I didn’t have much of anything to compare the experience to, but I sensed early on that there was some serious conflict brewing between the ladies I worked with. There was constant talking behind each other’s backs and harsh criticism was commonplace. Those who weren’t passive aggressive were just downright nasty.

But being the youngest in the bunch, I didn’t think it was my place to speak up and I feared that certain individuals would turn on me if I simply excused myself from the conflict.

The group dynamic became increasingly uncomfortable, and eventually I left the job in the hopes that a more peaceful work environment existed elsewhere.

Now a few years in to my working life, I am far better equipped to express my thoughts and opinions. But even more importantly, I know how to avoid workplace conflict from the outset so these uncomfortable situations don’t sprout into something more serious.

Here are a few tips to help you stop the office drama before it begins.

Tip #1 – Set your intention early on

When starting a new job it can be easy to get swept up in the office politics simply because it’s a way to feel connected to your new coworkers. But these interactions might be the very reason why your job becomes unbearable later on, so it’s best to avoid them from day one.

Set your intention to steer any negative exchanges onto a more positive path and limit your coworker relationships to those who are also interested in creating a harmonious work environment.

Like attracts like, so be the person you would want to interact with.

Tip #2 – Don’t entertain certain conversations

People like a sympathetic listener, especially when it comes to sharing grievances about someone else.

Let it be known early on that you aren’t someone who will revel in negativity and trash talking simply for the sake of letting someone else feel better. Not only is that detrimental to your wellbeing, but it allows the other person to continue festering in what’s bothering them.

There’s no need to be rude, just become an expert at changing the subject or making jokes (when appropriate). Once they realize you won’t be giving them what they’re searching for, they will find someone else to fill the sympathizer role. That’s a guarantee.

Tip #3 – Make your own judgements

Once a group reaches a consensus about someone, it is often passed through the ranks, eventually trickling down to those who weren’t even around when the first judgements were made.

Instead of going along with the things people tell you about someone and interacting with them a certain way as a result, try to come to your own conclusions. If you remain open, you may be able to see a side of that person that others weren’t able to.

Tip #4 – Help facilitate positive interactions

Avoiding office conflict doesn’t have to mean excluding yourself from social interaction. If your coworkers seem to be constantly battling each other, think of a way to turn the tide.

Everyone wants to feel like they are seen, heard and appreciated. Ask your coworkers about things outside of work that you know they enjoy. Let them know you are paying attention to who they are and what’s important to them.

Once you do that, that person is more likely to pay it forward to the next person they come across. It’s a small seed, but it can grow into something much more substantial.

Tip #5 – Cut out the complaining

While you may not be physically participating in the conflict, you might be adding to your negative perception of it if you spend a great deal of time talking about it on your time off.

When I would share my frustration and anger over the situation I was witnessing with my coworkers, I noticed that I became more and more upset. Talking about it over and over again increased the emotional charge that the conflict carried for me, which in turn, helped in attracting more of it into my experience.

Your time outside of work is precious — don’t spend it talking about the conflict you don’t wish to be apart of.

Tip #6 – Meet all disagreements head on

The few times when I’ve worked in an environment where the majority of my coworkers handled conflict in a very passive aggressive fashion, I tended to follow suit. It’s what a lot of us do — we go with the flow.

When disagreements arise, try to find the source and attack the problem head on. Don’t spend time sharing what is irking you with others, that is what can get you into trouble. Find the source of your upset and calmly address the problem.

Even our friends that mean well can magnify conflict by validating the feeling we have that we were wronged. Once we receive that validation, it can be hard to believe that the other person may not have had any ill intent.

What steps have you taken to avoid inner office conflict?

Photo by David Castillo Dominici.

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Let’s assume that you’re over the whole ‘go green’ initiative since recycling placates your conscience and the whales are safe, thanks to Drew Barrymore and that guy from The Office.  The environmental effects of going paperless will be secondary to the impact on your bottom line.  The more important and better question is: How much can you save by going paperless?

Consider these stats from industry experts:

• Paper not only costs the environment, but using paper over digital records can really hurt your wallet: The associated cost of printing, copying, postage, storing, and recycling can be as much as 31 times the purchase price of paper.
• The average office worker uses way too much paper – around 10,000 sheets in a year. To put that into context 10,000 sheets of paper weighs about 100 pounds and stacked would stand just over 4 feet.
• Like your filing cabinet? After you read this you probably won’t anymore: A 4-drawer filing cabinet costs about $25,000 to fill and $2,000 per year to maintain.

