Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Because our environments shape our experiences, today's tip is to
Speaker 1: take your optimal work environment with you. There's no reason
Speaker 1: to lose out on productivity or comfort when a few
Speaker 1: items can make a big difference. I travel a lot,
Speaker 1: and I'm generally a good packer, but recently I was
Speaker 1: kicking myself for forgetting a sweater and headphones on a
Speaker 1: long flight. It wasn't easy to work or even read
Speaker 1: a novel because I was distracted by the cold and
Speaker 1: the rather loud group of folks sitting behind me who
Speaker 1: are flying to a bachelor party. Had I been better prepared,
Speaker 1: the flight time would have been much more pleasant. The
Speaker 1: solution think about whatever will help you be your best,
Speaker 1: and make sure those things are always in your bag
Speaker 1: or that you can get them there in short order.
Speaker 1: For many people, being able to control the surrounding sound
Speaker 1: is a big factor in productivity. I don't understand why
Speaker 1: many public places, from airports to waiting rooms feature blurring televisions.
Speaker 1: To me, the default should be silence, But sadly I
Speaker 1: don't make the rules and also, sometimes, even in places
Speaker 1: where silence should be the default, such as the amtrack
Speaker 1: quiet car, some people feel that the rules don't apply
Speaker 1: to them, So headphones need to be a default part
Speaker 1: of the armor. And then, after packing your headphones, think
Speaker 1: about what sort of sound would best support your goals.
Speaker 1: If I'm hoping to distract myself, funny podcasts are great,
Speaker 1: so I make sure to download a few. Instrumental music
Speaker 1: and movie soundtracks tend to put me in a more
Speaker 1: cerebral space where I can think since I'm not singing
Speaker 1: along in my mind. Some people swear by white noise.
Speaker 1: If you can't ignore the bachelor party stories that you
Speaker 1: really had to be there to appreciate, then the sound
Speaker 1: of rain is a great thing to pipe into your ears.
Speaker 1: I'd also add that for those of us who are
Speaker 1: more introverted, headphones tend to signal that you're absorbed in
Speaker 1: what you're doing, so people are less likely to strike
Speaker 1: up a conversation. I'll also put a plug in here
Speaker 1: for well ear plugs. I travel with Max Pillow soft earplugs.
Speaker 1: You never know what the sound level in a hotel
Speaker 1: will be. You also don't know if the hotel room
Speaker 1: will be dotted with lights from various electronics like television,
Speaker 1: smoke detectors, and clocks. Put on an eyemask and they
Speaker 1: all disappear, as does the light peeking around the drapes.
Speaker 1: If you've got a big day ahead, best to control
Speaker 1: what you can control. I also find that the temperature
Speaker 1: could be a huge variable in my comfort and productivity.
Speaker 1: I spend a lot of time in hotel conference rooms,
Speaker 1: where the temperature often appears to be just a few
Speaker 1: degrees above freezing. If I'm on stage giving a forty
Speaker 1: five minutes speech, I may just need to bring a
Speaker 1: sweater to wear over my dress and deal with my
Speaker 1: legs being cold. But I've learned that if I'm going
Speaker 1: to be in a conference all day, it might be
Speaker 1: wise to wear dress slacks and dress boots and a
Speaker 1: tailored jacket. If your office is freezing, you could consider
Speaker 1: also changing your wardrobe. Were possibly investing in a small
Speaker 1: space heater if you think you'll be able to pull
Speaker 1: that off. If someone questions the space eater, well that
Speaker 1: could be a good opportunity to raise the issue of
Speaker 1: why the building is so freezing that you can't focus.
Speaker 1: Of course, productivity isn't just about sheer physical comfort. It's
Speaker 1: also about being able to seize time for productive pursuits
Speaker 1: even if you aren't at your desk. One reason I
Speaker 1: bought the particular purse I use is that it's tote
Speaker 1: bag sized and so it can easily accommodate my MacBook
Speaker 1: Pro laptop. I have definitely written Before Breakfast scripts and
Speaker 1: a doctor's waiting room because I brought my laptop with me.
Speaker 1: I also like to travel with a good pen and
Speaker 1: a small notebook with a hard cover, so I have
Speaker 1: a place to capture notes. Some folks travel with a
Speaker 1: clipboard and paper for the same reason, and of course
Speaker 1: it helps to have reading the terial along for the ride.
Speaker 1: Save links to articles you'd like to read later in
Speaker 1: a file on your phone, and that way you can
Speaker 1: make sure that those fifteen minutes spent waiting for the
Speaker 1: hotel shuttle don't turn into fifteen minutes spent scrolling around Twitter, unless,
Speaker 1: of course, that's really truly what you'd like to do.
Speaker 1: How do you take your optimal work environment with you?
Speaker 1: What are your favorite tools? I'd love to hear about it.
Speaker 1: You can reach me at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart
Speaker 1: media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
Speaker 1: that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email Before Breakfast podcast
Speaker 1: at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out
Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should I look
Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.