productivity

3 ways to be more productive this year

This is a sponsored post. To a view one of the media clips in which I bring these tips to life, scroll down! As always, opinions are my own.

No matter that we can choose to start a new habit, routine or behaviour at any time, the start of a new year often prompts greater reflection and the setting of resolutions for the year to come. Sadly, the majority of people don’t keep their resolutions.¹ So, is there a better way?

As a productivity coach, I work with motivated people to help them achieve the results they are looking for. Over the years I have noticed, and studies confirm², that the more clearly we can articulate what we want to achieve the more likely we are to achieve it.

You will have likely heard of SMART goals – those which are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-sensitive. Thinking through these details helps us get clear on exactly what we will do it and when we will do it.

Most effective is defining the set of small, repeatable actions you can take. If you will – think it, then shrink it. Make getting started so small it is laughable to ignore it. Consistency in effort will get you there.

Traditionally, top resolutions have included eating better, losing weight, exercising more and getting organized. If you are motivated to lose weight, for example, this will effectively include several behaviours which really add up to a revised lifestyle. In fact, small positive changes in one area often lead to positive changes in another. I call this an upward spiral of momentum.

In my model, the ABC’s of Behaviour Change (post to come!), C stands for Cultivate – creating a supportive environment both physically and in terms of the people around you. You will also benefit from using the right tools. Staples Canada has a huge variety of stylish and innovative products to help you meet your goals: planners and calendars to record and importantly schedule your intentions, Swell water bottles to keep you hydrated on the go or at your desk, glamorous Bugatti lunch bags in rose gold to make it more exciting to bring in a healthy lunch, tech tools such as headphones to keep you focused, the FitBit Charge 3 to help track your sleep and exercise, and the Microsoft Surface Pen to take more effective handwritten notes.

Variety of food on a tea towel with vegetable print — Variety of Plant-Based foods from President”s Choice.

Perhaps you want to be more mindful about what you eat. If you’re like the 38% of Canadians who are interested in adding more plant-based food to their diets³, whether it be for incredibly popular #meatlessmondays or any day of the week, you’ll want to check out President’s Choice’s new line of Plant-Based foods.

Breaded chicken-less strips in a whole wheat wrap with chipotle infused mayo-style spread and fresh veggies.

Consider this meal idea: corn, carrot and kale veggie bites with cashew dip, followed by a wrap filled with breaded chickenless strips, lettuce, and peppers plus a dash of mayo-style spread infused with chipotle sauce (my add), followed by a creamy coconut-based blueberry yogurt with additional fresh berries. Eating plant-based is easier than you think!

Handbag, small purse and jewelry — An example of items that sell well on ebay.

Do you have a pile of things at home that you no longer think of as treasures which would absolutely delight others? If they are nagging at you, in a conversation you’d like to stop, invest some time and energy to not only free up space but turn your stash into cash by selling them online. If you’re looking to maximize reach, list on ebay.ca to put your item in front of millions of buyers (over 183 million, globally) in either an auction format or for a fixed price. At www.ebay.ca/sell you’ll find helpful tips to let you know what buyers are looking for, help make shipping decisions and more. Take clear pictures, write a simple, descriptive headline, and list.

No matter what you want more or less of this year, take the time to get specific and you’ll be well on your way.

Watch as I Annette Goerner and I discuss these tips on CTV Morning Live in Ottawa.

Sources

Choose wisely in the “dark half” – Smart food choices, inspiring desk accessories and a printer worthy of display

If you’re in the northern hemisphere, in October we’re entering the “dark half”. Have you noticed the light slipping away? According to www.timeanddate.com, we receive about 3 minutes less sunlight each day. If you’re like me, this translates directly into less energy and this can hamper productivity. I want to hold onto my spark in the dark, so, it’s especially helpful to find products and services that help me do what I need to do while respecting my STEM Resources™ of Space, Time, Energy and Money.

1. The printer that truly respects your resources

The HP Tango printer saves space, time, energy and can even save you money, all with a much-appreciated sense of style.

Spending more time inside means we notice our surroundings that much more and if cluttered, they can cause stress. I’ve seen many home workspaces with printers that have made the room feel somewhat institutional. Not every home has the luxury of a dedicated office so it can be a huge win to find a printer that combines style and function.

sleek white printer on top of cabinet — The gorgeous lines of the HP Tango printer.