It’s easy to see how we could all benefit from less paper and more organization in our lives, therefore I put together a list of my favorite tools anyone can use to go paperless (or at least limit the amount of paper you are currently using) and how these tools can help you achieve paperless Zen at home or at work.

1. Paperless Billing Options

It may not seem like much to switch from your traditional paper bills but the impact can be huge. Electronic billing options are way easier to keep track of and provide a lot more value than their paper counterparts. The benefits include being able to receive auto reminders, paying bills on time while avoiding penalties, and saving on postage.

2. Online Bill Pay Services and Electronic Payments

If you’re still using your old checkbook, it’s time to ditch it and start using electronic payments. Outside of using your banks online bill pay there are online bill pay services that allow a secure account to pay all your bills in one place. There are a variety of different options but the best free one is My Check Free from FiServe. This eliminates check purchases, postage costs, allows same day or auto payments, and provides better overall payment tracking. For more options check out this article, The Best Bill Pay Services.

3. Scan Old Documents

Not only will you have less in your file cabinet (or on your desk if you’re the messy type) you’ll be able to find all your data a lot faster, given you actually take the time to come up with a naming and storage method.

Using a scanner with auto-feeder you can remove paper clutter by digitizing paper files, save space, eliminate file cabinets, eliminate folders, find documents faster, and easily e-mail documents. There are tons of options out there but here are some good one to consider based on your needs.

For home or small based businesses an economical light duty scanner will do the trick. Here are a couple options that are reasonably priced and get the job done are the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 and the NeatDesk. If you’re in a high-volume, office environment then you’ll want to go with a professional high-volume scanner like a Panasonic workgroup scanner or an Epson WorkForce Pro.

4. Online Storage and Document Apps

Once you’ve got your documents scanned in its best to put them into an online storage or document application like Drop Box or Google Docs. Once upload you can take your documents on the road for access anywhere anytime and easily share them with co-workers, family or friends. You also prevent the possibility losing all the valuable data if your hard drive hits the fritz, and as an added bonus there a lot easier to search for!

5. E-signing Documents

If you’re going paperless for a business might be thinking “We’ll what about all my contracts and legal documents? I need a way to get them signed still.” Well fear not as there are E-signing solutions like DocuSign, so you’ll be able to avoid paper even when you need to sign off on contracts and legal documents. You can securely send documents and acquire signatures while reducing travel and courier expenses too. Nice right?

6. Document Management Systems

If all of the options above still don’t cut it, you’re probably pretty crazy about going paperless, so a document management system (also known as ECM) is your best option. These systems can capture information from a variety sources like your scanner or even many office products like MS Office, account systems etc. and create a document database that can index a whole variety of information. On top of that many systems include distribution controls and workflows so processes that involve documents can be visualized and tracked.

The ball is in your court

Now that you’ve read through some of the solutions I’ve used to go paperless, it’s time you use some of this arsenal for your own betterment.

Have more tools I didn’t mention? Share your tools and tips in the comments.

Photo by rosmary.

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Keeping up with “office reading” is keeping you from getting to the “real” work you need to get done in order to keep the business moving. And it doesn’t stop there – factor in the incessant IM’s, phone calls, meetings, texts, voicemails, live chats, etc., and your once neatly-planned work day is under constant interruption.

Does this sound all too familiar? This new infographic from Mindjet and Jess3 indicates that you’re not alone. (Click to enlarge)

In fact, it illustrates results from a study by LexisNexis, which revealed some shocking statistics:

• 57 percent of U.S. workers say that since the economic downturn, the amount of information they have to process has significantly increased
• 73 percent report that search engines give them access to huge amounts of information, but don’t help them prioritize their work
• 91 percent of workers in the U.S. report they discard work information without fully reading it

Part of the problem is that information has simply accelerated faster than the tools we use to manage it. According to the LexisNexis survey, 72 percent of U.S. workers strongly agree that they would be more productive if they didn’t have to switch back and forth between applications to get their work done. And another 52 percent say the quality of their work suffers because they can’t sort through the information they need fast enough.

Interruptions caused by this information overload are estimated to cost U.S. companies $650 billion a year. But there are also hidden costs – the tradeoff of not doing whatever else you could be doing instead, not to mention an even greater potential cost: Burnout.

But while the bad news is that information overload is a growing problem, the good news is that it’s not impossible for workers to take back their control; with some advance planning and preparation, staying on top of those ever-growing to-do lists is not an insurmountable task.

