Blog - Clare Kumar

Welcome to the blog about productivity, pleasure & performance. If you like a post, please pass it on...

How and Why to Choose a Focus Word of the Year

With the start of a new year, it is a natural time for reflection, celebration, and forethought to the year ahead. Many of us will be thinking about New Year resolutions, which I’d prefer to reframe as intentions, but they too often get dismissed after a few days or if you’re lucky weeks. Yes, I […]

Get Up, Stand Up! How to Choose a Standing Desk

I’ll bet you’ve heard the phrase, “sitting is the new smoking.” It has been kicking around for a few years now. When sitting, our metabolism slows dramatically and this can be linked to increases in a myriad of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even early death as brought to life […]

Work-life Integration: Is it just a Women’s Issue?

“Sometimes who is going to be taking care of all of my kids on any given day is more complicated than any trade agreement.” – Chrystia Freeland, International Trade Minister of Canada I remember when my kids were very young having numerous conversations about the confidence that comes from having your kids well taken care […]

My Simple Four-Step P.L.A.N.™ to Get Organized!

Thinking about getting organized can often be overwhelming. Like any big project, it feels much easier to accomplish and far less daunting if you can break it down into manageable pieces. Organizing should be looked at from beginning to end. Impulsively we might want to ‘fix’ a space by shopping for an inspiring new piece. […]

Defining Your Office Style

Given the amount of time spent in our offices, it makes sense to create spaces we truly enjoy being in. Since offices hold a large variety of items, selecting a style can help unify the space and reduce visual chaos. In this post we’ll consider furniture, soft furnishings and lighting. Furniture Natural wood is an […]

5 Reasons We Hang on to Things

How good are you at letting things go? You’ve probably noticed quite a continuum between those who almost compulsively get rid of things and many who have trouble letting go. I have a confession to make – one you may not expect to hear. I tend to keep things. It may be because I moved […]

Signs of Disorganization at Work

In a 2011 study commissioned by Professional Organizers in Canada, 7 in 10 Canadians who work say their workplace is disorganized and report feelings of stress, frustration and failure. Disorganization not only affects the individual’s work, it affects others – both colleagues and customers. Added up, there is a significant cost to being disorganized. A […]

How to be Healthy, Happy and Productive at Work

Investing time in getting organized may sound like the last thing you need to add to your “to do” list. However, just as you need to spend money to make money, you need to spend time to make time. And who doesn’t need more of that? To better organize your office space and boost productivity, […]

Put Down the Phone! How Not to Answer Email on Your Vacation

If you’ve got a vacation planned, I’ll bet you’re looking forward to a break from your regular routine. But will you get one? Or will you be like this gentleman, so engrossed in his phone, he misses the whale emerging from the ocean right beside him? According to a 2015 study by Randstad, an HR […]

Four Ways to Have a Smooth and Productive Transition into Fall

The change of seasons brings a change of schedule and some anxiety for all about how we’re going to manage it. Watch the video here! Here are some strategies which may help. If you’ve got others, please add a comment! Choose your outfit the night before. It’s often beneficial to separate planning from execution. Planning […]