5 Things people who #WFH (work from home) need to change to be more productive

I'll start this post with a disclaimer. Some of these suggestions have worked for millions, and have been advocated by many successful people who work hard to use their time productively. However, there are many productive and successful people that don't follow these suggestions. Best suggestion: try it and see! If it works for you or it doesn't let it bring awareness to how you operate and use methods that work within your personal framework.

Here's the list quick and dirty:

1. Dress for success

2. Wake up before business hours; have a decent bedtime

3. Work without the TV on

4. Answering every phone call

5. Taking a break or a nap.

Now let's delve into them one by one a little bit more, shall we?

Dress for Success

The idea of working in your PJs may seem fun but psychologically it can set an unproductive habit.

Extremely comfortable work clothes set the tone of inactivity, but even if you work at your desk in yoga pants and a tee-shirt (my "uniform" of choice), it could just be the physical change from say a nightgown to your comfy work clothes that can set the tone for work. Try delineating in your mind clothing for sleeping versus clothing for working. Even if you sleep in stretch pants or joggers, the act of changing your clothes or freshening up can help change mental gears.

Before you scoff (while wearing your favorite comfy robe), here's some science to back it up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtPPaCBJdw0

Another reason to "dress" (even if it's a nice shirt and jeans), while you're working from home is the fact you'll be more likely to leave for breaks during the day.

Speaking from experience, if I say, had to walk the dog in my nightclothes I might not go very far and go back in as soon as my dog has done his business. But if I was dressed in more "outside" appropriate clothing, I'd be more inclined to walk longer and farther which inevitably can brighten my day, has better health benefits, and gives me a great break from the computer screen. I often find I have some great ideas while I'm walking too...so there's that.

Getting dressed helps me take better walks/breaks (more on that later though).

Wake up before business hours/have a decent bedtime

I'm not a morning person. Although if I go to bed at a decent hour (for me that's about 11:30 pm) I can wake up at 6:30 or 7 am and get my day started (I only need about 6-7 hours to be well-rested).

Between the hours of 6:30 am-8:30 am, it's often quiet, with no emails or phone calls coming through. No lawnmowers or construction noise, no kids playing outside yelling like they are being murdered.

I can read, collect my thoughts, pray, and get my life together before the rest of the world starts to collide with mine.

On days that I don't have the morning me-time, my mindset and energy towards being productive can be shot.

For most night owls, this logic can be flipped and they have their me-time and get their thoughts together in the late night or early morning.

I'm also a night owl by nature but also a self-proclaimed lazy night owl that likes wine, tv, reading, and playing games on my computer between the hours of 7 pm-1 am. I find my brainpower and desire to do work or non-fun things are often nonexistent and my energy levels are on the decline all together. Who cares if I fall asleep while reading a book but not so much when I'm writing a blog post or coming up with great ideas for my business or life.

So I force myself to wind down and have an arsenal to get me to sleep by 11/11:30 and take advantage of the morning instead.

Here's an engaging video about what night owls, like myself, can learn about themselves. Those of us that have a bit more control over their schedules can use this information to set their days and nights up a little better for success:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kZVbE_coSA

Working without the television on

I know, I know. Many of you will fight me on this one. But hear me out! Most people who watch tv while working use it as background or white noise.

Personally, it depends on what's on the TV that determines if I can do an excellent job in tuning it out or not. TV shows that follow a format each episode where the dialogue doesn't matter like many shows on HGTV (see house, walkthrough, choose house the end) can be easy to tune out glancing up only to see what house was chosen at the end.

The challenge that most people have with watching television while working is the challenge we all have of two eyeballs, one brain.

While you're focused on something you enjoy you may be able to tune out the television but what about if you're doing something where the focus is harder? Inevitably may start to pay attention to the screen and procrastination could creep in.