In an article for the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Learning Innovations Laboratory Joseph Ruff, a performance management coach, lists several coping strategies, including filtering, queuing and delegating tasks as just a few ways to manage information overload. Some businesses have even implemented social collaboration tools that assist with functions like file sharing, real time collaboration, and information mapping that also help workers better manage the information overload.

It may take some time to develop a system that works best for you, but other options include prioritizing content to deal with important things first while also being able to work in chunks where you can be the most productive. Finally, sometimes it’s necessary to set standards for how and when work contact occurs in order to help keep more work at the workplace, so develop and communicate clear rules about “offline time” at home.

What are your best practices for helping to manage information overload? And more importantly, what tools would you like to see to help you get through large quantities of information more quickly?

Photo by Jorge Franganillo.

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If you want to get the legality side of the issue, every employee has the right to work in an environment where they feel comfortable. Therefore, the music situation has been solved with headphones — or so I thought. As it turns out, there are still problems with both the music enthusiasts and the office music cynics.

Whether you are the employee who is unhappy with the music, the employee who is unhappy with the lack thereof, or the employer trying to figure out what’s best for the office, it is important to understand both sides to the issue. There are solutions, but part of the solution entails understanding where each party is coming from in their opinions. Consider both sides to the story below:

Office Music? No Thanks

First, some people do not speak up about the music issue because they do not want to anger employees who have been working at the company for a long time. Imagine if you were the new guy or the new girl, and everyone has been listening to music for the last year. Do you want to come in and tell everyone you don’t like it and it has to stop? Probably not.

However, the truth is there are probably other employees, ones that have been working there the entire year, who feel the same way you do. There may be an office member who is very outspoken about liking the music, and this can make it even harder to speak up. But the truth is, for some, office music can be distracting. If you fall into this category, consider a few of the following solutions:

1. Be Casual—Bring up the issue in a casual way to your employees. Make a job about the subject and see how people respond. If you find that there are others bothered by the music (and most people do), then you will feel more comfortable bringing it up to a boss or to the older employees who are used to music. Think of it like a business proposal—it’s just an idea.
2. Turn Off Speakers—If there is a speaker system, there is usually a way to turn certain speakers off and on. If everyone around you isn’t interested in the music, see if you can turn off the speakers in your area. Some departments can work okay with office music while others need more concentration. Since departments usually sit together, this solution could work brilliantly.
3. Noise Canceling Headphones—This is certainly the least desirable option, but if you do not feel the issue is big enough to bring to your boss and your co-workers won’t turn off the music, consider bringing in your own headphones. Even if they are not labeled “noise canceling,” this option could very well solve the problem.

Let the Music Play

Secondly, there are those who love to listen to music during work. For employees who work in customer service, it helps to have music in the background because they are constantly on the phone. It doesn’t matter if the person is using VoIP technology or a traditional business phone service.

The fact of the matter is that it can be tough to try and hold a conversation when the person next to you is also on the phone. For this reason, many people need some sort of white noise to drown out the voices of others. However, plugging in one ear phone would be too overbearing; therefore making the phone conversation much more difficult.

Some people also work better with music playing. However, IT departments sometimes get nervous that individuals will stream music if headphones are allowed. This could push the company’s bandwidth limits to the top; therefore costing the company a lot of money. Headphones are also not allowed by some companies because they prevent employees from hearing the phone ring and/or reduce company synergy and teamwork. This makes work hard for those who love to listen to music.

1. White Noise CD—If you are someone who really needs to drown out other people talking on the phone, consider suggesting a white noise CD. These CD’s are sold for this exact purpose, and they generally do not bother those who don’t like music. The sounds are different than music, so this could be a win-win situation for everyone.
2. IPod—If your IT department is worried about streaming music, bring in your IPod and leave one ear out so you can hear phone calls and work together in groups. Even if “no headphones” is a company policy, your boss will likely understand. If you can prove you get more work done listening to music, your boss should have no issue.
3. Be Discrete—Bosses, turn your head for this one: Some employees simply keep quiet about listening to music in the office. I have noticed from reading many blogs that this is actually a very popular solution amongst music-liking employees. If you have black headphones and you make sure you keep one ear out so that you can hear if you someone is talking to you, no one has to know. They even make wireless headphones if that would you feel more comfortable.

In the end, it is important to be respectful of both opinions and try to come up with some sort of compromise. However, if a compromise cannot be met, those who don’t want the music will always win. If this is the case, try to learn to get by without music. It may be difficult at first, but if you have a positive attitude you might find that you never needed the music in the first place.