The HP Tango printer with its clean, compact, simple, and elegant design is a space saver. It fits neatly on 16” shelves and with WiFi and remote access via the HP Smart app, you can place it almost anywhere. With a choice of complementary covers, it can be integrated even further into your space.

Cork cover conceals the HP Tango printer — The HP Tango printer is cleverly concealed in this stunning cork wrap.

Check out how this cork cover complements the medium wood tones I have in my office. There is a grey linen cover available too, if that’s more your colourway.

That’s great for space, but what about time, energy and money? The HP Tango Instant Ink program has got you covered. You can subscribe to automatic ink delivery based on the number of pages you print per month. No more worrying about choosing between colour or black and white. No more running out of ink at the wrong moment. For peace of mind, flexibility is built-in as unused pages are rolled over and applied to pages in addition to your monthly allowance.

As a bonus, photos under 5×7” don’t count towards your page limit. Sweet!

In addition to your resources, HP is also respecting those of the environment. Cartridge recycling and shipping is included. You can wait to send a few cartridges back at once to minimize the number of times you ship.

Using plastic from recycled printers and other electronics, the HP Tango is made with more than 30% closed-loop recycled plastic by weight. HP Original ink cartridges are made with 48 – 73% recycled plastic, and HP-branded paper with 100% certified fiber or recycled content.

For more information about the HP Tango, visit this page.

For more information about the Instant Ink program, visit HP Instant Ink.

And for information on recycling cartridges, check out the HP Planet Partners program.

2. Add some design savvy to your desk

Finding stylish office accessories has never been easier thanks to the latest collaboration between Canadian design icon, Joe Mimran, and Staples Canada. Mixing function and fashion, here are a few treasures from the line to keep you happy at work this winter.

In this photo:

Large Pad Folio in Gray – Make the best use of both technology and good old paper with this refined Pad Folio complete with integrated device stand.
Keep your pens and loose change from cluttering your desk in this sturdy terrazzo organizer
Focus Tip: Add a calming scent to the sophisticated ceramic diffuser to promote attention in a more comfy, less dry atmosphere.
Listen to some energizing music via this cloth-covered wireless speaker

5. Keeping track of time never looked so good. This sleek, silver desk clock will wow your clients for less than you think.

6. Worthy of gift-giving is this pen in a compelling combination of metal and wood in its very own metal case.

For more, search the Gry Mattr line at www. staples.ca

3. Making smart food choices just got easier

Eating nutritiously is important all year round, but as the temperature drops, I prefer more cooked food and shop a little differently. no name® brand foods have been in my shopping cart for years (the brand was launched in the late 70’s!) for these reasons:

The products I’ve tried have consistently been of good quality.
The packaging has been easy to understand and comes in handy when labelling storage containers at home.
I’ve consistently saved money when compared to other brands.

bag of oats beside container the oats will be stored in — Organizing tip 1 – Transfer produce in bags into easy to manage storage containers.

Oats in container beside can of hot chocolate and bottle of honey to show easy to read labels — Organizing Tip 2 – Use the packaging to make a label. no name brand labels are so easy to read they make for perfect in-pantry labels, too.

But what really got me interested in working together was the launch of no name® Simple Check™ products. I first noticed the no name® Simple Check™ symbol on my favourite sour cream and onion potato chips in the spring of 2019. I thought it was just a package redesign. I’ve learned there is more to it than that.

New and old package designs to show design changes including coloured titles and the simple check symbol — The new package design on the left will be replacing that on the right.

New packaging is on the left with the Simple Check symbol. Colour has been added to the product names for easier recognition in the pantry, as well.

The no name® Simple Check™ symbol indicates the absence of 10 specific ingredients which I prefer not to ingest including synthetic colours, artificial flavours and monosodium glutamate (msg) I invite you to visit the Simple Check™ website to find out more.

The no name Simple Check symbol quickly reassures me that I’m buying quality food, eliminating the need to pull out my reading glasses, find the ingredients on a package and read through it slowly! This saves me time and aggravation and helps me make better food choices.

This post is sponsored by Loblaw Companies Limited, Staples Canada, and HP. As always, opinions are my own.

I work with organizations to deliver sustainable performance. If you know of a forward-thinking company who wants to achieve objectives and help their leaders and teams avoid disengagement and burnout, book a Discovery Call to learn more about a range of engaging talks and effective coaching and consulting.

