WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Choose a work theme song

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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 ours are more

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

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<v Speaker 1>a work theme song to start your day. Playing a

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<v Speaker 1>favorite song every morning can psych you up for your

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<v Speaker 1>work and help make the home to work transition more clear.

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<v Speaker 1>Lots of pro sports teams have a song that plays

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<v Speaker 1>before their games or at other crucial moments. The well

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<v Speaker 1>loved or at least well known song gets the players

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<v Speaker 1>and the fans fired up. Think Sweet Caroline for the

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<v Speaker 1>Red Sox Er, Don't Stop Believing for Detroit teams, And

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<v Speaker 1>of course, virtually every TV show has a theme song too.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

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<v Speaker 1>For Cheers, I'll be There for You, for friends, Sunny

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<v Speaker 1>Day is sweeping the Clouds Away? For Sesame Street? Are

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<v Speaker 1>you singing all of those now? The theme song sets

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<v Speaker 1>the tone for the show and also accuse you that

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<v Speaker 1>the show is about to begin. You get into the

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<v Speaker 1>cheers mode when you hear it. A work theme song

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<v Speaker 1>can do something similar for you. It can create the

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<v Speaker 1>mood for your work day and help you transition from

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<v Speaker 1>home mode to work mode even when you're staying in

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<v Speaker 1>the same place. Given how fraught this transition can be

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<v Speaker 1>for people who are new to working from home, that

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<v Speaker 1>is no small benefit in choosing a work theme song.

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<v Speaker 1>Consider the songs you love the most, songs that you

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<v Speaker 1>like to sing along with and that make you feel

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<v Speaker 1>energized and strong. There's no need for the words to

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<v Speaker 1>match the work you're doing. Sweet Caroline has nothing to

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<v Speaker 1>do with baseball, at least as far as I know,

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<v Speaker 1>so you can take some poetic license in choosing a

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<v Speaker 1>song with no literal connection to your job. It's the

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<v Speaker 1>feeling that you're going for. Once you've picked a song, said,

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<v Speaker 1>the habit of playing it on your phone while you're

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<v Speaker 1>making your coffee, heading to your workspace, and getting set

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<v Speaker 1>up for the day. By the time you sit down

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<v Speaker 1>at your computer, you'll feel energized for whatever the day brings.

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<v Speaker 1>Playing the song every morning at the same time reinforces

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<v Speaker 1>the transition from home to work time and helps focus

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<v Speaker 1>your attention on the work ahead. You may even decide

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<v Speaker 1>to play your work theme song at other times besides morning,

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<v Speaker 1>to like when you're transitioning back to your desk after

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<v Speaker 1>lunch or when you need a mid afternoon pick me

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<v Speaker 1>up before the final stretch. One of the big upsides

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<v Speaker 1>of remote work is that you have more control of

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<v Speaker 1>your environment. You are probably not going to blast your

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<v Speaker 1>own personal theme song at the office unless you're running

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<v Speaker 1>the place, but in your own new corner office, well

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<v Speaker 1>why not. Choosing a theme song is just one way

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<v Speaker 1>you can make your environment work for you so you

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<v Speaker 1>can do your best work. If you have a theme song,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear what it is. You can reach

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<v Speaker 1>me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's the 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 I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit

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<v Speaker 1>the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>get your favorite shows.