What are your thoughts about office music? 

Photo Credit: William Brawley

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How to Find a Coworking Space

Try coworking portals and directories for the widest selection possible. Accessible on the web or through a mobile phone app, these directories help you to search not only available standalone coworking spaces, but also dynamic small companies offering shared workspaces and open desks. This gives you more options for finding a spot to work, especially if your city or town doesn’t offer a coworking space. Think of it as matchmaking.

Our favorite directories for finding shared space include:

Loosecubes: Loosecubes connects members with an empty desk, studio or sofa with other members who need a productive and inspiring place to work. Whether you are looking for coworking companions by the day or longer term neighbors by the month, Loosecubes makes it easy to find the right people to share your space with. A cool feature we like: You can connect your account to Facebook to get recommendations for great workspace based on your social connections.

In an interview with us for Working in the UnOffice: A Guide to Coworking, community manager Anna Thomas said that services like theirs help spread the values of coworking throughout the system, letting businesses turn “their empty desks into business-building assets — generating revenue by renting their extra space and energizing their workplaces by bringing in new talent and expertise.” The process is aptly called, “Loosecubing”. By opening up their spaces to other different startups and a host of freelancers, companies that share “build connections that can lead to job opportunities, partnerships, referrals, and friendships.”

Anna describes how they set themselves apart from other competing search portals: “We place the emphasis on the people in the spaces. For us, the most powerful thing about coworking isn’t the beautiful office, great coffee, or fast Wi-Fi— it’s the person sitting next to you that could become your colleague, business partner, friend, or even someone special. Our goal is to connect people through workspaces, as opposed to hooking someone up with office amenities when they need them.” Loosecubes has since grown to become a global workspace-sharing community with nearly 2,000 spaces around the world.

Deskwanted: Features desks and office spaces around the globe, particularly covering Europe. Type in your preferred city and select the lease length and it gives you a list of available spaces in that area, with the address and cost. Deskwanted is connected with Deskmag, an online publication that covers issues related to innovative workplaces and new ways of working. It focuses on a coworking space and the new breed of independent workers and small companies that work there. Check out their “Tools and Tips” section for great coworking advice.

Desktime: A space directory covering Austin, Chicago, and New York. “We’re trying to change the way people use their workspace, giving people the ability to work from their apartment one afternoon and a bad ass office in the heart of the city the next,” their website says. Offers a directory app that lets users find shared workspaces on their iPhone or Android phone.

Share Your Office: This comprehensive worldwide directory is run by pariSoma Innovation Loft and aims to “connect together professionals with a common interest in sharing their offices”. It’s free to search and to post an ad. Also offered as a mobile app that lets users find shared workspaces on their smartphones.

WorkSnug: An augmented reality app for your smartphone that lets you view surroundings of various coworking spaces, coffee shops, and provides details on noise levels, Wi-Fi availability, and access to meeting rooms.

Open Office Space: Find everything from a shared desk to your standard executive suite and cubicle. Narrow down your search by specifying your budget and the “property type” you’re looking for— from “office” to “industrial” spaces. This site emphasizes form and function over community.

Coworking Wiki: Not only does the Coworking Wiki give a background on everything coworking, it also has a directory of various coworking spaces by country.

And what if there aren’t any coworking spaces near you?

You can start your own! Or, at the very least, organize a Jelly. A Jelly is an informal gathering in someone’s home, a coffee shop or borrowed office, where people work together independently. It’s like a coworking set-up without the permanent address.

***

Coworking’s promise for today’s creator, thinker, worker, and employee is an ambitious one. It claims to help us harness innovation, as well as to unite the laptop-toting telecommuters and independent businesses and organizations out there into a cohesive but fluid community. Such diverse communities under one roof can create thriving places to work.

What has your experience with a coworking space been like?

Photo by mdanys.

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Of course, thanks to modern technology we can all ensure that we’re better placed to stay productive in the world of business, no matter what we’re doing for a living. Thanks to email, Internet, video conferencing and all the rest of it, there’s really no excuse for not being able to network effectively in the modern business world.

Having said that, there is still no replacement for the word of mouth contact that often results in generating new business leads or boosting your existing client base. When it comes to home working, then this can be one of the main drawbacks, although many of us also have to situate our desk space activities in less than satisfactory surroundings too.

Indeed, some home workers have been known to work in their garage in order to get their own productivity space. No matter what modifications you’ve made to these sorts of surroundings, it’s a far from ideal setup. If you’re in this kind of scenario then perhaps it’s time to consider taking a new direction entirely.

