A New Corner Office: Get a life

A project outside work can make you more relaxed and efficient

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
new world of work, where the location and ours are
more flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to
have a project outside of work, or, as the kids
like to tell us, to get a life. Work goes

(00:27):
better and it is less stressful when we do something
besides work for part of the day. For those who
are parents as well as professionals, and outlet beyond work
and family can make us feel like whole, happier people.
Hobbies and projects outside of work also keep us balanced
and interesting. This is especially true if you have the
sort of job that lacks a hard stop or start,

(00:50):
and where work can quickly bleed into all available hours.
I first discovered the wisdom of having projects outside of
work back when I was twenty three years old and
first started working from home full time. My roommate back
then disappeared for a month long work trip, and I
soon realized that there was nothing to keep the days
from blending into each other. This was before the days

(01:13):
of video conferencing. I'm pretty sure I still had a
dial up internet connection there for a while. So there
was no reason to get dressed. I also had the
disconcerting thought that without any formal, time specific commitments, my
friends might not notice if anything happened to me for
a while. So, since I've always loved singing, I auditioned

(01:34):
for and joined three choirs. Soon enough. On Monday's, Tuesdays
and Thursdays I had summer, I was supposed to be
around seven pm. This meant I had to quit work
around six or six fifteen to get ready and traveled
to rehearsals. That quitting time provided a lot of structure
to my weeks, and it made me more efficient. If

(01:55):
I knew i'd just work or half work and half
served the web until ten pm, there was no reason
to get going on anything. Knowing that anything do the
next day had to be done by six pm made
me a lot more focused. Since then, I've recommended coming
up with a non work evening commitment to all sorts
of folks who work from home. People who have kids

(02:15):
might naturally have a stopping point to their days, at
least in normal times you have to pick up the
kids at daycare or send your sitter home, But people
without these constraints need to come up with something else,
and so joining a softball team or volunteering at a
food bank once a week might serve the same function.
These commitments give you a reason to clock out and

(02:37):
have an engaging life outside of work. Of course, these days,
many activities are on a hiatus. That's six thirty pm
spin class or an eight pm book club or five
thirty pm volunteer shift at the library. Can no longer
tell you if it's time to stop work, so we
have to set our own rhythms for pursuing projects. Maybe

(02:59):
you remind yourself six p m. Is when I go
for a walk, or six pm is when I start
my daily project of cooking through the joy of cooking.
In warmer parts of the US, now is a great
time of year to plant a little garden, So maybe
you'll want to clock out early enough to get a
good chunk of time in your garden before sunset. Maybe
you can pick up a craft you used to enjoy,

(03:21):
or read all the works of George Elliott. Whatever your
particular interests, you'll be happier and more productive if you
do something besides work and worry. When you get a life,
you enjoy life more if you're working from home. What
lets you know when it's time to end your work day.
Do you have a project that makes your days richer

(03:43):
and more rewarding. I'd love to hear about it. You
can reach me at Laura at Laura Vanderkim dot com.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New
Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For

(04:06):
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