Here in DC the city is abuzz with the “change” that’s coming to Washington. A new administration and a new hope…we hope.

When comparing the current state of government to the current state of private enterprise, the dichotomy is visible: Government people are up, excited, and feeling productive, while regular people are feeling down, stressed, and unproductive. And, that’s got me wondering…

Are our problems all mental?

There’s no doubt that gloom and doom are on the minds of businesses and workers in the US. In fact, a recent American Psychological Association poll found that 82 percent of those surveyed said they were stressed by financial issues related to the economy.

Could this impact be affecting the mentality of the workforce, dragging them down and causing them to be less productive, and by extension, making the problem even worse?

Several studies show the things that impact productivity most in a workplace are:

• How people feel. The economy is down, in turn making us unhappy and causing us to be unproductive. As a business owner, I can certainly tell you it’s hard to get productive results from someone when they feel lousy.

• A missing sense of purpose. When people don’t understand how the importance of their role impacts the business they are a part of, they tend to focus on themselves and not look out for the greater good. But nevertheless, people in the DC government are now beginning to dress up – and step up – and while there’s still anxiety, there’s also a lot of excitement and hope.

• Missing information. When people don’t understand what their tasks are, or only have pieces of the information they need, productivity slows down. Think about the last time you needed to call someone. What percentage of the time did you do it right then, when you didn’t have the phone number?

My antidote for the recession? A party and some new tools.

Remember in “Animal House” when the frat was going to be shut down, and they threw a party? What if the answer is to throw a party. While your situation might not be so dire, it’s still GREAT advice. Do something fun for your business – for your employees. Do something different. CHANGE it up. Even if it’s just a simple potluck. Or bringing in donuts. Mix it up. You’ll find people feeling better – happier – and their productivity will improve.

After the party, though, when spirits are up, we need to get back to work. From there, we need to have purpose and make sure we have ourselves organized. Purpose comes directly from seeing the big picture. And there are lot of tools you can use to get yourself organized cost effectively. Of course, we’re partial to Remindo, because you can see how your projects and activities fit into your group’s activities and into the activities of the executive team. It’s a powerful way to get the big picture from your private project space. And these type of tools really help you keep all the information organized, as well as keeping people communicating in real-time about what’s happening in the office – or even outside on the parade route.

I must admit, maybe the government is rubbing off on me. I’m HOPEful. We’ll see how 2009 turns out, but for me, I’m hopeful that we’re the change is going to be for the better.