Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: office

  • How Food Can Inspire You While You’re Working

    Eating and working at a desk job seems like an odd combination, but some of us do it, so let’s talk about it! When you’re hard at work and need a burst of creativity, your food choices could be the secret sauce to creativity. Food is fuel, and what we eat can impact our mood and spark inspiration. Let’s explore how the right snacks and meals can bring some joy and excitement to your workday.

    First, do you have a stash of snacks in your desk drawer? For example, chocolates or nuts. If you’ve got writer’s block, a quick bite of your favorite snack might get your creativity going. Eating something delicious can be an instant reward, making mundane tasks more enjoyable. For example, one bite after each task is completed. I find the day goes so much faster when I can have a bite of a delicious snack after completing a grueling work task.

    Food is also a great opportunity to be creative and have some fun. Packing yourself some tasty leftovers from last night’s dinner or trying out a new lunch recipe can be your exciting reward for getting halfway through the workday. Some of the tastiest creations include putting together a lunch with a variation in colors and flavors, such as a salad. I also enjoy leftovers from a tasty dinner – a reminder of home.

    Additionally, food that feels like a reward is very motivating. I’ve made it through a long and dull day by marking out the hours with delicious items. For example, dessert such as a cookie. Or your favorite tea at mid-morning to break up the day. It feels almost like being a kid again, to be motivated with food and not just a paycheck! The best part is enjoying every bite after finishing a dreary work task. 

    Next time you’re looking to be inspired while working, take a moment to savor what you eat. Your choice of food can be just the thing to fuel both your body and your creativity and get you through a workday. (Especially on a Monday!)

    What are your favorite snacks?

  • How to Deal with Distractions While at Work

    How to Deal with Distractions While at Work

    Distractions can be relaxing. Distractions can be harmful. How you deal with distractions determines if you can manage your time or watch it slip away from you. Especially at this time of year, it’s easy to lose motivation at work. We’re still partly in holiday mode and readjusting to our work schedule. If you are distracted while at work, try these tips on how to deal with distractions to keep yourself focused.

    1 Shift Your Mind into Work Mode

    Imagine your mind as a bunch of rooms. If you can, divide your life into compartments to avoid distractions. If you work from home, there is plenty to distract you from doing your work. Your family members may want your attention. Or your delicious lunch is tempting you to go to the kitchen. That TV series you’re hooked on is beckoning you to finish one more episode.

    A mental switch into work mode can include changing into work clothes (your work sweater, your work hoodie) and starting your routine, such as getting your cup of coffee, opening up your computer, and checking your work emails. 

    If your job involves a lot of brainstorming and creative thinking, it’s easy to take a moment to check messages on your phone, wander off to get a quick snack, or peek out the window to see what the neighbors are doing. “I’m doing some research,” you say. The break might inspire you with a breakthrough.

    The ding! of a work email can be super exciting if your mind is completely blank and you’re stuck on your creative work task. What should you write next? How do you tackle this problem? Checking a work message can be a nice distraction. After all, you’re still in work mode. You’re just off task. Having a timer helps keep you on task.

    2 Prioritize and Time Your Tasks

    Sometimes, despite your best intentions, it is difficult to stay in work mode. You might still be in holiday mode and feeling sleepy now that you’re getting up early again. However, office hours have begun and you need to get some work done. Devoting a whole eight hours to work instead of doing whatever you like can be daunting.

    Start by mapping out what work tasks you absolutely must complete and what tasks would be nice to complete. Prioritize tasks that must get done by a specific time or end of the day. 

    Use a timer and block off your day in 15 or 30-minute chunks – decide what increment works best for you. It’s easier for your mind to wander if you think you have all day to finish your work. Set a goal to complete a specific task within your time block. With short-term goals, it’s easier to stay focused.

    3 Set Aside Time for Self Care

    Sometimes, telling yourself to switch to work mode or prioritize tasks isn’t enough, especially if you’re dealing with something that affects your mental or physical health. 

    For example, you just found out you have a major health issue to deal with in the coming months or you’re dealing with a conflict at home that’s giving you sleepless nights.

