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Being Productive Outside

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Studying outside Burrows

Studying outside Burrows (Photo credit: pennstatenews)

Being stuck in a stuffy office all day can totally kill your productivity. Sitting at your desk for eight hours (usually even longer) and only moving a few feet to get a another cup of coffee or hit the break room for lunch isn’t enough mental stimulation. A change of scenery and some fresh air is all you need to get the juices flowing again!

So here are some ways to get outside of the office yet still be productive:

1. Walking Meetings: A colleague of mine is always asking me to meet her for a “walking meeting.” I thought that this was a a really strange request but once I tried it I really loved it. It gets you out of your chair, offering a great break, but at the same time you are still getting things done. Note taking can be a challenge though so make sure to reserve this type of meeting for certain topics only.

2. Have Lunch Outdoors: Instead of sitting in the break room, take your lunch outside with you.  Or try something different and get to that little cafe you’ve always wanted to test out.  I love eating alone at restaurants — I know a lot of people don’t enjoy it but I love taking my time, ordering whatever I want and enjoying some peace and quiet.  If you’re using your lunch break to continue working — bring your laptop with you and enjoy the sunshine or if it’s rainy head to Starbucks or somewhere with free WiFi.  A new perspective could be all you need.

3. Talk A Lap Around the Block: If your eyes are starting to flutter mid-afternoon — get up!  If you get your body moving it will wake you up. You don’t need to take a long break, five minutes is all you need to get your blood moving and your brain working!

4. Bring the Outdoors to You: If your office isn’t really in an area equipped for a quick walk, you can bring the outdoors inside. Decorate your office space with some real plants and flowers.

Now hop out of your chairs and go get some fresh air!  Let me know how it felt to take a break and enjoy Mother Nature.

How To Be A Team Player

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Business Meeting

Business Meeting (Photo credit: thetaxhaven)

Working on projects with co-workers isn’t always a walk in the park. There’s always the slacker, or the Negative Nancy, or maybe you just can’t seem to find your place within the group.

1. Break the Ice: Working with new people for the first time can be a little awkward. Whether it’s your first day at a new job, or you’ve never worked with certain employees before, it’s always good to get to know one another. Before you dive into work, grab coffee or dinner with your team. This will reduce tensions, and reduce the small talk when it really is time to get down to business. Here’s a list to get the conversation flowing

2. Remember Your Strengths: Everyone within the group should bring something to the table. Just because you may not be the most outspoken doesn’t mean you don’t belong. Don’t forget why it is that you are a part of the team, and let your personal strengths shine through.

3. Be Reliable: Don’t make promises that you can’t keep! This will make others loose faith in your abilities and your ideas won’t carry as much merit. Also make sure you are always on time – time management is key.

4. Schedule Group Meetings: Things go so much smoother if meetings are planned out. Make a checklist of key points to hit, what everyone should accomplish, and what the next goal for the group is. Meetings can easily fall short if they aren’t organized. The same goes for conference calls – here’s how to make them more productive!

5. Confront The Slacker: The best way to deal with a difficult person in the group is to confront the issue head on. Be honest about the problem, but don’t be insulting or negative. That will just cause tension and awkwardness. Most of the time the person doesn’t even realize they are creating a problem in the first place and are happy to readjust the situation.

6. Stay Positive: No matter the situation is it always essential to keep your head up and stay positive! One bad day at work doesn’t mean that the project is turning into a disaster. Things happen, good and bad, and the group just needs to stay on the same page through it all.

How do you play nice on a team at work?

Is Binge Watching Hurting Your Productivity?

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Television remote control

Television remote control (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Binge Watching” = The act of consecutively watching television shows online for hours.. many, many, hours.

I’ve fallen victim to this illness various times, and I know I’m not alone! I mean how can you not binge watch when Netflix has every episode of the best shows ever  – including one of my personal faves Breaking Bad?  Even ABC Go dedicated an entire week of their online service to binge watching. They posted all of their shows’ seasons, which they have never done before.

As awesome as it is to catch up on a show or throw yourself into an entirely new one, this “addiction” can seriously get in the way of your productivity. Because episodes continue one after the other you can totally lose track of time and the next thing you know you’ve been sitting on your couch for six hours.

So here is my list on how to balance your binge watching and your to-do’s!

1. Make It A Game: When I know that I have things to do, but I am dying to catch up on my shows I make a little competition with myself. I set my goals for the day and then I will reward myself with an episode or two if I accomplish all my work. Two or three checks off my to-do list equals admiring Michael C. Hall (Dexter) for an hour. Not a bad payoff, huh?
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Using Social Media To Get Social In Person

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Socializing

(Photo credit: zerok)

This new social media age has made friendships and dating more and more digital. With it being as simple as being able to post a photo for many people to see, to being able to send instagram messages on computer, staying in touch and interacting with followers may not be as tough as some may think. Social media may not be for everyone though.

