How to Create a Work Mystery

As usual, I am always thinking about new ways to keep myself entertained at work. It is not as if I am not busy. I am busy doing tasks that I've been doing for years, and I need to play some harmless jokes here and there to keep from falling asleep. In this hub, I would like to explore ways to have an "office mystery" at work.

For that matter, you don't even need to work at an office for most of the mysteries to work. As long as you work with other humans, these will work. If you work all day with cats, dogs, or some other critters, some of these suggestions will still work for you! Some of these mysteries do not even involve pranks... they are just simply nice surprises. Wow!

How easy is this mystery? It is so simple, yet works so well. Just bring in some food to work. All you have to do is buy or make enough food for all your co-workers and simply sit it in the middle of a table in the kitchen area. Then wait for the fun to begin!

Everyone is going to question who brought in the food, but you know what? In the end, no one even cares! One time at my job, someone baked zucchini bread and placed it on the kitchen table. Just about everyone was raving about how good it was. People kept asking who brought it in. We never figured it out, yet everyone ate some of it. For all we know, a disgruntled customer left it for us on the table and spit in it, but no one stopped eating it.

What a simple and fun work mystery! Not only is everyone happy because people love free food, it is also a great converation starter. "Do you know who baked the zucchini bread?" "No, but it is great!" "Have you tried this zucchini bread?" "Yes, it is delicious and a mystery!" The fun never stops with a food mystery.

Check out this list of food I've found the most success with:

• Cupcakes
• Bagels
• Cookies
• Cake
• Candy

Keep people wondering all day and keep them well-feed!

One of the greatest mysteries we've ever had at my workplace simply involves a box of candy. Still to this day, we occasionally ponder over it (since that is way more fun than actually working). Last year, the day before Valentine's Day, a box of chocolates showed up on a co-worker's desk. She asked a number of people at the office, but no one fessed up to giving her this gift. After a day, she started to eat it since it was sealed. She was a happy camper, as were some of us that also had a chocolate or two, and a mystery began.

We still never figured out who gave her the chocolate. Was it a secret admirer? Was it a janitor watching her from a distance each day, waiting for her to leave that night? Could it be a co-worker that upset her in some way, apologizing in the least obvious way? Did she mistakenly receive the chocolate that was intended for someone else? Maybe she temporarily lost her mind, gave herself the chocolate, and blocked it out. We will obviously never know! That is what makes it so wonderful.

The next time you want to create a mystery at work, give a simple gift to someone that needs a "pick me up" that day. Then you can watch everyone puzzle over it. Some fun suggestions for this mystery include:

• Flowers
• Small stuffed animal
• Cute socks
• Gift card you don't want
• Inexpensive jewelry
• Random gift from the dollar store
• Candy
• Books
• Puzzles
• Food that person likes
• Something funny, like a gnome or pink flamingo
• And so much more!

I sincerely believe at every job there is at least one mystery worker. He is the guy that comes in peacefully everyday, goes straight to his office, and always appears to work diligently. He is polite enough. He may even bring a nice pot roast or cake to the company potluck. But what does he do? No one every seems to know. You can be that guy!

Even if you are not capable of being the mystery worker because everyone sees what you do each day, there is no reason you can't have a mystery project. Collect random supplies from the supply room each day, and smile and nod a lot when people ask what you're doing. Look as if you are crafting something complex at your desk, but never let anyone know exactly what it is. Give incredibly vague answers that sound important. If you really want to up the ante, one day, bring in a coffee machine and tell everyone that is what you've been making. It is fun to confuse your co-workers!

Along the same lines as leaving a gift on desks, you can leave other happy items instead. One day, my co-worker and I decided to print out happy photos of animals with cute sayings. Then we put one in each person's mailbox. Honestly, we never got much of a reaction from anyone. No one even wondered how the messages got in the mailboxes. They accepted them with gratitude, smiled, and moved on with their life. I would like to think their lives became just a little brighter because of the notes.

You can also clip out cute sayings or photos to leave on co-workers desks. You can find these messages online or cut them out of magazines. Sometimes people need a little something to cheer them up, because after all, they are at work. People tend to enjoy these pleasant little mysteries.

If you want to go a different route, you can put post-it notes on desks that say something positive. Maybe use phrases like, "You can do it!" or "Be the best you you can be!" If you know you are dealing with someone with an unusual sense of humor, you can even write something like, "You always smell nice!" Hey, these are all compliments and who doesn't enjoy getting those? It is always more fun if you remain a mystery. No one can get angry at a random message with a positive message left on a desk.

There are so many ways to create a mystery at work without offending or going over the top. Everyone enjoys something that makes their day a little brighter. If you never admit you are the person that did it, you can just sit back and enjoy the mystery for as long as you can keep a straight face.

Copyright ©2014 Jeannieinabottle