Ouch! Paying attention to comfort is about more than buying the right equipment

This post is inspired by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health’s investigation of the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Staten Island. With comfort being one of the eight Productivity Table Stakes™ in Productivity CPR™, my model for sustainable performance, it’s been a long-time concern of mine to support steady improvements in working conditions.

In the mid-’90s, I noticed several fellow employees walking around wearing wrist braces. It turns out the braces were to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of intense and repetitive keyboard use at work. This was a few months after my own experience with a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

Unfortunately, when I was hired, HR had forgotten I was joining the company so instead of finding myself in an office, I was provided with a round table in a colleague’s larger than normal cubicle. I crafted financial reports for about eight hours every day at this round ‘desk’ which led me to develop debilitating rotator cuff tendinitis in my right shoulder. The injury prevented me from working for a few weeks to allow my shoulder to heal. I couldn’t sleep on my right side or carry any weight on my right shoulder for over two years. (Side note – this is when I learned to use a mouse with my non-dominant hand – a worthwhile exercise for everyone to give your dominant hand a break.)

Exercise: Hold your arms out in front of you for a minute. Soon you’ll start to feel your muscles fatigue and likely some pressure on your shoulders. Imagine eight hours of uncomfortable posture.

1. Provide the right equipment

As technology evolves and we learn more about human comfort, we can go further to provide furniture, accessories, lighting and environmental controls to make spaces even more comfortable. In the role I described above, I would have been much more comfortable with a desk fitted with a keyboard tray. Our joints need to be supported. Using a keyboard tray that accommodates a mouse to keep both the keyboard and mouse close at hand prevents reaching and wear on your shoulder.

While it’s easy to understand the potential for injuries related to physical labour, poor practices, equipment and cultures affect our ability to perform comfortably and sustainably in our offices as well. Also noted in the World Health Organization Key Facts on musculoskeletal conditions, lower back pain is the single leading cause of disability globally. (1) We know that we sit too much yet so many sedentary jobs still exist without the opportunity for sit-stand desks that invite movement and a change in posture.

We also need to pay more attention to lighting and noise. For years, over-lighting a space was naturally prohibitive due to cost. City bylaws in Toronto only provide minimal light levels. With the evolution of inexpensive LED lighting, we now need to consider spaces that are overlit, over-stimulating and ultimately exhausting.

Noise in open-concept offices is an issue not only for the workers. Have you ever been on the end of a customer service call in which you can hear the cacophony of other calls in the background? It’s a negative experience for customers, too. Too much noise is such a concern at work, the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board built a new site dedicated to bringing attention to noise challenges at work. Check out www.toneitdown.ca for examples of noise issues. The site focuses on hearing loss, but neglects to talk about stress levels related to noise which are significant in their own right. (3)

2. Educate, educate!

Realizing the instances of MSD noted above, which caused pain and sometimes required time off or surgery to heal, were entirely preventable ignited my avid interest in ergonomics. From then I have been keen to make sure the tasks we take on are supported by the right tools and environments. I invited leadership to go further than providing tools they had wisely invested in and encourage employee education on how to best use them. It was as if we were in a relay race in which the baton wasn’t passed on effectively.

We’ve come a long way since the mid-90s, but there are still gaps. In August 2019, ‘The World Health Organization reported that “musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide”.(1) More recently, a report from the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health titled, “Pressure, Pain, and Productivity at Amazon” highlights a current example of recurring injuries. (2) The report explores the consequences of tasks completed in an environment in which some of the challenges are indeed acknowledged and given some proactive attention. Yet, even though we know what to do, why are we still getting hurt?

3. Culture matters

A critical partner to the environment in which we work is the culture. This appears to be an issue at Amazon. In an effort to meet the commitment to deliver products in near real-time, 80% of workers report being pressured to work harder or faster. Even if we know how to work safely, if there is pressure to perform, whether internal or external, chances are we may ignore the theory and succumb to what we feel pressured to do. We need leadership as role models. If not in example because their roles require a different physical construct, certainly in terms of the attention paid to staff and in an open concern for staff comfort. Comfort on the job needs to be perceived to be imp0rtant. In the absence of such positive influences, we need greater internal fortitude, even bravery to counter this pressure, take breaks, set boundaries, make time to move and to rest.

