Workplace Hero

After a nearly two year hiatus, I am back with an exciting announcement! I have a new podcast called Change Academy and in this short episode of Workplace Hero, I explain what the new show is all about and play you a snippet from Episode #1 of Change Academy.

I'm going to come right out and say it. The reason I chose the topic of Self Promotion for this episode is that I have something to sell you. The product is called Weighless and Weighless is a fat loss program. So, as you can probably guess, with the millions on other fat loss programs out there advertising themselves, it is difficult being heard above the noise. So, in our endeavour to rise above all the noise, we have been forced to become self-promotion ninjas.

Parkinson's Law is a book by C. Northcote Parkinson. And this book is best known for its opening line: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Now, do you recognise it? I bet you do. Honestly, I didn’t know it had a name until I started writing this episode. 

Top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in most fields all set goals. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation and it helps you to organize your time and your resources. -- Goal Setting Hello my cubicle convictions, open space schemers, corner office objectives, home den dutiful and coffee shop schemas. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am not the workplace hero. If there is a Workplace Hero around these parts, it is you my friend. And I will explain why, in a few minutes. Right now, I want to give you some data. The first Workplace Hero podcast episode was released on March 5, 2017. Here is a snippet of the Facebook live video I did to celebrate. Since then, I have released 30 episodes (including this one) which have received a total of about 12,000 downloads, ranging between 647 downloads for Katy Bowman’s “To Sit or Not To Sit” episode and 250 downloads for the “What Happens at Work Stays at Work” episode. When I started the podcast, I of course had high hopes of thousands of downloads and advertiser’s banging down my virtual door but at the same time I really had no idea if anyone would listen or care (aside from my mom). And as you can see, this podcast is by no means a wild, runaway success but it is also by some measures and stats I have seen passed around on the podcast forums, performing better than 95% of the podcasts on the Apple Podcasts app. Even more important than that though, this podcast has been a blast to produce. It really has scratched an itch that I have had for a while. I have worked as a tech and/or producer on 13 different podcasts and all but two or three of them have been interview style podcasts. You know, where two people sit down and have an organic conversation (usually over Skype) and then it was my job to try to make it sound good and make sense. Well, I have always been more interested in creating a more produced, scripted, researched and polished podcast. This is likely due to my background in music and my occasional dips into broadcast radio. Workplace Hero is that podcast. I love the artistry that I can bring to it. The time I take to add sound effects and drum beats and music soothes my soul. Truly. Now, I know I am rambling a bit but I do have a point here… so let me get to it. When I decided to commit to this podcast, I was worried that it would be harder, more time consuming, slower to take off than I had anticipated and I didn’t want to prematurely pull the plug on it before I had a chance to really experience what it was like to be a solo podcaster. I didn’t want to get 5 episodes in, realize that my mom is the only one commenting on the blog posts (which she kinda is) and that I am only getting 200 downloads per episode (remember that I have worked on shows that get 100,000 + downloads per episode so that is my frame of reference) and end the adventure before the podcast really had a chance to grow, build an audience and become part of my daily life. So I remembered (incorrectly, I might add) something I had read that Tim Ferriss said when he started his podcast. I incorrectly remembered him writing that he decided to do 30 episodes to see if he liked liked podcasting. What he actually wrote was “ I decided to try long-form audio for six episodes. If I didn’t enjoy it, I would throw in the towel and walk.” https://tim.blog/2016/04/11/tim-ferriss-podcast-business/ Well, despite what Tim actually wrote, I decided my number was 30. I was not allowed to stop, pull the plug, take a week off or break stride for 30 episodes. Once I reached 30, then I had a decision to make. Until then, it was business as usual. A business that is losing me money and time every week but also a business that I enjoy and hope is helping people in some small way, each week. Today, I am happy to say that I made it to 30. Six months later, here I am sitting down to write the 30th episode. —Fan Fare— It literally says in my script the words fan fare. That’s how I roll. Anyway, whether or not my goal was set deliberately through calculation and research or was set due to a misremembered quote from the 4-Hour Workweek guy, I am very glad that I set that goal. There were certainly times along the way that if the goal had not been there - and publicly stated (which is crucial) - I am sure I would have wimped out. Over at MindTools.com they ask the question: why set goals? Well, top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in most fields all set goals. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation and it helps you to organize your time and your resources. By setting sharp, clearly defined goals you will see and be able to measure forward progress in what might previously have seemed like a long and occasionally pointless grind. You will also raise your self-confidence, as you recognize your own ability and competence in achieving the goals that you've set. This certainly was true for me. I could have easily been distracted by the downsides of working so hard on something that is growing so slowly, or spent more time staring at my website and audio analytic data than focussing on the topic for the next episode. But by having the overarching goal of hitting 30 episodes, I could see my forward progress. And by committing to those 30 episodes, I knew that once a week I needed to buckle down and put in the time required to create those episodes. So, how do you start to set personal goals? Well, to begin with, you have to look at your goals in levels. First you create the "big picture" of what you want to do with your time (over the next 6 months let’s say since that is how long it takes to release a 30 weekly podcasts), and identify the large-scale goal that you want to achieve in those 6 months. Then, you break this big picture goal down into the smaller and smaller targets that you must hit to reach your big picture. For me that was to choose a topic each week, decide whether to get an expert on to talk about it, do some research, write my script, record the audio, edit the audio, and post all of that for the world to see. Each week. Without fail. Finally, once you have your plan, you start working on it to achieve these goals. Easy right? Well, not for everyone. I know more than a few people who have had great ideas, decide to try one and give up on it before they have given it a fair shake at all. Sure, there are ideas that don’t deserve being seen through to the end but hopefully those get vetted before the domain name is purchased, the logo is drawn and the company name is registered. I have had more than a few of those ideas. Ideas that died while I was trying to explain it to a friend, trying to choose a name for it, and one idea even died as I was pitching it to a potential investor. That was awkward. The people over at CodeOfLiving.com have a great list called “5 Reasons Why Goal Setting Is Important” this is it in a nutshell: 1. Goals Give Your Focus Imagine having to shoot an arrow without being given a target. Where would you aim? And say you did aim at some random thing (out of sheer perplexity). Why would you aim there? And what would the purpose be? Get the idea‰? This is a literal example of what life is like without a goal or target in mind. Remember the story Alfred told Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight movie? When they were slowly realizing the the Joker had no real goal? “...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” As cool as Heath Ledger was in that movie as The Joker, don’t be like him. Get some focus and have a goal. 2. Goals Allow You To Measure Progress By setting goals for yourself you are able to measure your progress because you always have a fixed endpoint or benchmark to compare with. Take this scenario for example: Brock makes a goal to have a podcast with a minimum of 30 episodes. He starts writing and recording each week and works really hard but along the way, he loses track of how many episodes he has completed and how many more he needs to make. So rather than panicking Brock simply counts the number of episodes he has already done and he instantly determines his progress and knows how much further he needs to go. And believe me. This actually happened a few times. But when I counted the episodes, I immediately felt great and refocused because I could actually measure where I was on my trajectory. Occasionally it seemed daunting but at the same time, it made me steel my resolve. 3. Goals Keep You Locked In And Undistracted By setting goals you give yourself mental boundaries. When you have a certain end point in mind you automatically stay away from certain distractions and stay focused towards the goal. This process happens automatically and subtly but according to research does happen. To get a better idea, imagine this. Your best friend is moving to Switzerland and his flight takes off at 9:00 PM. You leave right after work at 8:30 PM to see him off and you know it's a 20-minute walk to get to the airport. So you make it a goal to reach the airport in 15 minutes by jogging so that you can have more time to say your goodbyes. Would you get distracted by "anything" along the way? Would you stop for a break or a snack? Would you stop by your house before going to the airport? I bet you answered no for each question and at the end of the day, this is what a goal gives you. FOCUS. 4. Goals Help You Overcome Procrastination When you set a goal for yourself you make yourself accountable to finish the task. This is in complete contrast with when you do things based off a whim and it doesn't matter whether you complete them or not. Goals tend to stick in your mind and if not completed they give you a "Shoot! I was supposed to do _____ today!" reminder. These reminders in the back of your head help you to overcome procrastination and laziness. But keep in mind that super-long-term goals can actually promote procrastination. Most people aren‰'t good with dead lines that are 3 years away. So whenever you‰'re given a long term goal, break it down into several short-term goals so you can complete a chunk every week or even every day. 5. Goals Give You Motivation The root of all the motivation or inspiration you have ever felt in your entire life are goals. Goal setting provides you the foundation for your drive. By making a goal you give yourself a concrete endpoint to aim for and get excited about. It gives you something to focus on and put 100% of your effort into and this focus is what develops motivation. Goals can be looked at as simply tools to focus your energy in positive directions, these can be changed as your priorities change, new ones added, and others dropped. Ok, so I think we all understand that goals are important but what are the key aspects to learn and remember when setting our goals? Well, let’s start with the acronym S.M.A.R.T. which stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive. Specific: Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures. Measurable: Always set goals that are measurable. I would say “specifically measurable” to take into account our principle of being specific. And that is all I will say about that since we covered this earlier. Attainable: One of the detrimental things that many people do—with good intentions—is set goals that are so high that they are unattainable. You have to not only believe you can achieve it but actually be able to. Which leads me to… Realistic: The root word of realistic is “real.” A goal has to be something that we can reasonably make “real” or a “reality” in our lives. There are some goals that are simply not realistic. You have to be able to say, even if it is a tremendously stretching goal, that yes, indeed, it is entirely realistic—that you could make it. You may even have to say that it will take x, y and z to do it, but if those happen, then it can be done. I am in no way saying that you shouldn’t have a big hairy audacious goal, but it must be realistic. Time: Every goal should have a timeframe attached to it. One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end—a time in which you are shooting to accomplish it. As time goes by, you work on it because you don’t want to get behind, and you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. Ok. So here is your homework. Sometime this week, I want you to sit down and define your dreams and goals. One of the amazing things we seem to have innately as humans is the constant ability to have dreams of a better life and the ability to establish and set goals to live out those dreams. We can pretty much always look within ourselves and dream of some better situation. We can dream of better financial, emotional, geographical or even business lives. But we also the ability to pursue those dreams—and the cognitive ability to lay out a plan along with the strategies to achieve those dreams. So, what are your dreams and goals? Have you ever really sat down and thought through your life values, or your ethos, and decided what you really want out of this life, this year or even this month? Your goals are there inside you. We all have them. They might be right on the surface just waiting to jump out, or they may be buried deep and require some coaxing. Your homework is to schedule some quiet “goal time” this week. With no people around. Certainly no cellphones. No computer or tablet. Just a pen and paper. And of course your thoughts. Remember not to judge your goals, just let them happen and then write them down. What really interests you? What would you love to do, for fun or for a living? What would you like to accomplish? What would you try, if you had no fear of failure? Write down your goals as you have them. Again, don’t judge. That is for later. Right now, just have them and write them down. Now, when the well is truly dry and you are just coming up with random crap, take some time to prioritize the good dream you wrote down. Which are most important? Which are most exciting? Which are possible in the short term? Which are longer term? Put them in the order in which you will plan to actuate them. Remember, we should all be like Luke Cage, always moving forward, forward always. And the final step in your homework is to pick one of the goals and tell someone about it. When someone else knows what your goals are, they hold you accountable simply by being a good friend and occasionally asking you “how’s it going”. I have a monthly Master Mind Skype call (ok, we actually call it Skype Beers) with my friend Dean and he is the perfect person to keep me accountable. Not because he is a slave driver or a jerk but because he is genuinely interested in my projects and always asks about them. And that is all a good goal needs. If a goal is set and you are only one person who knows it, does it really have any power? I would say, no. A goal is never as powerful without some one holding you to your word. For me this worked extremely well. And so, my Workplace Heroes, this brings me to the end of Season One of this podcast. I am going to take a break from the weekly delivery for a bit to focus on a few other projects and go hike around Peru. When I am back I will declare my next goal and see that through to it’s completion. But please don’t unsubscribe from this podcast or the newsletter because I have some fun plans to slip into the feed from time to time. And I think you are going to enjoy it. So stay tuned, as they used to say back in the time when TVs actually had tuners. Until then, you know what to do. Go make this goal count. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in smoky downtown Vancouver. Podcast artwork by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Feel free to reach out anytime at podcast@workplacehero.me if you have any workplace heroics you need help with. I am sure they have wifi on Machu Picchu, right?  

Society tells us that working harder and working more hours is good, but if you have listened to this podcast for a while you know that it is actually damaging you, hard on your fellow employees and even detrimental your company's success. So, let me ask you this. “What is the difference between a hard worker and a workaholic?"

Today’s topic is a fun one. Partially because it is something that I am sure that we can all agree on but mostly because for the first time in quite a while we have a guest hero! Guest heroes, actually. Vanessa and Adam Lambert from Bee The Wellness. We’ll here from them in just a bit but first, let’s talk about a thing known as Work Zones. And no, I am not ta lking about that section of the highway where you see a bunch of pylons and folks in brightly coloured outfits standing around with shovels in their hands while enormous machinery digs a new ditch No, I am talking about spaces around your home, your office or where ever you get your work done, where you can vary your stance, extend your gaze, vary your movement, and even other biomarkers like your body temperature, to keep from getting what Adam will refer to later as “cabin fever” while you are at work. Hello, my cubicle contrasters, open space sundry, corner office opposite, home den dissimilar, and coffee shop specialized. My name is Brock Armstrong, and after you listen to enough of these podcast episodes, I hope to replace the voice in your head - “put your phone down and get back to work - when was the last time you got up from your desk - shouldn’t you have left work by now - always take the stairs.” Is that creepy? Maybe a little… anyway…  Today’s topic is a fun one. Partially because it is something that I am sure that we can all agree on but mostly because for the first time in quite a while we have a guest hero! Guest heroes, actually. Vanessa and Adam Lambert from Bee The Wellness. We’ll here from them in just a bit but first, let’s talk about a thing known as Work Zones. And no, I am not ta  lking about that section of the highway where you see a bunch of pylons and folks in brightly coloured outfits standing around with shovels in their hands while enormous machinery digs a new ditch No, I am talking about spaces around your home, your office or where ever you get your work done, where you can vary your stance, extend your gaze, vary your movement, and even other biomarkers like your body temperature, to keep from getting what Adam will refer to later as “cabin fever” while you are at work.  Before I continue, let’s step into the email zone for a minute… heh. I would love it if you signed up for the Workplace Hero email newsletter over at workplacehero.me. The sign up form is on the righthand side of the page. Because I believe so strongly in the idea of Inbox Zero, I promise that you will only receive an email once per week, and it will be short, to the point and easy to delete. Plus, just for signing up, you will receive a coupon code for 10% off at the online health and fitness store, GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com. Over there they have a huge array of supplements, gear, plans, coaches and clothing that will help keep you healthy and fit. So sign up for the newsletter at workplacehero.me and get your discount code for GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com now.  Ok. Let’s meet our guest heroes.  AdamHi We are Adam and Vanessa Lambert owners of Bee The Wellness. We have been in the health and fitness business for nearly 20 years and as holistic wellness coaches we focus on the complete picture, including strength and conditioning, nutrition, mindfulness, and adventure. Since creating Bee The Wellness we have helped thousands of people adopt a healthier lifestyle as well create expanded lives through our remote coaching programs and retreats. They also have a great podcast that you can find on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for Bee (that’s with two Es) The Wellness or go to beethewellness.com and give it a try. A good episode to start with would be the one where they interviewed me! Ha ha… as if you don’t get enough of me already. Anyway. When I asked Vanessa and Adam what issues they saw cropping up in their clients as a direct result of their workspaces, this is what they told me.  VanessaAs the majority of our work for Bee The Wellness takes place out of our house or on the road and includes a ton of computer time we have identified three issues that cause us the most grief and negatively impact our productivity.  1. Eye strain - Frequent laptop and mobile device sessions can have our gaze fixed at one distance for hours if we don’t take action.2. Lack of movement - When you get out of bed and then you are at work all day you miss out on several opportunities to move. Think walking to your car, walking up the stairs in your office, and running whatever errands you have to do. Adam3. Boredom/ fatigue - Similar to #2 being in the same space morning noon and night can seriously affect our ability to stay focused. It’s like having cabin fever and can sneak up pretty quickly if you don’t get a change of scenery. To combat these issues we create work zones and rotate between them throughout the day. These zones help us to stay productive and check a few items off of our daily fitness list.  I don’t think any of us can argue with any of those issues. In my experience they are all quite ubiquitous in our modern work life. I for one have been experiencing more and more annoying eye problems the older I get (and no I don’t wear reading glasses… not yet anyway. Sometimes I would rather work in a very loud and crowded coffee shop than spend another minute standing at my desk in my office. And I know that I am lucky that a large part of my job involves me getting a lot of movement in my day (remember, I am also the Get-Fit Guy over at QuickAndDirtyTips.com) but I have many clients who feel trapped behind their desk and are simply desperate to find more ways to add more movement to their every day life. So this is where the idea of Work Zones come into play. I will let Vanessa explain.  VanessaSo what are work zones? They are spaces you identify throughout your home, office, and common spaces like hotels, where you can set up shop and work. There really is no limit to how you set up your spaces but we like to make sure we at least cover these three bases: Adam1) Sit-to-stand: This is where your technical work gets done and the place to put any specialty gear you require. A podcast recording setup for example. 2) Outdoor: Like the name implies we want this space to be outdoor or as close to it as possible. Somewhere with distant views, fresh air, and outdoor light.3) Gym Space: This does not need to be fancy, just a spot with a few fitness tools and the freedom to move. Vanessa I am sure your mind is already scheming, already taking stock of the benefits you will glean, the energy you will reclaim and the focus you will gain but our guests have a few more benefits.  So what are the benefits? 1st there is the physical benefits from frequent movement: Changing your physical position, sit to stand, leaning back into a stool which allows the hip capsule to remain open, captain morgan. Any new position you can create for your body helps decrease the problems associated with not only repetitive motion but the rigidity that staying in one place creates. We know that lack of movement  is bad for circulation, mobility, and maintaining consistent energy and focus throughout the day. So creating new positions is important Adam 2nd we know staring at the computer all day can cause eye strain: A great practice is take to breaks and stare off in the distance to give the muscles in the eye a chance to work. By moving outside where we can actually focus on something in the distance we offer our eyes the opportunity to work in a way that strengthens the muscles and helps prevent fatigue.  Vanessa 3rd. As with any job one of the greatest challenges we face is a diminishing ability to focus or stay engaged: Changing our work zone serves as a way to break up the monotony of the  day and gives us a chance to feel refocused without losing productivity and time.  Those are all great points but let’s get some concrete examples of how this can work in the real world.  Adam With this in mind, we like to actually move around the house into different work zones. Going from our standing work stations, to sitting at the kitchen table, to working from the various counters in our house helps us to create different positions for our bodies to move through.  We include an outside work station where we can take breaks from  staring at the computer screen and get some fresh air, sunlight & vitamin d to help keep us invigorated as well as calm and focused.  We also have a simple gym set up where we can grab a couple sets of basics movements like squats, kb swings or pull-ups throughout the day. The gym space is a great stop over when we are working on something the requires creativity and abstract thought and strategy...getting a little movement in can help inspire new ideas or different ways of looking at old ones. If you are having trouble visualizing how this might work, I will embed a video of our Workplace Hero friend, Katy Bowman, over at workplacehero.me/workzones where she shows exactly how she moves from one work area to another in her house (she calls it a Dynamic Work Space), using different positions, levels, heights and all the stuff that Vanessa and Adam are talking to us about today. And don’t worry, she sped the video up so you don’t have to sit there for an entire hour just to see how she does this.  Ok! I think we have some great ideas here which means it is my favourite time of the podcast. Vanessa, can you give us some homework? Vanessa HomeworkSee if you can create three different work zones and move between your work zones every 90 minutes or so. Each one should:- Change the space you’re in can reinvigorate your focus = better productivity, - reduce eye strain by focuses off in the distance,- give you some fresh air, sunlight, vitamin d calm central nervous system, - break up the day up so that you are less bored. For me, it works like this:- I have my standing work station in my office with my main computer on it (with two huge monitors),- Laptop computer that I take upstairs to the kitchen or living room to place on the table (I try to avoid my lap) so I can sit down to really concentrate on my writing, - A high table outside on the balcony that faces the mountains in North Vancouver so I can make or return Skype calls while focussing my eyes on some snowy peaks that are really far away and getting some sun on my skin,- A yoga mat, a foam roller, some resistance bands and a set of Powerblock dumbbells in the corner of the living room that I can jump on any time I need to stretch out or raise my heart rate.  I think I have it nailed!  Vanessa We hope you will take a look at how you can create this various zones in your workplace. Whether you work from home, are in a traditional workspace or out on the road, creating work zones has been a tremendously helpful tool for us and we think it will be for you too. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks Adam and Vanessa. It was great having you on the podcast. It’s been lonely being a solo workplace hero for the last few weeks.  And with that in mind, if you have a suggestion for a Guest Hero or even just a topic that I haven’t covered yet, shoot me an email at podcast@workplacehero.me. I am always happy to oblige! ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and original music by my band, The Irregular Heartbeats. For more information on today’s Guest Heroes, Vanessa and Adam Lambert, go to beethewellness.com (that’s with two Es) and while you are there make sure to check out their podcast.  Now go make this week a diverse one.

Close your eyes for a second and dig deep into your psyche. I want you to be truly honest with yourself. Can you do that for me? Ok. Do you truly believe that one day you will actually go home from work with a completely clear desk? No projects left incomplete, no phone calls left to make, no emails to follow up on, no documents to edit, and no meetings to book?   The honest to dog truth is that there will always be work left undone at the end of your busy day. Admitting this gives us three options: We can go home, but take the work with us and then spend our evening doing it (or actively suppressing the urge to do it). This ensures maximum tension at home, unrestful rest, and then returning to work the next day tired and resentful. Drag your ass home, leave the work on your desk, then spend the evening fretting over what you left behind. Same results ensue involving the tension and fitful sleep. And when you get back to work next day, you’ll be tired and resentful—and the work will not have been done either. Take a deep cleansing breath, leave the work behind gracefully, truly forget about it, and enjoy a relaxing evening. No tension, lots of rejuvenating rest, plus you return the next day ready to tackle what’s waiting for you. Newsletter Before we dive deeper down this magical list of alternatives, I want encourage you to sign up for the Workplace Hero email newsletter over at workplacehero.me. The sign up form is on the righthand side of the page. Please know that because I believe strongly in the idea of Inbox Zero, you will only receive an email once per week, and it will be short, to the point and easy to delete. Best of all, just for signing up, you will receive a coupon code for 10% off at the online health and fitness store, GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com. Over there they have a huge array of supplements, gear, plans, coaches and clothing that will help keep you healthy and fit. So sign up for the newsletter at workplacehero.me and get your discount code for GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com now. Now back to leaving it all behind OR what happens at work, stays at work. Here are some techniques that I found at Lifehacker.com and crew.co that will help you achieve the last and best of the three options I mentioned. Like a cool down after a hard workout, treat your trip home as positive time to wind down and start the process of relaxation. Play some of your favourite music, or listen to your favourite podcast. I would suggest not catching up on the news or scrolling through social media. Choose something you really like and enjoy and that won’t remind you of work or bum you out about how truly crappy humans can be to each other. There’s a perception that more work equals more productivity, but that’s not always the case. So you never take a sick day, or a vacation, and you are always ‘on-call.’ You also put in about 70 hours a week, so that will pay off eventually I’m sure…oh wait, except it doesn’t. The Economist looked at the data from OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries found that the more productive workers were actually those that spent less time in the office. Lifehacker takes it one step further and puts an actual number on how many hours we work before we begin to see diminished results (hint: it’s about 30 hours a week). If there was ever a reason to leave work at work, this data should be it. You are actually making yourself more productive! This one is more of a psychological one - match your journey time with the time you need to relax. If that means taking the long, scenic route, so be it. If it means stopping at a park on along the way, that’s just fine. Your family and friends will prefer you half an hour later but in a calm and pleasant mood rather than half an hour earlier but in a foul one. Never be in a hurry to get home. If you do, every hold-up, every traffic jam, every pedestrian trying to cross the street in front of you, every late train, or missed bus will be a source of additional stress. Try to take it easy, and I don’t mean you have to drive under the speed limit. Simply treat your commute home as your time—a period just for you. All day at work, you’re at other peoples’ beck and call. Now it’s time to to relax and be yourself. If you need to rant and/or vent, do it before you leave work or do it along the way. Curse the world in the privacy of your own vehicle or yell at the wind as you ride your bike home. Go to the noisiest part of the subway platform and rant where no one can hear you. Just don’t walk in the door when you arrive home and launch directly into a rant. Who wants to bring a cocktail and slippers to that? Take a minute at the end of the day to write down your accomplishments because it’s easy to get bogged down in everything that you still have to do that you forget everything that you have already done. What good is working if you never take pride in those accomplishments that you put so much time and effort in? Before you end each day reassess your to-do list, look at what you something accomplished that day and feel good about it. If you must take work home—and you should treat that idea as you would infecting yourself with a repulsive social disease—designate a specific time to do it and stick to that designation. Early is best (while you are still in work mode). Plus you don’t want to do it too late or you may get into bed, wide awake and still buzzing from staring at a screen, and probably sleep badly, and then start the next day off on a bad note. Besides, no one is going to put on a Barry White album for someone who is pouring over spreadsheets in their comfy at home undies. When you get home, switch your full attention to whoever is there waiting for you (be it human, animal, amphibian or whatever). Never be physically present and mentally still at work—that sucks for everyone. If there is no one home, focus your attention on some domestic matters to help shake off the day. Do what it takes to get work out of your brain. Always keep your promises. If you’ve planned to go out for dinner, don’t cancel, claiming to be tired or swamped. If you’ve promised to help your kid with homework, do it. If you said you would dive into the new season of Game of Thrones, dive in! People who break promises are teaching those around them a dangerous lesson and although you may really really feel like you do not what to do what you promised, I bet that you will end up enjoying it—and inevitably feel far better than if you slumped in front of the TV or your laptop resenting work, yourself and the world that created capitalism. Be firm with yourself. In the end, leaving work behind, mentally and physically, is all on you. You have to want to do it, decide to do it, and then freakin’ do it—and keep on doing it, until it becomes the well ingrained norm. Slowing down and clearing your mind of the leftovers from the day is indeed an act of will. You may think that watching TV or distracting yourself in some other way can be a short-cut, but it how is that working out for you so far? The minute you ease up on the distraction, all the worries come rushing back. Right? And now, your homework. Every day this week, I want you to mentally prepare for the end of your day. When you bring work home chances are that you are thinking about that e-mail you didn’t send or the big meeting you have tomorrow or everything you have to do before Friday’s launch, and so on. So, before you leave work, simply clean up your desk. A clutter free desk (and that includes your inbox, and computer desktop) helps to clear your mind. Physical clutter competes for your attention and because the brain has limited attentional resources, this competition can reduce and damage your productivity. Try cleaning up about a half-hour before you are done with work. The process of putting things away (physically and digitally) can help you mentally sort through your day. Organizing your desk helps you organize your mind. If you work from home, this is even more important! If you don’t clean up your work area, you may feel like you are physically incapable of leaving work behind. Another great way to begin winding down your workday is to make your… wait for it… to-do list for the next day. You know how I love my to-do lists! This will make sure that you know that you are ready to start the next day with a plan and goals in mind—which means you’ll spend less time thinking about everything you have to do and more time actually doing it. And this will in turn help you have a restful, non tense evening of focussing on your friends, loved ones or who the heck is going to actually rule over Winterfell! As a closing note I want to tell you about something cool that Google is doing. Google is conducting a decade’s long study into the work lives of its employees in an effort to understand how people work better. What they’ve discovered so far is that only 31% of their employees are able to leave work at work. That means 69% of people take their work home with them. It’s more than that though - people are actually unable to distinguish between their work life and personal life to the point where Google’s Dublin office instituted a policy called “Google Goes Dark” where all of the employees in that office are forced to leave their work devices at work and turned off. This was done in an effort to draw clear boundaries between home life and work life. And I think it is pretty awesome. Nice work Google. I think all us Workplace Heroes should follow suit. So… now, go make this week a dark one. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with story help from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and original music by my band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

