Use Your Five Senses to Get More Done

The five senses (Photo Credit: Onefleshmarriage.com

The five senses (Photo Credit: Onefleshmarriage.com

I’ve recently started meditating using the HeadSpace App and one of the exercises is to really pay attention to everything around you. Close your eyes and tap into what you’re hearing, how you feel, what you’re smelling and what your feet feel like on the floor. It’s a tedious practice at first but this attention can really do wonders in the long run. The same idea goes for your workspace.

We all have our favorite places to work, but have you ever thought about why? Whether you realize it or not, the five senses do more than just provide us with nice smells and pleasant tastes—they actually influence our productivity habits.
Next time you go to sit down in your office, here’s how you can use the five senses to impact your productivity:

1. Sight: Next time you paint your walls, remember that blue is the most productive color. Moredays.com says it stimulates a high work performance, which can keep you plugging along for long periods of time. Blue provides a calming and soothing effect, which helps to improve the mind too.Blue is even the recommended color to wear on a job interview because it symbolizes loyalty!

If you can’t change the color scheme in your office, add a small desk plant. While desk plants help to spruce up a workplace, two recent studies show that plants actually help to improve productivity, as well. Nature helps brighten moods and regain focus, but if you don’t have time in your schedule to go for a walk outside, a desk plant will do the trick.

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List for Surviving Your Holiday Party

Holiday Party Season 2008 (wkd #1)The holidays can be fabulous but they can also be kind of awkward – especially when it comes to work parties. A work party is different than a regular party, but its also different than just regular old work, so you should be prepared with a list to calm anxiety and make sure you enjoy your self and get something out of it!

Use your office holiday party as a productive way to grow your career – but make sure you shine by following these tips:

1. Network – Where else can you shmooze with HR managers, higher-ups, or pretty much any department without the need for a formal request for their time? Use your office holiday party as an opportunity to connect strategically with people who can help grow your career. A good tip is to make a list – write down the names of people you want to talk to and include their titles and potential topic points. Read more

Organizing Your Closet

Rubbermaid Homefree Series Closet Kit 3P40

Rubbermaid Homefree Series Closet Kit 3P40 (Photo credit: Rubbermaid Products)

Do you always spend extra time trying to figure out what to wear? Does it ever feel like you don’t have anything to wear? I’ve mentioned before that laying your outfit out the night before can make your life just a little bit easier — but that may not change the “I’ve got nothing to wear!” feeling you might have when you stand in front of your closet. It also doesn’t help you build your closet.

I’ve scoped out a few options to help you get organized!

Produce Your Life With Lists

As a TV producer — I think in lists all day long: segment ideas, schedules, questions, shots, etc.  Many of the skills I use at work come in handy in my everyday life too.  Grocery shopping, looking for an apartment, traveling and even clothing shopping becomes much easier with a plan — and a list!

If you think of your life like a newscast — and break it up into little bite-sized segments — it will be much easier to manage and be successful.  I talked to Hilary Topper on her show, “Hilary Topper On Air” about how thinking like a producer will make you more efficient and less stressed in every aspect of your life.  We talked about websites to make your life simpler, how to get your holiday shopping done with ease and ways to save money.

Take a listen to her show on Blog Talk Radio and let me know what you think!

Rules for Decluttering Your Home

I recently cleaned out my closet and it felt so good. It’s so much less stressful in the morning. I’m now able to easily find outfits without having to navigate through old clothes and empty hangers. I feel empowered! You can too — here are some rules for decluttering your closet and every other room in your house from organizing expert Lori Greiner.

For Every Room in the House

• Keep focused and select one area at a time. Tackle the room from beginning to end before jumping into another.

• Don’t hesitate, eliminate. Take a day or even a few hours to review what you need and what you really don’t.

• Buy smart. Furniture should have storage areas where possible. This will efficiently maximize space.

• Get a filing cabinet! Everyone needs one to organize bills, important documents, photos, magazine clippings, etc. Read more