1
00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680
Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

2
00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:14,280
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

3
00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,240
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to make your own corner office. Whether

4
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,600
Speaker 1: you started working from home this year because of COVID

5
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,440
Speaker 1: nineteen or not, we all need a space to think

6
00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:27,560
Speaker 1: about our careers and to remind ourselves that what we

7
00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,320
Speaker 1: will accomplish in life is not limited to our current jobs.

8
00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,159
Speaker 1: You are the architect of your own career, and creating

9
00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,040
Speaker 1: your own corner office at home can be a key

10
00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,200
Speaker 1: part of that. This tip comes from my new book

11
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,280
Speaker 1: The New Corner Office, How the most successful People Work

12
00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,680
Speaker 1: from Home. I note that in the normal corporate world,

13
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,159
Speaker 1: having a corner office is a sign that you have arrived,

14
00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:57,000
Speaker 1: you are in charge. But even so, in an office

15
00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,160
Speaker 1: you're often subject to group norms about what time you

16
00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,640
Speaker 1: work and what you look like while you're doing it.

17
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,240
Speaker 1: You may not even be able to control that much

18
00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,639
Speaker 1: about the office itself. Can you paint a wall purple

19
00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,560
Speaker 1: or situate your choice of plants right outside? If not, well,

20
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,399
Speaker 1: that's life. The mistake is in applying this mindset to

21
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,640
Speaker 1: your career in general, that your income is what the

22
00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,679
Speaker 1: company says it is that your career path is what

23
00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,480
Speaker 1: is spelled out by the organization. That if you are

24
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,600
Speaker 1: hired to be the numbers guy, well that is what

25
00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:34,560
Speaker 1: you are. Before March two, working from home was on

26
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,760
Speaker 1: the rise, but was still seen as a slightly strange

27
00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:42,240
Speaker 1: thing for any ambitious person to do. Then COVID nineteen happened,

28
00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,400
Speaker 1: and in a span of days, whole organizations went virtual.

29
00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,800
Speaker 1: One Gallop poll found that the proportion of workers who

30
00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,080
Speaker 1: had worked from home doubled between early March and April.

31
00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,160
Speaker 1: All this happened in a crisis, and so many organizations

32
00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,840
Speaker 1: just tried to replicate their model virtually. And that makes sense,

33
00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,040
Speaker 1: But long term working from home allows for new ways

34
00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,000
Speaker 1: of thinking about work. If you're not in an office,

35
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,080
Speaker 1: then you can separate yourself slightly from group norms. You

36
00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,959
Speaker 1: have to be self directed about your work, and that

37
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,200
Speaker 1: allows you to be more self directed about your career

38
00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,600
Speaker 1: in general. If you had to start working at home

39
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,760
Speaker 1: overnight in March, you probably just grabbed whatever spot was available.

40
00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:30,480
Speaker 1: A desk, great, a door sounds perfect. But much as

41
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,320
Speaker 1: we wish life could go back to normal, it's wisest

42
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,280
Speaker 1: to assume that this new reality could be with us

43
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,840
Speaker 1: for a while. So to day, spend a few minutes

44
00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,720
Speaker 1: creating a new corner office at home, one that helps

45
00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:48,160
Speaker 1: you dream big about your career. An actual corner of

46
00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,840
Speaker 1: the house is good, particularly if that puts you in

47
00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,519
Speaker 1: a room with windows on two sides, even if you

48
00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:55,680
Speaker 1: have to portion off a section of another room with

49
00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,520
Speaker 1: screams or room dividers. Make your own space. Get a

50
00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,920
Speaker 1: good chair, get a big enough desk but you feel comfortable.

51
00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,360
Speaker 1: Put some plants within eyesight, and some reminders of your goals.

52
00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,600
Speaker 1: Who do you see yourself becoming? What visual reminder can

53
00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,399
Speaker 1: you create of that goal? Make sure the view out

54
00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,360
Speaker 1: your window is inspiring. You can control this in a

55
00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:19,760
Speaker 1: way that you just can't in a corporate office. Park

56
00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,960
Speaker 1: Control the temperature, control the sound, You can even control

57
00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,840
Speaker 1: the smell. You will not get away with burning a

58
00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:31,120
Speaker 1: cinnamon spice candle at headquarters, but if that scent is

59
00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,400
Speaker 1: your secret weapon, well burn away at home. Even if

60
00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,080
Speaker 1: you don't see yourself working at home long term, it

61
00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,360
Speaker 1: helps to have some space at home where you can

62
00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,160
Speaker 1: think about your professional goals apart from the restrictions of

63
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:47,240
Speaker 1: an office. You are not just who your manager sees.

64
00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,600
Speaker 1: Many years ago I interviewed a young woman who was

65
00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,600
Speaker 1: working in something that was not yet her dream job,

66
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,640
Speaker 1: but in the morning she spent a few hours working

67
00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,120
Speaker 1: from home on her own projects. Every day she at

68
00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,160
Speaker 1: a job, she told me, but in the morning she

69
00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:07,640
Speaker 1: had a career physically apart from the office. She was

70
00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,360
Speaker 1: the architect of her professional life. And you should be too.

71
00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,320
Speaker 1: You don't have to wait for your employer to give

72
00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,239
Speaker 1: you a corner office. You can create your own today.

73
00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,880
Speaker 1: Think about how you might do that, literally and metaphorically.

74
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:28,200
Speaker 1: And hey, if you enjoyed this podcast, consider checking out

75
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,000
Speaker 1: the New Corner Office, the podcast and the book. There

76
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,320
Speaker 1: are lots of tips there for working productively and ambitiously,

77
00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,640
Speaker 1: because you know, I want to see you succeed in

78
00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,719
Speaker 1: the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's

79
00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:53,159
Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd

80
00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,640
Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,

81
00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,400
Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,

82
00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:04,240
Speaker 1: face Book, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b

83
00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:09,159
Speaker 1: E the number four then Breakfast p o D. You

84
00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,600
Speaker 1: can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast

85
00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:15,560
Speaker 1: at i heeart media dot com that Before breakfast is

86
00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,400
Speaker 1: spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

87
00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:26,479
Speaker 1: look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

88
00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,720
Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my

89
00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,680
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

90
00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,800
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.