For a good percentage of us work-a-day-grumblers, three little words habitually accompany our entrance to work, a meeting, a luncheon or even getting home from work: “Sorry, I’m late.” Does this sound like you? Hello cubicle cutoff, open space overdue, corner office out of luck, home den delayed and coffee shop sluggish. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. We’re on that trajectory together, you and I. You can think of me as your very chatty co-pilot. Before we get started, if you enjoy this podcast and the tips and strategies it contains, I encourage you to visit SkywalkerFitness.ca. That is the wellness coaching business that I run. Whether you are wanting to slim down, run a 10k or a marathon, race in a triathlon, pack on some muscle, clean up your diet, or get ripped, I will create a plan for you. No cookie cutter programs allowed. Just 100% tailored programs that fit around your life’s commitments. And for being a Workplace Hero, I will give you a special deal on your first 3 months of coaching. Head over to SkywalkerFitness.ca and send me a note mentioning this podcast episode so I can start building you the perfect program to meet your wellness goals. Let me set the stage for you - It’s Monday morning. In a surprise turn of events, you wake up feeling great! You had a fun weekend of good sleep, good food, fresh air and exercise, and aside from the one drink-drink you had with dinner on Saturday night, you adhered to your long term plan extremely well. Sadly, something goes wonky with the kids, or you take a little too long chatting with that cute barista, or doing your morning journalling, or spacing out on your coffee cup, and you find yourself running late. “Not again!” you think to yourself. “I hate being late!” For a good percentage of us work-a-day-grumblers, three little words habitually accompany our entrance to work, a meeting, a luncheon or even getting home from work: “Sorry, I’m late.” Does this sound like you? A ton of studies have looked into why some of us are chronically late. The truth is that there are many reasons why people just can’t get somewhere on time. But there seems to be one common thread running through the behaviour of chronically late individuals that may be a universal reason for their perpetual tardiness—and it is a surprising one: People are late because they don’t want to be early. Most of us know people who are always on time because they hate being late. I fall smack dab into this category; in fact, I’m freakishly scared of being late. I often arrive places embarrassingly early, which sometimes prompts me to hide out somewhere around the corner, playing with my phone, just so people don’t notice just how early I actually got there. Because people like me hate to be tardy, we always appear to be on time (even if it is because we hid in a stairwell playing Kwazy Kupcakes on our phone for 20 minutes). But just as we hate to be late, another cohort hates to be early. And if you ask them, these anti-early birds say that they really want to be punctual—they just prefer to be right on time than to be early. Wanting to avoid being early, then, is a strong motivation for why many people who are chronically late and honestly it is hard to reconcile these two competing ideals. So why does this second group hate to be early? There are many reasons but here are a few that I found at PsychologyToday.com: 1. It’s inefficient. Being early requires having to sit around with nothing to do (or play with your phone). The waiting time is just short enough that you can’t get into any other project; as soon as you do, the time is up. 2. They hate the uneasiness of being early. They feel awkward and uncomfortable waiting. They might even feel as if others are watching and judging them, whether this is true or not. Arriving a few minutes early makes you feel proud and confident, but arriving too early can make you feel foolish. You fear others might think that you have no life aside from this event, and you don’t want people to think that your time isn’t valuable either. 3. There is an opportunity cost associated with getting somewhere early. Just as someone else’s time is valuable and you want to respect it by being punctual, so too is your time valuable and you'd rather use it productively than wait around inefficiently. This is a behaviour I saw time and time again with a CEO friend of mine. He was so obsessed with not wasting a moment of his time that he would see a 3-minute window as a chance to get another call done which inevitably took longer than 3 minutes and would start a cascade of lateness for the remainder of the day. 4. Sometimes you do not want to be early to be polite. You may not want to disturb someone by getting there too soon—say, a friend’s dinner party—so you would actually rather get there a little late. In an article at the Huffington Post called: This Is Why You're Late All The Time (And What To Do About It), Diana DeLonzor, author of Never Be Late Again says “Lateness is really a commonly misunderstood problem. Yes, it's a rude act, but I've interviewed hundreds of people and the vast majority of late people really dislike being late, they try to be on time, but this is something that has plagued them throughout their lives. Telling a chronic late person to be on time is like telling a dieter, 'Don't eat so much.'" And it's often a problem that begins early in life. For many people, it started in childhood, and they're late for not only things that have to do with other people, but things that will only hurt themselves. They'll show up to the gym, for instance, 10 minutes before it closes, or they'll even be late for important appointments like job interviews. Part of DeLonzor’s research included a test to measure the differences in how timely and late people perceive the passage of time. The test she devised is a simple one that you can try yourself. Choose three or four pages in a book, mark the time, and start reading. Stop reading when you think ninety seconds have elapsed, then check your watch to see how accurate you were. DeLonzor found that early birds, almost without fail, stopped reading before ninety ­seconds had passed, while the late-ers put their books down well ­after the ninety-second mark. The researchers at Cleveland State University also included a time perception test in their lateness study, this time using stop-watches. Interestingly, their results were similar to DeLonzor’s - the late people consistently underestimated the passage of time. There are many many more studies, papers, opinions and theories as to why people are chronically late but we don’t have time to get into all of them in this episode. But what we will do is look at 5 potentially helpful strategies that you can implement if you are one of those always in a hurry and yet always late individuals. And yes, if you are a late person, this is your homework. 1. Reevaluate how long your routines really take. Late people tend to remember the one time they got ready in 20 minutes (instead of 40) or the one time they got to work in seven (instead of 15) minutes. Try writing down your daily habits and then estimating how long you think it takes you to do each one -- then spend a week or so writing down how long each thing actually takes. It's time to relearn how to tell time. 2. Change your thoughts, not just your behaviour. Reframing the way you think about punctuality can be an effective cognitive trick. Instead of stressing about it, sit down with a pen and paper (when you're not in a rush) and jot down all the positives that come with being on time. That is from Teri Bourdeau, a clinical associate professor of behavioural sciences at Oklahoma State University. You might write, for example, that being timely will make you look more responsible, or that it will stir up less conflict with co-workers. Think about the things that are going to motivate you to be on time, and remember them the next time you're trying to cram in too much before a deadline. 3. Get down with downtime. Eternally tardy people, particularly those like my CEO friend that I described earlier, often like to pack in as many activities as possible to maximize productivity, which can make any extra waiting time uncomfortable. One option for coping is to plan out an activity you can do when spare minutes creep up but avoid things like email or returning phone calls as those can easily expand beyond the time available and then you are right back where you started. Now my favourite option is to reframe downtime as something to enjoy between all the rushing -- luxury time instead of wasted time. A big part of the enjoyment of life is just sitting back and talking to the person next to you or looking at the sky or spacing out. Never underestimate the value of a good space-out. 4. Budget your time differently. Timely people will give themselves round numbers to get somewhere -- 30 minutes, for instance. The chronically late, on the other hand, often budget exact times, like 23 minutes, to get somewhere, a habit that DeLonzor calls "split second timing," which doesn't account for the inevitable delays that inevitably pop up. If you're magically arriving exactly “on time,” that means you engaged in split second timing and you probably should not consider yourself to be “on time” unless you're actually “a few minutes early.” 5. Reschedule your day. Habits tend to be reflexive patterns of behaviour and what we need to do is change that pattern. To do that, you can start writing appointments down 30 minutes before they actually happen, which will help you start planning before the last second (kind of like purposely setting a clock 10 minutes ahead to try to fool yourself into being early). Another way to reschedule your day is to reevaluate your to-do list -- chances are, you're simply not going to get everything done. For more info on To-Do lists, check out the podcast episode at workplacehero.me/todo. It’s a listener fave! If you're trying to motivate someone else to stop being chronically late, remember that while Benjamin Franklin espoused the virtues of being early to bed and early to rise, there have always been others who agree instead with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said: “I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.” As an early person, I find that statement pithy and fun but it also kind of irks me. In 2013, HuffPost blogger Greg Savage asked the question, "How Did It Get to be OK for People to Be Late for Everything?" And if the 350,000 Facebook likes (and counting) on his post are any indication, he's not the only one wondering. This is what Savage wrote: It's simply that some people no longer even pretend that they think your time is as important as theirs. And technology makes it worse. It seems texting or emailing that you are late somehow means you are no longer late. Rubbish. You are rude. And inconsiderate. But while the behaviour of keeping someone waiting on you is, decidedly, rude, it doesn't necessarily mean your tardy friend is doing it on purpose, or that he or she is a rude, inconsiderate person -- in fact, as we have explored and learned here today, there are many psychological and perhaps even physiological components that can contribute to being perpetually late. Which leaves me at a very unsatisfying impasse. I want to shake my fists at late people and some how to punish them into changing their ways but I know that won’t work. But at the same time, I don’t want to just shrug it off and try to be ok with being the one who has to call hospital emergency rooms looking for missing friends. But at this point, my Workplace Heroes, I have no answer for you other than to say, thank goodness I have more than just Solitaire to fiddle with on my phone. And now, I guess I will just cue the sound effects and take us home. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in rainy downtown Vancouver. Artwork by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. You can find our one album on iTunes or CD Baby if you want to hear more.

Experts agree that your email behaviour has the potential to sabotage your reputation both personally and professionally. Inc.com wrote a story with some of the industry's most seasoned email experts which had them weigh in on how to perfect your email etiquette. We'll take a look at their suggestions in a minute but right now, I want to clear something up.

I am currently coming to you live from my childhood bedroom at my mom’s house. Yeah, I am taking the week off to visit my mom, sister, niece, nephew, some in-laws and friends. But I didn’t want to break my streak of not missing a week of this podcast since its inception, so here I am churning one out for you while I am “on vacation.” The fact that I am talking into this mic while I am out of office, brings up something that deserves a proper episode one day but today I am going to cover it as quickly as possible (so I can get back to the rollicking game of “boot the ball as hard as you can” that I have been having with my sister’s kids). And the topic I am going to cover today is: working on vacation. I am sure that you have read all the articles about “unplugging” on vacation - but I know you and I know you aren’t going to do it. Because of leaps in technology and the nature of our jobs these days, it’s not like the old days when you put your hat on, left the office and that was that - we can work whenever and wherever we like (or our employers like). But here’s the thing: If you don’t chill out and enjoy your hard-earned vacation, odds are that you’re going to burn out, and that helps no one. So here are a few slightly goofy, not so hard-and-fast dos and don’ts of working on vacation that I found over at FastCompany.com. If you follow at least some of them, you’ll come back to work feeling refreshed and ready to breeze through every item on your to-do list: DO - find a number two for your out of office email reply. Don’t leave ‘em hanging with a generic “Thanks for your email! I’m currently out of the office and you’re screwed until I get back.” The best OOO message includes someone, someone reliable, to field urgent or easy-to-fulfill requests. Find a buddy, with the intention that you’ll return the favour one day, and you’ll come back to work with happier clients and a much less voluminous inbox. DON’T - get super personal about why you’re out of office. A quick “I’m enjoying a sunshine getaway!” is fine, but “I’mma gettin’ crunk on piña coladas with my hot bae #speedo #tequila” is better left unsaid. DO - pick a check-in time and tell your boss. Pick one window when you’re game to check your work email (I like first thing in the morning since I generally get up before my partner), and stick to it. Your boss will appreciate knowing when she can plan to hear back from you and therefore you will be unlikely to get bothered outside of that time. DON’T - check your email 24/7 and answer incoming messages anyway. If you cave once, you’re screwed. It sets the precedent that your coworkers can bother you at any time during your precious, hard-earned vacation. And they will. Believe me. They will… those vultures. DO - jump on a project if you have to. If you check your email at 4 p.m. and they really do need you to jump on something, by all means, take action. Go find a quiet spot where you won’t feel distracted and you can get through the task as efficiently as possible. I did this once while I was on vacation in Japan and I swear it bought me more brownie points with my team than anything I had ever done before or since. DON’T - complain out it to your fellow travellers. It ruins the vibe, man. It harshes the mellow, dude. Finish your work, and then put it out of sight and out of mind. A cold one isn’t a bad idea right now. Don’t mind if I do! DO - post a crap load of photos on social media. It’s your vacation, and you can post yourself swimming with manta rays if you want to. But . . . DON’T - add captions of how happy you are not to be at work right now! That’s just bad form. And you do have to go back to work and face your coworkers again… someday. DO - write down any great ideas that come to you while you are chill. You are relaxed, after all, and that is often when you get creative and might just feel a burst of inspiration while you’re getting a thai massage. Or so I hear. So jot that biz down! but… DON’T - let that be an excuse to open that laptop and slip into work mode. If an inspirational moment does strike, jot it down in that adorable Moleskine notebook of yours, and promise yourself that you’ll hash it out when and only when your return to the real world. Now seriously, you've spent weeks or months planning this vacation, from the coolest AirBNBs to the hippest restaurants to the world heritage sites that you just can't miss. Or maybe you are hunkered down in your childhood bedroom waiting for your mom to give you your next chore that she has been saving up for you since your last visit. Either way - Stop. Reading. Emails. Of people who used their devices for work-related activities while on vacation — even for as little as one hour — just 43% remembered everything about their trip, according to a new study by HomeAway and University of Texas researchers. And people who broke out their laptops, rather than just their phones or tablets, had even worse memory recall. So, if you were looking for another reason to leave work at the office and enjoy your time off, this is it. You know, I like to remind myself that considering how many chumps aren't even using all their allotted vacation days, I am not going to be that guy. I am going to freakin’ make the most of my time off and leave the work behind. After all, that's what the out-of-office reply is for, right? Now, I am going to cut this one short and go make this week at my mom’s count. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Edmonton north of the Yellowhead. Artwork by Ken Cunningham and music… well there was no music in this episode so never mind.  

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow. Forrester Research predicts that today's youngest workers (that might be you) will hold twelve to fifteen jobs in their lifetime! Hello, desk displeased, cubicle crestfallen, open space sorrowful, corner office objectors, home den defeated and coffee shop sullen. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. You are the real hero here. Well, at least until the end of this episode. Things may change after you hear this one. It’s odd. In school, we spend a lot of time and give tons of attention to putting together a resume, building a CV, and generally how we should go about getting a job – but we give pretty much no air time to how to leave a job, quit a position or walk away from a contract. Personally, as a member of the first generation to not do as well as their parents (GenX) I think this is pretty “meh.” Gone are the days of choosing a career, climbing the corporate ladder, and retiring at 65 with a comfy pension and a gold watch. Many of my friends have had more than 5 jobs in their adult lives. Some jobs ended, some never really got rolling, some we were fired from and some… gasp… we actually quit! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds ten different jobs before age forty, and this number is projected to grow. Forrester Research predicts that today's youngest workers (that might be you) will hold twelve to fifteen jobs in their lifetime! In 2005, I had been working for the Alberta Provincial Government for nearly 5 years. I was comfortable. I had a pension. I had a great team a decent enough office with big windows and my coworker was also one of my closest friends. We actually planned activities together out side of work! But then, one day it happened. One of the cool, young firms in town not so subtly dropped the hint that there would be a spot for me if I were to become available. The pay would be less and the responsibility would be higher but the projects would be cooler, there was more room for upward growth (unlike my government job where without going back to school, I was already nearing the top of my surprisingly low pay grade) and to top it off I would rarely ever have to wear a tie again. It didn’t take much for me to draft my letter of resignation, cash in my vacation days (which overlapped nicely with my new job’s starting date - talk about double dipping) and make the move. I have been accused before of not having the gene responsible for the feeling known as nostalgia (by my mother no-less) so you may want to take this with a grain of salt but I never looked back. Not only that, I have quit at least 5 more jobs since then. How did I do it? How should you do it? Should you do it? Well, that is what we are going to talk about today. But first, I want you to write down this URL: workplacehero.me/getfitguy that will take you to the Quick and Dirty Tips network website where I recently became the host of the Get-Fit Guy podcast. If you are a fan of these short, snappy and information packed podcasts, you will dig the Get-Fit Guy (and the other Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts). If you want to begin an exercise routine and don’t know where to start, or if you’ve been working out for a while and aren’t getting the results you want, I will give you the tips you need to reach all of your fitness goals. So head over to workplacehero.me/getfitguy or just search for Get-Fit Guy and check it out. Ok, back to quitting your job without leaving a trail of destruction in your wake. Before we get to some good strategies and graceful exits, let’s talk about some not so graceful moves. Quitting the job I told you about earlier was smooth for a few reasons (not including my emotionless heart). The biggest reason was that I had a job all lined up. I also knew and liked the people I was going to work for and I was walking into a guaranteed pay cheque. But that is not how it always goes. I have left three jobs in the last 10 years with nothing but a hope and a dream — and a partner with a solid income. Which I will never take for granted. Having a supportive partner was extremely helpful for me along with the elephant in the room - being a white, middle-aged man in north America. I am fully aware that I have a distinct advantage here. I wish it were not so and I attempt to do my share to put my overly confident pasty people in their place. It will be a long battle but I believe that we as a society are ready and I am willing to use all my Homer Simpsonesque white male privilege to help fight the good fight. Black Lives Matter. Love is Love. I’m with her. So with that acknowledged, here are a few lessons I learned and a few I found in a great article at themuse.com from jumping in head first. Eyes closed, head first, can’t lose! 1. You Don’t Need the Approval of Others When I would tell people about my plan to leave my office job in favour of the freelance fitness coach life, I wanted them to reassure me with statements like, “Oh wow, you’re so brave!” “Good for you!” or even a friendly, “Go get ’em, buddy!” Unfortunately, that’s not really what I got. Instead, I was faced with a lot of, “Wait, you’re doing what? ” or “Do you think you have enough clients for that?” and my favourite “I guess you can always go back to the liquor store.” which is where I worked in my early 20s. But in the end, it really didn’t matter. I was the only one who needed to feel good about my decision. And I did - at least I did in between each beer fuelled doubt session. 2. Scary is Exciting and Change is Good There’s a reason that people love downhill skiing, mountain biking, open water swimming and riding motorcycles - we like being a scared. There’s a part of being wholly unsure about your situation that makes you want to run and cry—but the other part is actually thrilling. In the first few days (alright, months) after leaving my desk job, I’d sit down at my computer and feel lost. Some days I would be tempted to put “checked Facebook” on my to-do list just so I had something to cross off. But, at the same time, I felt liberated. I had no idea what was coming next, and that actually made me feel surprisingly motivated and optimistic. But it wasn’t until my partner said “You’re eventually going to make more than $400 per month again, right?” that I actually felt completely in control again. Some how answering that question, looking the woman I love in the eye, saying “Yes! Absolutely.” gave me the reassurance I needed to land my next big client. 3. You Never Know Until You Try I hate to sound like a second rate motivational speaker but this sentiment is really true. You can only guess at what you’re actually capable of until you push yourself to freakin’ do it. Honestly, I didn’t dislike my full-time job but it didn’t set my hair on fire either. It was repetitive and frankly… easy for me. And, while I did perfect the art of taking someone’s pretty Photoshop designs and turn them into code that would appear consistent across nearly everyone’s crappy computers, I knew deep down that there was more out there for me. Fast forward to now, and I’ve accomplished things that I never even thought were a possibility for me. I’ve been published places that I assumed were mere pipe dreams. I’ve worked with people who are essentially celebrities in my eyes. Just think—none of it would’ve happened if I had stayed with the “safe” route. 4. Your Career Really Doesn’t (or at least shouldn’t) Define You We all have (at least at some point in our lives) had the tendency to use our careers to define ourselves. But, it’s important to remember that your job isn’t who you are—it’s what you do to make money to afford to do the things that define you. As Muse Managing Editor Jenni Maier explained in her article about being laid off “Your position definitely adds to your life, but it doesn’t make up the entirety of it.” When I left my last full-time job, I felt the need to justify my decision and clarify every last detail until friends actually put a moratorium on the subject. Apparently, I felt a need to explain my employment situation in order to give myself a purpose and identity. Turns out, that’s really not the case—all of that pressure to define myself using my full-time job was totally self-imposed. In fact, most people honestly didn’t care if I was slinging beers or repairing bikes - as long as I was happy. Although, above anything else, they were most likely just wondering why I gave them a play-by-play career breakdown when all they asked was, “Do you need a bag today, sir?” In an article over at Fortune.com, they say that before you ditch your current position in favour of a new gig, take the three M’s test: M#1 - Are you miserable? Life is too short for misery. Figure out if you’re having a random bad day or if you’re stuck in an endless string of them. (Here’s a simple rule: You shouldn’t dread going to work.) If you’re miserable, leave. But before you do, consider whether there’s anything you can do or ask for that would take the misery away. If you like the company but don’t like the job, tell someone how you’re feeling. Better yet, bring a plan to your boss for how you would change your job. Be a part of your own solution. If they can’t fix your pain point, that will make your decision to leave much easier. M #2 - Are you making enough money? But then again, how much is enough? Rather than fuss over numbers in a spreadsheet, how about making a list of the lifestyle you want. My list is simple: live somewhere with no commute, eat out a couple times a week, have a membership to a gym I actually like, and take a few vacations per year (one of which is overseas). Clarifying success in terms of daily life vs. dollars makes it easier to see how much is “enough.” When your primary motivation is money, you tend to forget about things that are more important to your day-to-day satisfaction, such as challenging projects, opportunities for professional growth, and my personal work ethos “working on cool projects with awesome people.” Think about what you truly need financially. If you’re under the line, then it’s time to go. M#3 - Are you getting mentored? Do you have a supervisor or experienced colleague who has shown an interest in your professional development? Do you have a peer or mentor in your company you turn to when you have professional questions? These coaches aren’t easy to come by, and they shouldn’t be abandoned casually. A great mentor is more likely to clear the path toward higher compensation and job satisfaction than an impulsive job change. My own mentor not only kept me employed but also found me other clients, raised my hourly rate and actually took me back after I went and worked for the competition for 18 months… and somehow made it seem like it was his idea. If you can’t think of anyone at your current company who fits that description, it’s worth seeking out another opportunity. Now, it may seem like I have been building to some huge reveal of the secret handshake you can give to ensure that there are no hard feelings or burned bridges but honestly, just by simply being a good person, a good employee and a reasonably honest human about your life, your goals, your feelings and your future, you will do fine. But here are some tips from an article in the Sydney Morning Herald that breaks it down for us… especially for those of you who truly hate your job with the white hot rage of a thousand suns. The story your employer will tell about you is key. They don't have to love you, but you don't want them bad mouthing you either. That's the kiss of death. "People are moving every day in the new economy," said Shipley, author of Design Your Life. "If you burn a bridge with your old employer, that bridge may wind up at your dream job and they will not hire you." So let’s start with: How to tell your boss Every organisation is different, but generally, it is best to inform your boss in person and well in advance. Make sure you thank your supervisor. Craft a clear story and stick to it. You are going to have to tell those you are working with at some point. Work with your employer to decide when what and how your colleagues will be notified you are leaving. Make sure you authentically express your appreciation for working with colleagues and leave things on a high note wherever possible. Say thank you and mean it. Just because you are leaving the company does not mean you are leaving your relationships behind. Make sure you thank your mentors and sponsors and craft a plan to stay in touch. You never know when or how your paths may cross in the future. Have a transition plan and put it in writing. Make sure you don't leave your team or employer in the lurch. Make yourself available in the event it takes some time to find your replacement and be willing to train someone to bridge the gap until a back fill can be found. Work until your last day as if it was your first day. Minimize the amount of disruption your departure may create by focusing on delivering quality work until your last day. And now, your homework! In order to get the most out of each opportunity, even ones you end up hating, you must dig deep. You must pick apart every single aspect to figure out what’s making you dread going into the office each day. You can start this process by literally creating a “pros and cons” list and filling it in throughout a typical workweek. And that is your homework for this week. Look for patterns—everything that involves organization falls into a pro; everything that involves your micromanaging boss does not. And there is nothing too small to go on this list. Because at the end of the exercise, you can use the pro column as your “ideal job description” to be matched up against real opportunity (should it come your way). And you can use the con column as red flags to keep an eye out for in future interviews. To be honest, I don’t believe in “the perfect job” being out there for anyone. I think that is an unreasonable expectation. But that doesn’t mean you need to settle for being unhappy, disgruntled, overworked, frustrated, marginalized or downright miserable. Examining the glum factors that are causing you to be glummy-glumerson will help you figure out where to go next, whether that’s simply about adjusting something with your current situation or bailing and finding something completely different. Because you can’t see the future, you can’t see precisely where your career path will take you. And like that time I fell out of the raft on a whitewater rafting trip - it can be fun, exciting, scary, dangerous, painful and perhaps foolhardy but it usually ends with a cold beer and a great story to tell your grandkids. Now go make this week a pro, not a con. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