Renting an Office Space: Who Does it?

One of the main things to think about if you’re running any kind of business is where to have it located. If you’re a sole trader, freelancer or someone who doesn’t have any employees then working from home is often seen as the way forward. After all, it can be a cheap and cheerful way of keeping overheads to a minimum.

However, increasingly a large number of people who have a business to run are finding that renting office space is a great way of pushing their business forward. Even though the recession continues to rumble on, this has been good for people on the lookout for a place to work as rents are cheap and prime locations are plentiful.

Why Rent an Office Space?

While some of us are fine and dandy working from home, it can be a fairly solitary existence. If you rent an office in a handy location, either in a city centre or on a purpose built business park, then it can be easy to get to and you’ll find that the benefit of having lots of like minded people around you can be perfect for improving productivity.

In fact, considering that networking is one of the best ways of getting more business then simply being able to chat with other people on a daily basis means that you will be in a much better position to secure extra work if it comes up. Renting office space is not only cheap and convenient, it can also free up more of your time too.

For starters, having a desk in an office block run by a landlord will allow you to come and go at your leisure, while you won’t have to worry about upkeep of the surroundings or cleaning either. Any decent office rental worth its salt should also have amenities, including high-speed broadband internet, that’ll also help boost your productivity.

The Convenience Factor

Add all of these factors together and you’ve got a good argument for moving into a rented office. Another aspect of the desk or office space rental option is that many locations are in very popular areas. This can be a great attraction to prospective new clients, and can also make a great meeting place for existing ones too.

What’s more, chances are that you’ll be situated in a postcode that’ll also look good on your letterheads and also your website. So, alongside increasing productivity, you’ll also be able to add an extra veneer to your growing business and hopefully move up to the next rung of the ladder to success.

Sign me up?

So, adding all of these factors together then there is certainly a case for considering the office or desk space rental options that are out there. You can quickly compare and contrast what’s available using the online comparison websites that have sprung up in recent years. These work in a similar way to searching out a broadband or mobile phone deal.

The benefit of the desk or office space rental options that are available is that many operate on short-term contracts, usually on a rolling basis. This means that you’ll have more flexibility and don’t have to commit to signing up for a deal in a particular location if you’re not sure what lies ahead.

In this relatively uncertain economic climate, this can be a real bonus, allowing you the ultimate in freedom and flexibility without too much in the way of commitment to your new landlord.

Photo via Flickr.

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Let’s see some common cases below.

Why don’t they just send everyone a memo?

Michelle, an account manager sits in her weekly staff meeting waiting to go home to spend time with her kids. One by one, her director reads out loud “important” announcements to her and six colleagues about recent policy changes. As she looks at the clock ticking away, minutes she could be playing with her daughters, it dawns on her: “Why didn’t they just e-mail me this information? Couldn’t I have read this on my iPhone during my train ride home?”

Was that live conference call really necessary?

The meeting leader talked for the entire 90 minutes about the status of the new e-commerce system that supposedly made website orders easier.  The content was so boring, no one dared ask any questions.

Ashwin listened to the call on speakerphone so both hands were free to do real work but since one ear was on the phone, he was only 1/3 as productive.

Frustrated by his own lack of productivity, he couldn’t help but ask himself an obvious question: “Is the only reason I’m on this call to avoid getting in trouble for not attending?   If there’s no meaningful dialogue taking place, why doesn’t the presenter just record himself speaking and send us the audio file?”

Why does the informational meeting still exist?

In an era of social media abundance, where so many rich methods of communication are everywhere (e-mail, recorded audio, recorded video, etc.) why are we still herding people together to hear policy updates? Meeting for the purpose of disseminating information is like washing your dishes with Evian water. It works, but it’s expensive and slightly ridiculous.

There are two reasons why these time stealing, soul draining info sessions still exist:

1. Convenience. People have a strong aversion to writing. Sometimes it’s difficult to capture everything we want to say effectively in an e-mail or memo. So when information needs to be disseminated the temptation is to hold a meeting. It can feel easier.
2. Fear. We’re afraid what we have to say won’t be heard otherwise. People also have a strong aversion to reading. We know from past experience that sometimes people tend to ignore our written communication. The logic for the recipient goes: “Well if it’s really important, I’m sure we’ll have a meeting about it.“

This is silly. Is a memo that takes you twenty minutes to write worth saving nine people the hassle of watching you say it for half an hour? Is reading your e-mail worse than being stuck in a weekly staff meeting that bores you into a coma?

