Photo by Lidya Nada on Unsplash
Some days, it's hard to find a reason to smile.
I'm no stranger to gratitude journaling, finding small things to appreciate, and slowing down to remember what's really important. However, sometimes (most of the time lately), it's hard to slow down enough to "smell the flowers," so to speak.
When those days coincide with challenging moments in our lives, it's easy to feel helpless or even useless. When experiencing these deflating feelings at work, our productivity and creativity take a nosedive, too.
Slack’s State of Work survey found that 82 percent of employees reported that feeling happy and engaged is a key driver of their productivity.
That's exactly why I keep a special little folder on my desktop called "Caileen Smile." This folder is my smile file. Today, I'll let you know exactly what it contains and how it's taken me out of many funks.
Table of Contents
- What is a Smile File?
- The Benefits of a Smile File
- What to Save in Your Smile File
- Types of Smile Files
What is a Smile File?
A smile file is kind of like an emergency fund for emotional expenses. Like a traditional emergency fund, it's a savings built of things that make you smile, laugh, and remember good things about you.
In short, a smile file is a place to store a collection of items that make you happy, remind you of what makes you special, and generally inspire feelings of happiness. These items can be digital or physical.
In researching this article, I couldn't find a credit for who originally coined the term, but I would bet one million smiles that it was a teacher or a parent.
Smile files come in handy when navigating a difficult work week, a challenging season of life, or when you need a simple and effective pick-me-up. You can customize your smile files to your moods, needs, and even situations. If you have a professional smile file, it might live in your email inbox—and it'd be filled to the brim with notes of praise, gratitude, and admiration.
A professional smile file would be useful when you're trudging through a particularly challenging week or a never-ending job search.
The Benefits of a Smile File
Too often, we let our wins fall by the wayside. Instead of taking a moment to celebrate a milestone or commemorate an accomplishment, we move on to the next one. In moving so swiftly, it's easy to forget that we have ever achieved anything.
Smile Files are a Reminder to Slow Down
Keeping a smile file is a great way to slow down—if even for a minute—and take note of an accomplishment, take a screenshot of a nice comment on your LinkedIn, or print out an encouraging email from your boss. If it's the boss who rarely gives praise, you might also want to get that email laminated!
Smile Files Provide a Happy Snapshot
The smile file acts as a happy snapshot. While our biggest personal and professional mistakes are liable to haunt our dreams forever, our biggest achievements tend to be lazier ghosts. They hardly haunt us at all!
Smile Files Foster Recognition
Once you start keeping your own smile file, especially at work, you will find yourself paying attention to more positivity at work. You might even feel encouraged to extend compliments more freely, write unexpected LinkedIn endorsements, and contribute to your coworkers' would-be smile files.
Smile Files Reduce Anxiety + Stress
Don't you wish you had a contingency plan for when you're feeling a little down? That's exactly how a smile file can work. Use it to bolster your mood, refocus your attention, and (hopefully) let some stress and anxiety roll off your back. Smiling and laughter have been medically proven to relieve tension and ease stress.
Studies have shown that laughter has an immediate effect on our blood vessels. A good laugh can relieve stress-induced physical tension in the body and relax the muscles for up to 45 minutes. So, go ahead and have a laugh.
What to Save in Your Smile File
Let me give you an idea of what's in my desktop smile file.
In the above image, there's a photograph of my dad and my seven siblings in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1988, a polaroid of a curbside jewelry shop my sister and her friend opened (and promptly abandoned), some AI-generated images of clowns reading together, and a faux prom photo of me and my best friend from 2009.
- Notes of admiration or congratulations
- Recognition from your boss, colleagues, or coworkers
- An old email with a job offer or other opportunity
- Photos of friends and family that make you happy
- A playlist of your favorite songs from different times in your life
- Links to videos that always make you chuckle
- Written memories that you want to capture
- Small weekly wins that are regularly added to your file
- Screenshots of inspirational quotes, funny memes, or artwork
- Rihanna's 2023 Superbowl performance (yes, this specific video!)
Types of Smile Files
The number one rule with smile files is that there are no rules. If it makes you smile or chuckle, save it. If it makes you blush or feel pride, save it. The smile file is one place where more is better. Put everything that tickles you in there. Once your smile file is overflowing, feel free to reorganize it into sub-folders—but only if organization brings you more joy!
Here are a few types of smile files you can create.
A Folder on Your Computer
Like I said earlier, my main smile file lives on my desktop. It's easy to quickly add screenshots, drag images, and save documents to a folder on your desktop. My smile file has lived on my desktop for years, and I often forget what's in it—and that only adds to my delight when opening it!
A Folder in Your Inbox
The inbox is a natural place for your professional smile file to exist and thrive. Your inbox smile file can contain things like praise from clients, kudos from your boss, or an appreciative email from a work colleague.
Create a folder to save the emails reminding you of your professional wins, best personal traits, and how valued you are in the workplace.
A Folder in Your Instagram
I wouldn't normally suggest going anywhere near social media when feeling low, but you can use Instagram to save and add to collections. I have collections of food I want to make, haircuts I love, and generally inspirational posts.
One particular post also always makes me feel good—even when I'm feeling my lowest. It's my Instagram post announcing the birth of my first son. It was a happy day for obvious reasons, but I love to go back and read the comments. It feels so nice to see an outpouring of love in one place.
A Physical Folder
If you rely on more tangible items, then a physical smile file might be for you! Many of the same things can live in a physical file. This includes notes of encouragement, emails from your boss, drawings from your child, or handwritten notes from friends.
A Playlist on iTunes or YouTube
If you're a musical person, then your smile file might be a playlist on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube. Create a playlist of songs that tap into your nostalgia, confidence anthems meant to pump you up, and even sad songs that somehow make you feel better in the moment.