The “social” aspect of being social is quickly diminishing. Don’t get me wrong I love my technology and apps as you know – but face-to-face communication shouldn’t go out of style. And this is coming from a person who loves alone time. Friendships are so important for your mind, body, and soul. Here are just a few benefits:

1. Great support system: Having friends at your side means you always have someone to lean on. In good times and bad you have someone there for you.

2. Happiness: Good friends equal good company. What is better than having a BFF to gossip with, watch chick flicks, or share a bottle of wine over some laughs? Friends can brighten your day and just make you happier.

3. Good for Your Health: Many studies have shown that having close friends or relationships can help your cardiovascular health and lower levels of cortisol (stress hormones). Check out more health benefits here

Now I’m not saying to throw away social media – in fact, I can give you the best of both worlds! Here are a few social media sites that actually get you to be social outside of online but before looking at them, let’s talk about how to build social platforms up, you can actually build them up using professionals such as a social media accounts manager. They will help you by growing your instagram for instance, and this will bring people to your site by using relevant hashtags, putting up snappy captions and taking amazing photographs, of course this is just the basics of social media marketing and they are there to help with all of the complicated stuff! There are so many interesting sites to look at…

Girlfriend Circles: This site connects like-minded local women with one another to create friendships. This is great for people who have just moved into an area, or are just looking for some girlfriends to get coffee and lunch with! You can search through member profiles and join “connecting circles.” They also post scheduled events to meet up with other women.

Tawify: Online dating can be more social too! This site is like Millionaire Matchmaker but without the “millions”. The new online dating site allows you to skip out on all the profile searching and has a “personal concierge” do all the work for you! Once you sign up, you fill out a short questionnaire and they will set you up with your dating agent who you meet in person. Make sure you fill out the questionnaire as truthfully as you can, it’s important you don’t try and change who you are. Your agent will then find your best matches and set up your dates for you. This is a cool spin on the typical dating site because the agent will be able to get to know you and find the perfect person for you.

Meetup: This is where I first started my “Lists and Libations” group. A group for list lovers who meet at bars in NYC and talk all things productivity. You really can find a group for any interest on this site. From cooking buffs to book lovers — you’ll find “your people” and be able to meetup off line.

How do you think you’d benefit from having more friends and actually meeting up in person more often?

List Of Fun Stuff For Weather Buffs

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weather-icon-set_500x500

(Photo credit: Shmector)

April showers bring May flowers. Emphasis on the SHOWERS this week in NYC! As this wacky weather continues I thought it would be fun to make a list of creative products and apps to get us through the rain, sun, cold, snow, and warm spring days Mother Nature keeps throwing our way.

DarkSky app: This is one of my all-time favorite apps! If snow or rain is heading your way this app will be the first to let you know! DarkSky uses your GPS location and can give you a weather forecast down to the very minute it will begin to rain. It will also send you an alert when a storm is approaching – even if you don’t have the app open ($3.99) (see more useful emergency apps here)

GustBuster Umbrella: If you’ve ever had a fight with an umbrella, had one turn inside out, or bust through the frame during a downpour — you need to buy one of these for yourself and a friend. I’ve had my current Gustbuster for 11 years! You can find them at most golf stores and online too. It’s much more productive to buy one umbrella that really works instead of going through one after another of those cheapy ones you can get on the street.

Hunter Rain Boots: I went through a ton of rain boots before I just gave in and brought the expensive ones. They are pricey but worth it! They have been amazing for the past two years, and you can choose from various colors and styles.

Tieks travel flats: Cold in the am, toasty by the afternoon? Swap out your winter boats during the work day for these on-the-go adorable flats. They are super comfy, and fold up to fit in your purse or drawer. You can take them with you in case the weather changes or store them in your desk for when the sun decides to peak out!

The Sole Mates: Have an upcoming outdoor picnic, wedding, or event to attend? Well, if you plan on wearing heels Sole Mates are a great buy. They keep you from sinking into muddy grass or falling into concrete cracks. Great way to save your heels (and your ankles).

Funny Doormats: Keep the pollen and mud away from your floors by adding one of these hilarious doormats to your front decor. They have a multitude of categories to choose from and they are great conversation starters.

2n1 Ponytail & Bracelet: Bad hair days are bound to happen with rainy or humid weather. In case your hair decides to friz up, disguise these ponytail holders on your wrist. They look like bracelets so you can still be fashionable yet throw up a sock bun in a moments notice!

Hoter waterproof, reusable bags: Instead of ruining your purse or briefcase in the rain you can use of these bags! They are totally waterproof to keep everything dry and they come in various colors and styles. You can use these for groceries, double as a diaper bag, or a tote for the beach.

Weather playlists: Be on the look out for this awesome new feature from The Weather Channel and Songza. They are teaming up to create music playlists that are “weather appropriate”!

Hope these help you enjoy the crazy weather! Happy April 🙂