I know I am not the first one to make this joke but… work can be a real pain in the freakin’ neck! Sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen for eight-plus hours, driving through downtown traffic to get to the office, and even sleeping in a funky position, can all accumulate into one hell of a stiff and tense neck. As we learned at workplacehero.me/ergonomics, creating an ergonomically correct workstation can help but it is not the be all end all. And although I have a standing workstation, take regular breaks to go move around and even do breathing exercises and meditation (by which I mean nap) many afternoons, I still get a stiff neck by the end of most work days. Neck pain can be caused by well really any activity that strains your neck. You might feel pain at the base of your skull and down into your shoulders, or you might feel a knot in your neck. You may also develop a headache. Serious neck pain can limit your ability to move your head and become severe enough to limit your ability to do your job. I got it so bad once that I couldn't ride my bike to work and that was a real bummer. I mean, you have to be able to shoulder check, right? If your neck pain is worse at the end of the work day, it might be related to stress placed on your neck while working. Repeated, prolonged activities that affect muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints cause most neck pain. Examples of these types of activities include: Holding your head forward to read a computer screen; research shows that just using a computer for a prolonged period of time can cause or aggravate neck pain. Repetitive movements of your arms and upper body. Poor lifting techniques — if you do any heavy lifting at work, your neck is at risk for damage almost as much as your back. In most jobs (not all as my nurse have pointed out to me), ergonomics can help you protect your neck. If you don’t remember from the previous podcast episode, Ergonomics is the science of fitting your work environment to your job in a way that is best for your well-being if you simply can’t change your position, get up and move around or simply say no to stay in one location for 8 hours a day. If your work is focussed around sitting at a computer station (as many of our jobs are), well then ergonomics takes into consideration how your desk, chair, and computer monitor can be placed to lessen the stress on your neck. If you work in an industrial setting (or a hospital, retail or other mobile type jobs), ergonomics may involve training you in proper techniques for lifting, standing and using heavy equipment. Get-Fit Guy Ok… pardon me for a second but right now, if you are near an internet connected device, I want you to type this into a browser: workplacehero.me/getfitguy that will take you to the Quick and Dirty Tips network website where I just became the host of the Get-Fit Guy podcast. If you are a fan of the short, snappy and information packed type of podcast like Workplace Hero is, you will likely love the Get-Fit Guy (and the other Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts). The goal of the Get-Fit Guy podcast it to help you enhance your energy, lose weight, boost your performance, and get your body looking better than ever without spending a ton of time at the gym (or a lot of money on equipment). If you want to begin an exercise routine and don’t know where to start, or if you’ve been working out for a while and aren’t getting the results you want, I will give you the tips you need to reach all of your fitness goals. So head over to workplacehero.me/getfitguy or just search for Get-Fit Guy and check it out. Ok, back to how we can avoid being a real pain in the neck. I mean having! Having a real pain in the neck. Some Help Everything from keyboard height, to computer type, to chair type should be considered when making your workspace neck and back friendly. Here are some simple fixes from SpineHealth.com that will go a long way in helping your back, neck and other joints feel better while at work. 1. Setting up your desk A typical ergonomic evaluation at work will likely focus on providing a comfortable, adjustable chair, with or without appropriate education on how to adjust it to fit you, and a keyboard tray. Some workplaces may even evaluate the positioning of printers, screens, and the mouse. Sometimes an employer will purchase a standing desk for someone with neck and upper back pain due to logging long hours in the office. If a standup desk is not an option for you, there are inexpensive desktop converters that enable you to keep your desk and convert it to a standup desk either inexpensively and/or if you only want to stand for part of the day. For people who aren't sure if they can manage standing up all day, this is an easy way to try it without having to change your current desk. Here are some examples of Standing Desk Converters. 2. Sitting with support Your optimal ergonomic setup should start with your sitting position. When sitting at your desk, your feet should be flat on the floor, and the height of the chair should allow your thighs to angle down slightly. This position will allow you to place your weight through your “sitting bones” (called ischial tuberosities), rather than rounding your lower back and causing your shoulders to round out and your posture to slump forward. I find scooting to the edge of my chair really helps me stay straight and tall for fear of slipping off! 3. Adjusting keyboard tray height I think this is often overlooked. We spend so much time worrying about our chairs that we forget about our hands and arm. Set the keyboard high enough so when your elbows are bent approximately 90 degrees, you aren’t forced to slump down through your shoulders to touch the keys. If the tray is too low and cannot be adjusted, place the keyboard on your desk. The mouse should be placed at the same level as the keyboard. If you use a drafting pad, it should also be at this height. Whether it is angled or not is a personal preference. 4. Looking straight at your monitor Right off the bat, I am going to say that almost everyone has a monitor that sits too low. And a big reason for that is the ubiquity of laptops. The laptop is not built for a human body it is only built for portability and the sooner we realize this the sooner we will stop breaking ourselves. You have got to place the monitor so the bottom is approximately the level of your chin. This positioning can vary slightly, with a 13-inch monitor slightly higher than chin height, and a 24-inch monitor slightly lower. If the monitor is too low (say way down on your lap or even the table you are sitting at), you will slump down to work. If you work primarily on a laptop, use a secondary monitor, if possible, when you are at your desk, as the laptop screen will force you to angle your head downward and increase stress on your neck. The larger monitor should be placed directly in front of you. Occasionally a computer station includes an off-center monitor. Adjust this if you can. If you’ve ever watched a movie while keeping your head turned slightly while on a couch, you know the uncomfortable neck strain and stiffness that results. And remember what Katy Bowman said in the workplacehero.me/stand episode “swapping one static position for another is not the answer” so if you are off centre make sure you vary the off-centredness so you don’t get stuck day after day leaning to one side. 5. Avoiding your cell phone for anything that lasts more than a few seconds Cell phones and tablets are most likely the cause of many problems when people use them for email and texting, playing games and watching shows. In my practice, I often find that people with neck and upper back pain answer emails using a cell phone or tablet at home or in the office. It’s important to limit your workload and overall use of phones and tablets. Anytime you can answer emails through an actual computer, as working on a computer offers the best chance for good posture. I was at a conference a while ago and a fellow name Kelly Starrett was speaking at it. He is the author of a book called Become A Supple Leopard and if you have any injuries, stiffness or hotspots, I encourage you to pick that book up. Anyway, after he finished his presentation I spotted him off in a corner doing something on his phone. Which is not notable in and of itself but the way he was using it was incredibly noteworthy. He was sitting in a full squat, heels on the floor, with the phone lifted right up in front of his eyes so his spine was perfectly aligned and straight all the way from his perfectly flexible hips. It was a thing of beauty... at least it was for a movement nerd like me. 6. Getting up and walking around I know. You are probably getting sick of hearing me talk about this but seriously, sitting in an office chair seems simple, but it can be fatiguing and your posture suffers more and more the longer you sit. All of us should be doing this but if you have back, neck, and/or shoulder pain, you really must stand up and walk around the office every half hour. An easy way to do this is to set a silent alarm on your smartphone to go off every 30 minutes. It may not be possible to get up every time the alarm goes off, but it can be a good reminder that you’ve been sitting for quite a while, especially if you skip the alarm a few times in a row. That’s when that pavlok device would come in handy. If you haven’t seen this shocking device, go look it up! But anyway, setting the alarm can help you stay accountable to yourself, making sure you aren’t compromising your health for your work. Ok, now your homework. This is a little more complicated than usual because it involves you going to WorkplaceHero.me/neck to watch a (pretty funny) video of Kelly Starrett (the guy I talked about who was in a squat while using his phone) showing how we can text, email and play games on our phone without destroying our necks. Now, if you aren’t going to watch the video, I am going to try to explain but I would encourage you to watch the video.   To get into a proper posture, extend your arms out to your sides and rotate your palms upward. This naturally pulls the shoulders back and gets the spine into a healthy neutral position. From there, the elbows can be bent inward to hold a smartphone or type at a keyboard. Starrett then says that phones should be held up in front of your face, rather near the chest, which forces us to crane our necks downward. Dr Kenneth Hansraj says that although our heads weigh between 10lb and 12lb, as we angle them down to look at our phones, the effective weight on our necks increases – at a 15-degree angle it is about 27lb rising to 60lb at 60 degrees. So for the next week, I want you to put a reminder on the lock screen of your phone to hold your phone up to eye level and not to hold it around your belly and crank your neck down to see it. You will be pleased and amazed how much of a difference it makes. I promise! Plus you look like a grown up, almost regal in your stance - not some kid doing something sneaky that she doesn’t want her mum to see. Conclusion I've said it before and I will say it again, the body wasn’t meant to sit all day long and stare at tiny screens. To offset this unnatural activity, a bit of effort is required to keep us healthy and happy. But we Workplace Heroes aren’t afraid of a little effort. We embrace it. With a tall and straight spine and properly aligned neck. Now go make this week an upright one. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

Hello desk dozers, cubicle catnaps, open space snoozers, corner office conscious, home den dreamers and coffee shop slumbers. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. That’s you! The point of creating this podcast was to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am merely along for the ride. You can think of me as a helpful hitchhiker. If you tend to suffer a sleepiness attack in the mid-afternoon, well it’s not all that odd. Many people experience a noticeable dip in their alertness, attention, creativity, energy level, and ability to concentrate in the afternoon. It’s true, the majority of us have been there: after an awesomely kick-ass, productive morning of finishing projects and heading for inbox zero, the clock strikes two and well, hell… you might as well pull down the blinds, slip on your jammies, and slide under your desk The good (and bad news is) that it’s completely normal to feel super-tired once the afternoon rolls around. Circadian rhythms, which affect our sleep patterns, may be to blame for the midday slump. In fact, our “sleep signals” peak at night and during the afternoon, which completely explains the phenomenon of the siesta. Secretly aren’t we all a little jealous of a culture that embraces an afternoon nap instead of scheduling another meeting through it? What happens is, your body releases your brain's natural sleep chemical, melatonin, telling your body that it's time to go to hit the hay, sometime between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. WebMD's sleep expert, Michael J. Breus, PhD, (who we will talk about more later) explains that the exhaustion you feel in the middle of the day is just like the tiredness you feel before bedtime at night as it has to do with a dip in your core body temperature. Right before you go to sleep at night, your core temperature begins to drop, which is a signal to the brain to release melatonin. The exact same thing happens on a smaller scale between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. It's a mini-signal to your brain to get sleepy. Basically, because we wake up super early for work, our body wants to go to bed in the afternoon because our natural clock is telling us to do so. Is all this talk about sleep making you tired? It's definitely making me nod off. *shakes it off* But other factors, like what we eat, hydration levels, and how much time we spend staring at a screen can also affect those droopy eyeballs. There is a great book called The Power of When by Michael Breus (who I mentioned in the WebMD article earlier) that explains something else that is very cool. It’s a thing called a chronotype and I will explain more about that in a second. Right now, if you are near an internet connected device, I want you to type this into a browser: workplacehero.me/getfitguy that will take you to the Quick and Dirty Tips network website where I just became the host of the Get-Fit Guy podcast. If you are listening to this episode when it first comes out, you will see that my friend Ben Greenfield was the Get-Fit Guy before me and the latest episode if actually him handing me the keys… so to speak. I gotta say that am grateful, thrilled and more than a little intimidated to be taking over for Ben. But that aside, if you are a fan of the short, snappy and information packed type of podcast like Workplace Hero is, you will likely love the Get-Fit Guy (and the other Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts). The goal of the Get-Fit Guy podcast it to help you enhance your energy, lose weight, boost your performance, and get your body looking better than ever without spending a tonne of time at the gym (or a lot of money on equipment). If you want to begin an exercise routine and don’t know where to start, or if you’ve been working out for a while and aren’t getting the results you want, I will give you the tips you need to reach all of your fitness goals. So head over to workplacehero.me/getfitguy or just search for Get-Fit Guy and check it out. Ok, now back to whatever the heck a chronotype is! As Michael Breus puts it, every person has a master biological clock ticking away inside of their brain, and dozens of smaller biological clocks throughout his or her body. But, unlike a normal clock, not every person’s biological clock keeps the same time or even at the same pace. If you’ve ever heard someone say, “I’m not a morning person”, well there’s a reason for that. Some people are meant to be more productive in the morning than at night, and vice versa. Yes, believe it or not – your body has been programmed to function much better at certain times of the day than others. Based on general morningness and eveningness preferences, different people fall into different classifications, called “Chronotypes”. Each Chronotype will reveal exactly what you need to do to work with your body, not against it. There are four Chronotypes (Dolphin, Lion, Bear, and Wolf), and most people fit into the “Bear” category (I am a dolphin, in case you are wondering). You can head over to thepowerofwhenquiz.com to find out your own chronotype but for our purposes here, we’ll assume the majority of us are bears and continue with some anti-sleep advice that I found at Greatist.com, mercola.com, and thebalance.com on how to combat, avoid or otherwise stay awake through our afternoon meetings. Since I just confessed to also being the Get-Fit Guy as well as (not) the Workplace Hero, this first one won’t surprise you. The first tip is… 1. Work Out A midday trip to the gym may not only boost productivity; it could ward off sleepiness, too. Stick to some light aerobic exercise before getting back to the books. Don’t have time to hit the gym? Try some deskercises to work out at work. Go back to workplacehero.me/workout for help with that 2. Step Back From the Screen In order to avoid eyestrain (which can make the eyes feel tired) keep a safe distance from the computer screen—about an arm’s length. That, or try a pair of snazzy computer glasses. Go back to workplacehero.me/airandlight for more info on that from Dr Tamsin Lewis 3. Stretch it Out Feelin’ stiff? Stretching out can provide a quick boost of energy. If there’s no stretching station in sight, try a handful of these desk stretches to keep the muscles loose. Visit my friend Abi Carver over at Yoga15.com for help with that. 4. Move Around A change of scenery may boost productivity, so do some work at a coffee shop or camp out in a meeting room. Try to park near a window for some natural light, which may keep us more alert. Check out workplacehero.me/stand for some help on that from Biomechanist, Katy Bowman. 5. Grab a Towel Splash some cold water on your face to wake up. I call these birdbaths and no, I don’t have a link for this one. 6. Sip Green Tea With less caffeine than a cup of coffee, a mug of green tea can give us that afternoon pick-me-up without making us stay awake all night. Plus its nutritional benefits are enough to keep anyone wide-eyed! For more caffeine alternatives go to workplacehero.me/shiftwork 7. Talk it Out Instead of emailing a coworker down the hall, take a trip to his/her cubicle and talk in person. That'll stretch out the legs while providing a break from staring at the screen. Ummmm… nope. No link for this one either. 8. Have a Snack Not meal time yet? Have a snack to help boost energy levels. Try an ounce of cheese, a handful of nuts, or another high-protein snack to keep alert. Go to workplacehero.me/snacks for help from Quick and Dirty Tips own Nutrition Diva on that. 9. Try a Walking Meeting Take that meeting to the streets and discuss what you would in the office outdoors. When I worked for a big coffee company I would often take my meetings while walking along the seawall. 10. Switch Tasks Working on the same project for five hours? Try tackling something else to stay stimulated and keep things fresh at the desk. 11. Take a Catnap Sometimes the best remedy for fatigue is to simply shut the eyes. Learn how to power nap (10-20 minutes of snooze time!) to get that midday boost you really need. 12. Schedule an Appointment Have to hit up the dentist? Schedule an appointment during lunch for some forced activity that prevents us from feeling doze-y. This way, you avoid eating at your desk, too! 13. Take a Break Take five to do something besides work (like calling a friend or doing a crossword puzzle) in order to give your body and mind a break! Use these tips to relax in five quick minutes before getting back to the grind. 14. Chew Gum Afternoon energy may be as simple as chewing gum (seriously). Chewing gums with strong minty flavours like peppermint and spearmint are stimulating, and the act of chewing help the brain fight the feeling of lethargy. Works well when you are taking an exam or needing to focus 15. Turn Up the Tunes Listening to some favourite music might help us focus and feel more energised. Pro tip? Listen with noise cancelling headphones to really hone in on a task. 16. Remember Breakfast Like my friend Dr Cate Shanahan says: “breakfast is the most important meal of the day - to not screw up.” Eat a solid breakfast of protein, healthy fats and minimal carbs to sustain energy throughout the day. 17. Eat a Small(er) Lunch Supersizing that manwich may be the reason for nodding off. Choose a smaller (but nutritious) lunch; choose something with more protein and fewer carbohydrates to dodge drowsiness, like my favourite big ass salad with sardines. 18. Avoid Sugar A little sugar may go a long way—in the wrong direction. Consuming some sweets may provide a sugar-high that will only lead to a sugar crash, causing us to become even sleepier. 19. Stay Hydrated In order to avoid dehydration and its sleepy side effects, just keep sipping. There is no magic number of cups that every human needs to hit (despite what the internet may tell you) just drink to thirst and you’ll be good. If you want you can add some lemon or lime to your water to perk you up and as well. 20. Please Stand Up No! I am not making a Slim Shady joke. Staying on our feet could help avoid drowsiness and increase focus. Grab a standing desk and work away! Do I need to direct you to workplacehero.me/stand or have you got it by now? 21. Skip the Booze Ease up at the office happy hour. Fatigue is a symptom of a minor hangover, so avoid drinking during the week, or keep consumption to a minimum. (One to two drinks max!) 22. Get Enough Sleep This may be a no-brainer, but getting enough sleep is vital to staying energised throughout the day. If you’re not sleeping well, it will be next to impossible to avoid lagging energy levels. 23. Include Non-Exercise Movement Sitting for prolonged periods of time can also be a source of fatigue. Besides that, compelling research shows that prolonged sitting in and of itself is a major contributing factor to chronic disease and reduced lifespan—even if you exercise regularly. workplacehero.me/stand anyone? 24. Sit in the sun for 10 minutes. Even better, eat your lunch outside and divide your time between eating and taking a walk. You can reset your internal clock, reduce the amount of melatonin your body produces and boost your vitamin D. 25. Rub some peppermint oil on your hands. Rub your hands together and then pat your face. The scent of peppermint is known to increase energy. I use a diffuser for my essential oils but your coworkers may not appreciate that in the office. 26. Eat a square of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is very healthy, unlike milk chocolate, with high levels of healthy fat and antioxidants it contains. It also provides a touch of caffeine to give you a boost. 27. Do isometric exercises. By tensing a muscle and holding it, you encourage blood flow. Try tensing your biceps, holding for 5 to 10 seconds, and then releasing. You can do the same with your calves, thighs, chest, stomach and glutes. You may look like a weirdo but you will be awake! 28. Put a rosemary plant in your office. The scent of rosemary is known to be energising. Whenever you need a pick me up, rub a sprig between your fingers to release the fragrance. You can also rub one on your hands, neck, and face. Again… weirdo but awake. 29. Brush your teeth. We already talked about the mintiness factor but also doing something that activates your senses can wake you up. And not having swamp mouth is never a bad thing. Hrm… 29 seems like an odd place to stop but I don’t have a 30th. Ok. Well, I think that is still the longest list I have ever given you on the podcast! So… it must be about time for your homework. Instead of doing what I usually do, which is ask you to choose a couple things from the list and try them out over the coming week, I want you to do something different and take the thepowerofwhenquiz.com and find out which Chronotype you are. When you finish the quiz, you will be shown a video that explains your results. While Dr Breus doesn’t give you any specific instructions on what to do about your chronotype, it is nonetheless very interesting and will likely help you choose how you deal with your afternoon sleepies from here on out. One favour though - if you do decide to buy the Power of When book, please consider doing so by using this link: workplacehero.me/powerofwhen. All that does is give me credit for sending you to Amazon to buy the book and Amazon itself gives me a small kickback for the business. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but it does go a little way toward supporting this podcast. Aside from your ongoing dedicated downloading. Personally, I used to get tired every afternoon but since I switched to a standing workstation, I have been mostly good to go! I also eat a high protein breakfast, I aim to sleep eight hours a night and I do some sort of physical activity every single day. But I have to admit that still, occasionally, none of these things help. What I think it really comes down to is how often we're awake for such a prolonged period of time. Think about it: You wake up at roughly 6:30 and go to bed at around 11. That is 16.5 hours of full on awakeness. I don’t know about you but that seem like a long time to be continually thinking your thoughts. So, you can use some of the tips I just listed or fight off afternoon tiredness by drinking a bucket of coffee around 2:30, or simply embrace that hour or so when you feel like you're going to pass out on your desk. It’s up to you. Because in the end, as long as we're working such intense hours (with no siesta), we're likely going to be tired now and then between 2 and 4:00. Now go make this week and awake one. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

Hello desk destitute, cubicle cheapened, open space strapped, corner office commendable, home den derelict and coffee shop subjugated. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. That’s you! You are the hero here. The goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am merely the doorman at this skyscraper of knowledge. After the recent podcast episode about How to Ask For and Get a Raise (which you can find at workplacehero.me/raise) I got some feedback from people looking for more information on how they can really hone in on being the kind of employee who actually deserves and gets a raise. Some of the questions and comments I received reminded me of a few jobs that I have had in the past where I honestly had no idea how I was doing. Or how anyone else was doing. I would show up, do what I thought my job entailed, collect my paycheque and go home. And as un-rocky as that boat was, I would go home at the end of the day oddly unfulfilled. I was never really disappointed in my work but I also was never really proud or excited about it either. The simple existence of the "like" button on Facebook (and all the other social media equivalents) just proves that above many things, as a society we crave feedback. Whether it is from our parents when we are kids, our teachers while we are in school, our friends or our spouses in the "real world" and of course our bosses at work, we desire feedback and in some cases, we even use it as our fuel or motivation to keep moving forward. So what happens when we don't get any? What happens when we work hard, hit all our deadlines, nail our deliverables and still get met with silence? Worse yet, what happens when we know we screwed up or that we totally half-assed a project and we don't get chastised, reprimanded or even asked: "is everything ok?" Well, that is when we need to stand up, gather our courage and march into our boss's office to ask for the feedback we need and likely deserve. But how do we do that? In an article over at FastCompany.com they say that it is not an easy or natural task, asking for someone’s opinion or evaluation of you and your work, but that it is indeed an essential part of career development. And while we can’t promise that it will be painless, with the proper preparation and the right questions, asking for feedback can be a smooth process. Before we get into the best times and the best ways to ask for feedback, I want to direct you to the website weightless.me. That's a program that I am working on with my friend Monica Reinagel (AKA the Nutrition Diva) where we teach you to stop dieting and start weighing less. Which means that we will share the tips, tricks, strategies and techniques that we use to help our personal coaching clients achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle without dieting. Because well, dieting sucks and simply doesn't work (not for long anyway). The program closes on July 7 so head over to weightless.me to find out more now… otherwise, you will have to wait until the new year to get in and start weighing less. Ok. Back to asking for feedback without sounding needy or lame. Let’s start with the best times to ask for feedback. Of course, the number one time would be to ask during your annual review. For those of you who haven't had one before, an annual review is a routine and formal process where your boss will evaluate your progress and contributions over the last year (or quarter, depending on where you work). If your company doesn't have a formal review process, you should ask your boss or HR department to set one up for you. If those opportunities don't present themselves naturally, I think asking for feedback once per quarter is super helpful without being super overwhelming. The next best time to ask would be before an important meeting, presentation, or project. Think of this as an opportunity to be coached or mentored by your boss. After one of these scenarios is also a good time to ask for feedback. It’s a good moment to take a step back, get your manager’s thoughts, and learn from the experience while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind. And the next best time would be during your day to day. There are usually small moments that occur every day when it's appropriate to ask for feedback, or when your boss will openly give said feedback. This is what we would call "ongoing feedback" and the more often this happens, the more opportunities you have to grow in your career. Plus having this kind of easy interaction with your boss or manager is an indication of a healthy working environment and relationship which has its own rewards. Now, before we get to how you should go about asking for feedback, I thought we should start with an article at Forbes.com called How Not to Ask for Feedback. Here is the scenario: your co-worker asks if you’d be willing to look over his latest presentation, and you’re more than happy to. Only, when you get the email from him, all it says is “Good to go, right?” Boo! A rubber stamp question like that can make you feel worse than if you hadn't been asked in the first place. But, like so many tricky communication issues in the office, this one's much easier to understand when you're on the receiving end. In other words, it's possible your colleague was trying to include you, but because he was rushed, or felt like he'd done a good job already, he phrased his question in a leading way. However, you can see that his communication style (inadvertently or not) makes him come off like he's being a manipulative wiener. You’ve probably been there, too. Have you ever framed an idea for your team by saying “Can’t we all agree that yudda yudda?” This type of phrasing means that any response other than “yes” puts the other person in the position of having to immediately disagree with yudda yudda. And who doesn’t like yudda? On the other hand, if you said a simple “What do you think?” Or better yet, a “How could we improve on this?” you’re asking for active engagement—for criticism, for feedback, for innovation—in a way that shows it will be viewed as constructive, not adversarial. Of course, it may be that you already had made up your mind, and your goal is to get everyone on the same page. You intentionally don’t want to ask a question that solicits a dialogue because you don’t have the time or budget or wherewithal to alter your strategy—but you still want people to buy-in. That’s fine too, but if that’s the case, why not skip the leading question altogether? Instead, ask for what you need by saying something like this, “Ok, we don’t have the budget for any major changes, so I’d just like to know anything jumps out—for better or worse—so we know where to focus for here on out.” Or, in the case where that colleague sent you that presentation, he could’ve said: “I’m due to share this later today, but I’ve read it so many times I don’t even know what I’m looking at. Would you mind doing a quick run through for anything I missed?” That way, he’s being honest about the fact that he’s not open to strategic suggestions, but you know your time’s still valuable. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about how you actually should ask for feedback. When it's time to meet with your boss and review your work, the general question, "How am I doing?" won't get you very far. Mostly because it provokes a simplified, one-word answer and that is not all that helpful for you. Managers enjoy giving balanced feedback, so give them the opportunity to do so. You can ask ‘what are some things that I did well?’ and ‘what are some things I could have done differently or better?’ You can also ask for details and examples. This will ensure that you know what steps to take and how to improve. For example, if you get feedback saying ‘you could be a stronger communicator,’ you can follow up by saying “screw you, who asked you anyway” Heh… or maybe not. You should actually probably follow up by asking for an example of a time you communicated something effectively and perhaps also a time you had room to improve. This will help you put that feedback into action. It’s important to ask both open-ended questions and specific questions, so you can get a true and thorough understanding of your boss’s outlook. Karin Hurt, the author of Overcoming an Imperfect Boss and a former Fortune 15 executive at Verizon Wireless, recommends asking these questions. 1. What specifically can I do to better support our team’s mission? 2. If your boss were to give me one piece of advice what would that be? 3. Who should I be working with more closely? 4. Which parts of my style concern you the most? 5. Specifically, what do I need to work on to be ready for (insert the job or assignment you’re most interested in here)? One other thing, before we get to your homework, that you should consider is who you should be asking for feedback from. You don’t just work with your boss, so it’s important to make sure you’re the feedback you’re seeking out is well rounded. Approach all sorts of people. Speak to your boss, reach out to coworkers, engage with clients, and even try communicating with competitors. If you have contacts in competing companies, casually ask them, what did you think of this strategy? Or what do you think of this product we just launched? They may tell you when you’re onto something worthwhile, or something they envy about your company or projects. There is definitely more than one way to go about getting the feedback you need to become the awesome employee you want to be. Ok - now on to your homework! This week I want you to ask for some feedback from someone whose opinion you truly value. It doesn't have to be a boss or a manager or even someone higher up than you at work. Heck, it doesn't even have to be at work. I just want you to practice setting up, asking for and listening to feedback. Remember what you learned on this podcast episode about asking clear questions that don't elicit one-word answers and certainly don't start the conversation with "I'm doing pretty well in this position, eh?" You want real feedback so ask real questions. After you have done this a few times for practice and to spur improvement, you will be certain to wow them when it's time to hit your boss up for that quarterly review. One last thing. If you ask for feedback and it happens to be negative, don't despair! Constructive criticism is often the only way we learn about our weaknesses—without it, we can't improve. When we're defensive, instead of accepting and gracious, we run the risk of missing out on this important insight. Remember, feedback is not easy to give and it's certainly not easy to receive, but it will help us now and in the long run. Now, go make this week feedback worthy. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham and music from my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

