WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Have a go-to second workspace

0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:09.760
<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,

0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:13.239
<v Speaker 1>the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the

0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:17.000
<v Speaker 1>new world of work, where location and hours are more

0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:21.079
<v Speaker 1>flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to have

0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:25.360
<v Speaker 1>a go to second workspace. When you're working from home.

0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:28.240
<v Speaker 1>You don't have to stay in your own version of

0:00:28.280 --> 0:00:33.120
<v Speaker 1>a cubicle, and sometimes you shouldn't. Moving around can put

0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.360
<v Speaker 1>you in a different frame of mind. I've worked in

0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:38.639
<v Speaker 1>my home office for years, and I like to think

0:00:38.680 --> 0:00:42.320
<v Speaker 1>I'm pretty efficient, but sometimes I need to do different

0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:45.560
<v Speaker 1>sorts of projects. When I was working on the manuscript

0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:48.240
<v Speaker 1>for a novel called The Courtland Boys a few years ago,

0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:51.960
<v Speaker 1>I started driving over to my local library and working there.

0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:56.000
<v Speaker 1>It was generally pretty quiet, and the space felt different.

0:00:56.640 --> 0:01:00.440
<v Speaker 1>When I surrounded myself with other people's novels, it somehow

0:01:00.480 --> 0:01:02.800
<v Speaker 1>easier to convince my brain that it was time to

0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:08.360
<v Speaker 1>write fiction. Libraries are great. Coffee shops can serve the

0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:12.520
<v Speaker 1>same secondary space function, as can a restaurant during off

0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:15.200
<v Speaker 1>peak hours, as long as you order enough to make

0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:19.360
<v Speaker 1>your table profitable. Of course, as I'm writing this, many

0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:23.840
<v Speaker 1>coffee shops, libraries, and restaurants are still closed to promote

0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:27.840
<v Speaker 1>social distancing. But even if you're sheltering in place, you

0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:30.600
<v Speaker 1>might be able to generate a second workspace in your home.

0:01:31.360 --> 0:01:34.320
<v Speaker 1>If you normally work at the kitchen table, try sitting

0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:36.880
<v Speaker 1>on the sofa for a while. If you normally work

0:01:36.880 --> 0:01:39.320
<v Speaker 1>in the guest room, take your laptop out to the

0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:43.280
<v Speaker 1>back porch to coax out some different thoughts. I have

0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.160
<v Speaker 1>a dedicated home office with a desk, as does my husband,

0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:49.440
<v Speaker 1>but we both have reading chairs wedged into the corners

0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:52.000
<v Speaker 1>of our offices so we can hang out in our

0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:56.720
<v Speaker 1>secondary workspaces. Within our workspaces, I find it easier to

0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.120
<v Speaker 1>focus on reading for work when I'm not sitting in

0:01:59.160 --> 0:02:03.480
<v Speaker 1>the place where I return emails. Plus the backdrop is

0:02:03.560 --> 0:02:07.200
<v Speaker 1>nicer for video calls. I know that some people are

0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:11.120
<v Speaker 1>sharing small homes with lots of people right now. Even

0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:14.120
<v Speaker 1>finding a primary workspace with a door might be tough.

0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:18.200
<v Speaker 1>In times of crisis, we do what we can, But

0:02:18.240 --> 0:02:20.400
<v Speaker 1>if you think you'll be working at home for a while,

0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:24.800
<v Speaker 1>it's smart to think about reworking space to support your goals.

0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:28.480
<v Speaker 1>Maybe you're working in a closet right now for privacy,

0:02:29.000 --> 0:02:31.000
<v Speaker 1>but you could think of the kitchen as a co

0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:34.400
<v Speaker 1>working space where your fellow workers just happen to be

0:02:34.480 --> 0:02:37.760
<v Speaker 1>kids doing their homework. If you and a spouse or

0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:40.680
<v Speaker 1>roommate are both working from home, maybe you just switch

0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.919
<v Speaker 1>spots on occasion when you're both feeling stuck. Or get

0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:47.960
<v Speaker 1>a little chair for your yard, the front stoop or

0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:52.040
<v Speaker 1>apartment balcony. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but it

0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:56.960
<v Speaker 1>helps to have some options, So survey your surroundings and

0:02:57.120 --> 0:03:01.440
<v Speaker 1>figure out what could function as your secondary workspace. Soon,

0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:05.240
<v Speaker 1>I hope we'll have lots of options, but getting into

0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.480
<v Speaker 1>the practice of shifting when you're stuck can help train

0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:14.200
<v Speaker 1>your brain to make breakthroughs. In the meantime, This is Laura,

0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.760
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding in the New

0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:25.840
<v Speaker 1>Corner Office. The New Corner Office is a production of iHeartRadio.

0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:30.320
<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:31.840
<v Speaker 1>wherever you get your favorite shows.