As consumers and workers, we might want to ask ourselves what we value. Is this pace necessary? Is what it costs worthwhile? Our culture of immediate gratification and speed is raising our collective cortisol while fattening fairly few wallets. Is the race to fulfill an order worth the possibility of long term physical damage?

What has been your experience with ergonomics at work? Has it got in your way? Have challenges been well-handled? Have you had to pivot? Share with me on twitter @streamlife.

Sources:

Spring Clearing Series – Shopping is most productive when selection combines with superb service

Home Depot Customer Service Rep — Smiley Jeison is one of the standout staff at the North Queen Street location of The Home Depot Canada.

Spring always inspires me to do a deep clean of my spaces, both inside and out. I often use basics like vinegar and baking soda, but when I need to tackle a more serious problem, I need a place that will help answer my questions and have the solutions I need. With a wide range of domestic and professional grade products and a keen commitment to customer service, I head to the Home Depot.

Whether moving homes from Montreal to Toronto and deciding on paint colours, to choosing hardware when upcycling furniture for Habitat for Humanity’s charity efforts. Most recently I wanted to learn more about removing mildew. There is one stubborn spot in my second bathroom that just isn’t coming clean.

cleaning aisle at the Home Depot — Robust cleaning aisle at The Home Depot on North Queen Street, Toronto.

Well-marked, I find the cleaning aisle quickly and within seconds, orange-vested Laima, who was happy to help answer my questions. I asked her to help me understand which product would be most effective. She showed me a range of products from brands I was familiar with, to more powerful products suitable for commercial use, sharing her experiences regarding the relative efficacy and suitability of each product.

Unfortunately, Laima wasn’t so keen on having her photo taken, but trainee, Jeison, was more than happy to oblige.

I asked Laima about what was new and interesting in the world of cleaning and clearing products. Here are a few of the treasures we found:

allen's double strength cleaning vinegar — Double strength cleaning vinegar with its higher acetic acid content works harder for you.

Natural oil fragrances with no harmful chemicals to add a variety of aromas to your space.

chemical free fragrance sticks Bed&Bath — Room fragrance from Bed &Bath Sticks at The Home Depot.

When it comes to clearing in the garage and garden, the tools you choose can make a tedious task more comfortable. I adore this very wide aluminum dustpan. It catches everything you bring at it with a regular size broom and fits within the width of a wide leaf bag, making cleanup a breeze. In this case, bigger is better.

Quickie Aluminium 17" Dustpan from The Home Depot — The Quickie Aluminium 17″ Dustpan makes for faster cleanup.

The Home Depot leaf bags and aluminium dust pan — It fits perfectly into large leaf bags.

If bending down is a challenge, this dustpan, which I often see in commercial applications allows for a more comfortable clean up.

Upright lobby dustpan — Reduce the need to bend down with the Upright Lobby Dustpan from Rubbermaid at The Home Depot.

When choosing a supplier, be sure to consider their offering, availability of service, flexible policies, proximity and if necessary, shipping/delivery. The more of your needs that are met, the more productive the experience.

Book a Discovery Call to learn more about a range of engaging talks and effective coaching.

Spring Clearing Series – An inspiring, comfortable office is a productive office

3 min read

This post is sponsored by Staples Canada. As always, opinions are my own.

I had the pleasure of touring to a few cities in Canada this spring to share ways to be more productive this season. Not only do we need to think about being productive in how we accomplish what we want to do, it pays to find solutions which are as effective and efficient as possible. I gathered a few ideas which provide one-stop shopping or deliver complete solutions for you, and in this five blog series, I’ll share the benefits of each one.

Happier workers are more productive

As you might imagine, several studies¹ validate the premise that happier workers are more productive. In fact, somewhere between 10 and 20% more productive. One analysis suggests that “Workplaces with ‘very satisfied’ employees had higher labour productivity, higher quality of output, and higher overall performance.”²In fact, small shifts in well-being are directly correlated to big shifts in performance.³

Productivity can be pretty. Standout supplies from Staples Canada.

So, what keeps people happy at work?

Our happiness is influenced by a wide variety of things including

personal experience – core beliefs and values, genetics, age, gender, personality, temperament and preferences, and health
family and social circumstance
what happens while at work – the people, events, culture, and environments involved

Digging further into happiness at work there are a huge number of influencers including role clarity, value alignment, relationships with colleagues, the level of autonomy we experience, the opportunity for personal growth, and the physical office environment. Most people work best in a well-organized, inspiring space.