Hello desk deserters, cubicle celebrators, open space sleeper-inners, corner office carousers, home den holidays and coffee shop sabbaticals. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. That’s actually you! You see, the goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am merely your travel agent on this glorious adventure. I received an email the other day from listener Erin Moline who said “Topic idea: how to handle the backlog of email/missed conf calls/missed trainings and how to catch up without a cortisol surge?” For those of you who don’t know, Cortisol is the hormone that is often associated with stress and panic. So yeah, a avoiding a surge of that is a really good idea. We are about to celebrate Canada Day here in Canada, which celebrates the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the Constitution Act which united the three separate colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada. Because Canada Day falls on a Saturday, most of us will get Monday off work - giving us a glorious summer time long weekend to revel in what it is to be Canadian… and yes, by that I mean beer. On the Tuesday after that, I bet if you ask a number of folks what they did over the long weekend, some will say that they spent time with family or enjoyed the outdoors. But others will talk about how they used the time to catch up on their work. But if you ask them if they had actually caught up, I can almost guarantee that no one will say “yes”. With the advent of enhanced technology and our 24/7 culture, it is becoming increasingly difficult for employees to ever feel they have all their work done. Today’s work ethic of “more, bigger, faster, busier” creates a trap for many in the global economy. Technology can create efficiencies but it can also overwhelm us and make us feel forever trapped under an enormous pile of busywork. Before we go any further, I want to direct you to workplacehero.me/weightlesswebinar. That’s a program that I am working on with my friend Monica Reinagel (AKA the Nutrition Diva) and over at weightless.me we teach you to stop dieting and start weighing less. Now - if you are hearing this podcast when it first comes out, you are in luck! We are hosting a live webinar on June 24 at 12:00 pm ET where we will share the techniques we use to help our coaching clients to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle without dieting. And you can sign up for that webinar at workplacehero.me/weightlesswebinar. But even if you missed the webinar, head over to weightless.me to find out more. Ok, now back to some strategies I have used and some that I found in my research that will help you conquer that mountain of work quickly and calmly and also help you reclaim your unused vacation days. 1. Plan ahead. Smart people prepare to take a vacation by planning ahead. This won’t surprise you long time listeners but I like to make a to-do list for all the work projects that need to get done before I leave, and I set up a contact person for any emergencies while I am away. I also make sure to alert all my clients and co-workers that I will be on vacation well ahead of the day. Don’t wait until the day before you leave to spring it on your team. But it is just as important to plan ahead for your return to the office as well. One way to do that, is to build in a vacation day at home. I know that sounds kinda crappy but rather than getting home at 10 p.m. on Sunday night and heading to work bright and early Monday morning, plan on arriving home on Saturday so that you have all day Sunday to buy groceries, wash laundry and get back into your daily routine. You may even want to get a head start on sorting—and more importantly deleting—emails. Giving yourself this transitional day will allow you to tackle your first day back in the office with a little more Zen. 2. Schedule time to catch up on work. The worst thing that you can do is to show up back at work without a plan in place, sit down at your desk as if it’s a normal day and haphazardly start working. Instead you should block out your morning (verbally, on your calendar or even with a sign on your desk) so that you have time to catch up with staff, sort through your inbox, listen to voice mail messages, make a to-do list and respond to urgent work matters. If you don’t block out that time, you will start getting questions and work thrown your way immediately without any way of knowing what is or isn’t a priority. In that same vein, I also wouldn’t schedule meetings the first—or even second day—back in the office. Give yourself time to find out what’s been going down while you were away before closing your eyes and jumping back in head first - eyes closed, head first, can’t lose! 3. Delegate job duties to coworkers and employees. One way to avoid coming back to a crap-tonne of work after a vacation is to empower your employees and delegate some of your responsibilities to co-workers. I seriously don’t know why people avoid delegating work while they are away. I guess it could be that they want the job security of being viewed as irreplaceable so they don’t want anyone else learning and doing their job. Or maybe they have a Type A personality and just don’t want to (or can’t seem to) give up control. Whatever the reason, they are not helping themselves by refusing to delegate work. Think about it. You can come back from vacation and have only 10 items on your to-do list instead of 20 or 30. That will make a huge difference in how quickly you get caught up. No one is suggesting you delegate your entire job or pass off sensitive business matters (plus who else in the office has time for that crap). Instead just choose a few straightforward duties that don’t require your specific set of skills - ala Liam Neeson. 4. Check in with co-workers. Before heading straight to your desk to check your email (I know that is the first thing you will do), try to check in with your colleagues first. Take 10 minutes to find out what has happened while you were away and if there is anything pressing that needs your attention. This will save you time and help you be more efficient. Rather than reading every email to figure out what priorities you should focus on, you will already know what needs your attention and can address those issues right away. 5. Focus on priorities. Not every email in your inbox is a priority or even needs a response. Make sure that you sort and prioritize your emails. Here is a little tip - don’t go down the list answering every email starting with the oldest. Many of those emails will have a bunch of cc-ed individuals on them and the chances are (since you told everyone you were going to be on vacation) that someone has stepped up and handled the task which renders that email thread closed. Start from the newest and work your way back. That way you will prioritize the stuff that is actually waiting for you not the stuff that has already been handled. Also, in terms of prioritizing, focussing on your work projects is crucial, as well. Make a to-do list for your first week back. Focus first on what needs to be done immediately, not so immediately, eventually and simply go down the list. By the end of the week you will be back on track, all caught up and ready to enjoy your weekend. 6. Your out-of-office response is your first line of defense--wield it to your advantage Your out-of -office autoreply needs to be straightforward, helpful, and honest--but not that honest. I also recommend leaving it up through your catch up period; your coworkers will know you're available but it will help stem the tidal wave of outside inquiries, or at least lower the expectation of an immediate response. An out-of-office message directed at external parties should include directions for who to contact according to contingencies. Assess who's going to be emailing you along two or three broad categories and let them know who to reach out to instead or when they might expect a response. Here is one of my favourite tips - It's also ok to suggest people follow up with you after your vacation because you just might not get to their email. Everybody who emails understands the volume problem and that things can get lost when someone is away. It’s not really a shock to anybody—you’re just warning people: 'It may get lost or buried, please feel free to follow up with me when I am back.’ 7. Feeling especially brave? Skip wading through email at all and nuke your inbox. I know, the very thought of losing the contents of your inbox likely sends a chill down your spine, but I argue that a post-vacation email purge can be just the thing you need to get back on track without losing an entire day to email maintenance. If your out of office reply was effective enough, the people who actually still need your or are waiting for a reply will try again AFTER the date you indicated that you would be back. So you don’t have to worry that anything will go unfinished since you have placed the onus on them to contact you when you are not on a beach sipping a margarita. 8. You should try to be indispensable — but realizing that you're not, might make you a better employee. Planning for and returning from a vacation can be a good time for an adjustment of your professional outlook on work and life. We're all striving to be the go-to team member, but believing the company actually can't function without us can not only be incorrect but it is also foolish and potentially a huge source of stress in your life. A friend of mine describes a five-day vacation she once took where she believed WiFi would be readily available and discovered it was not. At that point she realized her only option was to change her outlook on needing to be connected and as the songs says: let it go. In the end she missed a few things, but she just apologized to a few people when she got back and they were honestly more interested in hearing about this amazing and magical destination that has no wifi than they were in giving her a haranguing. Now, your homework! With Canada Day and Independence Day both coming up soon, even though it is merely a long weekend and not a glorious vacation, it is still the perfect time to get your feet wet and put at least some of these suggestions into practice. Perhaps you spend some time crafting your Out Of Office reply or you make sure you have a plan for how you are going to tackle your work when you get back. Or perhaps you can spend the weekend steeling yourself for that moment when you nuke your inbox! Whichever tactic you choose, plan it out and make sure you are ready to wrangle your time and not let this short break turn into a source of stress. Then, when it is time to really take a vacation, you will feel less intimidated and more in control. Remember: learn to plan ahead, rely on your coworkers, and understand that sometimes, it's inevitable that you'll miss out on a last-minute request - but by taking a real vacation, you will much more productive when you return. Now, go make this long weekend count. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s heroic topic suggestion came from Erin Moline. Remember you can suggest topics for future podcasts by emailing podcast@workplacehero.me

Hello desk directors, cubicle chieftains, open space superintendents, corner office overseers, home den honchos and coffee shop comptrollers. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. That’s actually you! You see, the goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am merely your virtual assistant on this journey. Think of me as your workplace Jeeves. To earn a bigger paycheck, you’ll need to do more than just a top-rate job. An effective strategy for obtaining a raise also requires documenting your accomplishments, understanding your boss’s expectations and researching your employer’s financial health. Over at Monster.com they list four of the most common reasons that people don’t get a raise. They are: You Don’t Know the Going Rate, You Don’t Know Your Value, You Can’t Justify Your Value, and You Never Ask. The last one is the reason that I have seen the most often. So may great employees, busting the butt, day in and day out for years on end silently wondering “when am I going to get a raise?” Or worse yet, thinking that they aren’t doing as good of a job as they are because if they were “surely I would have gotten a raise by now, right?” Before we go any further, I want to direct you to SkywalkerFitness.ca. That’s the coaching business that I run. Whether you want to run a 10k or a marathon, race in a triathlon, put on some muscle, clean up your diet, or get totally ripped, I will create a plan specifically for you. No cookie cutter one-size-fits-all programs, just 100% tailored programs that fit around your life’s commitments. And for being a Workplace Hero, I will give you a special deal on your first 3 months of coaching. Head over to SkywalkerFitness.ca and send me a note referencing this podcast so I can start building you the perfect program to meet your wellness goals. Now back to getting that raise you so greatly deserve. The thing is, if you don’t ask for a raise and instead you wait for your boss or the company to offer you a raise, without ever raising (no pun intended) the issue yourself, you may never get one. Face it, no one has time in their busy day to keep track of exactly how far above and beyond you are going. And If you don’t have a contract that addresses raises and you don’t ask for one when you feel you can justify it, it’s extremely unlikely that your employer will just make an offer. Of course, business being business, you’re not always going to get the raise you want. When that happens, politely and respectfully ask your boss if you can sit down together and determine what specifically you need to do in order to earn the raise in the future. Try to work out deliverables that are as specific as possible and try to pin down a time frame as well. Take notes, let your boss see that you’re taking notes, and if possible work up something in writing you can both agree to. Ask for her help in achieving those deliverables. Then report your progress regularly. Once you’ve met those specific goals, it will be very difficult for your boss not to grant your raise or at the very least fight for it. Next, identify ways your past work has added value to your employer’s bottom line. Continuing keeping track of this information going forward. More and more, raises are becoming tied directly to performance. Once you’ve established your accomplishments on paper – but before you talk to your boss – find out how your employer is performing. And I mean finically. Many organizations have published data that you can read to gauge their financial health. If your employer is in the red and mass layoffs abound, you should probably put off your request for more money until business begins to stabilize. But if you decide now is a safe time to pursue a raise, go ahead and make your case. Clearly most companies are not looking for opportunities to hand out money. During the boom era of the late ’90s when talent was scarce and retention was top of mind, nearly the opposite was true. While the corporate landscape is different now, you shouldn’t sit idly by and feel dissatisfied in silence. If you have the evidence that your salary is at sub-market levels, you should speak up. Your organization has invested time and money in you. Savvy bosses understand that unhappy and underpaid employees are under-performing employees, which helps no one. It’s also a drain on their time to have to re-hire and train a replacement that fits the corporate culture. So if you have a legitimate request, you do have a certain amount of leverage here. I think it’s always a good idea to ask for a raise, even when employers are not handing them out, but only when that discussion is tied to performance. Employees should keep careful records of how their actions helped the bottom line of their company, or helped other team members improve the bottom line of the company. The fact is that no one is going to hold your hand and remind you of the great things you did all year. So keep track and share them with your manager at the appropriate time. So on that note, here are even more helpful suggestions that I found over at Forbes.com 1. Know your value. Do the proper research to figure out what you’re worth, even if it means going on interviews or using resources like Getraised.com, Payscale.com, or Glassdoor.com. If you find out you’re underpaid, you can use that to negotiate an increase. Simply present what the field generally pays, and why you believe your performance is at the top of your field. 2. Know the number. Once you do the research, figure out what you think is a fair amount of money to ask for and have that number in your head when you ask for a raise. 3. Schedule a meeting. Find a time that works best for you and your boss and give your boss a head’s up that you want to chat about your career growth so that you both have ample time to prepare. No one wants to talk about this stuff on a whim. 4. Practice salary negotiations. This can be a difficult or awkward conversation so I recommend that you practice with a friend who can be a tough negotiator. Subconsciously when you have the real talk, your brain will fall back on the tactics you prepared. 5. Start on a positive note. Kicking off the conversation with something like, “I really enjoy working here and find my projects very challenging. In the last year, I’ve been feeling that the scope of my work has expanded quite a bit. I believe my roles and responsibilities, and my contributions have risen. I’d like to discuss with you the possibilities of reviewing my compensation.” Or, “I’d like to discuss my career and how I can do my best work.” 6. State your case, and then pause. Listen to what your manager has to say. Depending on the response, gauge how much detail you now need and how much back up support you require. You may be surprised with very little resistance but it’s still best to be prepared for a lot. 7. Be specific. Give your boss a range for the raise you want, and explain why. Be prepared to say, ‘After a lot of research, which I have here, and how I feel I have contributed to the company, I would ask for you to consider an increase of $5,000 to $7,000. It has been X amount of time since my salary was last reviewed. I greatly appreciate your consideration.’ 8. Bring your personal kudos file. Bring a list of your key achievements, and focus specifically on the areas of accomplishment that are important to your manager. Bring up your strengths and talents, your accomplishments, your desire to do even more, and your ideas and plans for the future in your role at the organization. If you put enough consideration into this, they can’t help but consider your request. 9. Don’t be aggressive. Be diplomatic, well-prepared and assertive, but not aggressive. Remember that it is the squeaky (not screechy) wheel that gets the grease. 10. For Goodness Sake - Don’t threaten your employer. Whatever you do, don’t threaten to leave if you don’t get the raise. You also shouldn’t threaten your boss with other job offers, interviews, recruiter conversations, etc. If you do this, you run the risk of your boss mistrusting you, or in the worst case, if you’re already on somewhat shaky ground, your boss saying something like ‘well, maybe you should consider those other options.’ 11. Ask for endorsements. One of the most powerful ways to demonstrate to your manager that you deserve a raise, or at least some form of recognition for your results, is to have other people endorse the work you have done and how it helped them. The more your manager hears about how your work has contributed to organization goals and results, the stronger you will be positioned to be seen as someone deserving of consideration. 12. Don’t share your sob story. Don’t bring up personal issues. Don’t tell your boss that you can’t afford your rent, or that you need a raise to cover other personal expenses. That just shows that you aren’t great at managing your money or planning ahead. Simply stick to your accomplishments and the value you add to the company and you’ll be more likely to succeed. 13. Be patient. Remember, your manager may need a few days to think it over and get back to you, so don’t be disheartened if you don’t get an instant “yes,” There’s also a strong possibility that your boss isn’t the one to make the decision. She might have to go to the higher-ups with your request and that can take some time depending on the amount or red tape your organization has purchased. Now, here is your homework. Even if you aren’t looking for a raise at the moment (and who here isn’t… I mean, come on?) start creating a list of your accomplishments as they happen or are completed. For me, I kept a Google spreadsheet of every video project I completed as I completed them so at the drop of a hat, I could send a link to my superiors to digitally brag about how prolific I was. And I gotta say - it worked. I got a significant raise after 8 months of being with the company. The key was being able to share it easily and quickly when the moment presented itself, so using some sort of online service is key. Google docs, Evernote, Office 365 whichever you prefer, fire it up and start by adding in your most recent accomplishments and go forward from there. Much like the “to done list” that we talked about at workplacehero.me/todo this can also be a good place for you to go when you are feeling down and need a boost. Double bonus! Getting a raise can be surprisingly simple and very often, employees who ask for a raise, get one. Yet many workers are loath to bring up the subject -- for fear of rejection, being perceived as pushy or going about it the wrong way. Keep in mind that you may need to ask for a raise more than once. Never take a ‘no’ as the end of the conversation. If you get a ‘no,’ ask what you can do to improve your performance and thus your odds of a future increase. Then ask to check in again in, say, six months and revisit the conversation. If of course you’ve actually improved on those things. Now, go make this week ‘raise worthy’. And remember - you deserve this. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats.

Hello cubicle coughers, open space sneezers, corner office blowers, home den fevers and coffee shop sore throats. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. The goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. Plus I am currently not feeling all that heroic. If you have been listening to this podcast for a while, you may have noticed that my voice sounds a little different than usual. That is because… I am sick. Yep. I have a cold. In June! How lame is that? Luckily, I am nearly over it and I am also hopped up on cold meds… which could also account for why I sound weird. In any case, today’s topic is timely because it is all about being sick in the workplace. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says people with the flu can spread it to others up to about six feet away, mainly by droplets made when they cough, sneeze or talk. A person can also get the flu by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it, and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes. Basically, any bodily opening will do. If you work in an office, as many of us do, chances are you sit (or stand) within six feet of a colleague and touch dozens of their icky contaminated surfaces each day. But the good news is, there are steps you can take at work to help reduce your chances of getting (or spreading) the flu. Before we get to that, I encourage you all to visit the webpage workplacehero.me/weightless. That link will take you to where you need to go to find everything you need to know about a new project that I have started with the Nutrition Diva herself, Monica Reinagel. The catch phrase for this project is: Are you ready to stop dieting and start weighing less? The program I am talking about is called Weightless and it is a structured lifestyle change program that combines nutrition science, behaviour modification, professional guidance, and community support. This evidence-based approach is based on research led by the National institutes of Health and has helped thousands of people permanently shed fat and lower their risk of diabetes and other diseases. This is not a diet or an exercise program. You won't be counting calories, measuring foods, eating special bars or shakes, or following rigid meal plans or workout regimens. You will not have to eliminate your favorite foods, battle constant hunger, feel awkward at professional events, or gnaw celery sticks at special occasions. To find out more, head over to workplacehero.me/weightless and sign up now. Ok… now back to how you can defend yourself and protect your coworkers from disgusting illnesses in the workplace. The first thing you can do is clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces. Viruses on surfaces like sink faucets and door handles can spread rapidly, especially in public places such as offices and schools. A study for The Healthy Workplace Project by Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona found that implementing the program’s “wash, wipe, sanitize” protocol in the workplace reduces the probability of catching the flu or common cold by 80%. It can also reduce the number of surfaces contaminated by viruses by 62%. Notice that I didn’t use the word ‘germs’ like they do in the commercials for those overly ambitious cleaning products. Wondering why? Well, its because germs aren’t a thing. They don’t actually exist. They are little animated monsters that have been made up to scare you into buying way too much hand sanitizer. When people say the word germs, they really are referring to the microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that can cause disease. Most of which can be washed away with good old water and some regular soap. The only time I will ever advocate using a sanitizer is when you are very sick, very contagious and not able to stay home from work. Ok… I will get off my non-antibacterial soapbox now and get back to the tips. The next tip is… I already mentioned it but I will say it again - wash your hands with soap often. This is especially important before eating, after using the restroom and after being outside. Use regular soap and warm water for 20 seconds. It is also important to wipe you hands dry with a clean, fresh towel because friction actually plays a large part in the hand cleaning process. The next tip is one that some people might be afraid to talk about but I am not because I like science - get vaccinated. Get your flu shot. According to the CDC, an annual seasonal flu vaccine (either the flu shot or the nasal-spray flu vaccine) is the best way to reduce your chances of getting the flu and for most of us more importantly it is the best way to reduce your chances of spreading it to others. Yes, maybe you are not afraid of getting sick but that immunocompromised infant or nice old lady on the bus may not be so cavalier with their health. Don’t be selfish, it’s just a tiny needle. Next tip is to take steps to prevent the spread of germs. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze and then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue handy, use the inner part of your sleeve at the elbow, just like Dracula does! One sneeze can spray up to 3,000 infectious droplets into the air at more than 160 kph. Here’s a good tip that I didn’t think of until I read it on Forbes.com - wash your coffee cup with hot soapy water. If people around you are getting sick, the things that we drink from offer a quick way for germs to enter our system if they inadvertently become contaminated. And no, that cursory rinse isn’t enough to remove the contamination, so give it a good wash. Next tip - if you are sick, stay out of the office kitchen. Most people don’t realize that office kitchens are often a breeding ground for the flu. Try not to share eating utensils, dishes and linens if possible. And if you do, take responsibility and wash them yourself. Don’t leave them for someone else to deal with. Come on! Here is a bit of an antisocial tip: limit interactions with co-workers and avoid shaking hands with people. Few people will take offence if you offer the lighthearted response that with the flu going around, you’d rather be safe than sorry. You’ll also want to limit casual conversations with co-workers if there is an illness outbreak. If a co-worker shows signs of the flu, politely ask them to go home if possible and if they don’t, try to keep your distance from them. Remember the 6 feet rule. All in all this is likely the best tip: maintain a healthy lifestyle. Get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, exercise in the fresh air, eat plenty of vegetables and fresh meat and avoid sugary fruits, treats and beverages. But interestingly enough, being well-rested is one of the greatest ways to avoiding getting sick. And the final tip for today - if you get sick, stay the hell home! If you do get sick and have flu-like symptoms, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your symptoms start to improve. If you can, stay home longer but that is when you are likely not contagious any longer… but that doesn’t mean you should do around coughing on everyone and sneezing into the open air! If you decide calling in sick is the right decision for you (which it always is), here’s how to go about it: - Follow your company’s procedure for calling in sick. Find out if you’re required to call HR and/or your immediate supervisor, and contact them immediately. - Try to give your employer sufficient notice, if possible. If you’re not feeling well at night, let your supervisor know you might not be able to come in the next day. - Notify your immediate supervisors and managers via e-mail and phone. This ensures the message is received in a timely fashion and they can get someone to cover for you, if necessary. - Always notify the people you work with on a daily basis and communicate your list of urgent to-dos. - And finally, use the time off to rest and recover. Don’t spend your sick day(s) worrying about work. Allow your body to recover and get well as quickly and thoroughly as possible. The CDC says that an employee should always call in sick when the illness is still contagious and his or her productivity will notably decline due to the illness. If you know that the quality of your work will be negatively affected due to your illness, it is best for all parties involved to call in sick. You are not being a wimp, you will not get fired, you are actually being a good employee, colleague and friend. Now, I am going to go lay down while you go and make this week a healthy one! ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in downtown Vancouver. Additional help from Eleanor Cohen and artwork by Ken Cunningham. Today’s Heroic idea came from the nasty virus that decided to take up residence in my sinuses. Screw you, you little jerk.  

