WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Aim for a self-contained workspace

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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 to aim

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<v Speaker 1>for a self contained workspace, an area that provides everything

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<v Speaker 1>you need to do your job and that well contains

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<v Speaker 1>your work stuff so that it's not spilling into other

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<v Speaker 1>parts of your home. One of the obvious and huge

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<v Speaker 1>upsides of working from home is that you don't have

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<v Speaker 1>to commute. You're not traveling to and from your office

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<v Speaker 1>with such a huge efficiency gain. Sometimes we don't think

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<v Speaker 1>about maximizing efficiency with our home offices themselves, but it

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<v Speaker 1>is kind of nice not to have to commute and

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<v Speaker 1>I'm putting that in quotes around your house to do

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<v Speaker 1>various work tasks. Ideally, you can arrange your home workspace

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<v Speaker 1>such that you don't have to run around. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have a printer, for instance, it's most efficient to place

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<v Speaker 1>it near the desk or table where you work, unless

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<v Speaker 1>family members who use the printer more need it elsewhere.

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<v Speaker 1>Think about supplying your workspace with other tools you need too.

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<v Speaker 1>When you find yourself leaving your workspace to retrieve something Kleenex, advil,

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<v Speaker 1>a highlighter, snacks, a sweater, just bring an extra of

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<v Speaker 1>that item back to your workspace and store it there.

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<v Speaker 1>This saves you time on future occasions. It means you

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<v Speaker 1>don't have to break your concentration too, say, blow your nose. Plus,

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<v Speaker 1>minimizing the need to leave your workspace reduces the likelihood

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<v Speaker 1>that you'll get waylaid by someone in your household or

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<v Speaker 1>distracted by a household task. You can increase your time

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<v Speaker 1>spent on task when your workspace contains everything you need,

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<v Speaker 1>which brings me to the second part of this tip,

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<v Speaker 1>not just having what you need, but actually keeping your

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<v Speaker 1>workspace contain. If you're lucky enough to have a dedicated

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<v Speaker 1>home office, you already have a contained workspace. When you

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<v Speaker 1>stop working at the end of the day, you can

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<v Speaker 1>shut the door, and that's great. But a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>people are making do these days, creating workspaces wherever they can.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm fascinated by the images on Instagram and Pinterest of

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<v Speaker 1>closet workspaces, amazingly functional and often attractive work areas that

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<v Speaker 1>fit within smallish closets. I think this is brilliant. Inside

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<v Speaker 1>the closet you have a work surface of some sort,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe some shelves or drawers. Some of these closet workspaces

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<v Speaker 1>even have a lamp or potted plant or art. While

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<v Speaker 1>you're working, you sit facing the closet with everything you

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<v Speaker 1>need at arms reach. When you're done for the day,

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<v Speaker 1>you place the chair in a corner, shut the doors

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<v Speaker 1>to the closet, and see no evidence of your workspace

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<v Speaker 1>at all. No mess, no disorder, no nagging to dooosdroom

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<v Speaker 1>is your bedroom again or your living room your living room?

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<v Speaker 1>The office is closed for the day and invisible because

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<v Speaker 1>it's totally contained. As you go through your workday today,

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<v Speaker 1>identify any supplies you need to be more self contained

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<v Speaker 1>in your workspace, and at the end of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>consider how you can contain your work. Maybe your workspace

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<v Speaker 1>will be the next marvel I see on Instagram, or

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<v Speaker 1>you'll just boost your productivity while adding calm to your

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<v Speaker 1>home environment after hours, which would be pretty marvelous too.

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<v Speaker 1>What are your workspace hacks? How do you keep your

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<v Speaker 1>work area well stocked and well hidden? You can let

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<v Speaker 1>me know at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. In

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<v Speaker 1>the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

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

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<v Speaker 1>Office is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts, visit

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