The Solution

Here’s the solution, a sacred pact: All informational meetings are hereby cancelled, but we must all commit to reading memos. If even a couple of people fail, the entire system of trust breaks down.

Can you imagine how much more time you’d have if informational meetings were abolished? How much real work could you get done, and how much bigger of a difference could you make in your organization?

Start a no informational meeting pledge in your office. Put it in writing and make everyone in the office sign it. If it works, and it just might, get ready to become the office hero.

How and why do you conduct a meeting? Do you have a story of a meeting gone ineffective or where a memo could have worked just fine?

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13 Steps to Find Motivation for Boring Work

Let’s dig for some extra motivation for finishing the boring work.

1. Look at the big picture.

   A famous story is narrated as follows: two construction workers were interviewed. Both were working on a huge skyscraper in New York City. The interviewer asked the first worker: What do you do all day?

   Worker 1: “I just hit those nails into this metal rod all day and then go home to do this thing all over again tomorrow.”

   Second worker was asked the same question. He answered: “Look up, I am building a skyscraper!”

   So what are you doing? How does it fit into the big picture? See the added value.

2. Write about it.

   Speak to your best friend: you. This is what I am doing right now. It gives you awareness of your situation and gives you a chance to be your own doctor (or psychiatrist).

   Me: I don’t want to do this work because it’s the opposite of interesting.

   Me (with glasses): And what makes you think so. . .?

3. Put a spin on it.

   When working with some un-interesting stuff, I usually think about ways to improve the process and make it more efficient. (This is how 99% of programming languages came into life!)

4. STICKK.

   Stick yourself with a contract which would be both a carrot and a stick. This is a helpful motivating and constraining tool. Put money on the line. Check out STICKK.com to get motivation for ticking off those boring chores.

5. Break it down.

   Use SCRUM (for the technically inclined out there) or GTD (for the productivity inclined) and Pomodoro technique (for the academically inclined). Basically, break it down into meaningful atomic chunks and schedule some allotted time for each chunk. THEN write it down on a whiteboard (preferred) or on paper.

6. Close your eyes and motivate yourself.

   Remind yourself of what you know. No pain, no gain. A 1000 mile trip starts with a single step, etc. Convince yourself of the importance of the task (if it is indeed so. . .).

7. Talk about it.

   I find it helpful when attacking a huge project to talk to colleagues. I approached a couple of them and asked them directly: How would you attack a large project if it was handed to you? I got interesting answers.

   Here you may run a risk of looking like a lazy colleague who lacks motivation. For that share some of your tips, you may say: “Writing documentation can be tedious. I usually keep reminding myself of the next person who will be reading this documentation some years from now and say that I am awesome! How do you handle tedious tasks?”

8. Don’t focus on the tiny details.

   Focus on what’s important, on what adds value. Create a skeleton for the task at hand and work horizontally.

9. Take a break.

   Do something else for an hour.

10. Don’t do it.

    Defer it. But since you are still reading, I am guessing this is out of the question.

11. Sit up straight.

    Chances are you are crouched over. Smile–chances are you not smiling. These things will give you a mental change and even a computer monitor perspective change (maybe work is more interesting from another angle).

12. Print it out.

    If printable. Get away from the computer and just read (or do) it the old-fashioned way.

13. Stop reading this article and go do it.

    Seriously!

–
How do you motivate yourself for a boring task? Got tips?

Image by Nono Fara via Flickr.

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In fact, beyond even eating healthy foods, statistics now say that 1 out of 10 workers don’t even take a lunch break, and of the rest who do take one, most only take 45 minutes.

Healthy Eating Habits

So, let’s break this down. To really provide our bodies and minds with the food it needs to ensure our work is top quality, first we need healthy eating habits, and second, we need good, healthy food options to eat.

1. Frequency

Healthy eating involves three meals and two snacks. You can’t properly fuel yourself throughout a day without at least three solid meals. You can go a little lighter on the breakfast side if you aren’t naturally hungry in the morning, but you do need something. It’s what kick starts your metabolism, breaks the fast (breakfast) from the night before, and gets you charged and ready to roll into your day.

2. Location

Get away from your desk whenever possible. The reason for this is simply that the desk is so distracting (computer, papers, files, phone, etc.), and healthy eating just doesn’t involve distractions. Distractions leads to mindless eating, which usually ends in overeating.

Focus on your food while you’re eating, and then quit focusing on it when you’re done and get back to work, simple as that. Also, in case you’re not sold on eating elsewhere, according to a PhD professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, Charles Gerba, “The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times dirtier than the toilet.”