3 ways to create a productive and pleasing workspace

1. Personalize Your Space

Choosing decorative and functional elements in palettes and finishes that reflect your personal tastes can make your workspace more inviting. Staples Canada, rebranding in early 2019 as “The Working and Learning Company”, understands that.

Crayon bar at Staples Canada, University Avenue, Toronto.

Pop into the flagship store in downtown Toronto, and you’ll find a bright, airy, membership-based co-working space, auditorium and invitingly laid out shopping experience. Explore the venue to find a robust stationery section complete with an ample selection of journals, pen bar, and inviting bins of crayons in a multitude of colours. You can’t miss the full-service print shop and a significant “Tech Discovery Zone”.

What really stands out though are the office space vignettes. Staples has partnered with design icon Joe Mimran to create 10 stylish Workspaces from colourful to retro to a gamer’s dream, making it easier for you to picture what you might create in your space. Here are a couple of examples:

white desk, white chair, black floor lamp, black desk lamp, wall clock — The “Keep It Simple” office vignette at Staples Canada

white desk, black chair, coral office storage, wall clocks, umbra hook — The vibrant “Live In Colour” office vignette at Staples Canada

As you might guess from the way I dress and the way I decorated my condo, I love colour with a bit of glam. Here are a few treasures I picked to show off on tour:

Swingline Stapler

white and gold stapler — Swingline stapler, so elegant in white and gold.

Nifty Keyboard

pink keyboard with raised keys — This pretty in pink keyboard from Nifty makes keyboarding practice more fun.

Poppin creates an assortment of desk accessories to get you both organized and energized.

Turquoise file sorter

file sorter turquoise — Energizing turquoise Poppin document holder.

Gold Pencil pouch

gold pencil case — Dazzling gold Poppin pencil pouch

2. Green it up!

Studies of offices in the UK and The Netherlands revealed that plants in the office boosted productivity up to 15% while increasing both engagement and satisfaction. ⁴

plants in office space — Adding plants is a low-cost way to improve the quality of your workspace.

Earlier this week I visited a branch of a major bank. There was plenty of brand-based colour but little else that might have been deemed decorative in the space. It lacked soul. I commented that plants would be a lovely addition and the teller pointed to a vertical bundle of brown twigs a few feet away proclaiming, “We have sticks!” Adding plants is a fairly small upfront investment and with a little nurturing can bring continuous healthy energy to your space.

3. Keep your space comfortable

There has been significant debate recently about open versus closed offices, or what I prefer, mixed space environments. As a highly sensitive person, noisy and visually stimulating environments are quite exhausting to me, so as soon as it was possible, I chose to work more of the time from home. Being able to craft my work environment was a huge benefit to me and left me with more energy at the end of the day I could choose to invest in personal wellness, my family or other interests.

Clare Kumar at desk in tidy organized home office — Working from a well-organized home office makes for a productive lifestyle.

A study reveals that females prefer more light than males. There are also differences in the appreciation of noise and temperature with women preferring higher temperatures and less noise. Yet, there is no variance in preferences for formal / information working environments and the need for mobility. Recommendations from the study suggest that those crafting spaces pay attention to the demographics of their work environments and encourage responding to the needs of those using the space.⁵

Sources

Lighten Your Laundry Load!

This is a sponsored post.

Laundry never stops, so if we’re going to have to take care of it I like to encourage ways to make it a lot less onerous. Read on to find ways you might even find yourself enjoying it!

Shift your mindset

As a productivity coach, my mission is to help people have more fun while getting things done, and laundry is no exception. In my holistic model for sustainable performance, Productivity CPR™, the R stands for Ritual. Why ritual? Because I think the word ritual can give a sense of honour to what can often be perceived as mundane.

Whether it be processing receipts or doing laundry, a task that one finds tedious can be elevated with careful thought. Think of your clothing as a tool to help you do what you want to do and to help you make the impression you want to make in the world. Doing laundry then becomes taking care of the clothes that take care of you. This shift in perspective can elevate laundry from a mundane task to an act of love and honour.

