Home Is Where the Office Is

I read something recently about becoming aware of the "micro stressors" in our day, like not being able to find the tween's favorite face mask (hello 2021), or the 8-year-old suddenly finding it necessary to crawl into bed with me every night around 3 a.m., or the computer deciding to reboot exactly 2 minutes before the Zoom meeting with our top client's Executive Team. *sigh*  We have a lot of those micro stressors, and they tend to build up into just plain old continuous stress . The inconvenience of that, however, is that we don't necessarily have access to our usual activities or go-to indulgences to recharge and relax. I, for one, am craving a vacation beyond a lap around a different neighborhood. I'd love a romantic dinner inside our favorite Laguna Beach restaurant. Or a huge Super Bowl party with friends and kids and shared chip bowls and all! Ok, maybe I'm never going to look at a shared chip bowl again. But, you get it.  So, to combat the micro ...

Welcome to the wonderful world of working from home! The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered many new faces to this particular environment, and I want to offer a little perspective as a remote worker since 2006. A little background - I worked in both health care and corporate office environments from 1997 - 2006, then began my own productivity consulting business until 2008 when I had my first daughter, and then signed on as a remote employee for a company located on the opposite coast  So, I've: a) Worked full time in an bustling office b) Pioneered a sole proprietorship - working from a home office /workspace c) Assimilated into a remote work environment with team mates and clients in a variety of time zones d) Attempted to conduct regular business responsibilities with young children when childcare wasn't available or a child was sick And as of March 16th: e) Struggled to feel productive and/or successful as a - full-time remote worker - parent - short order cook -...

"Wow! You look great! Where did you have to go today?"  These are the words that completely changed my work life about 10 years ago. What caught my husband's eye when he came home from work that day?  Well... I had showered and washed, dried, and styled my hair. I was wearing jeans and a casual, but clean, top. I may have slicked some Vaseline on my chapped lips. In other words, I was not in my usual home office attire: yoga pants, loose sweatshirt, pony tail. The thing is, I didn't have to go anywhere that day.  Yes, I had put some effort in preparing for the day, and, interestingly, I felt satisfied in a way that I had not for quite some time. I had been really productive and focused all day. My interactions felt more animated and engaged during my conference calls.  It was in that moment - seeing and hearing my husband's reaction and realizing how such a small investment in self-care had positively impacted my whole day - that I decided I needed to st...

It's a topic that seemed to strike a chord with my Home Officer Network last week: how do we involve our kids in activities that help them develop that sense of community, the importance of giving back, and overall gratitude for the things we have that are so easy to take for granted? While there seems to be more opportunity during the holidays to find a variety of volunteer and donation opportunities, we all came to consensus that this empathy, kindness, and giving spirit we wanted to instill in our families was not about a one-time event. This is where I, once more, was so grateful for the collective wisdom and experience of this group of moms. For Tweens and Teens There are more opportunities for kids 12 and older to do more hands on volunteering, for example in food banks or toy drives. However, two moms shared about Lion's Heart , which is a volunteer organization specifically for kids in 6th - 12th grade. All it takes is finding a local chapter or forming your o...