I am asked to be both creative and analytical in my role at Kavaliro. As a member of the marketing department, it is my job to pitch, create, build, monitor, and assess all of our marketing efforts.
This week we were planning on writing about how companies should handle employees who leave and what steps they should take to build those ex-employees into brand ambassadors. I promise this blog is coming, just not this week.
So, it is Thursday at 11 am (two hours from deadline), and I realize that I have been trying to write this blog for over an hour with very little success. I just kept repeating the same things over and over again, or checking my email and finding literally anything other than blog writing to do. I assume we all know this feeling.
I told my self, "OK Kati that's it, quit procrastinating! What do you need to turn on your creativity and channel your inner artist." After conferring with myself for milliseconds, I decided I needed to be away from my desk, my office, and my co-workers. I was using everything in my power not to accomplish the task at hand.
I messaged my boss and co-workers and said it straight: "I can not focus, I am headed over to Foxtail Coffee for the next hour to take care of this blog. Do you need anything between now and then?" With green lights from my team, I was ready to head out.
So here I sit at Foxtail Coffee (and Orlando, FL based coffee shop) sipping my Matcha green tea latte, channeling my inner artist, writing away. This week we are going to chit chat about the benefits of stepping away from your desk in order to be more productive!
Why is it important to get away from your current setting for a bit? We made you a list!
1. Improve Creativity
Ever been on a date and the environment was not right? As a result, the date left a bad taste in your mouth. The setting is everything when it comes to employees who work in creative or problem-solving disciplines. Working outside of the office stimulates people in ways that allow them to be more creative. Your brain becomes trained when it enters specific settings (think about becoming hungry when you enter the kitchen); this applies to your office. By taking yourself out of the office, you are giving your brain the jolt it needs to spur some creative thinking.
2. Decrease Distractions
I am the queen of going to ask someone a question then emerging from their office 45 minutes later with 12 new projects and plans for the weekend. Going to your local coffee shop, the building lobby or the conference room for an hour eliminates the majority of these distractions. I close out my email, Skype, Slack, Discord, and phone when I need to get something done... but I know not everyone can do this. Moral of the story, intentionally decreasing your distractions can make a huge difference in getting stuff done.
3. Decrease stress
You might not notice it but being in the office can cause an underlying layer of stress that affects your productivity. Personally, my stressors are all somewhat irrational and self-inflicted, but for most people, they are just the general stressors of work. Being at your desk sometimes triggers individuals to feel overwhelmed, getting away from your office helps keep the stress at bay and increase your productivity, creativity, and motivation.
Not everyone works in an industry or department that allows them to just up and leave the office for an hour to work elsewhere (THANK YOU KAVALIRO), but there are still a handful of things you can do that will help channel that productive coffee house feel!
1. Switch desks with another employee
Give yourself a new perspective. Change your energy by moving away from what you know and into something new. Mixing it up with different teammates around you might be enough to shift your energy.
2. Work outside
Some buildings have little outdoor seating areas! If you can't focus, take some of your non-Wifi based work and head outdoors for an hour. The fresh air and vitamin D will change your mood and give you energy!
3. Move your chair
So you need to be chained to your desk and your wifi. Simple, move your chair to face a different direction. It is amazing how much changing your view, lighting or music can make a difference in your energy levels, concentration, and productivity.
Well, it has been a little under an hour, and I have successfully finished my Matcha Green Tea Latte, written this blog, and taken some super cute pics to go with this blog! What will you be able to accomplish by changing your office space? Tell us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram! Oh and if you take any pics of you working not in your office tag us using #kavalirostaffing on Instagram!