If watching TV while you work is important to you, try the Pomodoro method of shorter bursts of work and complete focus while the TV is paused (if you have that feature), then take a 5-10 minute TV break maybe stand up and stretch while you find out if the couple went for the modern townhouse outside of their ideal commute or the cute ranch that needs renovation...

Here's a great article about the benefits of white noise and how one person with ADD uses it effectively.

Not answering every phone call

Hey! The phone's ringing!! This is the quintessential metaphor that business is booming, right? But in reality, it can actually be a downfall to your productivity. If a person uses the time blocking technique for time management, it's hard to use that time wisely if you answer the phone during a "scheduled" task that was time blocked.

Just as it might be considered rude to answer the phone during a meeting, consider the time you have blocked off for a task that needs focus, as a meeting with yourself.

I've found, most times its a salesperson or another nonurgent call that rings my phone unexpectantly.

Here are some suggestions to avoid the phone ringing from making you less productive:

• Schedule important calls. I use SetMore Appointments for client appointments and currently trying out the free version of Calendly for networking.

• If you think the ringing phone is a prospect, get a cute and short voicemail message that instructs people to tell them to let you know when you can call them back. Besides a break in your concentration answering the phone without knowing who's on the other end could result in a bad prospect call (speaking from experience).

• Get an answering service (ruby.com) or forward your phone to a receptionist service at a local office share like Intelligent Office, I personally know a manager at the Alexandria location, let me know in the comments below if you'd like an introduction or send me an email andrea@dexterousorganizing.com and I'll be happy to introduce you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KybusRQFWg

Taking a break or a nap.

I just want to say: We all need rest. *drops mic*

But com'on y'all... for real, schedule a break. Get some lunch. Take a lil' nap if you need it. There are studies upon studies to back up that you're more productive when you're well-rested and relaxed than when you're tired and stressed. As if you need a study to tell you that...am I right?

Here's a whole picture I snagged from a Shape.com magazine with some sound data to back it up.

I'm off to take a break!

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Andrea Hancock is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Dexterous Organizing, a professional organizing and lifestyle company serving the Washington, DC Metro area. Andrea has been organizing professionally since 2010 and has completed the foundation courses in the Coach Approach for Organizers Training. She believes mostly anyone can create the organizational system that works for their lives through training, awareness, and consistent efforts.

Earth Day 2020: What On Earth Are You Doing?

Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day. According to Wikipedia, "Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, it now includes events coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in more than 193 countries."

Honestly, as stewards of the Earth, man has done a terrible job. Greed, apathy, lack of foreknowledge about how certain actions could be detrimental, and lack of education about how our everyday actions can affect the environment have brought about too many issues to count. It's comforting to know the Creator doesn't intend to have bad stewards destroy the work of His hands (but that's a conversation to be had offline).

We still can do our part to help our planet Earth and so Earth Day's intentions are great for bringing awareness to what we change up upgrade in our routines and habits that can make a larger impact as we all work together.

As mentioned, many times we are doing things out of ignorance that harms our health and the health of the Earth and its eco-systems. Through community sharing, we can often learn a thing or two we can start to do to have a positive impact.

This blog post will include some real-life suggestions from two on the Dexterous Organizing team . Leslie Sunderlin and Andrea Hancock.

In the Kitchen

• Leslie & Andrea both use reusable kitchen bags - a brand Leslie uses is Stashers. She says: "They are a bit pricey, so I don't have a lot of them, but they can be put in the dishwasher and have been great for storing items in the freezer too. We have also used them during the cooking process, like to sous-vide meat." Andrea uses a brand called Re-Zip. She says: "Although we haven't totally given up using the gallon-size plastic bags in the kitchen, using reusable bags has really reduced the amount of plastic bags we use. We even will reuse plastic bags when we have stored dry or cooked items in them. We typically use reusable bags for sandwiches and snacks. Another brand we usually have on hand is LunchSkins that comes in a paper (which is recyclable, compostable, and toxin-free) and a reusable dish-washer safe sandwich bag.