Hello desk deterers, cubicle closers, open space offenders, corner office combatants, home den defenders and coffee shop conquerors. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. You see, the goal of this podcast is to make you and me and anyone else we can hooked into a Workplace Hero. You can think of me as your dealer… of helpful ideas. I don’t know who actually said it first but I first heard it from Derek Sivers (the guy who started CD Baby and then later sold it for like a bazzilion dollars). He wrote in Aug 2009: There is no “yes.” It’s either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.” Use this rule if you’re often over-committed or too scattered. If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, say “no”. When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than “Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!” — then say “no.” When you say no to most things, you leave room in your life to really throw yourself completely into that rare thing that makes you say “HELL YEAH!” Every event you get invited to. Every request to start a new project. If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about it, say “no.” We’re all busy. We’ve all taken on too much. Saying yes to less is the way out. I love that. And I try to use it in my life as often as possible but what about at work? Can we apply the same rule there? Aren’t we required to say YES when we are getting paid to basically do what we are told? Turns out, the answer is much more complicated than that. If you feel weird saying no at work, you are seriously not alone. You may think people will dislike you, think you are entitled or question whether you are a team player but as paradoxical as it may seem, saying no at the right time and place can help your career. Elana Lyn over at Forbes.com spoke to successful women to find out when to say no at work (and why it’s crucial). “If you aren't getting paid to do something and the task will take away time from accomplishing what you are paid to do, saying no demonstrates your commitment to your role and the value of your time.” — Eileen Carey, CEO of Glassbreakers “My best tip for saying no is to be straightforward and not dance around the subject. Explain that the task, project or activity doesn’t align with your current priorities and, if the situation changes, you will revisit the topic. Also, sometimes you can suggest an alternative solution. Remember, everyone has to say no at some point, so the person will respect your candor.” — Johanna Lanus, CEO and founder of Work With Balance “Asking why is a good substitute for saying no because it forces the opposite side to explain and justify her point of view. Asking why allows you to present your side too. While you might not agree with the justification, you will better understand where your boss is coming from.” — Liz Wessel, CEO and cofounder of WayUp “Part of doing any role well is hearing out any and all opportunities that come your way, such as proposed partnerships, co-marketing or cross-functional projects. At the end of the day, however, you have a limited amount of time and resources, and it's your job to make sure you're spending these resources on the highest-impact endeavors.” — Alexandra Friedman and Jordana Kier, cofounders of LOLA “You should say no when it is going to set a precedent that you aren't comfortable with or that might be harmful moving forward. It is also important to say no when you know that you won't be able to deliver.” — Amanda Greenberg, CEO and cofounder of Baloonr Saying no will provide you with the time and energy to focus on the work that will move your career forward. Remember, as Elana Lyn over at Forbes.com says: No is a complete sentence. As pithy as that thought is, I think it is extremely important to not be flippant or careless with your no. As some of the quotations I just read highlighted, the manner in which you say no is as important as the reason you say it. So, here are some tips to say no with style and respect. It can be a little intimidating to push back when your boss asks you to do something. So, skip the flat, “ no ” or an awkward, passive aggressive, “Well, umm, see I would, it’s just you’ve assigned me so much work in the past two weeks that I’m busy working on everything else you asked, so I, uhh, don’t think I can.” Instead, try, “Thank you so much for thinking of me for this, but I was planning to spend this week working on X,Y and Z projects.” This approach works for a couple of reasons. First, it’s flattering that your manager thought of you (after all, you want to be top of mind when new, exciting projects come along!). Second, if your boss knows this new task is more important, it invites her to say, “Let’s push those other projects to the backburner,” and make sure you’re on the same page as far as priorities go. When saying no to your employees or the people you manage, you want to encourage brainstorming and love when your employees come to you with new ideas. However, sometimes you already have a clear plan in mind, and what you’d really like is for your employees to execute and follow it. Of course, “No, we’ll be doing it my way,” never put anyone in the running for the Best Boss in the world award. Instead, you want your message to be that while you appreciate employee input in general, this is a project where it is really important that everyone follow the plan exactly. Remember: You always want to offer a “why” in addition to your “no” so that it doesn’t just sound like you are being an A-hole. Try this: “Thanks for sharing those suggestions, buddy. For this particular project, we need to follow the directions exactly as they’re outlined if we want to meet our deadline. We’ve gotten approval on this plan, and any changes might send us back to the drawing board. As always, please let me know if something is unclear or if you have any questions.” When you are saying no to a client you don’t want to come off as patronizing to someone who is by definition your patron. Yes, they hired you because you know what you’re doing but they’re also paying you, unfortunately That means they get a say in the direction of your work. The first thing you should do is let the client share their thoughts—fully. You may be tempted to cut them off as soon as they start into an idea that you know would be unpopular or infeasible, but if you stop them there, they’ll think you might not get it. As they speak, listen for key concerns they’re mentioning or key issues they think the new approach is solving. Then, when you respond with your plan, emphasize how you’re addressing the same issues (as opposed to how you’re shutting down their plan). It should go like this, “I hear your concern that you aren’t sold on the proposed new hoojamawhatzit. However, I worry the one you suggested is very similar to the competition, and I know one of your main goals is to stand out in the field of hoojamawhatzits. May I walk you through how we came to this one and a few other hoojamawhatzits variations you may want to consider?” In general, before you even consider saying no, you need to first affirm for yourself that this is an appropriate time to say it. Your inner voice of doubt will make you feel guilty or wrong but if you access your inner voice of reason, what would it say? Would taking on more work jeopardize the quality of your performance, the goals of the team, or most importantly your well being? To that end, here are some ideas on how to say ‘no’ from a Globe and Mali article by Eileen Chadnick called “Five ways to say 'no' without jeopardizing your work reputation”: 1. Speak from a voice of responsibility: It is your responsibility to ensure others are aware of the assignments you are already committed to – especially since you get assigned work from different people. Such as, “I’d normally be able to do this but you may not realize I’ve been engaged on project X and it wouldn’t be responsible of me to take this on as well as I’d be unable to invest the attention required…” 2. Engage your boss in prioritizing. Given she is unaware of what is on your plate, engage her in a conversation about prioritizing. For example: “I’m currently working on project X and Y, however, if you feel this new project is more important, are you comfortable with me prioritizing this over the others or prefer we consider other alternatives such as assigning this work to someone else?” 3. If appropriate make another feasible offer. Saying ‘no’ doesn’t necessarily have to be a flat-out ‘no.’ If there’s a part that you can contribute then make that part of your dialogue. “While I can’t take on the whole assignment given the other work you asked me to do by end of week, I’d be happy to offer some ideas or do part of it or help you find someone else who can help. How does that sound to you?” 4. Acknowledge and show empathy. Before rushing to the ‘no’ part, acknowledge the request appropriately. Such as, “I recognize this is an important assignment and you need it done well. I’d like to take it on but I recognize that given other deadlines I’m dealing with, I am concerned I would not be able to….” 5. Buy time to respond versus reacting: Sometimes we say ‘yes’ because we are put on the spot and we react negatively to the prospect of saying ‘no.’ To avoid agreeing to something on the spot, try to buy a little time to gather your focus and to respond more appropriately. For example, “I would like to talk to you about this but I am on deadline with something this morning. Can I talk to you just a bit later?” Then later, “I’ve thought about this and…” (see the above strategies.) You might find after some practice, saying ‘no’ is not as unpalatable as you first thought. It may even earn you more respect and trust as others will appreciate your responsible and honest responses. Let’s see if we can create a shift for you because learning to say ‘no’ is an important skill – both for work and life. So for your homework this week, I want you to practice saying no to a random something at work to help take the sting out of it when you really need it. Remember that scene in the movie Fight Club when Tyler tells all the Space Monkeys to go pick a fight with a total stranger? Well, I feel like this is similar but less painful. Perhaps you can say no to a weekly meeting that you can easily miss without falling behind. Maybe it is going for lunch with the same group of people you always go out with. Or maybe it is something that has been nagging at you for a while. This is the week to finally do it! Say NO and be proud. If you can find more than one thing to say no to, you get to skip next week’s homework. Can you do that? Wait? Did you just say NO to me?! Why I oughta! Sometimes saying ‘no’ can help manage expectations and your work load, improve your work performance and even relationships. While the consequences of saying ‘yes’ when you are over capacity and really unable to perform at the necessary standard of work can be worse than had you initially been honest and said ‘no.’ We often only think of ourselves when we say ‘no’ and forget that every time we over extend ourselves we rob our friends and family of not only our time but our energy, devotion and our sunny disposition. Remember that next time you feel selfish for wanting to say “no” because you truly don’t feel a “Hell YEAH”. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Now go out there and make this week a Hell YEAH kind of week.

Hello cubicle avoiders, open space ostracizers, corner office curtailers, home den dwellers, and coffee shop congregators. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am… not the Workplace Hero. It’s true! I am learning this workplace stuff along with you, episode by episode, we are both learning to flex our day job muscles at the same time. You can think of me as your workplace safety net.   Before we get started with today’s topic… Did you know that there are show notes for all the podcasts over at the website www.workplacehero.me? There is. Quite robust ones at that! I know that the majority of you are listening to this podcast while you are on the bus, in your car, at the gym or otherwise not near a pen and paper - so to take the onus off of you having to try to remember the important points and valuable takeaways, I am making it easy for you. The only thing you need to remember from this episode is www.workplacehero.me/home. Slick eh?   Ok, here we go!   The other day I posted a short video on Instagram and Twitter asking people what they thought the next episode should be about. I suggested two options: How To Ask For A Raise and How To Prepare For A Big Day (like a presentation or the final sprint on a big project). Well, a fellow with the Instagram handle WholeDoods wrote back (quite quickly, I might add) with a great suggestion. He said: how about “The perils of working from home...how to not turn into a weird recluse who never puts on pants etc.” I wrote back (quite quickly) saying: “That's a good one! I could have fun with that. Thanks!”   So that is exactly what we are going to cover on today’s episode. The good, the bad, the awkward and the comfort or working from home.   I have been working from home on and off (mostly on) since 2010 and I have made some mistakes along the way that I like to think I have learned from. I have also made some advances in my setup, my workspace, my gear and my work hours over those years. Along with some help from a few articles, I found at Forbes and Inc.com, I will now endeavour to help you avoid the mistakes that I have made.   Working from home is great on so many levels. Not having to commute saves money and time and can actually make you happier (as we learned in the episode at workplacehero.me/commute). A plethora of free tools make it dead simple to check in with a decentralized office or teammates that may also be working in their homes, scattered around the globe. And… yes, if you want to work in sweatpants or pajamas, you certainly can. I don’t do it often but I have been known to rock the old sweat-shorts.   But there are challenges, as well. How do you keep from getting distracted by things like dirty dishes or that pile of laundry? How do you handle a spouse, partner or roommate who also happens to be home during the day? Also, how the heck do you get anything done if you have kids around?   I may not have (or have found in my research) all the answers but here is a decent list to start with.   1. Make A To Do List: First, go to workplacehero.me/todo and listen to that episode. Now, identify what needs to get done every day and make sure to do it. As long as I have a plan on how to complete the list of daily tasks on my personal to-do list, it doesn't matter if or how I may be interrupted or what my actual work hours are, as long as I get things done by the end of my day.   2. Use the cloud: Klaus Sonnenleiter, president and CEO of Franklin Lakes, insists that important documents need to be uploaded to a cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. This way you can log in from anywhere and never need to worry about having your files with you. That can come in very handy for those of us who like to get out of the house occasionally and work from a coffee shop or shared workspace. No need to drag along external hard drives.    3. Get dressed: I find that the most important thing for me is to keep a regular routine and that means that I shower and dress every day as if I were going to an actual office. Getting dressed makes the home office feel more like a real office and it reminds everyone, especially you, that even though you may be sitting at the kitchen table staring at your laptop, that you are actually indeed working.   4. Don't let friends or family members interrupt you: Boundaries are only as effective as they are enforced. I have joked for years now about getting a hat that says “I am at work” that I can put on to remind my partner that I am indeed “at work” even if I am standing at the window staring at the trees. I have not invested in said hat yet but I do get great results for a quick “working”.   Catherine Simms, co-founder of the company Whiner & Diner, also has this advice to avoid drop-in visitors. "I just tell them that it is not a good time [and] over the weekend would be better," she says. She also instructs them to call first to see if she's home. Then when they do she doesn't pick up, at least during work hours.   Here's an idea from John Meyer, CEO of Miramar. He advises that you hang or tape coloured construction paper on your office door. Tape the red paper up when you cannot be disturbed and the green paper when it's OK to come in. Yellow paper means to check first. He ads that kids, no matter what age, understand this message and actually kind of enjoy playing along.   5. Get out of the house occasionally: Even in the most awesome of home offices we can fall into a routine, and a routine is the enemy of creativity. Changing your environment, even just for a day, brings new types of input and stimulation, which in turn stimulates creativity and inspiration.   It sounds counter-intuitive, but working from a bustling coffee shop or a shared work space can be less distracting than working from a quiet office. Being surrounded by awesome team- and officemates means being interrupted for water cooler chats and work questions. Being interrupted kills productivity. The coffee shop environment combines the benefit of anonymity with the dull buzz of exciting activity. Unlike working at home, with the ever-present black hole of solitude and procrastination, a coffee shop provides the opportunity of human interaction, but on your terms.   6. Invest in creating a comfortable office: Deb McAlister-Holland, a freelance marketing professional in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, says the $5,000 she spent remodeling her home office was the best thing she ever did to increase her productivity. I agree! I love my current home office. I have a sit-stand desk from ikea, some awesome 1950s robot artwork on my walls, a ton of plants, plenty of natural light and a lot of storage space to keep everything neat and tidy.   I would encourage you all to establish a few different working locations around the house as well. One where you can stand, one where you can sit, even one where you can squat or kneel. If there is one thing we have learned in the past 14 episodes of this podcast it is that we need to vary our body position as often as possible throughout the day - so take the time to establish that in your work habitat so it is easy and automatic rather than a chore to relocate depending on your task.   7. Be clear about your working hours: This was a big lesson for me. For a couple years I never felt like I was actually off the clock because there wasn’t a clock for me to be on. This is really not good for your nervous system. You know when the doctor refers to “low level stress?” Well, this is it and it ain’t good.   At first, you can even go as far as to post your hours of operation on your home office door (or laptop lid), as with any brick and morter office and stick to those hours. Indicate in your email signature, your Skype status, and your voicemail what your hours of operation are, and again - stick to them. As tempting as it is to check your work email before bed - don’t do it! Stick to your business hours.   8. Pretend you're not home: During those work hours, don't answer your home phone (if you still have one of those) or the door during business hours (unless you are expecting a delivery). This way, you are never tempted to chat or take time off or slack off in any way. This is a good strategy to stay focussed and on task.   9. Don't go to non-work appointments in the middle of the day: I’ve heard some people say that they try to make doctor and dentist appointments just as they would in a company office, first thing in the morning, last thing in the day to minimize disruptions of their work. Personally, I think this is one of the perks of working from home - I can do stuff when the line-ups are shorter, the waiting rooms are empty and the streets are less crowded. I’ll leave this one up to you guys to decide which is best for you but personally going to a matinee on a Wednesday afternoon is one of the reasons I dig being a freelance, work from home, contract monkey.   10. Get some in-person time with co-workers: For about 18 months I worked full-time for a distributed company. By distributed, I mean that we had no office to go to… even if we wanted to. We kept in touch via email and conferencing software called Zoom. We had retreats  and a conference once a year but aside from that, we never saw each other face-to-face. That really took a toll on both our camaraderie and our communication. I don’t work full-time for that company anymore but I heard the other day that they have gotten themselves some primo office space and are encouraging team members to start using it. I think this is a great move. In-person meetings are important, now and then.   11. Use Video Conferencing whenever possible: Like I just said, while it's ideal if you can occasionally meet in-person with coworkers, sometimes it's not possible because teams are separated by geography. In that case, video chatting is the next best thing. There are tons of versions out there and many of them are free to use. I like Zoom and Skype but I know a lot of people who use Google Hangouts as well. Choose the platform that works best for you and team and encourage everyone to turn on the camera… no matter what state their hair may be in.   12. Enjoy your flexibility: Just like my affinity for Wednesday afternoon matinees, if you find your focus wavering you can always just take a break with a bike ride, a long walk, or even by throwing in the towel and quitting work for the rest of the day. That's according to Patti Hill, founder and managing director of Penman PR. She says “Because my work schedule can be as flexible as I need it to be, sometimes it's important to walk away, it's amazing what a cool dip on a hot day can do for helping boost the creative juices."   13. Stay out of the kitchen: This is a dirty little secret of noobie telecommuters, but it can be like the freshman 15 all over again. I shudder at the thought of how many times I opened the fridge that first year I was working from home. Like many of the things I have mentioned so far, this takes discipline but it is important and worthwhile. Sticking to a meal schedule is as important as sticking to a work schedule. Go for a walk or do some stretching when you feel the need to procrastinate rather than grabbing a snack. Movement will help boost your mood and creativity where snacking will just make you feel sleepy and perhaps even ashamed.   14. Buy a noise-cancelling headset with a mute button: The last thing you want is to be in an online meeting and have the doorbell ring or police sirens blaring the background. "Perception is reality," says New York City-based Jonathan Vlock, co-Founder of the meal-planning app Cooking Planit. You want people to think you run a tight ship, and have all of the necessary resources at your fingertips. This is especially critical when you are an entrepreneur talking to someone at a larger organization. People can't visualize your home but they can certainly visualize an office, and that is exactly what you want them to [see and hear].   This can also be an issue when taking a call or meeting when you are working at a coffee shop. As much as you like to give the air of being the creative type who can work anywhere, it is often more important to give the air of a professional who takes their work seriously. Using a good set up headphones and learning how to toggle the mute button can go a long way.   15. Check in with co-workers and the boss several times a day: Several years ago I worked for a small company that let me telecommute a few times a week. Because I wanted everyone in the office to know I was really working and not napping (which honestly I sometimes did), I made a point of emailing and calling co-workers and especially my boss a few times a day. And actually, now that I think about it, they called and emailed me more often on those days as well. Heh.   16. Set aside a specific place exclusively for work: You’ll be able to deduct it from your taxes and, as we have talked about already, it will help you psychologically. As Richard Eisenberg wrote in Secrets of Claiming a Home-Office Deduction, although an estimated 26 million Americans have home offices, only 3.4 million taxpayers claimed their home-office deductions. Eisenberg notes that many people with home offices skip the tax breaks because they're worried the write-offs will spark a tax audit. That’s not really the case these days. Don’t be a chump! Write that sucker off.   17. Accept that your rise to the top might be thwarted, or do something to fight back. I feel like this is changing nowadays but some employers still think that you can't really manage others when you work from home. I think they’re probably right on some levels. Being a boss means face-time. But even getting promoted often gets tied up in the out-of-sight out-of-mind factor. To combat that, I suggest you make a diligent effort to show-up on a regular basis for meetings and other office gatherings. If you make a big enough splash on those occasions, it will be harder for you to be out-of-mind even when you are out-of-sight.   18. Force yourself to be an extrovert. Working remotely can prevent you from building workplace relationships and chances to meet new people in an office — those things rarely happen when you work from home. This is a bit of an intangible loss, but, again, push yourself to get out of the house, and squeeze in a lunch, or coffee with colleagues or friend and even bosses. I found joining a running club and teaching some evening swim classes greatly reduced the chances of me becoming a weird hermit that never spoke out-loud to anyone… other than the cat.   19. Take an aggressive stance on taxes and retirement savings. When you work for yourself, this is essential since you don't have an employer’s plan to automatically set funds aside for you. Get some good financial advice (probably not from me or this podcast) and follow it. I have been stunned at the end of the year with a crippling tax bill more than once. Now, I plan ahead. I encourage you tip skip the part where you are stunned and get right to the part where you have it under control.   Ok… now that I have brought up taxes, it is probably time to bring up your homework.   Feel free to choose any of the items on the list and implement it right away but in my experience the biggest challenge and hurdle for most people who work from home is sticking to a schedule. So, your homework is to write down your “office hours” post them somewhere and stick to them rigidly for the next 5 days. It’s ok if you need to adjust them based on your workload but treat them the same way you would if you had an office job… and don’t be the lone person still sitting in their cubicle when the janitorial staff come in. Trust me. No one likes that person. Not even the janitor.   Do you have any great tips for your fellow Workplace Heros? If so, head over to workplacehero.me/home and leave them in the comments section. It’s a little lonely over there right now so let’s see if we can’t brighten it up a little bit. That’s workplacehero.me/home   From my experience, to work from home on a regular basis, you must be well-organized, have time management skills and be a self-starter. Not everyone is hardwired that way. It’s important to be honest with yourself before you take the leap. Even if you are hardwired that way, you may still have to make rules, exert some discipline and for goodness sake - put on some pants!   **   Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in gorgeous Vancouver BC. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today Heroic idea came from Instagram follower WholeDoods with inspiration from Inc and Forbes.com. Shownotes for this podcast episode can be found at www.workplacehero.me/home   Now go make this week count!  

Guest Hero: Elle Russ, writer, actor, life coach and host of The Primal Blueprint Podcast. Human-factors engineering, also called ergonomics or human engineering, is the science dealing with the application of information on physical and psychological characteristics to the design of devices and systems for human use. Over at WorkSafeBC.com (the Workers’ Compensation Board in the Canadian province of British Columbia) they say: Ergonomics matches workplace conditions and job demands to a person's capabilities, to improve worker safety and productivity. Applying the science of ergonomics can be especially helpful in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSI), which is the most common work-related injury in B.C. What is a musculoskeletal injury, you ask? Well, Musculoskeletal injury (MSI) is an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue including a sprain, strain and inflammation, that may be caused or aggravated by work. MSIs can affect the body’s soft tissues: the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, as well as the joints of the neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, legs, feet and back. The main physical risk factors for MSIs associated with the demands of a job include: - Force: exerting force on an object as part of a task - Repetition: doing a task that uses the same muscles over and over with little chance for rest or recovery - Work posture: the position of different parts of the body when taken outside of the comfortable range of motion (awkward posture); usually combined with static posture (i.e., holding a posture for a long time) - Local contact stress: a hard or sharp object coming in contact with the skin For each of these risk factors, it is important to consider magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure. Just as a proper diet is made up of a vast array of nutritional components, proper alignment is made up of nutritional loads – varying, unique deformations to the physical structure that result in a particular genetic expression that deems your structure. -- Katy Bowman Important links: Our guest Hero's website: www.elleruss.com The article at WorkSafeBC.com Katy Bowman's article on called Thinking Outside the Chair

Guest Hero: Dr. Alessandra Wall, Ph.D. - Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Life in Focus Therapy When negative events or mistakes happen, positive self-talk simply seeks to bring the positive out of the negative to help you do better, go further, or keep moving forward. The practice of positive self-talk is often the process that allows you to discover the hidden optimism, hope, and joy in any given situation. Along with a few other little added benefits like altering the expression of genes, strengthening areas in our frontal lobes and promoting the brain’s cognitive functioning. A few episodes ago, we were talking about To Do Lists (find that at www.workplacehero.me/todo) and I said: “It might not seem like much, but self-talk is a really important part of our self-esteem and confidence. By working on getting more positive self-talk, you’re more likely to get things done and feel more in control of stuff that’s going on in your life.” After that episode came out, I received three messages from listeners wanting to know more about “positive self talk” and how they can use it in the work and life. One fellow was having trouble seeing the positive side of some major setbacks at work and felt stuck in an extremely negative loop in his head. A young woman wrote in saying that she gets stressed out way too easily and thought that positive self talk could help her. Another woman wrote in saying that she manages a large team and was wondering how she could use positive language as a motivator. Well, I wrote back to all three of those people and told then that I would put it on the list. Well, today is when I put my money where my mouth is. Yup, today is all about language. And I don’t mean english versus Español versus Française. I mean both the positive and the negative kind of language we use on ourselves and our coworkers and how it affects all of us. Links: Common Thought Distortions (pdf) Life in Focus (our Guest Hero's website) Using Positive Language (article by Robert Bacal) Word Can Change Your Brain (book by Andrew Newberg, M.D., and Mark Robert Waldman) How To Turn 11 Everyday Phrases from Negative to Positive (article by Elana Goldberg)

Hello, My Workplace Heros. Brock Armstrong here, in a totally stripped down version of the podcast today because I am currently out of the office. Actually, you can think of this episode as my podcasting Out Of Office reply. I am spending the week at my mom’s house, visiting her, my sister, my niece and nephew and giving myself some downtime before I present at Western Canada’s first ever Podcast Summit in Calgary Alberta. I am doing a presentation of how to edit your podcast with style. And… er… I hope they don’t listen to this episode before my presentation… not exactly my best work. Ha ha! Anyway, since I am trying to walk the walk and not just talk the talk about being a Workplace Hero, I thought I would make this podcast a quick and clear lesson on Work Life Balance. Over at the Canadian Mental Health Association’s website they have a Work-Life Balance Quiz and I thought it would be fun to take it together. The website asks: Do you find it difficult to balance the different roles in your life? If so, you’re not alone – 58% of Canadians report “overload” as a result of the pressures associated with work, home and family, friends, physical health, volunteer and community service. Let’s take the quiz to see if we’re in balance. After I ask each question, make a mental note if you answered yes to the question. Keep track of how many yes-es (or agrees) you had and I will tell you at the end how well you did. Disclaimer This is not a scientific test. Information provided is not a substitute for professional advice. If you feel that you may need advice, please consult a qualified health care professional. 1. I feel like I have little or no control over my work life 2. I regularly enjoy hobbies or interests outside of work 3. I often feel guilty because I can’t make time for everything I want to 4. I frequently feel anxious or upset because of what is happening at work 5. I usually have enough time to spend with my loved ones 6. When I’m at home, I feel relaxed and comfortable 7. I have time to do something just for me every week 8. On most days, I feel overwhelmed and over-committed 9. I rarely lose my temper at work 10. I never use all my allotted vacation days 11. I often feel exhausted – even early in the week 12. Usually, I work through my lunch break 13. I rarely miss out on important family events because of work 14. I frequently think about work when I’m not working 15. My family is frequently upset with me about how much time I spend working Ok - now, what your score means. 0 – 5: Your life is out of balance – you need to make significant changes to find your equilibrium. But you can take control! 6 – 10: You’re keeping things under control – but only barely. Now is the time to take action before you’re knocked off balance. In case you were wondering, I scored a 9 so this is my category. 11 – 15: You’re on the right track! You’ve been able to achieve work/life balance – now, make sure you protect it There you go! I hope you found that helpful. Now I am going to put down this computer and go play some street hockey with my sister’s kids. Go Oilers! I'll be back next week with a real podcast, I promise.

