WEBVTT - The New Corner Office: Curate your view

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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 discuss strategies for thriving in the

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<v Speaker 1>new world of work, one where location and ours are

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

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<v Speaker 1>work near a window and to pay attention to what

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<v Speaker 1>you see through that window. Working from home, in many

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<v Speaker 1>cases allows you to curate your view in a way

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<v Speaker 1>that you can't in a traditional office. Seizing this opportunity

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<v Speaker 1>can have a big impact on your happiness and productivity. So,

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<v Speaker 1>as I'm recording this from the home office that doubles

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<v Speaker 1>is my recording studio, I have my curtains closed. That's

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<v Speaker 1>better for acoustics, but whenever possible, I love to keep

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<v Speaker 1>the curtains open and look into my backyard. One of

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<v Speaker 1>the reasons we bought this house several years ago was

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<v Speaker 1>for the landscaping. As I'm recording this in early spring,

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<v Speaker 1>I can enjoy the forsythia and the plum trees as

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<v Speaker 1>they're about to break into their pinkish purplish flowers. For

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<v Speaker 1>a few weeks. In fall, the Japanese maple that's right

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<v Speaker 1>outside my window turns bright scarlet. This wonderful bit of

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<v Speaker 1>fall color does wonders for my mood. Indeed, when my

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<v Speaker 1>husband and I recently entertained the idea of moving, one

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<v Speaker 1>of the questions I kept asking myself was whether my

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<v Speaker 1>home office view would be nearly as nice. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>we've done a few things to improve the view too.

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<v Speaker 1>A few years ago we planted several skip laurels down

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<v Speaker 1>by the fence, so I no longer see the neighbor's

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<v Speaker 1>garage quite so well, and we try to get the

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<v Speaker 1>kids picking up their toys from the yard too. In

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<v Speaker 1>any case, not every house will have previous owners who

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<v Speaker 1>are serious about their landscaping, but there's still plenty you

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<v Speaker 1>can do to curate your view when you're not in

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<v Speaker 1>a cubicle. First, make sure you are working near a window.

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<v Speaker 1>Studies of offices have found that natural light improves work

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<v Speaker 1>or satisfaction and productivity. One possible mechanism is that exposure

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<v Speaker 1>to natural light helps regulate sleep cycles. People who sleep

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<v Speaker 1>better are more productive. That's a pretty straightforward connection. If

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<v Speaker 1>you just started working from home because of social distancing

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<v Speaker 1>measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, you might

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<v Speaker 1>have just grabbed the first spot available. But nothing seems

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<v Speaker 1>to be changing in the near term, so take some

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<v Speaker 1>time today to survey your options and see what you

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<v Speaker 1>can do. Can you move a table near a window

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<v Speaker 1>If you've been working in a closet to stay away

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<v Speaker 1>from everyone, maybe it's time to move some rooms around.

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<v Speaker 1>A child's room could be repurposed during the day as

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<v Speaker 1>your office, or maybe you can use some space near

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<v Speaker 1>the door to an apartment balcony. Then take a critical

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<v Speaker 1>look at the view. Can you clean up any outdoor clutter.

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<v Speaker 1>Use the time you now have at home on weekends

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<v Speaker 1>to really spruce things up. Clear away the old toys

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<v Speaker 1>or house, old junk you've chucked in your yard or

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<v Speaker 1>on your apartment balcony, weed or trim anything that's too overgrown.

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<v Speaker 1>If you can see a wall or a shed, scrub

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<v Speaker 1>it down. Many plant stores are closed right now, but

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<v Speaker 1>you might be able to order seedlings online or pick

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<v Speaker 1>up something that is still open grocery store to plant

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<v Speaker 1>and start enjoying soon. You could even make some sort

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<v Speaker 1>of outdoor sculpture if you wanted to be ambitious, give

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<v Speaker 1>your kids this job as part of homeschooling. And of

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<v Speaker 1>course you can frame your view well. Maybe you hang

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<v Speaker 1>some new curtains ordered online or sewn with your new

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<v Speaker 1>found down time. Move some potted plants near your window

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<v Speaker 1>and clear up any nearby clutter so you can maximize

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<v Speaker 1>the available light. It's easy to just let things stand

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<v Speaker 1>where they are. This worldwide pandemic is causing people to

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<v Speaker 1>rethink many things. And yes, your furniture and house plants

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<v Speaker 1>and backyard clutter are quite trivial in the grand scheme

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<v Speaker 1>of things. But there is so much in life right

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<v Speaker 1>now that we can't control. The view of your new

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<v Speaker 1>home office window is something you can do something about,

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<v Speaker 1>So to day, think about what tweaks you can make

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<v Speaker 1>to curate your view. Looking up from your computer every

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<v Speaker 1>so often is healthy. And if every time you look

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<v Speaker 1>out your window you smile a little, that's something worth celebrating.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and

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

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<v Speaker 1>Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For

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<v Speaker 1>more podcasts, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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