous whenever its possible. Of course, this is related only to our personal relationships inside our company.

When it comes to the interaction with our clients, humor is left aside and all the focus is on the job and problem-solving.I'm not sure about the others, but here, we do it this way! As much fun as it can be, whenever it's possible.Of course, it is not always easy to find the balance between serious and unserious parts of the work, but it is possible. I am the living proof of that. As soon as you manage to find this balance, the productivity of the individual person, team, and company grows, and they all make progress.Let's take, for example, a situation where a very serious problem arises, where no "normal" person would ever think of joking. We have two ways of handling these situations:

• The first is when we all negatively charge, get really serious and take a pessimistic attitude because the problem seems to be unsolvable. In this mode, the maximum focus is on solving the problem, which of course is not bad and increases the chances of solving the problem. However, for the individual as well as the entire team working on problem-solving, this leaves the mini trauma and stress that he brings with him home after work. These, seemingly harmless, mini-traumas, if present for a long period of time, lead to a reduction in love for work, feelings of fear and discomfort from the upcoming problems (as I mentioned above, in the business, they will always be present.)

• The second way of solving this problem is a lot different than the first one. Basically, the main deal here is to put a little bit of joke on every problem and to simplify it. That way, nothing will seem so scary, especially if you are a part of a team which is assembled of people who think similarly like you.

The message is clear - with a good team, you can not fail!

This attitude encourages the desire to solve the problems and leaves a victorious feeling after work, unlike the first way, where only the surplus of stress would be brought to the home. And I have to warn you that both ways are tempting and both have pros and cons. Therefore, you should always keep in mind to keep the balance between these two.If you ever have trouble getting on the better, brighter side or simply kneel in front of the problem, there is one very wise saying: "If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever." - Dalai Lama.As for today, this is, of course, not to be missed. This day should be used to get closer to colleagues, in the way that, I believe, is most popular - the fun way!Here are some practical tips on how to "get closer" with your colleague, on this day. Whichever way you chose, make sure that the person you are organizing prank for is close enough to you and has a good sense of humor.

1. Dead mouse - I'm not talking about killing animals, of course. For this joke, all you need is to stick the ticker below the computer mouse. It will prevent the functioning of the laser, and mouse won't work. Once the person looks under the mouse, it will see the sticker - don't forget to write "April Fools" on it.

1. Source code - If you are close enough with a particular colleague, and if you are skilled in coding, you can access his computer and modify the source code from the page he is visiting. What will you change is a thing of your creativity, and the choices are numerous, and the reaction to this joke can be very interesting.
2. Confusion - this joke is old but the effect is still funny and interesting. All you have to do is plug the mouse from one of your colleagues into the computer from another colleague and vice versa. Assess yourself, whether the victims are familiar with a similar prank. Even if they are, there are great chances that it will be successful.

Typing ghost - All you have to do is to, while the "victim" is absent, plugin your keyboard on its computer. Then, wait for he/she to return and to start working. When you see or hear that he/she began typing, start typing yourself! Make it low profile, in the beginning, you don't want to be busted. After that, start making mistakes often and your colleague's reaction will be hilariously funny.

1. Observation - This is my favorite and I practiced it recently, although it was not a day of a joke.It is necessary to sneak the victim seamlessly behind the back, wait for a minute or two and observe it while coding carefree. Get closer to the head of the victim and breathe heavily. Try this, and the feeling will be priceless, and you will be doing a favor to the victim because you will get her out of the depths she's inflicted in solving the problem. My victim did not thank me very much though. I hope your will.

These are just some of the ideas. There are countless other jokes and pranks and it's all about your inspiration and creativity.

• Make sure you do not joke with people who maybe don't like you so much.
• If you need a bit more preparation for your joke, be sure to come early to work, or finish all the preparations during a meal break.
• If you are a victim, do not be offended because the one who joked with you probably believes that you have a good sense of humor. Try to "cooperate" and make a bigger joke off it because all this is only for the purpose of fun and spreading positive vibrations.

Would you add another joke to the list? What kind of fun and pranks has been organized in your office?