• Reusable bottles are also in use at both households! Andrea loves her Sodastream which she got used on Facebook Marketplace which replaces the purchase of sparkling water and all the glass and plastic waste it produces. She even takes the carbonating cylinder back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond for it to get recycled. Leslie and her domestic partner love Swell-brand reusable double-walled, stainless steel bottles. She notes that these bottles are easy to clean and keeps the beverage nice and cool for a long time. Before using Swell, she would purchase Voss water and reuse the thick glass bottle it would come in. Andrea found her Italian-born 24 bottles stainless steel bottle on discount at the Crate & Barrel outlet store in Old Town Alexandria. Andrea also uses US-based KeepCup for her hot beverages. She loves the coffee shop design her cup has complete with a silicon cup-holding ring that keeps holding her hot beverages cute and comfortable.

• Using glass Pyrex or similar containers with lids to store leftovers can reduce the use of plastic containers and bags. Leslie gives another benefit: "They don't degrade as quickly and I don't feel bad about putting them in the microwave or oven to reheat food, so [fewer] dishes/water use."

• Composting at home

is something Leslie has been doing for most of her life and recently had to adapt to the challenges of composting in a large city apartment after having a wooded backyard. She relates: "The tricky part is the collection of food scraps. With limited space and no immediate outdoor access, we decided to find a small container and line it with a compost specific liner that fit in our freezer. All food scraps get put in this freezer bucket. Keeps us honest about limiting our amount of scraps, and keeps them from smelling! When the bucket is full we take a walk to our community garden. Win-win-win!"

Here is an article about effectively composting using coffee grounds!

Around the home

• To keep things organized around the home, Leslie reused Amazon shipping boxes. She explains: "...to reduce/reuse boxes from our Amazon purchases I cut off flaps to smaller boxes and put them in our drawers/cupboards as dividers/containers. Easy, cheap, functional...not necessarily the prettiest...but they're not very visible in these spots. If I wanted to get creative I could cover them in contact paper, wrapping paper, fabric, etc...and depending on how long this quarantine goes, they just might become [fancier]! "

• In the Laundry department, Leslie uses the laundry detergent shipment service Dropps. Her review: "I have been very happy with them so far. They're shipped directly to the home, the shipping packaging was minimal and the detergent is in small non-toxic, dissolvable pouches so you have no plastic waste." Andrea switched from using traditional dyer sheets to wool balls in the dryer. She loves the fact they also can fluff clothing and you can use a bit of essential oils on the balls for fragrance instead of harsh chemicals.

• Andrea switched from using Comet and Ajax powered-cleaners to BonAmi, a harsh-chemical-free powder cleaner that is made with biodegradable cleaning agents. Before COVID-19 she purchased this CleanSmart disinfectant spray that powerfully kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, eliminates odors, while leaving behind no chemical residue and breaks down to a saline solution, making it safe for most household uses.

Health & Beauty

• Our female monthly visitor aka Aunt Flow can cause quite a stir and also create a bit of waste. For the woman willing to experiment with some non-traditional methods, she can reduce some of the environmental (and possibly health) disadvantages. Menstrual cups like Flex and Diva Cup are silicon cups that can be washed and reused. They usually come in a cloth pouch to keep them clean and protected. Reusable pads can be purchased by hand-makers on Etsy and leak-proof underwear can be found online in places like Amazon, Grove.co. An original and popular brand is Thinx.

• Reusable make up removal cloths can be an eco-friendly way to reduce the single-use wipes that we see advertised so often!

We've given you quite a few to try out. The key is not to get overwhelmed but perhaps be conscious about adding one new way every few weeks or months and slowly but surely your small steps can make a big difference in the total impact made by us collectively. That's what we think Earth Day might be all about!

We'd love to hear from you. Place in the comment section below a product, service, or activity you do to help reduce, reuse, recycle!