Hello, my law enforcement luminaries, military magnates, healthcare heavyweights, service station superstars, transportation troubadours, fire stations favourites, and call centre conquerors. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am… not the Workplace Hero. Not yet, anyway. If I am doing my job correctly, you and I are both slowly but surely, episode by episode, becoming a Workplace Hero. You can think of me as your partner in this endeavour or maybe your information funnel, conduit… or crazy straw? According to NSF's 2005 Sleep in America poll, 14% of North Americans take part in what is called shift work. Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of, or provide service across, all 24 hours of the clock each day of the week (often abbreviated as 24/7). The practice typically sees the day divided into set periods of time (shifts) during which different groups of workers perform their duties. Shift work often involves evening or night shifts, early morning shifts, and rotating shifts. Many industries rely heavily on shift work, among them is: Emergency responders & health care, Hospitality, Logistics, Manufacturing, Military, Public utilities & power, Telecommunications & media, Transportation, and Security, just to name a few. The term "rotational shiftwork" covers a wide variety of work schedules and implies that shifts rotate or change according to a set schedule. These shifts can be either continuous, running 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, or semi-continuous, running 2 or 3 shifts per day with or without weekends. As you probably already imagined, compared to their day shift counterparts, shift workers are more likely to suffer from insomnia as well as excessive daytime sleepiness (61% vs. 47% and 30% vs. 18% respectively). I actually coach a shift worker over at SkywalkerFitness.ca. She is a pretty darn competitive marathon runner who works a rotational shift and we really have had to fight an uphill battle in terms of energy levels and the ability to do the prescribed workouts. There is also the challenge of keeping her feeling good and overcoming some of the hormonal fluctuations that tend to occur during night shifts. Then there are some serious issues that creep up when you’ve thrown a curve ball at your circadian rhythm like you do on a night shift. And there have been several studies on this. Here are a few. They did a study in the Journal of Workplace Health and Safety on the police and found that police officers who are working at night or on an evening shift basically had lower serotonin levels than their non-evening working counterparts. And serotonin is one of our measurements of happiness and also our ability to do things like be motivated to exercise. It is also very helpful in helping reduce appetite cravings. In the International Journal of Cancer, it was reported that a woman’s risk of breast cancer increases by 30% from night shift work. And a big part of that is because of hormonal fluctuations in particular, estrogen dominance, with estrogen being a pro-growth hormone that can increase when your circadian rhythms are thrown off. There is another study in the Science of Translational Medicine which found that night shift style work can increase your likelihood of developing diabetes or becoming obese. This was a relatively small study with only 21 individuals but it found that circadian disruption can cause some serious issues with insulin sensitivity. So that again, throws a curve ball if you’re trying to lose weight or even maintain your body weight while you’re working night shifts. Another paper in the British Medical Journal found that working night shifts could cause you to be more likely to have a heart attack. Particularly ischemic strokes and coronary events were found to be higher in people who were working night shifts. A paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Health Sciences found that shift workers had decreased sensitivity to leptin when working at night. Leptin is the hormone that plays a pretty significant role in regulating your weight and appetite as well as your blood sugar and insulin levels. Working in shifts can nearly double your risk of suffering a workplace injury and that’s because of the drowsiness, the fatigue and the lack of focus that can occur when you are working with no exposure to natural light or in any situation where our brains have been ancestrally programmed that they should be asleep. So, am I basically saying that shift workers are screwed then? Well, I don’t wanna sound harsh but yes, to a certain extent, you have to accept the fact that if you are going to work night shifts, your hormones and metabolism are going to, as they say, take a hit. But, the fact that you have an important and noble job or that you’re making more money per hour may outweigh many of those drawbacks. There is a risk vs. reward benefit especially if that’s how you are paying the bills and putting food on your table. And speaking of bills and food, keep in mind the benefits of not having to grocery shop on an evening or weekend, commute during rush hour both ways, or fight the lineup at the movie theatre on a Saturday night. Having your life be upside down or backwards can have its advantages too! Now, let’s take a closer look at the issues and what you heroic shift working maniacs can do about them. Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia and excessive sleepiness affecting people whose work hours overlap with the typical sleep period. Over at sleepfoundation.org they say that while shift work does create potential productivity advantages, it also has many inherent risks. Some of the most serious and persistent problems shift workers face are frequent sleep disturbance and associated excessive sleepiness. Sleepiness and fatigue in the work place can lead to poor concentration, absenteeism, accidents, errors, injuries, and fatalities. The issue becomes more alarming when you consider that shift workers are often employed in the most dangerous of jobs, such as firefighting, emergency medical services, law enforcement and security. Managers and policy makers who are responsible for writing and enforcing rules regarding employee work hours must address the specific issues of a 24-hour work force in order to succeed and benefit from such a labor force. Although addressing these issues may require some investment up front for training and other measures, the bottom line is that improved sleep in workers may lead to improved productivity. In fact, to ignore the needs of the shift worker is reckless and irresponsible when you consider that billions of dollars in yearly costs, thousands of deaths, and some of the most notorious of modern catastrophes such as the failure of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the crash of the Exxon Valdez have been attributed to human fatigue. According to the International Classifications of Sleep Disorders, shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Circadian rhythm refers to the ~24hr rhythmic output of the human biological clock. It is considered a disorder because of the frequency with which people suffer from sleep disturbance and excessive sleepiness in trying to adapt to a shift work schedule. The main complaint for people with shift work sleep disorder is excessive sleepiness. But other symptoms include: -Insomnia, -Disrupted sleep schedules, -Reduced performance, -Difficulties with personal relationships, -Irritability and depressed mood. Unfortunately, treatment for shift work sleep disorder is limited. Both behavioural and pharmacological remedies can help alleviate symptoms but some research indicates that the body may never fully adapt to shift work, especially for those who switch to a normal sleep schedule as part of their regular rotation. But there are ways of rocking it while doing shift work. Here are some tips for staying alert on the job: - Avoid long commutes and extended hours. - Take short nap breaks throughout the shift. - Work with others to help keep you alert. - Try to be active during breaks (e.g., take a walk, shoot hoops in the parking lot, or even exercise in the break room). - Drink a caffeinated beverage (coffee or tea) to help maintain alertness during the shift. - Don't leave the most tedious or boring tasks to the end of your shift when you are apt to feel the drowsiest. Night shift workers are most sleepy around 4-5 a.m. - Keep your workplace brightly lighted to promote alertness. Circadian rhythms are the body's internal clock that tells us when to be awake and when to sleep. These rhythms are controlled by a part of the brain that is influenced by light. Being exposed to bright light when you start your "day" can help train your body's internal clock to adjust. - And most importantly, exchange ideas with your colleagues on ways to cope with the problems of shift work. Set up a support group at work so that you can discuss these issues and learn from each other. And speaking of staying alert - on the day when your night shift cycle is complete, avoid planning anything important on that day (aside from perhaps a massage or some time with a good book). Acknowledge that you are out of whack (I believe that is the technical term) and that you will need this day to recover and reset. A big question that new or non-shift workers have is: how the heck can you sleep during the day? Well, here are some tips for getting good sleep during the day: - Try not to work a number of night shifts in a row. You may become increasingly more sleep-deprived over several nights on the job. You're more likely to recover if you can limit night shifts and schedule days off in between. - Avoid frequently rotating shifts. If you can't avoid them, it's easier to adjust to a schedule that rotates from day shift to evening to night rather than the reverse order. - Try to avoid long commutes that take time away from sleeping. - Limit caffeine. Drinking a cup of coffee at the beginning of your shift will help promote alertness. But don't consume caffeine later in the shift or you may have trouble falling asleep when you get home. - Avoid bright light on the way home from work, which will make it easier for you to fall asleep once you hit the pillow. Wear dark or yellow tinted, wraparound sunglasses and a hat to shield yourself from sunlight. And don't stop to run errands, as tempting as that may be. - Stick to a regular sleep-wake schedule as much as you can. Find the times that work best for you for each rotation of your shift work and use them every time that rotation comes up. - Ask your family or roommates to limit phone calls and visitors during your sleep hours. - Use blackout blinds or heavy curtains to block sunlight when you sleep during the day. Sunlight is a potent stimulator of the circadian rhythm, and even if your eyes are closed, the sunlight coming into the room tells your brain that it's daytime. Yet your body is exhausted and you're trying to sleep. That discrepancy is not a healthy thing for the body to be exposed to. - Eliminate noise and light from your sleep environment (use eye masks and ear plugs). - Avoid alcohol; although it may seem to improve sleep initially, alcohol is known to inhibit the most restful part of the sleep cycle so you will wake up not feeling as rested as you would want to be. For some shift workers, napping is essential. It can be extremely effective at eliminating fatigue-related accidents and injuries and reducing workers compensation costs. Although most employers do not allow napping in the workplace, a ban on napping may soon prove to be a legal liability. Thus, efforts to make workplace policies nap-friendly may soon gain popularity as the issue increases in global significance. Light therapy can be very helpful as well. Studies show that timed exposure to bright light can be used to adjust your body's sleep cycle. Artificial bright light can affect the body clock in the same way that sunlight does. Light therapy is used to expose your eyes to intense but safe amounts of light. This is done for a specific and regular length of time. In general, using light treatment in the evening should help someone who regularly works nights. In this case, you would also want to avoid daylight when you come off work and are ready to go to bed. Light boxes sessions may take as little as 15 to 30 minutes. More than one session may be needed each day. It depends upon your body, your need, and the strength of light being used. The key is to use the light at the right time of day and for the right amount of time. A sleep specialist can help you develop a light therapy plan that will be both helpful and safe. There are a few supplements and medications that can help with the issues associated with shift work. Melatonin may increase sleep length during both daytime and nighttime sleep in people who work night shifts. A medication called Zopiclone has also been investigated as a potential treatment, but it is unclear if it is actually effective in increasing daytime sleep time in shift workers. There are however no reports of side effects unlike using something like NyQuil or Benadryl to knock yourself out. Modafinil and R-modafinil are useful to improve alertness and reduce sleepiness in shift workers. Modafinil has a low risk of abuse compared to other similar agents. However, 10% more people reported side effects, nausea and headache, while taking Modafinil. The European Medicines Agency withdrew the license for Modafinil for shift workers for the European market because it judged that the benefits did not outweigh the side effects. So, use this one with caution. As I said earlier, using caffeine has also been shown to reduce errors made by shift workers. Over at HealthFitnessRevolution.com they have this list of the healthiest way to get caffeine. Green Tea: Most varieties have a lower caffeine content at about 25mg per 8oz cup but that’s enough to clear out the cobwebs but not enough to have you wired all night. The benefits of green tea are the flavonoids boost immunity, it has been shown to aid in weight loss, and antioxidants even have anti-aging effects to keep free radicals at bay. Espresso: A smooth, robust, and aromatic shot of espresso is a great way to get caffeine if you need it, like, now. It is also super low calorie and full of anti-oxidants. Unsweetened Iced Tea: A glass of unsweetened iced tea has about 47mg of caffeine. Instead of adding sugar (which will increase the likelihood of a crash) spruce it up with some lemon or a natural sweetener like Stevia. Matcha: A type of stone-ground Japanese green tea, Matcha is different than its other green teas. It doesn’t need to be steeped because it is ground into a fine super green powder. It has an umami taste and sometimes a sweetness, due to the high amino acid count. The high L-theanine content in Matcha gives a calming effect and the 25 mg of caffeine per scoop energize you. The result is a clear-headed serenity that allows you to focus on your work without jitters. Oh, The Vitamin C, antioxidants, magnesium and Zinc are good for you as well. Guarana Berries: These little guys are found in the Amazon and pack quite a punch. Each one contains about twice the amount of caffeine found in coffee beans. They are available in extracted form or herbal teas. Yerba Mate: Another herb found in the Amazon and popular throughout South America, yerba mate is an energizing and social drink. Plain Black Coffee: The classic for a reason. Coffee has a high caffeine content and is low in calories, so long as fatty creamers and sugary syrups are avoided. Earl Grey Tea: This classic cuppa gives you about half of the caffeine of a cup of coffee but is filled with antioxidants. The aromatic bergamot used to make the tea also has calming properties that relieve stress and anxiety. Or good old Dark Chocolate: Not just a delicious dessert, dark chocolate also contains a smidgen of caffeine. It is also known to reduce cholesterol, promote weight loss, and can help brain function. Eating well is both an issue and a solution to some shift work challenges. Stomach problems are common in shift workers and many shift workers eat poorly and at odd times. Try to eat three regular meals spaced evenly over the course of your day (what ever your day may be). Regular meal times are important for your body because they serve as time cues for your body’s clock and these cues help your body know when to make you sleepy. Avoid eating a lot of snacks and fast foods. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, protein and un-processed foods. You may feel tempted to grab an energy bar, sugary snack or simple carbs to get that quick boost of energy but remember that every high has an equal (or greater) crash associated with it that can leave you in worse shape than you were before. Think of yourself as a strong, slow burning fire (sorry first responders). You want to use the big logs and keep them going through the night to avoid burning up more kindling once you have’ve got it burning. In this analogy, healthy protein, fat and complex carbs are the big logs and sugary fruit, processed carbs and junk food are the kindling. Workplace conditions are very important as well. While this is not possible in every situation, your employer should strive to create a work environment that will promote safety. This is even more important for those working the night shift. The workplace should be bright and cool. This will help workers to be more alert on the job. Don’t be afraid to discuss with your employer any changes that need to be made in your workspace - especially during the night. Safety can be increased without losing any productivity. Ok. Now your homework. The next time you work a night shift and are headed home to bed, I want you to incorporate at least two things for this list: 1. Use curtains with block-out backing or blinds or cover the windows with black plastic garbage bags to reduce the light level in your bedroom during the day, 2. Make sure the temperature in the bedroom isn’t too warm because cool conditions help you get to sleep and stay asleep, 3. Try to make your bedroom as soundproof as possible. Use a white noise generator (there are a bunch of smart phone apps for that) or air conditioner or fan can help mask external noise. Earplugs help too. 4. Put your phone on Airplane Mode and put a notice on your bedroom door to let people know you’re sleeping and that they should keep it down, and ask other household members to use headphones for the TV and stereo while you’re asleep. 5. Plan what we call in our shift-working household your “dinner/breakfast” before you go to bed so you are not worried or hurried when you wake up. Better yet, offload that chore to a spouse, child or helpful roommate. With some planning, some purchasing, some research and maybe some help from your doctor, you should be able to make this upside down lifestyle work for you. And if it simply isn’t working for you, there is no shame in admitting it. Many of us aren’t brave enough to even give it a try in the first place. It isn’t just the blood and guts that kept me from becoming an EMT and working in digital media instead. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in rainy downtown Vancouver. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s heroic topic is courtesy my own personal ER Nurse and research partner, Eleanor Cohen. Who, when she wakes up, will go and make this week count!

Guest Hero: Ben Greenfield. Fitness, nutrition and human performance consultant at BenGreenfieldFitness.com Hello, my cubicle cardio, open space sit-ups, corner office chin-ups, home den dips, and coffee shop sprinters. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am not the Workplace Hero. Nor am I the Workspace Guru, the Office Space Sage, or the Business Space Mentor. We are in this together, me and you. One podcast at a time. Improving our lives and hopefully dragging a few of our co-workers with us. Now, as we warm-up for our main-set (do you like my athlete lingo there?), I want to thank some true heroes - the folks who have left reviews for this podcast in iTunes. Thank you to: AstridH77, TreeClown, Westcoastlistener, JW108, WallyPhD, KristenStaite, and Kdigitty108 for leaving all 5 star reviews along with some helpful feedback as well. I truly appreciate it — and, if you are a podcast listener I know you have heard this a million times - but leaving a review really does help new listeners find the podcast. Plus it makes me feel good and serves as a form of payment for the hours per week that I spend putting these episodes together. Think of it this way: if you can’t put dollars in my pocket, you can put some love in my heart. Ok! On with the show. I found a great list of “5 Horrible Exercise Excuses” over at wellnessmama.com and and a few more over at BreakingMuscle.com that I think sum up the top excuses that I have also heard over my years of being a Fitness Coach. They are: Excuse #1: I’m too Busy Yes. I get that you are busy. I don’t pretend to be the busiest person in the world and I’ve even used this excuse. But I bet if you were to truly track how you use every minute of your day, you could find a spare 20 minutes… probably more. Remember in the last podcast episode at workplacehero.me/distractions how we learned that we check our smart phones 105 times per day? If we have time to check our phones every 6 minutes, surely we can get up and break a sweat occasionally too… right? Excuse #2: It’s too Expensive If you think the only way to get fit is to join an expensive gym, buy a bunch of fancy equipment, or hire a personal trainer then, yeah it’s probably too expensive for most of us. Good news is, later in this episode you will learn that you don’t need any of that to exercise. You truly only need your body and some inspiration. And maybe an old pair of shorts. Excuse #3: I’m in Pain Yes, this excuse does have merit if you are injured or dealing with chronic pain - you do not want to “push through it”. We here at Workplace Hero do not believe in “no pain, no gain” but most injuries can be handled appropriately with some modification, adaptation, or simply choosing a different way to exercise. If you are dealing with chronic pain you may also want to consider the very real possibility that your inactive lifestyle is contributing to or perhaps even causing the chronic pain. Excuse #4: I Move Enough Already This was my excuse for a while too because I worked in an old building with very few washrooms and only one extremely slow elevator. I hear this excuse from new parents as well. Don’t get me wrong: If you have an active job or lifestyle that keeps you on your feet then you are doing better than a lot of people out there… but there is still something mentally and emotionally rewarding about YOU, focusing on YOUR body, through YOUR own dedicated workout - not simply as a byproduct of having hyper kids, a slavedriver boss or having to take 4 flights of stairs every time you have to pee. Excuse #5: I Don’t Like it At the heart of so many of these excuses is this: Exercise isn’t fun. It’s boring. It’s uncomfortable. And believe me, I tried a variety of things before I found something that really “fit” for me too. It took me a while to figure it out and, get this, it keeps changing. For a while I loved running, then I rediscovered hockey, then triathlon, then you couldn’t keep me out of the pool, then obstacle courses and now I am addicted to lifting heavy stuff. There are so many options - don’t let your preconceived notions of how boring it is to pump iron or how strange you feel taking yoga stop you for digging into an evening shinny game or a lunch hour power walk. Excuse #6: I’m Too Old No one is too old to exercise. Walking is exercise. Yoga is exercise. There are so many forms of exercise to choose from, ranging from low impact to high impact to mobility to balance to strength training. There are even classes specifically designed for seniors. A great place to start looking for classes that fit your age and ability is your local YMCA. Excuse #7: I Have a Bad Back Unless the doctor tells you to just lay in bed, activity is the best way to keep your back limber, to strengthen it, and to prevent additional pain. Dr. Ullrich, a board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon and medical director of Spine-health states “bed rest for more than a day or two can actually undermine healing.” But here is a PSA: If you suffer from back pain, see a doctor or physical therapist for a correct diagnosis, as well as for specific exercises and stretches to help alleviate pain. Don’t be a wimp but also don’t be an idiot. Excuse #8: I Am Too Fat You have to start somewhere, right? Believing that you are too overweight to exercise is like saying you're too skinny to eat. Your body needs exercise just the way your body needs food. No matter what number you are on a scale, you can do someth ing to start the process of strengthening your bones and joints for the load that they're carrying. If you are extremely self-concious, you can workout at home. Please don’t fall into the trap of believing that exercise has to hurt or make you sweaty and out of breath to be effective. Exercise is often a matter of just moving more. It doesn’t need to be a difficult class in the gym or excessive time spent lifting weights. Start small and work your way up to more challenge and volume in activity only when you’re ready to do so. And lastly, this has to be my favourite excuse of all. And by favourite, I don’t mean that I like it. Excuse #9: I’m Skinny, So I Don’t Need to Exercise Gah! As a species we have to stop confusing exercise with weight loss. They are not the same thing! There are so many benefits we get from exercise - weight loss is only one and honestly, it is by far the smallest one as well. Most weight loss experts will tell you that results are 80% from diet and only 20% from exercise. Yes, lean mass is usually associated with better health, but it is not an indicator of your organ health, lipids levels, or insulin sensitivity. Exercise is not just to keep our weight down, and let’s try to to disassociate weight loss from fitness. Weight loss is a number, fitness is a process that benefits our entire body and mind. Ok. Enough with the excuses! Let’s talk about why you would want to exercise in the first place. If it isn’t that great of a way to lose weight, what is it good for? Well, the body is a complex thing and a lot (and I mean A LOT) happens in your body when you first start working out. Let’s take a look at just a few. Starting with changes in your muscles, which use glucose and a thing called ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) for contraction and movement. To create more ATP, your body needs extra oxygen, so breathing increases and your heart starts pumping more blood to your muscles. Then, as you workout, tiny tears in your muscles occur and make them grow bigger and stronger as those tiny tears heal between exercise sessions. There are also changes in your lungs. As your muscles call for more oxygen (as much as 15 times more oxygen than when you're at rest), your breathing rate increases. Once the muscles surrounding your lungs cannot move any faster, you've reached what's called your VO2 max—your maximum capacity of oxygen use. And, in a nut shell, the higher your VO2 max, the more badass you are. A high V02 max is one of the things Lance Armstrong (no relation) was known for before he got known for that other thing… There are also changes in your heart. Your heart rate increases with physical activity to supply more oxygenated blood to your muscles. The fitter you are, the more efficiently your heart can do this, allowing you to work out longer and harder. As a side effect, this increased efficiency will also reduce your resting heart rate and your blood pressure will decrease as a result of new blood vessels forming. Then there is some fun stuff that happens in your brain as well. As Sarah Klein says in her Huffington Post article, This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Exercise: "When you work out regularly, your brain gets used to this frequent surge of blood and adapts by turning certain genes on or off. Many of these changes boost brain cell function and protect from diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or even stroke, and ward off age-related decline." A number of very cool neurotransmitters are also triggered: endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, and GABA. You may recognize these names because some of these are well-known for their role in mood control and they explain why exercise can be one of the most effective preventions and treatments for anxiety and depression. There are of course also changes that happen in your joints and bones, since exercise can place as much as six times more than your body weight on them. Peak bone mass is achieved in adulthood and then begins a slow decline, but exercise can help you to maintain healthy bone mass as you get older. You have probably heard that weight-bearing exercise is one of the most effective remedies against osteoporosis (better even than your calcium supplement which may actually do more damage than good). In a vast oversimplification, when you are young, your bones are dense but actually somewhat porous and soft, and as you age your bones can easily become less dense and more brittle -- especially if you remain or become inactive. Dr. Joseph Mercola has a great blog post about the benefits of exercise. In it, he says that one of the key health benefits of exercise is that it helps normalize your glucose, insulin, and leptin levels by optimizing insulin/leptin receptor sensitivity. This is perhaps the most important factor for optimizing your overall health and preventing a plethora of chronic diseases. But exercise affects your body in tons of other ways as well, directly and indirectly and even the most surprising side effects are almost universally good ones. For example: Improved sexual function, Changes in gene expression, Clearer skin, Improved mood, and Improved sleep. It’s time to bring in our Guest Hero for the week. To dive even deeper into this subject, I asked Ben Greenfield, for some help. Ben, who is also known as "The Brain" of triathlon, holds a Master's degree in exercise science and biomechanics, an ISSN Sports Nutrition Certification, a Serotta Bike Fit Certification, and the highest attainable certification as a Strength & Conditioning Coach by the NSCA. Ben also has an information packed podcast over at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com (where I was his co-host between 2011 and 2015). I asked Ben for his take on why we need to worry about moving and exercising more in the first place. Why indeed if we aren't going to, say, want to go out and get a six-pack or if we're Batman perhaps a nine-pack abs, or we don't want to go out and do a triathlon or a marathon, should we move and exercise? Well, it seems like there's some kind of evolutionary or ancestral, depending on your bent, advantage to moving. There's a variety of things that happen physiologically when you move, when you exercise, that go way above and beyond just you being able to, say, put on a unitard and go deadlift copious amounts of weight. One would be, and you're probably familiar with this one, is miracle grow for the brain. One of the primary ways you can increase things like the growth of new neurons and improve your intelligence and your memory and your executive function is with movement and specifically exercise. It's something called "brain-derived neurotrophic factor" that gets released when you exercise or BDNF. Originally, it was thought that you could only get that with aerobic exercise like jogging or something like that, but it turns out now, any type of movement. Lifting something heavy, sprinting, anything seems to cause brain growth. That's one thing. Basically you do it so you don't get stupid. There are some obvious de-stressing benefits. We're all familiar with this concept of catharsis and the fact that if you have a lot of cortisol and the subsequent epinephrin and these excitatory neurotransmitters that cortisol is going to release, well if you don't have some kind of an outlet for those, they can often lead to internal stress that builds up, and as farfetched as this may seem, leads to things like ulcers and high blood pressure. In some cases, some have even suggested cancer. This idea of reducing internal stress by moving, by giving yourself an outlet would be another big advantage. Of course, we know that beyond the sinews and the body fat and the big biceps, we have our immune system. Nobody likes to get sick. Well, one of the main ways that you get stuff moving around your body ... One of the reasons I had one of those dorky little mini trampolines here in my office that I'll bounce up and down on sometimes is your lymph flow. It's one of the best ways to clean your body up is to move and to move vigorously and to exercise. Even if you have no desire, again, at all to drop your body fat percentage or to get strong, I would hazard a guess that you probably don't want to get sick, and people who move often tend to have, or do have based on research, stronger immune systems. There's all the side benefits too like happiness and confidence and longevity and all these downstream benefits. I mean, yeah, it goes way beyond just being able to show off at the track. So, the next thing you listeners are probably wondering is why do we modern humans need to think about this. Surely Palaeolithic or even Elizabethan humans didn’t “go to the gym” or play “lunch hour games of horse.” Did they? So, why do we need to worry about this now? Hmm, well first of all, I love that term "Elizabethan human". I'm actually going to be calling myself an Elizabethan human. You have to use "forsooth" all the time if you do that. Yes hello. I am Ben and I'm an Elizabethan human. A pleasure to greet you, good sire. But would you say that this is even more important these days because we're spending so much time ... We wake up, we sit in our car, we sit on the subway. We get to work, we sit at our desk. We get back in the car and we sit there, and then we come home and we sit on the couch in front of the TV. Is this of an even more importance than it has been in the history of humankind because of this sedentary behavior? I mean, it's a tricky question because there's kind of like two replies to that question. One, yeah, of course it is important. The more sedentary you are, the more important it is to figure out how to bookend exercise the beginning or the end of the day. I'd say even that thinking pattern is a little bit flawed. We should instead say, well, now that we're surrounded by all these pieces of furniture and environmental variables, and post-industrial luxuries that allow us to sit and lay down and be still for copious amounts of time ... Perhaps what's best is not to say, okay I'm going to exercise at the beginning or the end of the day. Perhaps instead you're going to say, okay well I'm going to stick it to the man and I'm actually going to figure out how to not use all of these modern things that surround me that allow me to stay in this sedentary position. Right now, Brock, I'm standing. I'm not just standing, I'm standing on this topographical mat that's got bumps in it and little things that I can move my feet around. You've got me beat. My mat is just flat, but I am standing. Oh okay. Perhaps it's at least Elizabethan if not topographical. Forsooth. Yeah…. and so things like treadmills, and I've got a heavy punching bag right next to me here. When I'm on the airplane, I have this rule that every time I go to the bathroom, I'll do 50 squats in the tiny little airplane bathroom, and I don't go for an hour without standing up and stretching and going back and visiting with the flight attendants. When I'm waiting for a plane to fly or waiting for a bus, or waiting in line at the dentist or the doctor, I'm doing little squats and jumping jacks. Moving and staying active and moving that lymph flow and increasing that miracle grow for my brain and increasing my confidence and my happiness and my longevity without necessarily ever stepping foot into a gym. I'd say, yeah it's important to exercise but perhaps it's even more important to figure out ways to hack our environment and set up rules in our lives that allow us to not be stuck sedentary all day long. That's fantastic. That leads directly, it's like you read my mind, into my next question which is what kind of things can we do while we're actually at work, in the office, or in our cubicle or wherever we happen to be working that we can build these kinds of things into our day? Yeah. Well, it's a great question because I don't drive to the gym. I have a gym membership and I go there sometimes to play tennis or to take my kids to jujitsu. The reason for that is because I've set up my environment so that I can exercise at the drop of the hat when the opportunity presents itself. I don't want to spend 10 minutes driving to the gym and 10 minutes going back because that's 20 minutes of exercise and sometimes that's all the time I have period to exercise. Surround yourself with things that allow you to stay active all day long. This morning's a perfect example. Before you and I began to talk on today's show, I had a cancellation. I was supposed to ... I talk with people about their blood, and their biomarkers, and their health, and their sleep, and all sorts of stuff. This guy was going to talk to me and he canceled, that bastard. I have a kettlebell here in my office and I also have this little elliptical trainer type of set up. I did five rounds of a minute, as hard as I could do on the elliptical trainer, and then 30 kettlebell swings. Just back and forth and back and forth. Boom. I found that half hour slot and I got exercise in today that improved my mitochondria and my lymph and everything we just got done talking about, but I squeeze it in right there because I had that stuff right there. That's one thing is to actually surround yourself with things in your office, whether it's a medicine ball, or a stability ball, or a kettlebell, or a heavy punching bag, or some kind of a fancy workout contraption like a walking treadmill desk. It doesn't matter but have it there and have it there top of mind so that at the drop of a hat, you can actually exercise. You can even exercise while you're working. In many cases, I'm on my treadmill while making a phone call. Another thing would be to accept the fact that movement snacks are okay. It's okay- Movement snacks? ... Instead of ... yeah, snacks. Sounds delicious. Movement snacks does not mean you wave your hands around and eat a Twinkie. It means that you're actually snacking on movement all day long. What that means is resist fitting into that status quo, orthodox idea that you have to go to the gym for an hour to exercise. Well who says you can do four 15 minute little snacks throughout the day? By the end of the day, you've done that hour at the gym because you've got this little routine you do that's like, whatever, 15 push ups, 15 squats, 15 crunches, 15 lunges, 15 jumping jacks five times through. That takes you 15 minutes and at a few different times during the day you're going to do that. All of a sudden, you've got these little snacks, these little movements you can rely on. For me, it's usually jumping jacks or burpees. I'll do these little things throughout the day. That's another way that we can squeeze it in. A few other things that I'll do ... I'll say three other things. I start my day with momentum, meaning, when I get out of bed, as the coffee's on or whatever, I'll just do 100 jumping jacks or I'll do a few quick yoga moves or something that gets my brain thinking, oh hey, you started to move today already so you might as well keep doing it. It's this weird psychological trigger that gives me momentum to keep moving the rest of the day. Another thing that I have are a lot of little workouts in my back pocket that I can rely upon based on how I feel. If I'm really tired and I don't feel like exercising, what I'll do is I'll walk out my door 10 minutes and I'll walk back 10 minutes and I'll tell myself, okay, every time I pass a telephone pole, see if I can hold my breath as long as possible. I'm moving, I'm holding my breath, but it's something that I'm like, okay, that's okay, that counts. Even if I'm really tired and I'm having a crappy day, I can at least freaking walk and hold my breath. Then there's other days where I'll have, what I just talked about, where I'll have the kettlebell and the elliptical and that'll be another workout that's a tried and true workout. If you have a few workouts memorized that you can rely upon, what it does is it eliminates decision making fatigue and keeps you from sitting there, rubbing your chin trying to figure out what you're going to do with all this crap that you heard on the podcast that you're supposed to put in your office. You're standing there staring at the medicine ball and the kettlebell and you're like, okay, that's all there but what do I do? Well, if you know, right off the bat you have memorized ... Okay, one of my go-to workouts is I pick up that medicine ball and I lift it above my head 15 times. Then I slam it into the ground 15 times. Then I do 10 push ups and 10 squats and I do that three times through, and that's my workout. That's one of my memorized workouts. I have a few of those that I just have memorized that completely eliminates decision making fatigue that I just know I can go to and I can do that at any given time of the day. I've got a few hard ones and I've got a few easy ones. Then the last thing that I do, because I'm a family man and I would hazard a guess that a lot of busy people are family people, is I don't necessarily forsake the idea or as we would say in Elizabethan terms, forsook the idea that you can exercise with your family. In many cases, I will just ... If my boys get home from school, I'll tell them, "okay guys, let's go out and shoot hoops and you guys are going to play PIG. Dad's going to run up and down the driveway and I'm going to grab one of you each time I get to the top of the driveway, carry you down, carry you up, and then set you down. The other guy shoots hoops and I carry you down, carry you up, and we do that ten times through." Or, "We're going to go on a hike and I'm going to put a heavy rock in my backpack so you can keep up with me and we're just going to hike." For example, I even do those breath hold walks with them. Occasionally, we'll do a few wrestling moves down in the basement and that'll be my workout, is me just moving and having them chase me. We have these Velcro bands we'll attach around our ankles and we'll chase each other around seeing who can get the bands off each other's ankles. We've got Nerf guns that we'll fight with in the house. It doesn't have to involve a barbell or dumbbell or kettlebell for it to count as a workout. It can be just like you running around and fooling around with your kids. That counts. Give yourself permission that that counts. Those are a few ideas. Those are fantastic. I love the idea that it doesn't have to be complicated. I think that a lot of us do have this preconceived notion of exercise needing to be something very structured, something planned, something that happens in the gym, something that involves expensive equipment, expensive outfits, all of that kind of stuff. You're saying that it doesn't have to be that way. Every little bit of movement really counts. Except for as far as expensive outfits go, I do really, really encourage people to get the puffy aerobic socks, and like I mentioned earlier, a unitard. Preferably a leopard print unitard. It just makes you feel really good about yourself as a exerciser if you can do that. You are a child of the 80's so you can't resist. Exactly. Every week on the podcast, I try to give all the listeners, all the workplace heroes out there, a piece of homework that they can build into their day right away and continue for the next five business days to try and build a new habit or break an old habit. Do you have anything that they could start incorporating right away as soon as they finish listening to this podcast? Yeah I do. I was just reading in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research this morning about how beneficial this thing called a hip hinge is. All it involves is ... and you could totally Google this and look up a video or perhaps in the show notes. But you bend forward at the waist and thrust your hips forward as though you were… thrusting your hips forward. I think most people kind of know how to thrust. We have this strange evolutionary mechanism that makes us want to walk around thrusting. Anyways, you thrust your hips forward. You can do it with a weight. A perfect example of this would be a kettlebell swing. It's like the perfect hip thruster activity that is even better than sprinting for your cardiovascular system. My piece of homework for people listening in is to learn how to do a hip hinge, where you bend at the waist and you push your hips forward. You could do it body weight only. If you want bonus points, buy yourself a little kettlebell and learn how to do a hip hinge movement called a "kettlebell swing". Now, whether you do the regular body weight hip hinge or you do the kettlebell swing hip hinge, set a goal for yourself for the next week to do 30 at some point each day. That's it. It will take you a minute or two to do 30. Okay. How about if you had a heavy backpack? Would you be able to grab the top of that and use that instead of a kettlebell? You could use a heavy backpack. You could use a milk jug. You could use a small child. You could use a very large piece of steak. A small co-worker, perhaps. I'll stop before we start to hurt people, but yes, you can use other things. Awesome. I will definitely find a video of that and put it in the show notes over at workplacehero.me/workout Thanks Ben. That was very helpful and informative. It's great to talk to you again. Well, thank you for having me on. It's wonderful to hear your lolling Canadian accent and it's also wonderful to hear that little Elizabethan twinge that you worked in, so thank you. Thanks, eh. Ok. While we all know that staying physically active is essential to a long, healthy, productive life, we don’t often make time for it in our days and I think that is because we really don’t understand exactly what’s happening behind the scenes. Obviously, we know there is a big difference between having a bucket list goal of doing something like running a marathon and simply being a healthy individual who will has both physical freedom now and will be able to enjoy an active retirement. Hopefully this podcast gave you get a better understanding of the whys, the hows and even the whens of exercise so you can seize the moment to grab a movement snack - and make this week count! **** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and original music by my band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s Guest Hero is Ben Greenfield. You can find more about him and his award winning podcast at bengreenfieldfitness.com.

Hello, my cubicle confusers, open space side trackers, corner office orientors, home den distractors, and coffee shop confounders. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am here, deep inside your ears, planting seeds of inspiration, to make you into a Workplace Hero. After you listen to enough of these podcast, I hope to replace the voice of your conscience - “put down that donut and get back to work - when was the last time you got up from your desk - do you really need to be looking at Facebook right now - always take the stairs.” Is that creepy? Maybe a little… anyway… In her book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, Ann Voskamp said that “Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus.” and I agree. It’s when you can truly shut out the world and focus on a problem that the complexity and confusion often falls away. Let’s face it, everything demands our attention these days. It’s not just our family, friends and co-workers but also our phones, our email and our social media that all fight for our attention at any given moment. It can be downright overwhelming at times and makes it really challenging to get focussed and get a job done. Yeah, I know that every generation thinks the one immediately following it is doomed but the cost of these now ingrained distractions to our personal and professional life is well documented. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that it takes a typical office worker 25 minutes to return to the original task after an interruption, and an experiment by the authors of The Plateau Effect: Getting from Stuck to Success found that interruptions decreased work accuracy by a whopping 20%. So, I am not just Grandpa Simpson shaking my fist at a cloud or telling those kids to get off my lawn - being chronically distracted is an actual problem. Before I continue, let me interrupt you for a second… heh… I want encourage you to sign up for the Workplace Hero email newsletter over at workplacehero.me. The sign up form is on the righthand side of the page. Please know that because I believe strongly in the idea of Inbox Zero, you will only receive an email once per week, and it will be short, to the point and easy to delete. Best of all, just for signing up, you will receive a coupon code for 10% off at the online health and fitness store, GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com. Over there they have a huge array of supplements, gear, plans, coaches and clothing that will help keep you healthy and fit. So sign up for the newsletter at workplacehero.me and get your discount code for GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com now. Ok, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, distractions! Over at becomingminimailst.com that have a list of 10 unconventional habits that will help you live life with less distractions: 1. Turn off smart phone notifications. Our smart phones have quickly become one of the greatest sources of distraction in our lives. The average person now checks their mobile phone a hard to believe, 150 times every day (just short of every 6 waking minutes). To limit their distractive nature, turn off all notifications (Email, Facebook, Twitter, Games, even messages, etc.) as your own default setting. As a result, you will be able to check your apps on YOUR schedule at your appointed times throughout the day, not just whenever Aunt Mabel hits reply all on the brunch chain email. 2. Read/Answer email only twice each day. Ok, maybe three times a day. When we keep our email client open all day, we surrender our attention to the most recent bidder rather than the most important. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we understand why the habit of checking email only twice/day is promoted over and over again by some of the most productive people in our world today (Michael Hyatt, Scott Belsky, Tim Ferriss). Schedule your email processing and stick to that schedule. You will feel the benefits immediately. 3. Complete 1-2 minute projects immediately. Our lives and minds are often cluttered and distracted by the many unfinished projects around us (unanswered email, household chores, financial responsibilities). Fortunately, many of these projects can be completed in far less time than we think. To live with less distraction, if a project can be completed in less than 2 minutes, just stop and get ‘er done so you won’t think about it anymore. 4. Remove physical clutter. Unnecessary clutter is a significant form of visual distraction. Consider this: everything in our eyesight subtly pulls at our attention at least a little. And the more we remove, the less visual stress and distraction we experience. Clear your desk, your walls, your counters, your computer’s desktop, and even your home of unneeded possessions. You’ll love your newfound ability to focus. 5. Clear visible, distracting digital clutter. Just like physical clutter distracts our attention, digital clutter accomplishes the same. Desktop icons, open programs, multiple browser tabs, and other visible notifications all jockey for attention in our mind. Notice the digital triggers that grab your attention and then ruthlessly remove them. Spare no one! 6. Accept and accentuate your personal rhythms. Discover the rhythms of your day to make the most of them. For example, I do my best heads-down work in the morning, afternoons work well for meetings and physical work, and evenings are set aside for my me time—leaving late evenings for entertainment, chilling, and yes guilt-free distraction. Accepting and understanding our natural rhythms to the day/week provides healthy motivation to remove distractions during our most productive parts of the day knowing there is opportunity later to indulge them 7. Establish a healthy morning routine. Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day.” He was absolutely right. Go to workplacehero.me/hardstuff to hear my take on how you should start your day. Basically, begin your days on your terms apart from distraction. If possible, I suggest that you wake first in your household. Drink your coffee or fix yourself a warm breakfast while you journal or read or simply enjoy the silence. Develop a distraction-free morning routine. It will lay the foundation for a less-distracted day. 8. Cancel cable / Unplug television. If you haven’t already cut the cord, it is difficult to argue against the distracting nature of our television. Researchers tell us the average American watches 37-40 hours of television each week. There is, of course, a solution to this madness: unplug your television completely. Or at least do what I do, put the TV away (behind the couch) every morning. But if this step seems too drastic a stretch for your family, you’ll never regret the simple decision to cancel cable. Your calendar will thank you for the extra time available. Your wallet will thank you for the extra dollars. And you’ll quickly wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. 9. Keep a to-do list. One of the most helpful and practical podcasts I have ever released can be found at workplacehero.me/todo. No matter how hard you try to manage yourself, new responsibilities and opportunities will surface in your mind from internal and external sources. The opportunity to quickly write down the task allows it to be quickly discarded from your mind. I use the Notes app that comes installed on all my Apple devices for my To Do list so I can add to it anytime I want to. In bed, in a meeting, on a bus, anytime! That way I can get it out of my head and on to my list. 10. Care less what other people think. The value of your life is not measured by the number of likes your Facebook post receives or the number of positive comments on your Instagram pic. Please understand, there is great value in humbly seeking opinion and appreciating the wise counsel of those who love you. But there is no value in wasting mental energy over the negative criticism of those who only value their own self-interests. Learn to recognize the difference. And stop living distracted over the opinion of people who don’t matter. If you have been listening to this podcast for a while, you probably get the idea that I like lists. And you would not be wrong. Over at success.com, Emma Johnson has a list of 6 suggestions that she thinks will help you eliminate distractions. 1. Stop digital pressures. Carve out blocks of time—whether for work, exercise or people you care about—and turn off your phone and computer. Download the free app SelfControl, which shuts off especially distracting websites such as social media or news pages for a set period of time. 2. Give yourself frequent breaks. Just because you can work 24/7 doesn’t mean your mind or body are designed to do so. Check out the advice Guest Hero, Hailey Rowe gave us at workplacehero.me/lowenergy for more info on taking breaks. 3. Mind your physical health. Exercise, plenty of sleep, healthy eating (including good fat, yummy protein, and tons of veggies) plus all of those things you know you’re supposed to do promote mental health and focus can really help you cut down on your natural distractedness. Set some health goals for yourself and stick to them. We will tackle how to do that in a future episode. 4. Turn off smartphone notifications. I know, we already talked about this one but I feel like it is worth a second mention. Limit the number of times per day you check and respond to email, text messages and social media. Remove the temptation to constantly keep an eye on these pests but shutting off their ability to buzz, beep and vibrate at you. 5. Knock out the most dreaded duties first thing in the morning. If you have a difficult email you must send? Bills to manage? Need to initiate a difficult conversation? Get it off your to-do list and out of your mind, freeing you to be productive. 6. Eliminate or minimize negative people in your life. These are people who play the victim, are stuck in unhealthy habits, or generally make you feel drained or maybe even bad about yourself. Surround yourself with those who are positive, focused, productive and ambitious. Remember the late iconic speaker Jim Rohn’s rule: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Choose wisely. And over at LifeHack.org, Sylwia Rytarowska has a few more suggestions that I thought were worth mentioning. She suggests that you declutter your mind. Cacophony of voices, text messages, tweets, sales pitches, and bold headlines fight for your attention. You hear a song on the radio and you can’t hear your own voice over its continuous replay in your head. The first thing you should do is notice that you’re running on autopilot. The next natural step is to turn it off. It’s not easy to fight your default mechanism at first, it’s deeply rooted, but it’s a matter of practice and mindfulness. Start exercising your impulse-control. Focus on here and now. When you feel yourself getting distracted, take a second and ask yourself “what is my focus right now?” Writing that report will go much easier if you enter the state of flow. Think about the direct impact you’ll make, if you carry out the task efficiently and on time. Think about the satisfaction you’ll feel afterwards. This is the best reward and it will keep you on track for the future tasks as you gain the momentum. Focus is your natural gift. Use it well. Clear your day up front before you start it. In the morning, before your workday begins, dedicate a few minutes to managing your schedule. A great way to do it is by applying the Covey time management matrix - http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-stephen-coveys-time-management-matrix-2015-12 . Have a moment to set your priorities and determine which tasks are truly vital and urgent that day, which are not so urgent but still very important and which you should avoid, either by delegating or eliminating altogether. This last type of tasks may be tricky because they will often be urgent, though uninspiring, issues, like questions from colleagues concerning their problems, phone calls and emails that you answer by default, only because you’ve always done it and that’s the way it’s always been. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Not really. Take control and make a conscious decision of what you’re going to when they come knocking. Once you’ve made it, hold on to it and ruthlessly follow through. Prepare your workplace. When you’re facing a lengthy or complex task involving concentration, prepare your place of work, so that you can avoid distractions and won’t need to make unnecessary breaks. Breaks aren’t bad in and of themselves. It’s the involuntary deconcentration accidental breaks that may cause a setback to your progress. Zen your computer. There are many cool ways to deal with distractions, such as social networking sites. There’s a great app called Anti-Social that blocks social media and lets you become more productive. It will block the sites that you waste your time on and can’t be turned off, which makes it an excellent help. There’s a great choice of apps that will track your computer use and tell you how much time you spend on individual sites. A few are: RescueTime, Klok, Slife and ManicTime. RescueTime, for instance, will give you a readout at the end of the day of your web activities. There are all kinds of apps to help you concentrate and remove unwanted temptations, and their use depends on the type of work you’re doing. If you do a lot of writing, there are the Mac-based WriteRoom and its Windows counterpart, Dark Room, which promise “distraction-free writing” by trimming your screen down to one function: Writing. There’s also the popular OmmWriter, which possesses a few cool features like meditative music and chromotherapy which create a unique environment to enable you to focus on your writing. A quick Google search will likely uncover anything you can think of. Solidify your attitude. To avoid possible distractions, manage your approach to the task. The “Act as if…” approach works nicely. It is simple: pretend you’re being watched and your task is approaching the deadline. It has been proven that our performance improves significantly if we know we’re being observed and assessed. In truth, we are evaluated all the time, either by people or by life itself. Close the door. Stephen King, the master of American Horror and a very diligent, prolific writer gives this advice in his book “On Writing.” If you can’t do that literally, do it figuratively. Tell everyone that you’re busy for a certain period of time and ask them not to disturb you. When I work from home, I have half-joked that I am going to buy a hat to wear that indicates that I am “not home” that I am actually “at work”. If you see me in that hat, you must pretend that I am not there. Kind of like an Elvin invisibility cloak but less nerdy and more absurdist. Manage the tasks. You’ve probably heard the saying that “you eat an elephant one bite at a time.” And yes, it does work.Take it one step at a time and don’t let fears and worries distract you from your work. You may also get a bit overwhelmed with small details. To get that problem out of your way, do the opposite: compile and put together a bunch of minor assignments and complete them all in a row. Now this next one I am going to include with some hesitation. Please take it on advisement. I rarely encourage anyone to work extra hours - even if they are getting paid for it. Ok? So here it is… Go an extra mile. As you’ve probably heard, there are no traffic jams on the extra mile. And literally, traffic is the number one time thief nowadays. If you arrive one hour early at the office and leave one hour later than everyone else, you’ll get much more done. Not only because you’ll avoid congested streets and lots of stress, but also the empty office won’t distract you from your productive efforts. Personally, I suggest merely shifting your day by an hour or so depending on whether you are a morning person or not. Start your day at 7 or 8:00 instead of 9:00 and then knock off at 3 or 4:00. That way you aren’t giving up any of your own precious time. Ok… I feel a little dirty after that one… so now, on to your homework! For the next 5 work days, before you go on to whatever you’re going to do next, think about what Einstein said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If you just go on with your usual routine, default course of action and forget what you’ve heard here, the distractions win and you lose. So every morning this week, I want you to think about one thing you learned on this podcast that you can do right now or during the remainder of the day. Is it turning off a few more notifications on your phone or computer? Or is it putting headphones on (even if you aren’t listening to anything) to signal to coworkers that you aren’t available to listen what their dream was about last night? Or is it cleaning up your desk or workspace before you start your day? Or maybe you choose the two times of the day that you are going to check your email. Choose a different item each day and make that change. As Sylwia so eloquently said in the Lifehack.com article: “Your lifetime is made up of days, days of hours and hours of minutes. Although, a minute or ten doesn’t seem like much, the idea that you can waste a few minutes is the biggest, fattest lie you’ll ever tell yourself.” Let’s stop wasting time and make this week count. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and original music by my band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s heroic fodder was gleaned from internet writers Sylwia Rytarowska, Joshua Becker, and Emma Johnson.