Go outside! Get some fresh air. Sit down and eat and then take a quick power walk. You’ll be amazed at what that small combination can do for you all afternoon long.

3. Avoiding Disaster Areas

You must adamantly avoid certain areas like conference rooms stocked with twizzlers and gummy bears and “snack-size” Doritos bags. Duck in and grab your meal from the fridge and duck right back out. Steer clear of vending machines, and if you’re going to enter a meeting where doughnuts shall abound, eat a healthy snack before you set foot in the door.

4. Eat Your Own Food More

Packing your own food ensures that you know just what’s in your food, and probably more importantly, it limits your options. The best of intentions for eating a nutritious, well balanced meal can disappear like the wind when faced with the book-like Cheesecake Factory menu.

Healthy Eating Options

Here are some healthy food options you can use everyday.

1. Cover Your Bases

The food pyramid exists for good reason. Eating one type of food group doesn’t prove fruitful by any means. Don’t go all out protein, or all out carbs because that’s what’s easy or convenient or the newest diet fad.

To give your mind the power to think and process, you need: good carbs, proteins and fats. Every day. No exceptions. Now, how you get them and combine them is the fun part!

Clearly you can get as creative with cooking as you like, but considering if you’re reading via this site, you’re probably a touch on the busy-not-a-lot-of-personal-time side, so here are some “easy” solutions to cover all bases.

2. Easy Proteins

Always have on hand: lean meats like chicken and turkey. Turkey bacon is great to have occasionally to mix things up and can be used to make a super quick and delicious BLT.

Nuts like almonds are a great option because they combine protein, fiber and good fats, but if you buy in bulk, segment them into smart, small packages as soon as they come home with you. If you’re short on time, buy the pre-packaged snack sizes. A handful of nuts is plenty.

Other options: black beans (great for whipping up a bean taco); snack sizes of string cheese or cubes; cans of tuna; hardboiled eggs.

3. Easy Carbs

Whole grain anything, everything! The goal is fiber, it makes your body work to break it down and fuels you longer. Think whole wheat slices of bread, whole grain crackers for snacks, a small portion of brown rice, a portion of lentils or beans.

You can grab one side of any one of those and get your high-fiber carbs for the day. Soups with high fiber are excellent afternoon snacks. They’re hot, filling, nutritious and take awhile for you to eat, all of which contribute to the feeling of fullness.

4. Easy Produce

Baby carrots, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, a can of green beans, snow peas, you name it. There is absolutely no excuse for not eating your vegetables. With today’s demand for convenience, it’s incredibly easy to grab veggies on the go.

If you have time, prep some basic salads in advance, throw some dressing in a container and you can enjoy a fresh salad for lunch every day. Fruits are just as easy, if not even easier. Grapes are easy to eat and not messy. Apples, bananas, they’re all delicious!

5. Easy Sweets

If you can’t get by without an afternoon sweet snack, opt for something like dried fruit (portioned), a small all-fruit smoothie, or my personal favorite: a small cup of yogurt, fresh berries and a sprinkling of granola.

The Results

When eating healthier and eating regularly, you’ll notice more constant energy, improved mood, and improved stamina. You’ll begin to think sharper and you’ll wonder how you ever did you work before!

Packing lunches and snacks might seem overwhelming, but with just a few staples, it doesn’t have to be. Though you certainly can, you don’t have to pack anything elaborate. Throw in a protein, a couple slices of bread, a baggie of carrots, a cup of yogurt and a cup of berries, and you’re good to go in 3 minutes flat!

Enjoy the newer, more awesome you that your work and your health will thank you for!

Got any healthy eating tips for us? Share yours in the comments.

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Though a big part of successful living is coping with life’s stress as it comes, universal wisdom suggests that planning ahead, whenever you can, helps you get ahead. Business travel is no different. As the spring and summer travel cycles are getting underway, read on to keep from becoming a casualty of too much time on the road.

Avoid Too Much Wining and Dining

Actually, too much bad food isn’t always the problem; sometimes it’s too much good food. The eating experience of the business traveler can vary from ultra-rich and ritzy gourmet wine-and-dine dinner marathons, to the fast-food burger and fries as you’re rushing to meet your next client. Either way, you’re consuming far more calories and fat than you should.

