Arrange Archives - Clare Kumar

Clare Kumar being interviewed by CP24 host, George Lagogianes — CP24 Host, George Lagogianes interviewing Clare Kumar

You’ve likely heard me say you can’t have optimal productivity without paying attention to your wellbeing. If you’ve been working at a less than optimal home office and you live in the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto, regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York), you won’t want to miss this opportunity to level up your office to a comfortable, inspiring, and productive space.

Bell Media is sponsoring this contest and LG is providing prizes worth $6,000 including two fabulous new products – see more below! – and a consultation with me to bring both fashion and functionality to your home workspace. After all, you deserve an office that feels good! Here is a link to the segment where George Lagogianes and I chat about it.

Submit your photos via email to: LGhomeofficemakeover@cp24.com

Title the email: Home Office Makeover

Be sure to include:
– Name
– Address
– Phone number

Entry Deadline: Monday, October 25, 2021 – 11:59 pm EDT

Find all the contest details here.

Here’s an overview of what you can win!

Home Office Design Consultation

I’ll be working with the winner using my Four Step P.L.A.N.™ to redesign the winning office.

Here are the steps to think about if you’re tackling this on your own:

P – Prioritize – a) how do you want to spend your time in your office, and b) how do you want the office to feel?

L – Liberate – What is currently in the space that no longer serves these priorities? Relocate these items to a more suitable location, donate them for someone else to enjoy, or dispose of responsibly, recycling when possible.

A – Arrange – Select furniture, tools, storage solutions, and accessories to create a functional and fashionable space. Incorporate inspiring art and colour to add style to your space.

N – Nurture – Identify what you need to do to keep your office feeling good and functioning well. This might mean tidying up at regular intervals, encouraging others to stop leaving random items in your space, or employing a “one in, one out” rule.

Two exciting new LG products:

LG gram 16″ 2-in-1 Ultralightweight Laptop

For a powerful, easy t0 take anywhere laptop, take a look at the LG gram line of computers. Included in this prize pack is this 16″ ultralightweight laptop featuring a sleek compact design, Gorilla® Glass, touch display, and the Intel® EVO™ platform which means you can count on it to include high-performing processing, graphics, battery life, and more.

For more details and information on where you can purchase yours, visit this LG site.

laptop computer in stand mode with screen visible and keyboard folded underneath — Displayed in “stand mode”

LG gram 16″ 2-in-1 slender profile

LG UltraWide Ergo 34″ Monitor

Declutter your desk by consolidating two screens into one ultra-wide surface complete with the space-saving C-clamp. The screen’s 21:9 ratio will accommodate both video and a text document at the same time, making tasks like editing and participating in your next Zoom meeting more efficient and easier to enjoy. The impressively flexible ergonomic arm allows you to extend, retract, swivel, tilt, and adjust the height to fit every person and purpose.

For more information and where to find one, visit this LG site.

Good luck!!

We’ll be revealing the makeover on CP24 on November 24th, 2021 around 7:50 am so be sure to tune in.

Clare and Stephanie talking on couch — Stephanie Smyth of CP24 interviews Clare Kumar on getting organized for the fall. Photo: Screen capture of show on CP24

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 requires decision making and sometimes problem solving. Execution is about completing tasks you know how to do. Since mornings are often more rushed, take time the evening before to select what you’re going to wear the next day . I check the weather and often plan from footwear up. Layering is your best friend for days which start out cool and warm up, or for transitions between hot weather and cool, air conditioned environments.

Fuel up for your day.

Your brain is on average 2% of your body mass, yet consumes about 20% of your energy.¹Tune into what your body seeks to keep thinking clearly. If you don’t want to eat a full breakfast before you leave for work or school, identify some portable, nutrient rich snacks which you can take with you. You don’t want to end up depleted during your morning, or worse, “hangry”!

You might think caffeine is helping you boost your focus, but recent research suggests that it is simply an alleviation of your body’s craving for the substance. Consider cutting out caffeine to see if your mind is equally sharp without it.

Create a task management system.

When schedules change and we take on new challenges, there is often a worry about keeping on top of everything. Because our brains are challenged to remember everything, as Daniel Levitin suggests in his book, “The Organized Mind”, “Writing things down conserves the mental energy expended in worrying that you might forget something and in trying not to forget it.²

Having a system that works for you is critical to staying on top of things, and comforting because you know you depend on it. Key elements of a system include a place to gather your intentions – a “to do list”, a calendar to make time less abstract, and notifications to cue your attention.

When building your task management system, pay attention to how you like to work. There is no right and wrong between paper and online solutions. What is important is that it is accessible when you need it, easy to interact with, and redundant (possible to recover information if lost).

Avoid making a mess.

When arriving home, it’s easy to plop down our backpacks, briefcases, lunch and gym bags, kick off our shoes, throw off our coats, hats and sunglasses and toss our keys. Generally, though, this approach leads to chaos. Turn your “drop and dash” into “stop and stash”!

To avoid a stressful entry way, make sure every item you come in with has an easy home to land in. Drawers or hooks near the front door for keys. Cubbies or hooks for backpacks. Use a magazine holder for mail and papers parents need to review. Offer a bin per person for accessories. Unpack your lunch bag and prepare it for its next use right away. This especially important on Friday nights to avoid unpleasant surprises!!

Changing behaviours takes time, so a little lot of coaching is likely required of housemates as you adopt the system. Not only with it keep the entryway clear, everyone will know where items are when they’re running out the door!

NEW – In recent months I’ve created new workshops which have been well received by clients such as Facebook Canada and Ryerson University. If your organization is looking for an informative, engaging talk on boosting productivity, becoming more organized or better managing work-life integration, please pass on my contact information, or connect us and I’ll be happy to follow up. With many thanks.

SOURCES:

Appraising the brain’s energy budget. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Levitin, D. (2014). The Organized Mind, Allen Lane, Penguin Canada Books