WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: You are not Cinderella

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work where location and hours are more

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<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is about how

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid the urge to work on household chores during

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<v Speaker 1>your designated work hours. You aren't Cinderella, and just because

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<v Speaker 1>you're working from home doesn't mean you should structure your

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<v Speaker 1>time to take on the whole household's work. Working from

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<v Speaker 1>home has a number of undeniable benefits, including the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that it often allows complete or near complete control over

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<v Speaker 1>one's immediate work environment. Want a warmer temperature great, Want

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<v Speaker 1>to burn a cinnamon scented candle or paint the walls

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<v Speaker 1>bright pink awesome. However, this control can sometimes have a

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<v Speaker 1>time stealing flip side. When household messes, dirty dishes, and

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<v Speaker 1>unfolded laundry are part of the view from your workstation,

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<v Speaker 1>it can be tempting to take breaks and tackle chores

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<v Speaker 1>through the day. Many people also assume that because they're

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<v Speaker 1>skipping the daily commute and thus saving time, they should

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<v Speaker 1>have no problem keeping a clean house and getting more

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<v Speaker 1>chores done during the day. If other family members are

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<v Speaker 1>not working from home, they may not mind you turning

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<v Speaker 1>into Cinderella. This temptation seems noble. After all, cleaning and

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<v Speaker 1>tidying feel productive, but it can also undermine your ability

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<v Speaker 1>to work on the things you actually want to get done.

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<v Speaker 1>When we fall prey to the Cinderella effect and spend

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<v Speaker 1>prime work hours flitting back and forth between our desks

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<v Speaker 1>and other household distractions, the result is often a feeling

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<v Speaker 1>of tiredness and dissatisfaction. At the end of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>we feel as though we've been working for hours but

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<v Speaker 1>haven't gotten much done. Psychologists have a term flow for

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<v Speaker 1>the state in which a person is in the zone

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<v Speaker 1>adequately challenged and performing at their best. Distractions prevent us

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<v Speaker 1>from being able to enter a flow state while we work,

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<v Speaker 1>so if you want to perform at your peak during

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<v Speaker 1>the work day, it's best to minimize them. One way

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<v Speaker 1>to combat the Cinderella effect is simply to set up

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<v Speaker 1>your workspace so that messes are out of sight and

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<v Speaker 1>therefore out of mind. This can be as easy as

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<v Speaker 1>closing the door to your office or even setting up

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<v Speaker 1>your desk so that it faces away from key distractor areas.

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<v Speaker 1>Put the laundry elsewhere. If you're working at the kitchen table,

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<v Speaker 1>do not face your sink. My desk faces a window,

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<v Speaker 1>which is great for many reasons, but one of them

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<v Speaker 1>is that I do not see the mess my children

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<v Speaker 1>have created in the house behind me. Clear communication with

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<v Speaker 1>your family or roommates can also be helpful. Set designated

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<v Speaker 1>work hours and make sure the people you live with

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<v Speaker 1>understand that you will not be doing any household chores

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<v Speaker 1>during those hours. Ask them to hold you accountable by

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<v Speaker 1>reminding you of this rule if they see you folding

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<v Speaker 1>laundry at two pm. And reach an understanding with household

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<v Speaker 1>members that just because you're working at home does not

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<v Speaker 1>automatically mean all housework is your job. It is definitely

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<v Speaker 1>not your full time job. You have another job. If

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<v Speaker 1>other household members do not routinely dust the baseboards in

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<v Speaker 1>their offices, then this shouldn't automatically be on your plate either.

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<v Speaker 1>You may decide, for practical reasons that it makes sense

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<v Speaker 1>for you to start dinner if other parties commute, but

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<v Speaker 1>then those folks could be responsible for the dishes afterwards.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the long run, it might make sense to outsource

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<v Speaker 1>some housework too. Yep, even if you're working at home.

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<v Speaker 1>That way, if you see a carpet that needs to

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<v Speaker 1>be vacuumed, you might feel a bit more relaxed knowing

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<v Speaker 1>that it isn't your job. The cleaning service will get

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<v Speaker 1>to it when they come tomorrow. Finally, you can counter

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<v Speaker 1>the Cinderella effect by lowering your standards. This will look

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<v Speaker 1>different for each of us. Perhaps you want the kitchen

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<v Speaker 1>tidied every day, but having clothes folded and put away

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<v Speaker 1>at all times is less of a priority. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>the house will just get dirty again, but you will

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<v Speaker 1>never get that hour back. You don't want to live

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<v Speaker 1>in squalor, but no lived in house ever looks like

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<v Speaker 1>a magazine. I once had my house staged for something

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<v Speaker 1>and the designer removed the waist past. Trust me, you

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<v Speaker 1>still need those when you're working from home. In the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to succeeding

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<v Speaker 1>in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app,

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<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.