If a client is wining and dining you, certainly you want to be gracious when they offer another martini and a second helping of foie gras, but try to balance it. Here’s a few tips:

• Order a low-fat entrée so that if your coworkers insist on splitting the cheesecake for dessert, you can snag a bite or two without feeling guilty.
• Your best menu options when dining in finer restaurants are usually fish—ask for it grilled or broiled with a little lemon, instead of fried.
• Skip the rich, buttery sauces and creamy dressings
• Take a side of steamed vegetables instead of potato or pasta.
• Skip dessert and cap your meal with a decaf espresso
• Enjoy a glass of that special reserve vintage, but keep alcohol consumption to a minimum

If you have to grab lunch on the run, go for your lower -fat options. You may even opt to swing through a grocery store where you are likely to find a salad bar or precut items that you can snack on while driving.

Make Some “Me-time” and Beat Stress

Business travel is a whirlwind operation because you usually have a million people to meet with in the limited amount of time you’ll be in a particular city. Early morning meetings, late night dinners, delayed flights, change of time zone, and very little down-time can throw your body’s rhythms for a loop. Stress and exhaustion mount.

Remember that, paradoxically, jam-packing your schedule isn’t necessarily the key to productivity. We all need chill-time, even on the road. Look at your schedule for your out-of-town business appointments and see where you can carve out some  “me-time”. It may be as simple as taking a solitary lunch break to collect your thoughts. Are there any scheduled events where your absence wouldn’t be noticed? Take advantage.

Pay Attention to Your Sleep

Between your late nights preparing to meet with clients, keeping up with business back at the office, unfamiliar and uncomfortable hotel beds, and caffeine overdose, business travelers often get caught in a long string of sleepless nights. The inevitable result is the domino effect of no sleep, more caffeine, stress, exhaustion, crash and burn.

Though you’ll be tempted to try to keep up the momentum with coffee or try to play super-employee by managing work in two places, travel time is not the time to scrimp on sleep.

• Discipline yourself to try to keep to a regular sleep schedule—you’ll be fresher, sharper and more productive if you do.
• Make sure your sleeping environment is the best it can be. Call the front desk for another pillow and pack earplugs if you’re a light sleeper.
• Keep alcohol and caffeine consumption to a minimum. An excess of either will throw off your body’s rhythms.

Don’t Neglect Your Body

When you’re out of town it’s easy to let your workout regimen go right out the window. By the time you return home, you’ve lost the momentum and the downward spiral is set in motion. The key to keeping up good health when traveling is planning ahead.

If your company gives you options for where you will lodge, find a hotel that has an exercise facility. Ask your health club if they have a partner facility in the city you will be visiting and see if you need a special guest-pass. Or, go the old-fashioned route and get out for a brisk walk or run before the morning meetings get underway. Exercise bands are cheap and easy to fit into your luggage.

In addition to keeping you on track with your exercise routine, regular physical activity helps relax and rejuvenate you from all that taxing travel and reduce stress.

Stay Organized on the Home Front

Long cycles of work travel can throw the rest of your life into a tailspin—the mail stacks up, no one picks up the dry-cleaning, and the floor of your apartment doesn’t vacuum itself. The sense of overwhelm sets in immediately as you drop your suitcase full of dirty clothes among all the little messes you left as you were rushing to get to the airport.

Avoid this recipe for stress and meltdown by planning ahead. The more organized and picked up you are in your home life before you go out of town, the quicker you’ll bounce back into gear upon return. Here are a few simple ideas to promote a smoother transition upon return and kill stress:

• Clean up your mailbox: Go through the junk mail and catalogs you receive and find the phone number to unsubscribe. This cuts down on the mail you have to go through when you return. Set up online banking and credit card statements and bill pay so you can manage your finances on the road. Remember to charge business related expenses to a dedicated business credit card to simplify record keeping later on.
• Call a cleaning service: It may seem like an indulgence, but for the busy traveler, this is money well spent, and if you live in a small space, it will be a quick job. You’ll love coming home to a tidy, lemon-fresh living space.
• Stock your freezer: When you arrive home tired and hungry, opening up the refrigerator to a diet soda and a can of pickles is going to be a big disappointment, and the last thing you want is more take-out. Pick up a few healthy, frozen options like a low-fat stir-fry or black bean soup before you go out of town so you can get some real food as soon as you get home.
• Unpack your suitcase: Discipline yourself to just get it over with. Otherwise you’re living out of a suitcase in your own home and the days turn into weeks. Make a game with yourself to see how fast you can get everything put away upon return.

How are you keeping yourself from becoming a business travel casualty? Got tips to beat work travel stress?

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Photo by Taylor Dawn Fortune

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