Your work space is important. It can dictate your productivity and vastly improve your mood. After dozens of projects with dozens of clients and three years in the same office, I’ve decided to actualize my daydreams and seek out the perfect office space.
I have been craving a comfortable, usable space that would inspire my creativity and embody my passions. I wanted a space to myself that is specifically designed for getting work done efficiently. I needed a space that was conducive to my entrepreneurial lifestyle. For me, that meant a window, a big desk, a “zen den,” and a small space for lunch meetings and quick brain breaks.
After searching for weeks, I have finally found the dream spot. I am relocating to Southwest Center City next week!
As you may know, I am passionate about balance and mindfulness. In packing up my old office and preparing my new one, I have discovered a few interesting lessons about usability and work habits that I hope will inspire you to think about your work space.
1. Clutter is NOT the answer
Clutter is always the paper note-taker’s biggest problem.
I am a big note taker, and I often lead strategic brainstorm sessions, board retreats, and focus groups. My notes provide me with every tool I need to propose smart solutions to strategic problems, but they also leave behind a war path of clutter.
Do you know these giant Post-Its? I usually bring two pads with me to each of those meetings. And as I started packing up my space, I realized that my office was hiding tons of old Post-Its, notes, journals, and legal pads full of ideas I had executed long ago.
When you finish with a scrap of paper, recycle the paper. You’ve already executed your best idea from that page of notes, so it is highly unlikely that you will use any leftover ideas. However, it is very likely that you will feel light and unencumbered when you walk into your open, de-cluttered office each morning.
2. Natural light can go a long way for fostering creativity
Imagine how creative you could be if you worked next to a floor-to-ceiling window every day…
My old office had a small window that was always a highlighted feature for me. I had all of my meetings next to the window, ate lunch near the window, and even decorated the window sill with plants to add extra green to the space.
When searching for a new space, I recognized that I was craving the natural light that a bigger window would provide. Just as going for a walk can help us relax our minds, natural light helps me clear my head and consider new perspectives on strategic problems. For me, natural light has been crucial to setting myself up to get into my most creative mindset.
3. The newest necessity for anyone working on cross-country teams: no-assembly-required professional backdrops for video calls
Sometimes all it takes is a clean workspace behind you, other times you need to get a little more creative.
I pride myself on my professionalism, but I also like to work in the heart of Philadelphia. I may not be able to control the sounds of the city that sometimes sneak their way onto my calls, but I can control the backdrop during a video conference. Considering this fine detail when upgrading your office space is an easy way to take your professionalism game up a notch.
When choosing a backdrop, be resourceful and intentional. Find something visually appealing but not distracting. Sometimes all you need is a clear floor space. For those of you decorating a wall, don’t underestimate the power of an old tapestry!
4. Recognizing your rhythms – zen dens, couches, and a whole lot of whiteboards
Namastay in the office …and still get a mindfulness break!
Everyone has a work rhythm, and paying attention to yours could be the trick for enabling yourself to access your best work.
For me, I am an early bird and a night owl. But that 3pm timeframe kills me. So for early mornings and late nights, I need a large desk with space to spread out and a few whiteboards for hammering out the details for my big ideas. Then for that one-hour block in the afternoon, I need my work space to include a place for short brain breaks: maybe a little space for yoga, a “zen den” for meditation, or a couch for recharging.
Figure out what you need, and build it up around you. Ultimately, your office space should should fit your work needs. In essence, it should set you up to become your most productive, most creative self.
I hope you’ll come visit my new space at 2216 South Street!
Pretty universally, digital marketers are working – and working hard – to discover what their audiences find “relevant” every single day. They are A/B testing, measuring reach, and sometimes being penalized by social networking sites for posting content that was not only irrelevant but altogether terrible. But every once in a while we get the gift of a highly relevant, ready-made event that gets social media sites all atwitter and begging for fun content from brands. Think the birth of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Think Mother’s Day. Think #MayThe4thBeWithYou.
These events, which boast a shared relevance across many different demographics, can be a fantastic opportunity to get your social media posts in front of new eyes. It is also a great way to make your core audience laugh, “awwww” or remind them that there is a real person on the other side of the computer screen that shares their values and loves of social media just like they do. If you ensure your content is funny, beautiful or inventive you can also cash in on shares and retweets at a rate higher than many of your other posts. You love it. We know.
Sounds Harder Than Arguing With a Wookie
It’s not. Sure, some companies spend thousands of dollars on stunning graphics and highly-produced YouTube videos but that isn’t the only way to have an impact. Going back to our last blog post, what are your core values? Whataburger, a burger chain known for their convenience and customer service, built an At-At out of ketchup packs for #StarWarsDay 2015. To the untrained eye it’s just a clever image, but to customers, it’s a reminder that Whataburger brings condiments right to your table – an extra bit of customer service you won’t get at Burger King or McDonalds. Find a way to marry your quirky sense of humor and what your customers value most and you’ll be racking up the retweets faster than you can say #awesome.
What Would Han Solo Do?
When creating content for one of these events ask yourself what everyone’s favorite intergalactic outlaw would do. With his sexy swagger, great timing and highly recognizable jawline Han Solo can be a great guide. Do something a little different, a little sexy or a little bold. Make sure the timing is right. It is easier for your audience to view (and share) images or videos during the work day? Think about it. Finally, make sure whatever you create is still highly-identifiable with your brand and says something smart about what you do. Here are some great examples at every price point from 2015:
#MayThe4thBeWithYou, Get Your Brand On 2015:
Pandora Ad for Mother’s Day That is Making Everyone Ugly Cry:
Monday, August 4 marked the 180th anniversary of John Venn’s birth. In celebration of his life and greatest contribution to infographics, we honor him with this post:
R&R Creative is proud to present our newest venture, the 24 Hour Marketing Festival, or 24HMF for short. What is 24HMF? It’s a simple idea: we give your entire professional image a makeover in one day. That’s right: we will update your website, logo, press kit, bio, etc. (see R&R’s Toolkit For Success for our full range of products) in ONE DAY.
It’s modeled on 24 hour play festivals- something you theatre artists are surely familiar with.
We are getting ready to launch this service in the coming week. That’s how close we are to making this exciting service available to the public.
Success can be defined in many ways and frustration will be experienced on most of the paths to get there. But you can avoid some of that frustration by planning well. In theory, that sentiment makes perfect sense. In practice, we often get distracted by the excitement of strategizing a new business idea or implementing a new concept. And then — poof!— there goes the plan.
I recently experienced this first hand while creating a new version of a website. Like most thoughtful strategists, I created a site map, design sketches and web copy in separate documents. I then went ahead and started the graphic design elements and picked out a template to customize. In customizing the template, I forgot the most essential rule in working with technology: BACK UP YOUR FILES. I got so excited about the changes, I started doing them all online and then one little piece of code got corrupted and I couldn’t fix it (couldn’t find it really) and all was lost. Luckily most of my text and images were saved on my desktop, and it was honestly quicker for me to repeat an entire days work than go crazy trying to restore an entire, unfinished website off the server.
My grandfather was a highly intelligent, though slightly quirky man, who made his children and grandchildren recite adages as lessons to live by. I’m going to end with one of the simpler ones that stuck with me:
