Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and ours are more
Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to choose
Speaker 1: a work theme song to start your day. Playing a
Speaker 1: favorite song every morning can psych you up for your
Speaker 1: work and help make the home to work transition more clear.
Speaker 1: Lots of pro sports teams have a song that plays
Speaker 1: before their games or at other crucial moments. The well
Speaker 1: loved or at least well known song gets the players
Speaker 1: and the fans fired up. Think Sweet Caroline for the
Speaker 1: Red Sox Er, Don't Stop Believing for Detroit teams, And
Speaker 1: of course, virtually every TV show has a theme song too.
Speaker 1: Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.
Speaker 1: For Cheers, I'll be There for You, for friends, Sunny
Speaker 1: Day is sweeping the Clouds Away? For Sesame Street? Are
Speaker 1: you singing all of those now? The theme song sets
Speaker 1: the tone for the show and also accuse you that
Speaker 1: the show is about to begin. You get into the
Speaker 1: cheers mode when you hear it. A work theme song
Speaker 1: can do something similar for you. It can create the
Speaker 1: mood for your work day and help you transition from
Speaker 1: home mode to work mode even when you're staying in
Speaker 1: the same place. Given how fraught this transition can be
Speaker 1: for people who are new to working from home, that
Speaker 1: is no small benefit in choosing a work theme song.
Speaker 1: Consider the songs you love the most, songs that you
Speaker 1: like to sing along with and that make you feel
Speaker 1: energized and strong. There's no need for the words to
Speaker 1: match the work you're doing. Sweet Caroline has nothing to
Speaker 1: do with baseball, at least as far as I know,
Speaker 1: so you can take some poetic license in choosing a
Speaker 1: song with no literal connection to your job. It's the
Speaker 1: feeling that you're going for. Once you've picked a song, said,
Speaker 1: the habit of playing it on your phone while you're
Speaker 1: making your coffee, heading to your workspace, and getting set
Speaker 1: up for the day. By the time you sit down
Speaker 1: at your computer, you'll feel energized for whatever the day brings.
Speaker 1: Playing the song every morning at the same time reinforces
Speaker 1: the transition from home to work time and helps focus
Speaker 1: your attention on the work ahead. You may even decide
Speaker 1: to play your work theme song at other times besides morning,
Speaker 1: to like when you're transitioning back to your desk after
Speaker 1: lunch or when you need a mid afternoon pick me
Speaker 1: up before the final stretch. One of the big upsides
Speaker 1: of remote work is that you have more control of
Speaker 1: your environment. You are probably not going to blast your
Speaker 1: own personal theme song at the office unless you're running
Speaker 1: the place, but in your own new corner office, well
Speaker 1: why not. Choosing a theme song is just one way
Speaker 1: you can make your environment work for you so you
Speaker 1: can do your best work. If you have a theme song,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear what it is. You can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding
Speaker 1: in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is
Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, visit
Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: get your favorite shows.