6 minute read
Organizing with Cloud Nine Organizing
How To Be Productive If You
FROM HOME
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by Crystal Nerpel, Owner of Cloud Nine Organizing
When you step into your home office, are you being as productive as you could be, or do you find yourself getting sidetracked and distracted?
Even if you feel like you’re an organized person, you can still use these five tips to help you become even more productive and efficient while working from home.
Get dressed for work.
Make it a habit of getting ready for work. Wake up, make your bed, get dressed, have breakfast, grab a cup of coffee, tell the family good-bye and head to your office. The act of “getting ready for work” creates a mental association with being productive and can help you stay on schedule. Pajamas are great, but they don’t always encourage productivity.
Establish office hours.
Beginning and finishing your workday at reasonable hours encourages productivity. Starting work at the same time each morning helps you get into a habitual, productive mindset. If possible, schedule personal appointments around your business hours. Conversely, it’s very important to know when to stop working. Working long hours can be counterproductive because it causes fatigue and impacts family life. Try setting the alarm for yourself to act like your five o’clock whistle.
Avoid multi-tasking.
Many people believe that doing multiple tasks at a time will increase productivity. I don’t find this to be the case. You may get things done more quickly, but dividing your focus among multiple tasks can lead to sloppy work and costly mistakes. Focus on finishing one task at a time. You’ll be more efficient and happier with the result.
Make sure your office is free of distractions.
You may need to close your office door and post your office hours to remind family members that you are working. It’s also a great idea to disengage from social media during office hours. Another big distraction is clutter. File all important
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documents, have a special place for current projects and throw away trash.
Have a smart filing system.
Everyone’s idea of a good filing system is different. Asking a professional organizer for advice on a filing system is a great idea, but it has to make sense for you because you are the one that will use it. The keyword here is “use.” You have to use your system once you have it in place. Immediately file important documents, so they are handy when you need them. I highly recommend keeping work and personal files separate.
Declutter your office every day.
Yes, every day. You work from home, so there won’t be any custodians coming to clean up or empty the trash can after you leave the office. Before you leave your office, take a few minutes to declutter and straighten up. Make sure current projects are organized and ready for you to address tomorrow morning.
Set yourself up for success by working in a decluttered office and using productive systems that make sense to you and your work style.
by Jean Eisenmann | photos courtesy of the Flower Mound Senior Center
The Flower Mound Senior Center is uncommonly quiet, devoid of the lively sounds of diners chatting over lunch, music streaming from the room where a dance lesson is underway, and the steady murmur of folks clustered together to chat about this and that. In this facility, silence is not golden. You see, the center is closed due to COVID-19.
The senior center’s activities are part of the Seniors in Motion Program (SIM) of Flower Mound, an organization of citizens 50-plus years of age. It recognizes the value of seniors in the community and therefore provides the resources that contribute to their quality of life. Such activities foster a sense of community and fellowship.
SIM’s mission statement affirms its commitment to providing a safe and caring environment and a dedication to promoting the health and well-being of its members. However, officials had no choice but to close their doors indefinitely on March 13th. This crisis completely impacted the entire program, one that had been active for 15 years. With one of the largest senior center memberships in the DFW metroplex, 2,500 seniors suddenly lost a place to spend their days.
Senior Center Manager Jaime Jaco-Cooper remained on-site, along with two full-time Program Coordinators, Jon Almeida and Nicole Brasher. A brainstorming meeting resulted in a decision to conduct their programs virtually.
“Our first challenge was the meal program,” Jaime said. “Tuesdays and Thursdays between noon and 1 p.m., members could get out of the house and dine with others.” An ah-ha moment gave rise to a drive-thru
photographed to the left is Nicole Brasher (left), Jaime Jaco-Cooper (center) and Jon Almeida (right) photographed above are decorated cars lined up for the drive-thru lunch program.
lunch program. Maintaining those same days and times as pre-pandemic lunches, SIM members can advance purchase a hot lunch packaged in to-go boxes for only $4. They simply drive through and pick them up. “The program has been hugely successful,” Jaime exclaimed. “We’ve doubled the volume from before — about 400 meals weekly. And we didn’t have any lapse in the lunch program. The building closed on a Friday, and we served the first drive-thru meals the following Tuesday!”
All the meals are provided by local restaurants, including Swirl Bakery, Mama’s Daughter’s Diner, Old Town Market, and Chasin’ Tail BBQ.
On the heels of their successful lunch program, this dynamic trio took the virtual senior center idea even further. Jaime
sends out an email to members every day, offering them daily activities that are interesting, mentally stimulating, and just plain fun. Her daily emails have grown to 3,200 for every current and former member in their database.
“One of our biggest requests? Fitness classes,” Jaime said. “Our fitness instructors were happy to film exercise videos geared specifically for seniors. They are posted on our Facebook page. Members can choose an instructor and take the class virtually.”
Jaime herself gets into the act with her own videos, featuring everything from cooking and baking segments to line dancing. The list of virtual fun doesn’t stop there. In December, Jaime started a craft kit program for members to craft a specifically designated item right along with her on video. Interactive videos include a live trivia challenge, zoom bingo, video day trips through museums like the Smithsonian or to cities around the world, and a virtual book club.
Never one to turn down a chance to celebrate, Jaime is known for her parties. The team decorates the parking lot for the lunch program, sometimes asking members to join in on the holiday spirit by decorating their cars.
“We’re offering them fun and stimulating daily activities to help them cope through this difficult time,” Jaime said. “And our seniors are really embracing this approach to staying connected.”