    Provide yourself with something to look forward to, such as a favorite snack or lunch to reward yourself when you finish part of the work day. If you can, take a nap or listen to some music. Go for a walk during lunch. Talk with a friend during your break. What you do after work is important as well, such as spending time with friends or family, or going to the gym. Check if you’re getting enough sleep. Plan an activity so you have something to look forward to at the end of the work week.

    Distractions can be fun, but sometimes too much distraction can lower your productivity.

    What do you do when distractions pull you in multiple directions?

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  • Remote Work and Office Humor

    Remote Work and Office Humor

    This time of year, one of two things happens: work slows down as people prepare for the holidays, or work speeds up as people cram in projects before it’s time to leave work for the holidays.

    Recently, it’s been incredibly busy for me, so I think a good laugh about work is overdue. Humor helps the time pass more quickly as we count down the days until the holiday break.

    Here is some random humor that I was sent recently. Please credit these jokes if you know who created them.

    Ten Random Jokes to Make Your Workday

    1. My memory has gotten so bad it has actually caused me to lose my job. I’m still employed, I just can’t remember where.
    2. How do you make an employee smile at work? Compliment their work.
    3. Why did the scarecrow get promoted? Because he was outstanding in his field!
    4. During a business meeting yesterday, someone asked me about my background. So I told him about my education, career, family, hopes and dreams. Turns out he was asking about what was behind me on our Zoom call.
    5. The new “Reply All” button is unmuting your mic during a Zoom call.
    6. My favorite conference call game is “Guess the Background Noise.”
    7. Why did the pen get promoted at work? It had the write skills.
    8. Why did the employee bring a map to work? To navigate through the workday.
    9. What makes a spider such a good computer programmer? It knows all about the web.
    10. How do you make a manager laugh during a meeting? Tell them you finished all your work early.

    And one more….

    1. Working from home is all fun and games until your chair and bed start merging into one.

  • Let’s Normalize Privacy and Discretion

    Let’s Normalize Privacy and Discretion

    You don’t know me. But I know your name and I know where you live.

    Scary, right? Recently, I saw a video about protecting your personal details like your birthday, phone number, and address when businesses won’t do that for you. Scams are becoming more common, and businesses don’t need to make a criminal’s job easier for them.

    The Potential Harm of Sharing Details

    Sharing personal details can be harmful. Here are some examples: a doctor’s office or pharmacy that calls out your full name to everyone in the waiting room. Or the receptionist who asks to confirm your details by getting you to say your birthday and address so the whole room can hear it. 

    Another example is the bank teller who confirms the large amount of cash you’re withdrawing by saying it loud enough so the people behind know how much cash you’re about to carry out the door.

    A woman commented on the video that a staff member at a medical office said her full name out loud. After the appointment, a man she didn’t know called out her full name. He had been watching her earlier in the waiting room. He started to follow her out of the building. 

    Can We Protect Ourselves?

    We can be proactive, but the business needs to work with us. People have written their personal information on a piece of paper, only to have the receptionist read out all the details to confirm the details with the patient. 

    Another method is to show a driver’s license. Some people have tried this, and said they got unhappy looks from the employee who seemed to think the method was a lazy way to avoid speaking (and for not sharing personal information with everyone in the room).

    It’s not very discreet if you write down the amount you want to withdraw and the bank teller shouts out each one hundred dollar bill for everyone around you to hear. By the time you leave the bank, you will feel like a rob-me-I-have-cash target is marked on your back. 

    One suggestion is to check in with reception at the doctor’s office, the pharmacy, or whichever office you’re waiting at. They quietly take your name and then give you a number. When they call you, they call your number, not your full name. It’s not as personal or friendly, but it’s definitely more discreet. More offices should try this.

    Key Takeaways

    Businesses aren’t doing enough to protect our personal information. They like to confirm our identity by asking us to say our full name, address, or phone number in a room full of strangers. Our safety from scammers or creepy people is not safeguarded. We can use some techniques to protect ourselves, but the business needs to cooperate for those techniques to work.

    What do you think about how businesses protect your privacy? What methods have you tried?