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March 18, 2020 29 mins

My guest today is someone very special to me because I’ve been married to her for almost 20 years … my wife Stephanie Burney!

This is a special edition of the podcast that we wanted to do together because we’re home together … and actually we’ve been home together for about 13 years since I work from home and Stephanie has been a full-time teacher, home-schooling our two children.

Because we know so many of YOU are working from home this week, I personally wanted to share some tech-tips & apps with you, and I invited Stephanie to share some logistical lessons-learned about being home with the kids!

While we have a routine that we’ve been following for a long time, we realize that having the kids home, and overseeing their academic endeavors is something that’s being forced on you, and we wanted to share some practical pointers.

We recorded this episode for YouTube so you can watch it if you prefer, so you can see some of the apps and tips as we describe them.

And if any of these tips are helpful, feel free to buy us a (virtual) cup of coffee!

Stephanie’s Logistical Tip #1:

Have a plan with articulable (and articulated!) expectations for everyone

  • 20% of today is a good tomorrow.
  • Momentum matters—if it’s not helping you, chuck it or change it.
  • Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit ... wisdom is knowing that tomatoes don’t belong in a fruit salad.

Brett’s Techie Tip #1:

Tips for Remote Meetings (Zoom, GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, etc.)

  • Prop your laptop up so that folks are not looking up your NOSE!
  • Good lighting is so important! Natural light from windows is best!
  • Know where the MUTE button is located!
  • In Zoom, you can actually press and hold the space bar for a "push-to-talk" while you are muted!
  • Craig Ball's Zoom cheat-sheet
  • You can SHARE YOUR SCREEN! Great way to collaborate on documents before they are final! MUCH better than emailing versions and drafts back and forth.

Stephanie’s Logistical Tip #2:

Structure, Anchors, And Boundaries Help Everyone

  • Structure: Firm, but flexible. Have “Start” and “End” windows.
  • Anchors: Start the day with a family meeting to go over the agenda. Be intentional about meals and breaks. Have a “Quiet Time” for the kids so they miss each other for a while.
  • Boundaries: Have a dedicated workspace and put things away. Change clothes to signal the start and end point of every day. Never interrupt a person who is in “the zone.”

Brett’s Techie Tip #2:

Know how to use a VPN - a "Virtual Private Network"

  • Know WHEN to use a VPN – when you’re connected to an open, public, wireless network and need to send a private, confidential, sensitive email.
  • If you've NEVER used a VPN before, there are many to
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