WEBVTT - Take your optimal work environment with you

0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.720
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:14.200
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:19.520
<v Speaker 1>Because our environments shape our experiences, today's tip is to

0:00:19.600 --> 0:00:23.600
<v Speaker 1>take your optimal work environment with you. There's no reason

0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.279
<v Speaker 1>to lose out on productivity or comfort when a few

0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:30.200
<v Speaker 1>items can make a big difference. I travel a lot,

0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:33.080
<v Speaker 1>and I'm generally a good packer, but recently I was

0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:36.400
<v Speaker 1>kicking myself for forgetting a sweater and headphones on a

0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:39.640
<v Speaker 1>long flight. It wasn't easy to work or even read

0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:41.920
<v Speaker 1>a novel because I was distracted by the cold and

0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:44.559
<v Speaker 1>the rather loud group of folks sitting behind me who

0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:48.000
<v Speaker 1>are flying to a bachelor party. Had I been better prepared,

0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.519
<v Speaker 1>the flight time would have been much more pleasant. The

0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.840
<v Speaker 1>solution think about whatever will help you be your best,

0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:57.840
<v Speaker 1>and make sure those things are always in your bag

0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:00.680
<v Speaker 1>or that you can get them there in short order.

0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:04.720
<v Speaker 1>For many people, being able to control the surrounding sound

0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:08.520
<v Speaker 1>is a big factor in productivity. I don't understand why

0:01:08.560 --> 0:01:12.880
<v Speaker 1>many public places, from airports to waiting rooms feature blurring televisions.

0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:16.360
<v Speaker 1>To me, the default should be silence, But sadly I

0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:19.399
<v Speaker 1>don't make the rules and also, sometimes, even in places

0:01:19.440 --> 0:01:22.160
<v Speaker 1>where silence should be the default, such as the amtrack

0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.400
<v Speaker 1>quiet car, some people feel that the rules don't apply

0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.440
<v Speaker 1>to them, So headphones need to be a default part

0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:32.240
<v Speaker 1>of the armor. And then, after packing your headphones, think

0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:34.920
<v Speaker 1>about what sort of sound would best support your goals.

0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:39.280
<v Speaker 1>If I'm hoping to distract myself, funny podcasts are great,

0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:43.199
<v Speaker 1>so I make sure to download a few. Instrumental music

0:01:43.200 --> 0:01:45.319
<v Speaker 1>and movie soundtracks tend to put me in a more

0:01:45.400 --> 0:01:48.560
<v Speaker 1>cerebral space where I can think since I'm not singing

0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:52.160
<v Speaker 1>along in my mind. Some people swear by white noise.

0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.360
<v Speaker 1>If you can't ignore the bachelor party stories that you

0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.120
<v Speaker 1>really had to be there to appreciate, then the sound

0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.720
<v Speaker 1>of rain is a great thing to pipe into your ears.

0:02:01.840 --> 0:02:03.640
<v Speaker 1>I'd also add that for those of us who are

0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:07.040
<v Speaker 1>more introverted, headphones tend to signal that you're absorbed in

0:02:07.080 --> 0:02:09.720
<v Speaker 1>what you're doing, so people are less likely to strike

0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:13.280
<v Speaker 1>up a conversation. I'll also put a plug in here

0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:17.880
<v Speaker 1>for well ear plugs. I travel with Max Pillow soft earplugs.

0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:20.200
<v Speaker 1>You never know what the sound level in a hotel

0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.880
<v Speaker 1>will be. You also don't know if the hotel room

0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.120
<v Speaker 1>will be dotted with lights from various electronics like television,

0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.520
<v Speaker 1>smoke detectors, and clocks. Put on an eyemask and they

0:02:29.600 --> 0:02:33.000
<v Speaker 1>all disappear, as does the light peeking around the drapes.

0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:36.360
<v Speaker 1>If you've got a big day ahead, best to control

0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:40.440
<v Speaker 1>what you can control. I also find that the temperature

0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:44.360
<v Speaker 1>could be a huge variable in my comfort and productivity.

0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:46.720
<v Speaker 1>I spend a lot of time in hotel conference rooms,

0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:48.880
<v Speaker 1>where the temperature often appears to be just a few

0:02:48.880 --> 0:02:52.360
<v Speaker 1>degrees above freezing. If I'm on stage giving a forty

0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:54.520
<v Speaker 1>five minutes speech, I may just need to bring a

0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:56.840
<v Speaker 1>sweater to wear over my dress and deal with my

0:02:56.919 --> 0:02:59.240
<v Speaker 1>legs being cold. But I've learned that if I'm going

0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:01.960
<v Speaker 1>to be in a conference all day, it might be

0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:04.320
<v Speaker 1>wise to wear dress slacks and dress boots and a

0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:08.680
<v Speaker 1>tailored jacket. If your office is freezing, you could consider

0:03:08.760 --> 0:03:12.320
<v Speaker 1>also changing your wardrobe. Were possibly investing in a small

0:03:12.360 --> 0:03:14.440
<v Speaker 1>space heater if you think you'll be able to pull

0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:17.880
<v Speaker 1>that off. If someone questions the space eater, well that

0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:20.440
<v Speaker 1>could be a good opportunity to raise the issue of

0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:23.280
<v Speaker 1>why the building is so freezing that you can't focus.

0:03:24.320 --> 0:03:28.240
<v Speaker 1>Of course, productivity isn't just about sheer physical comfort. It's

0:03:28.280 --> 0:03:31.600
<v Speaker 1>also about being able to seize time for productive pursuits

0:03:32.080 --> 0:03:35.200
<v Speaker 1>even if you aren't at your desk. One reason I

0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:37.400
<v Speaker 1>bought the particular purse I use is that it's tote

0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.600
<v Speaker 1>bag sized and so it can easily accommodate my MacBook

0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:44.160
<v Speaker 1>Pro laptop. I have definitely written Before Breakfast scripts and

0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:46.920
<v Speaker 1>a doctor's waiting room because I brought my laptop with me.

0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:50.000
<v Speaker 1>I also like to travel with a good pen and

0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:52.720
<v Speaker 1>a small notebook with a hard cover, so I have

0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.920
<v Speaker 1>a place to capture notes. Some folks travel with a

0:03:55.960 --> 0:03:58.960
<v Speaker 1>clipboard and paper for the same reason, and of course

0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:01.480
<v Speaker 1>it helps to have reading the terial along for the ride.

0:04:02.240 --> 0:04:04.440
<v Speaker 1>Save links to articles you'd like to read later in

0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:06.800
<v Speaker 1>a file on your phone, and that way you can

0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:09.000
<v Speaker 1>make sure that those fifteen minutes spent waiting for the

0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:13.960
<v Speaker 1>hotel shuttle don't turn into fifteen minutes spent scrolling around Twitter, unless,

0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:16.719
<v Speaker 1>of course, that's really truly what you'd like to do.

0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:20.240
<v Speaker 1>How do you take your optimal work environment with you?

0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:23.719
<v Speaker 1>What are your favorite tools? I'd love to hear about it.

0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.599
<v Speaker 1>You can reach me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart

0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:31.919
<v Speaker 1>media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks

0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:42.359
<v Speaker 1>for listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:44.719
<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:48.400
<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:52.800
<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:57.840
<v Speaker 1>that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:02.240
<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email Before Breakfast podcast

0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:05.680
<v Speaker 1>at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out

0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:08.160
<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look

0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:16.560
<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

0:05:16.560 --> 0:05:20.040
<v Speaker 1>of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:24.000
<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:05:24.080 --> 0:05:25.400
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.