Another way to make garment care a more positive endeavour is to think of all the work that went into sourcing, making, shipping and selling the piece so that you can enjoy it. Taking care of it is part of the garment’s life until it can be passed on or recycled.

You may have seen Marie Kondo’s show “Tidying Up”, and observed how she treats spaces, people and things with respect. I noticed this reverence while living in Tokyo for almost three years. We may have different ways of expressing honour, but it’s a truly beautiful way to engage with the world. I grew up witnessing a similar approach in the way my father managed his things. They were well-cared for and treated with love.

Fit laundry in virtually anywhere

If space is tight, in a spot only 24” wide, you can install the ventless, Smart All-In-One Washer and Dryer from Whirlpool which as it sounds includes both the washer and the dryer in one machine! I live in a condo and would really love to have both appliances in one machine to free up hanging space for the clothes I choose to air dry. Both the machine and a hanging rack could then be kept in my laundry closet keeping them out of sight rather than lingering in the bathroom. We can’t deny laundry exists – it deserves a good home!

Photo: Whirlpool Canada – Load & Go Dispenser™ holds detergent for up to 20 loads

Simplify the process

Not only do you no longer have to worry about switching clothes from the washer to the dryer, the Smart All-In-One Washer and Dryer also saves you time with its super capacity dispenser which holds up to 20 loads worth of laundry detergent. This will make it even easier for anyone in your home to do the laundry. Without having to manage a heavy detergent bottle, you can now get the kids to pitch in.

Smarten the process

To save money on electricity, it can make sense to do laundry when electricity rates are at their lowest. Have you ever thought about that and intended to turn on the machine yet forgotten? With remote access, you no longer have to worry about being home. Your washer and dryer has just joined the internet of things. The “Smart” in the name of the All-In-One Washer and Dryer means you can access the machine from an app on your phone. You can start a load while waiting for your daughter to hit the ice at hockey practice, or run the dryer when you’ve gone to work and your house guests let you know they are awake.

Photo: Neatfreak® – Easy Carry Flex Fabric Laundry Basket-Tote with EVERFRESH® Odor Control

Keep collection easy

Make sure you an easy way to gather laundry anywhere it collects. Bedrooms or a shared bathroom are ideal spots and there are a variety of sizes and shapes to fit any space. A corner unit is fun in a kid’s room if you want to make tossing laundry in the hamper a fun way to get kids involved in the process. Hampers now come in a wide range of finishes as well so you can find something to blend in with your décor. The handles on the hamper shown above make it easier to carry.

The Time Timer® helps you have a visual sense of the time available to complete a task.

Make folding more fun

I searched twitter for “laundry” and “stress” and there were so many posts about people sleeping with their laundry instead of folding it, it blew me away. There is a lot of angst out there. With things we don’t like to do, it is common to overestimate the time it takes. A timer is your friend here.

Step 1 – Run a timer to learn how long it takes to fold a basket of laundry.organization

Step 2 – Keep a Time Timer in your laundry room and now you know roughly how long it takes to fold a basket, see how fast you can get it done and play beat the clock. Gamifying works! Why not include getting all the clothes back in closets and drawers? This is an awesome thing to do with the whole family. It’s never too early to get everyone involved.

Give yourself a treat

We know that rewards work, so consider being kinder to yourself when doing the laundry. If you’re like me, in the winter months, your skin is dry. One day, the skin on my fingers was so dry and it kept catching on the inside-out clothes I was turning outside-out (is that a word?), and I decided from that day forward, I would never turn inside-out clothes the right way around again. A little “garbage in, garbage out” theory so my kids would have to solve the problem on their own.

But here’s another option…I’m a big fan of hydration and moisturizing, as where I live you need all the help you can get. I’ve put my best lotions in my gym bag for years to indulge after a workout. Why not have a luxurious salve on hand to use while doing the laundry, especially after any hand-washing, to keep your skin feeling soft and smooth? Made in Canada, from 80% organic ingredients, toxin-free DermaCare Skin Salve from eScential Wellness will make you feel like you’re loving yourself a little bit, too. #loveyourselfhard

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to make laundry a little lighter in your household!

This post was made possible through financial and/or product contributions from Whirlpool Canada, Neatfreak, eScential Wellness and Time Timer.

3 ways to be more productive this year

Choose wisely in the “dark half” – Smart food choices, inspiring desk accessories and a printer worthy of display