Stuck At Home: Setting Yourself Up For Failure

Having a to-do list is great. It's a tool for capturing all you need to get done and then organizing it into the days and weeks to come.

During "normal" conditions we had to manage our time based on where we had to be and deadlines of work, school, volunteering, and personal goals.

COVID-19 has changed the very fabric of our lives. We know in the past how one cancellation can have a ripple effect on our week, we are riding many waves of cancellations, virtual meetings, and cross-fingered rescheduling.

How can this affect our to-do list?

How can this affect our resolve to get things done?

Quite frankly, it's very challenging!

Have you ever tried to put on eyeliner or lipstick while being a passenger in a moving vehicle?

Depending on the road, the driver, and how many stoplights it can be possible.

But imagine the driver is racing through cobblestoned streets, turning erratically and going through stoplights?

This is kinda what the current epidemic has done to our schedules. It's hard to put on our "makeup" let alone do we even care when we are simply scared for our lives? Is putting on "eyeliner" in a time like this even relevant or not?

I know a few things that are not helpful during this time:

Comparing your life to another's.

Now more than ever we spend time on social media to help pass the time, to get up-to-date information, to stay connected to family, friends, and celebrities, and to simply be entertained. The danger in that is comparison. It could be a day that you are mentally "done". It's a Netflix-binge-UberEats kinda emotional day and you scroll on Instagram and see your friend (or a complete stranger), finishing up an in-home workout, or putting out a workshop for their followers, or just being a non-Netflix-binging human. Then you start to think about what you SHOULD be doing. I once heard:

"Should is a could that's covered in shame."

We certainly live in uncharted waters. We are living in shock, grief, uncertainty, and fear overlaid with the need and demands to try to keep up a normal life.

Guess what?

A Netflix-binge-UberEats day is allowed when you need it. Rest your emotional and mental energy and recharge. Under the present circumstances, this may need to happen more often than you are used to.

You might also need to take a social media break. Seriously.

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No routine at all.

The sun rises and it sets. We breathe in and out all day. Our hearts beat. The seasons change. The flowers bloom in the spring and the leaves fall off in autumn. My point? We were made to thrive on cycles and routines. If our lives have been totally thrown off track, it can be unhealthy to not have a few routines in place.

When do you get up?

When do you go to bed?

When do you eat your meals?

When do you clean your space?

Wash clothes?

How do you center yourself?

How do you feed your spiritual needs?

Getting some exercise?

We crave routine and the less routine we have the easier it is to spiral into depression. Depression and being productive are rare pairings.

Have you been struggling to get or keep a routine?

Start somewhere. Here's a suggestion.

Write down:

1. Something you need to get done

2. Something fun you'd like to do

3. Someone you'd like to connect with

4. Something you want to get done

Then look at your day or week and plan to fit those 4 things in it. This keeps procrastination at bay and can help motivate you to find new things to add to the list and feel more productive and less "blah".

Looking blah for Zoom.

Stylists wouldn't exist and the fashion industry wouldn't be a multi-billion-dollar empire if makeup and clothing didn't make us feel a certain way. Try showering and dressing for a Zoom meeting as if you were going to meet in person (I've even worn perfume). You'd be surprised by the positive thoughts and emotions that come from looking great for yourself and having others notice.

During a time that we didn't foresee, didn't plan for, and certainly are making up the rules for as we go along, do your best to keep a positive mindset. Give yourself a pass when you are emotionally and mentally drained, don't compare your productivity to others (quite frankly some could be busy but not productive), and do things that make yourself feel like your old-not-sitting-in-the-house self you were a few weeks ago.

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Andrea Hancock is a Professional Organizer and Owner of Dexterous Organizing, a professional organizing and lifestyle company serving the Washington, DC Metro area. Andrea has been organizing professionally since 2010 and has completed the foundation courses in the Coach Approach for Organizers Training. She believes mostly anyone can create the organizational system that works for their lives through training, awareness, and consistent efforts.