Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
Speaker 1: the podcast where we discuss strategies for thriving in the
Speaker 1: new world of work, one where location and ours are
Speaker 1: more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to
Speaker 1: work near a window and to pay attention to what
Speaker 1: you see through that window. Working from home, in many
Speaker 1: cases allows you to curate your view in a way
Speaker 1: that you can't in a traditional office. Seizing this opportunity
Speaker 1: can have a big impact on your happiness and productivity. So,
Speaker 1: as I'm recording this from the home office that doubles
Speaker 1: is my recording studio, I have my curtains closed. That's
Speaker 1: better for acoustics, but whenever possible, I love to keep
Speaker 1: the curtains open and look into my backyard. One of
Speaker 1: the reasons we bought this house several years ago was
Speaker 1: for the landscaping. As I'm recording this in early spring,
Speaker 1: I can enjoy the forsythia and the plum trees as
Speaker 1: they're about to break into their pinkish purplish flowers. For
Speaker 1: a few weeks. In fall, the Japanese maple that's right
Speaker 1: outside my window turns bright scarlet. This wonderful bit of
Speaker 1: fall color does wonders for my mood. Indeed, when my
Speaker 1: husband and I recently entertained the idea of moving, one
Speaker 1: of the questions I kept asking myself was whether my
Speaker 1: home office view would be nearly as nice. Of course,
Speaker 1: we've done a few things to improve the view too.
Speaker 1: A few years ago we planted several skip laurels down
Speaker 1: by the fence, so I no longer see the neighbor's
Speaker 1: garage quite so well, and we try to get the
Speaker 1: kids picking up their toys from the yard too. In
Speaker 1: any case, not every house will have previous owners who
Speaker 1: are serious about their landscaping, but there's still plenty you
Speaker 1: can do to curate your view when you're not in
Speaker 1: a cubicle. First, make sure you are working near a window.
Speaker 1: Studies of offices have found that natural light improves work
Speaker 1: or satisfaction and productivity. One possible mechanism is that exposure
Speaker 1: to natural light helps regulate sleep cycles. People who sleep
Speaker 1: better are more productive. That's a pretty straightforward connection. If
Speaker 1: you just started working from home because of social distancing
Speaker 1: measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, you might
Speaker 1: have just grabbed the first spot available. But nothing seems
Speaker 1: to be changing in the near term, so take some
Speaker 1: time today to survey your options and see what you
Speaker 1: can do. Can you move a table near a window
Speaker 1: If you've been working in a closet to stay away
Speaker 1: from everyone, maybe it's time to move some rooms around.
Speaker 1: A child's room could be repurposed during the day as
Speaker 1: your office, or maybe you can use some space near
Speaker 1: the door to an apartment balcony. Then take a critical
Speaker 1: look at the view. Can you clean up any outdoor clutter.
Speaker 1: Use the time you now have at home on weekends
Speaker 1: to really spruce things up. Clear away the old toys
Speaker 1: or house, old junk you've chucked in your yard or
Speaker 1: on your apartment balcony, weed or trim anything that's too overgrown.
Speaker 1: If you can see a wall or a shed, scrub
Speaker 1: it down. Many plant stores are closed right now, but
Speaker 1: you might be able to order seedlings online or pick
Speaker 1: up something that is still open grocery store to plant
Speaker 1: and start enjoying soon. You could even make some sort
Speaker 1: of outdoor sculpture if you wanted to be ambitious, give
Speaker 1: your kids this job as part of homeschooling. And of
Speaker 1: course you can frame your view well. Maybe you hang
Speaker 1: some new curtains ordered online or sewn with your new
Speaker 1: found down time. Move some potted plants near your window
Speaker 1: and clear up any nearby clutter so you can maximize
Speaker 1: the available light. It's easy to just let things stand
Speaker 1: where they are. This worldwide pandemic is causing people to
Speaker 1: rethink many things. And yes, your furniture and house plants
Speaker 1: and backyard clutter are quite trivial in the grand scheme
Speaker 1: of things. But there is so much in life right
Speaker 1: now that we can't control. The view of your new
Speaker 1: home office window is something you can do something about,
Speaker 1: So to day, think about what tweaks you can make
Speaker 1: to curate your view. Looking up from your computer every
Speaker 1: so often is healthy. And if every time you look
Speaker 1: out your window you smile a little, that's something worth celebrating.
Speaker 1: In the meantime, this is Laura, Thanks for listening, and
Speaker 1: here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New
Speaker 1: Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For
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Speaker 1: or wherever you get your favorite shows.