Hello my cubicle comatose, open space snoozers, corner office coziers, home den dozers and coffee shop shut eyes. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am here to turn you into a Workplace Hero. And don’t worry, to be this type of hero, spandex is optional. Before we slip into something more comfortable, I want to direct you to SkywalkerFitness.ca. That’s the coaching business that I run. Whether you want to run a 10k or a marathon, race in a triathlon, put on some muscle, clean up your diet, or get totally ripped, I will create a plan specifically for you. No cookie cutter one-size-fits-all programs, just 100% tailored programs that fit around your life’s commitments. And for being a Workplace Hero, I will give you a special deal on your first 3 months of coaching. Head over to SkywalkerFitness.ca and send me a note referencing this podcast so I can start building you the perfect program to meet your wellness goals. Ok, back to the topic at hand…       Let me set the stage for you - It’s Monday morning. Once again, in a wondrous turn of events, you wake up feeling great! You had an amazing weekend of deep sleep, good food, enjoyable exercise, and aside from the beer you had with dinner on Saturday night you stuck to your diet exceptionally well. You are feeling so good that you pull out that fitted shirt that looks so good on you but you often feel too selfconscious to wear. And - yes! It looks goooood. Your morning is going great until around 9:30 or 10:00 am when you start feeling yourself losing energy and focus. Your eyes start feeling heavy and the words start to swimming on the page. So, you go grab yourself a second (or is it a third) cup of coffee and hunker down - but you think to yourself: How can I be so tired? I slept so well and had such a restful weekend. What the hell? Back in the real world, I just Googled the phrase “low energy at work” and in 0.90 seconds it returned 75,600,000 results. Whoa! So it is safe to say that this is a bit of a common problem. The search results come from big hitters like Redbull, FastCompany, Webmd and Forbes and the list goes on and on featuring titles like: 8 Unobvious Ways To Have Way More Energy At Work, Top 10 Ways to Boost Your Energy, 10 Ways to Skyrocket your Energy Levels, The Fatigue Solution: How To Increase Your Energy In Eight Easy Steps. And so on… So why is this such an issue? Why are we seemingly such a chronically low energy bunch of loafers? The DailyMail says that it might be because you are a perfectionist. Apparently being a perfectionist can sap someone's energy, as perfectionists spend longer than their less conscientious counterparts worrying and ruminating over their decisions. Another reason I saw on a few websites is that you might be eating too many carbs. Filling up on pasta, bread and rice – as well as cookies, chocolate and chips - causes spikes and dips in blood sugar that leave a person dozing off when the sugar is low. WebMD says that you might have a magnesium deficiency. They say that this mineral is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including breaking down glucose into energy, so when levels are even a little low, energy can drop. They suggest two delicious solutions - adding a handful of almonds, hazelnuts or cashews to your daily diet, or eating more fish, especially halibut. Yum.  A Fast Company article suggests that you need to get more movement in your day. They say that we need not yield to the Sedentary Death that awaits our constantly sat seats; we can show some derrière-relieving daring-do by having walking meetings. Ah… what? Men’s Fitness suggests that we nix the nightcap. Alcohol prevents your body from entering REM sleep (the most restful sleep phase). So, even if you're getting plenty of sleep each night, you may not feel fully rested if you are finishing the evening off with a drinky drink. They also suggested eating more fish and nuts so there may be something to this delicious solution.  Prevention.com says that your body needs vitamin B12 to make red blood cells and keep neurons functioning properly. A B12 deficiency decreases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry through your body, leaving you with that sleeping-with-your-eyes-open feeling. Womentowomen.com says that the problem could be inactivity. The body needs both rest and movement. When it comes to fatigue — and you may find this counterintuitive but long periods of inactivity can actually make you more tired. Think of it as a kind of atrophy: use it or lose it. The Queen of daytime TV herself, Oprah, says that it might be your thyroid gland. Located at the base of your neck—and barely larger than the knot in a tie—the thyroid controls your body's metabolic speed by producing the hormones. If it churns out too little all the processes in your body slow down. The result: decreased endurance and a sluggish mind.  A website run by a fellow with an undeniably awesome name, Dr. Axe, suggested that we might just be dehydrated. He says that one of the first signs of dehydration is feeling tired or exhausted. That’s right – not drinking enough water could be the reason your energy levels are lacking and you feel exhausted. Because our bodies are made up of mostly water, even small dips in H2O levels are apparently enough to affect your metabolism. One last article actually suggested that you might have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes! Tiredness, usually accompanied by sight problems, a constant thirst and passing urine frequently, as well as suffering frequent infections, could be a sign of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Yikes!  After spending a few hours pouring through articles, studies and opinions, I decided to enlist the help of my LA based Wellness Specialist friend, Hailey Rowe, to find out what she is encountering out there in the California trenches. Hi, my name is Hailey Rowe. I am the founder of www.theprimetimehealth.com. I’ve been in the fitness and nutrition industry for about 7 years now as a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. I’m also a Certified Bulletproof Coach helping people to develop lifelong healthy habits. Working with people the ages of 18 to 70, I believe it’s never to too late or too early to start changing your ways. As you probably guessed, I share many of Hailey’s views… if not her sunny disposition. As a High Performance Coach, I work with a lot of clients who are drained from overworking & feel like their life is out of whack. I’ve noticed 3 major factors that lead to energy depletion in the workplace:    •Lack of breaks •Multi-tasking •Energy-zapping co-workers (AKA toxic people) I don’t know about you guys but I am generally guilty of all three of those issues. I am a terrible multi-tasker, I have issues dealing with negativity (even via email) and I often get in the groove and don’t want to take a break. Heck right now, as I type this, my stomach is growling and it is closing in on 2:00 pm - I clearly need to take a break and eat some lunch! Ok. While I make myself a salad, I’ll let Hailey continue: The brain was not meant to focus for 8 hours at a time. Taking breaks is not a sign of weakness. It’s actually a good use of your time. In fact, a study in the journal Cognition shows that even brief breaks from a task can dramatically improve work endurance, focus, and productivity. It is recommended to work in bursts of 60-90 minutes, followed by a 10-15 minute break.  You might be wondering, like I am, why 90 minutes is the magic number?  That number comes from researcher Nathan Kleitman who discovered something called the “basic rest-activity cycle.” When we are sleeping, we progress through the 5 stages of sleep every 90 minutes. Our bodies operate by the same 90-minute rhythm during the day, going from high alertness to low alertness. Test it out. Try working for 90 minutes straight (intensely!), and then take a break. If you’re skeptical or you doubt your ability to focus for that long, try starting with 25 minutes followed by a 5 minute break. This is called the Pomodoro Method. I’ll put a link to the Pomodoro Method in the show notes at workplacehero.me/energy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique During your focus periods, keep distractions to a minimum by putting on headphones so co-workers know you’re busy, or politely ask if you can catch up with them when you’re done. Use your breaks to go outside, move around, or just step away from the computer for a few minutes. Bonus points if you do 4 minutes of exercise for every hour of work, just like Katy Bowman suggested on the WorkPlace Hero Podcast. You can find that one over at workplacehero.me/stand The second issue Hailey listed is something near and dear to my heart. I have a rule that I believe I stole from an episode of the 80s TV show, MASH. As Charles Emerson Winchester the Third once said “I do one thing at a time, I do it very well, and then I move on.” The odd time I deviate from that rather audacious game plan, I pay the price. Neuroscientists have found that multitasking literally drains your brain’s energy. Switching between different unfinished tasks confuses the brain and makes you feel tired very quickly.  Devora Zack, author of Singletasking: Get More Done- One Thing at a Time, reported that multitasking can decrease your productivity by up to 40%. Research also shows that you make twice as many errors when multitasking. Lastly, it can shrink the gray matter in your brain, which is much needed for self-control and decision-making. But what if I am in the middle of doing something like say, writing a podcast and I suddenly remember that I forgot to invoice a client? If the urge to start another task comes up while you’re working on something else, write it down and come back to it later. Turn off all potential distractions (phone, email, etc.) when working on something important. There are even apps for your computer and phone like FocusMe that allow you to block websites you use to procrastinate. Great advice. Turning off all notifications on your phone, tablet and computer is something I advise everyone to do - right now… well, ok when you finish listening to the podcast. There is not a single app that should be allowed to disturb you. You can check your email, Facebook, messages, and everything else on your own time. Not theirs. That small change can really make a huge difference. Now on to Hailey’s third and likely most touchy point - Toxic co-workers… The ability to remain calm and manage your emotions around stressful people is so important if you want to feel good at work. According to a study by leadership development consultancy, Fierce Inc., 4 out of 5 employees work or have worked with a co-worker who could be considered toxic to the office environment. Surprisingly, only 40% of bosses say they would eliminate a toxic team member, versus 88% of employees who would. To stay mindful and prevent yourself from getting sucked into the drama, practice the ABC method. This stands for Acknowledge, Breathe and Choose. Acknowledge when you’re allowing someone else to suck you dry or undermine your work. Notice your negative feelings and where you feel them in your body. Noticing your thoughts keeps you in control. The second step is to breathe. Take a deep breath, meditate, clear your head, or give it some time. Then, choose how you’re going to respond… Are you going to be solutions-oriented? Are you going to establish some kind of boundary? Or are you going to play the victim?  This simple acronym can come in handy if you find yourself slipping into a negative state around toxic co-workers. ABC - Acknowledge, Breathe and Choose. I like it! And if you need a reminder on one of my favourite breathing techniques, check out workplacehero.me/commute for instructions on how to do a Box Breath by Yoga15.com maven, Abi Carver. And now, it wouldn’t be an episode of Workplace Hero if you didn’t get some homework, now would it? And this week, I defer to Hailey. We’ve covered a lot of juicy material in this podcast, but you’ll only benefit if you take action. Your homework assignment this week is to build at least one 60-90 minute period of uninterrupted focus followed by a short renewal break. Bonus points if you can sneak in 2-3 short breaks throughout the day. If you’re worried about your co-workers judging you for going outside or taking a small break, just think about how happy your team will be when you are producing greater results using this trick.  Awesome advice. I wholeheartedly agree. Thanks Hailey! This is obviously a topic that we could spend many episodes on but hopefully this is a good start for you. Whether you try eating more fish, drinking more water, nixing the nightcap, getting yourself checked for diabetes, taking breaks, breaking the mute-tasking habit or practicing your ABCs, I would love to hear what works for you. Leave me a note on Facebook, Twitter, the blog post for this episode at workplacehero.me/energy or you can even send me an email at podcast@worplacehero.me. You never know, you may spark an entire new episode with your feedback! ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in rainy downtown Vancouver. Support and additional editing from Eleanor Cohen. Artwork by Ken Cunningham. Today’s Guest Hero is of course, Hailey Rowe. Check out her website at www.theprimetimehealth.com and sign up for her newsletter to receive a High Intensity Interval Training Guide for free.  Now, you know what to do - go make this week count!

Hello, my cubicle carpoolers, open space cyclists, corner office car shareres, home den dawdlers, and coffee shop subway riders. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am… not the Workplace Hero. If I am doing my job correctly, I am slowly but surely, podcast by podcast, making you into a Workplace Hero. I am simply an information super highway. Heh… remember how we used to call the internet that? No? You're probably too young. Anyway… Today's Heroic idea came from Workplace Hero, Erin Moline, who sent me an email saying "I'm in my car a lot and with traffic so heinous that I often have to focus a lot and it can be exhausting. I have my ergonomics correct in the car, but I noticed it makes me a little frazzled." And that is exactly what I plan to do with today’s episode. Remember, my Heros, that you can suggest topics you would like me to cover by sending me a note on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or by emailing podcast@workplacehero.me. Now, as much as I hate to start the podcast off with a depressing list of horrifying stats, that is exactly what I am going to do. Sorry. But before I do that - did you know that this podcast has an email newsletter that goes along with it? It does. And you can sign up for it at wokrplacehero.me. The form is on the righthand side of the page. Rest assured, because we believe strongly in the idea of Inbox Zero, you will only receive an email once per week, and it will be short, informative and easy to delete. Best of all, just for signing up, you will receive a coupon code for 10% off at the online health and fitness store, GreenfieldFitnessSystems.com. Over there they have a staggering array of supplements, gear, clothing along with some wacky things that will help keep you healthy and fit. So sign up for the newsletter at workplacehero.me and get your discount code now. And now, back to how commuting impacts your mental and physical health—and don't worry, I will also let you know what you can do to offset the damage. According to a report in USA Today, the average North American's commute is 25.5 minutes each way. That's about 51 minutes per day or about 204 hours a year spent commuting. Just to put that in perspective, researchers recently found that most adults only do 17 minutes of fitness activities per day or about 103.4 hours per year. So we are only exercising for approximately half the amount of time that we are spending commuting. Ug! The following list is from an excellent Time.com article called, 10 Things Your Commute Does to Your Body, by Carolyn Kylstra. 1. Your Blood Sugar Rises Driving more than 10 miles each way, to and from work, is associated with higher blood sugar, according to a report written by researchers from the University School of Medicine in Saint Louis and the Cooper Institute in Dallas and published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine. And as we all know, high blood glucose levels can lead to diabetes. 2. Your Cholesterol is Higher The same report in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the 10-mile one-way drives were also associated with higher cholesterol levels among commuters. This idea is similar to what we talked about in the "To Stand or Not to Stand" podcast with Katy Bowman a few weeks ago which you can find at workplacehero.me/stand 3. Your Depression Risk Rises The researchers from the University School of Medicine in Saint Louis and the Cooper Institute in Dallas also noted in their report that people with commutes of at least 10 miles each way have a higher tendency toward depression, anxiety, and social isolation. We'll talk about how to shake that in a bit. 4. Your Anxiety Increases A newer report from the Office of National Statistics in the U.K. finds that people who commute more than half an hour to work each way report higher levels of stress and anxiety than people with shorter commutes or no commutes at all. Now, while there's not much most of us can do to shorten or eliminate our commute, we can make the most of it by doing something enjoyable during it… like listening to your favourite podcast. Jus' sayin'. 5. Your Happiness and Life Satisfaction Decline The same report from the U.K. found that people with commutes of any length experience lower life satisfaction and happiness than people with no commutes at all. Riding a bus for 30 minutes or longer was associated with the lowest levels of life satisfaction and happiness. It also resulted in the highest amount of chewing gum found stuck to the back of your pant leg when you arrive at work. 6. Your Blood Pressure Temporarily Spikes A researcher from the University of Utah set up an experiment where participants were placed in simulated driving scenarios: They were told they were late to a meeting and had a financial incentive to get to their destination quickly. Half the group was put in high-density traffic; the other half in a less congested environment. The people who drove in more intense traffic had much higher reports of stress, as well as higher blood pressure. Now this likely goes without saying, but if you are one of those people who feel like you're always in a rush, it might be worth leaving well before rush hour—even if you arrive at work at the same time as you normally would, you'll feel less anxious. Keep listening for some breathing techniques you can use to help manage your stress level. 7. Your Blood Pressure Rises Over Time, As Well A study of 4,297 Texans found that the farther the participants lived from where they worked—the longer their commutes—the higher their blood pressure was. High blood pressure over time is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. 8. Your Cardiovascular Fitness Drops The same study out of Texas found that people with longer commutes also had lower levels of cardiovascular fitness and physical activity. It's not hard to see how spending more time in sitting in traffic results in spending less time pounding the pavement or pumping iron. 9. Your Sleep Suffers The Regus Work-Life Balance Index found that people who commute for longer than 45 minutes each way reported lower sleep quality and more exhaustion than people with shorter commutes. For some tips on how to get better sleep refer to the past podcast with Dr. Tam about Air and Light at workplacehero.me/airandlight 10. Your Back Aches Spending hours a week slouched over in a car, subway or bus seat has negative consequences on your posture and your back and neck. Which is why I always recommend standing on public transit. Not only will you not nod off and miss your stop but you will also spend the entire trip firing those little stabilizer muscles and engaging your proprioceptors which can help diminish many of the physiological issues associated with sitting for long periods of time. Not surprisingly, according to a new study by researchers at McGill University, commuters are more likely to feel happier walking to work than taking any other form of transportation. According to a BusinessInsider.com article, a team of researchers surveyed over 3,300 students, staff and faculty members about their travel times, comfort, safety, street harassment, cost, and wait times. The researchers found that participants were happiest when they walked, rode the train, or cycled to work — in that order. The researchers found that participants reported lower satisfaction when they traveled by car, subway, or bus - in that order. When researchers dug deeper into the factors that affect commuter satisfaction, they discovered that travel duration mattered a great deal. Unsurprisingly, people with longer commutes felt less happy than those with shorter ones. But - and this is cool - travel time mattered less to walkers, bikers, and bus riders. An extra ten minutes lowered their satisfaction by only half as much as it did for those who drive, ride the train, or take the subway. Gender was also a significant factor in determining satisfaction. Female participants were more likely to feel unsafe walking or riding the metro. The researchers explained that this finding makes sense because women can be more at risk for street harassment, so the safety of a car can feel more comfortable. So, is the answer to be a man, who walks or rides his bike to work for less than 10 miles? Well, no. I wouldn't leave you hanging there like that… but if the shoe fits, wear it with panache, fellas. Here are some healthy commuting tips for the Greatist.com article named, How to Make Your Commute Suck Way Less, by Sophia Breene. On Public Transportation 1. Take the train. According to one study, train commuters are less stressed and have better moods than those who drive to work. 2. Bring your own entertainment. Use a train commute to prepare your brain for "work mode." Instead of zoning out or mindlessly thumbing through Instagram, use a book or puzzle to warm up for or cool down from a long day at work. 3. Find your Zen. Place both feet on the floor, close your eyes, and breathe deeply. The morning trip to the office can be a great time to get centred before a crazy workday. I am a huge believer in breath work. Personally, I use a method called box breathing. My friend Abi Carver (of yoga15.com) has a great video and article demonstrating how to do that. Here is Abi to explain: This technique is practiced by NavySEALS to help them deal more capably with highly stressful events. Learning to focus on your breath helps to clear your mind and increases your capacity for concentration. Close your eyes, inhale, sit up tall, lengthen your spine and neck. Exhale, draw your shoulders back and let all the air out. Let's begin. Seal your lips and inhale slowly to a count of 5. Hold your breath for the count of 5. Exhale for the count of 5. And hold the breath out for the count of 5. Let's repeat that three more times… 4. Turn off technology. Why start working early? Are you getting paid overtime? Unless you're expecting an important call or text, refrain from technology during your commute. Rather than answer emails before you hit the door, use the time for your own self-care. 5. Snooze between stops. With someone else's eyes on the road, there's no reason you shouldn't take a short nap. Nodding off for a few minutes won't help you catch up from a severe sleep deficit, but a few short zzzs can help you feel refreshed and be more productive. Pro tip: before dozing, set a short timer, so you don't miss your stop. When you are driving 6. Really (really!) relax. OK, you can't actually meditate with closed eyes while driving, but you can still practice mindful exercises. For example, progressive relaxation is done by tensing and relaxing each muscle group for five seconds, starting at your feet and continuing up through your entire body to your face. Combine this with long, slow breaths for a bigger relaxation boost. 7. Learn something new. Turn that dreaded hour of gridlock into an opportunity to learn something. Download a podcast, or an audiobook, or an app like Duolingo, which teaches you a new language (I am using it to brush up on my French). 8. Change your shoes. Interestingly enough, something as simple as changing from work shoes to well-worn sneakers can make a commute much more pleasant. If you've got a formal dress code at the office (high heels or a tie), changing at the end of the day is not only comfier, but it also tells your brain that the stress of the day is over. 9. Loosen up before the drive. Sitting in the driver's seat after a long day in an office chair can have negative physiological effects. Get limber with some stretches before hopping behind the wheel. Abi Carver (from the box breathing video) also has a great list of yoga poses that undo the damage caused by sitting and a few yoga moves that boost your energy at work . Again, I will put both of those links in the show notes at workplacehero.me/commute And to round this all off, here are a few more happy/healthy commuting ideas I found during my research… Studies show people who bike to work take fewer sick days than their driving or train-riding peers. If biking all the way to work isn't an option, consider cycling to a train or bus station, or meeting your carpool group a few miles from home. Spending tons of time alone in the car is not only boring, but it can also cause feelings of isolation and general unhappiness. Instead of commuting alone, find someone to share the journey with. Unexpected evening traffic jams or delayed trains can quickly turn a great day sour. To prevent a pre-dinner meltdown, get in the habit of keeping a healthy snack on hand. For more info on snacks, go to nutritionovereasy.com/hero and get Monica Reinagel's Complete Guide to Heroic Workplace Snacking! And also make sure to check out our past podcast on snacking at workplacehero.me/snacks You already know that sitting for a long period is bad since you listened to the podcast about it… but if you must sit during your commute, watch your posture and keep changing it. Here are some things to try: - Sit at the edge of your seat for a few minutes and then sit as far back as you can, - Keep your feet flat on the floor and then lift them a little off the floor and see how long you can maintain that, - Draw your navel up and in, and lift up through the crown of the head. Hold this anatomically friendly position for 20 seconds, then relax and repeat, - Do some steering wheel isometrics. Grip the steering wheel as tightly as you can and hold it for 30 seconds, then relax and repeat, - By adjusting the way you are holding the steering wheel and which way you are applying pressure, you can do steering wheel pushdowns, bicep squeezes, or even chest flies, - Body weight resistance – If you are not the one doing the driving, you can try some elbow squeezes, commuter crunches, or torso twists. You may get some odd looks but think of it as brightening someone else's day - "You won't believe what I saw this chick doing on the subway this morning." - For your deep core – try some kegel exercises, glute squeezes, or pelvic tilts, - And as Abi describes in her article from earlier, do some neck isometrics – front, back, side-to-side. Another less active strategy is to listen to soothing music. It may be tempting to use high-energy music to wake up in the morning, but up-tempo tunes can make a morning commute more stressful. One survey showed that drivers who listened to heavy metal or loud rock were more prone to road rage and collisions. If there is one thing we have learned during this podcast, it is that you should try to walk whenever you can. Most commutes involve some sitting, so try to walk or stand wherever possible. Hoof'er to the bus instead of getting dropped off or park the car in the commuter lot in the farthest-away spot. And I can't stress this enough - if you are physically able, always take the stairs. Maybe if you work on the 25th floor, you get a pass on this one (no one wants to sweat up their Armani)… but you can only make this excuse on the way up! And here's something a little unexpected - you can try smelling something nice. Commuting can be downright funky so try some on-the-go aromatherapy. A drop of lavender or lemon essential oil can keep anxiety and commuter odors at bay. Lemon, lavender and other plants like basil, oranges, jasmine, and laurel contain linalool, a chemical compound that has a calming effect. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't add a new favourite pass time of mine: Gratitude. Big crowds, late buses, bad weather, construction or inconsiderate jerks can rob you of your joy and feeling of wellness. The fix: Use the power of your mind to change your emotional reaction. If you let the commute do its magic, you'll feel miserable, so take that attention and put it elsewhere. The effects of gratitude and the ability to get in touch emotionally with a sense of thankfulness or appreciation can turn frustration and resentment on its head. And it is simple to do. Just ask yourself, "What am I grateful for today?" And then find something that really resonates with you. It can be fairly simple, like the kiss you got from your partner or the plans you have for the evening — or maybe it is that they finally spelled your name right on your morning latté. You can use these moments to create a “mental gratitude list” and then focus on it on the way to or on the way from work. If you can use one, two or all of these techniques, you may just find that you arrive at your destination in a more content physical and emotional state. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help and voice acting from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Special thanks to Abi Carver for allowing me to use a portion of her Box Breath video. You can find out more about Abi at Yoga15.com. Now go make this week count!

Today's Guest Hero is Dr. Tamsin Lewis. You can find her at curoseven.com or @sportiedoc on Twitter. Hello, my cubicle conscious, open space surveyors, corner office respirators, home den inhalers, a nd coffee shop sighters. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am… not the Workplace Hero. You see the reason the website for this podcast is www.workplacehero.me and not .com is because this podcast is about making you into a workplace hero and I want you to be reminded of that every time you visit the website, send me an email, or tell a friend about this podcast. And you will, right? Right? Before we dive in, I want to thank everyone who, at the time of this recording, has left a review on iTunes for the podcast. On the Canadian side: Dean Dwyer, elllietown, mijustiin, cawood1 and Elliotonitunes. On the #murican side: alex arrick, tdubs530, MAR150 and ukaserex. From the bottom of my workplace casual heart, I thank you all for your support. And without sounding too needy, if your name wasn’t on the list I just read, it would really help me out if you took a minute or two to give the podcast an iTunes boost. It is a small but meaningful way to show your support for the show. Just go to workplacehero.me/itunes and you will be directed right there! Easy! Ok, on with the topic at hand. I was listening to a Scientific American podcast a while ago and was excited to hear that a new study (released Aug 2016) had been done on how effective plants can be at cleaning the Volatile Organic Compounds from the air. As someone who has worked in extremely tightly sealed office buildings most of my life (you gotta keep that -30 degree Alberta air out somehow) I have often had a plant or two near my desk — but was only going on a hope and a dream that they were actually providing any benefit beyond covering up some coffee stains or overzealous permanent marker manoeuvres. The Scientific American podcast said, and I’m sure we can all agree, that Air pollution outside is easy to spot, hanging over the city, or puffing out of an exhaust pipe. But there's a lot of indoor air pollution, too, even if it's not as obvious. It's caused by volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Vadoud Niri, an analytical chemist at the State University of New York, Oswego says that they can come from building materials like paints, carpet, adhesives, vinyl floors, varnishes, solvents, personal care products, cleaning chemicals, air freshener, and even cosmetics. And that cosmetics part is what caught Niri's attention. One day he went to a nail salon with his wife and he noticed the smell of acetone and since he was doing air analysis at the time, he thought he might be able to do something about this issue. Niri figured one friendly and efficient way to get rid of acetone might be with houseplants. So he reviewed decades of literature and ran his own experiment, using an airtight chamber, and eight VOCs, in concentrations similar to those found in nail salons, against five common houseplants: a jade plant, a spider plant, a bromeliad, a Caribbean tree cactus, and what’s known as a Dracaena plant. Turns out, after a twelve-hour test, it was the bromeliad that gobbled up the most chemicals from the air. And the Dracaena beat out the others, sucking up a whopping 94 percent of the acetone. He presented the results at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, in Philadelphia. The paper is titled: Monitoring volatile organic compound removal by common indoor plants using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry — if you are interested in looking it up… but I will read you some of the abstract now: Air pollution is one of the most important environmental threats to the health of the residents of all communities and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are among important air pollutants. These compounds are ubiquitous in the natural and industrialized world but are found in the highest concentrations in indoor environments. Some of the chemicals belonging to this group are benign to human health, or even necessary for normal physiological function. However, a substantial proportion of VOCs are detrimental to human health with effects ranging from dizziness and nausea to central nervous system damage, various forms of cancer, and even death. Because of the serious nature of VOCs as a health hazard, many remediation techniques are being developed. Phytoremediation, the use of plants to mitigate environmental pollution, offers one of the most practical solutions regarding cost and efficacy. Five common plants were selected for this study. Three treatment conditions were applied to each plant to isolate active VOC uptake mechanisms; covering the base of the plant in foil, no foil, and the use of a light. Of the five plants; Guzmania lingulata showed the greatest overall VOC uptake in light treatment conditions with more than 80% removal of six of the eight target VOC compounds over a twelve-hour sampling period. All tested plants showed less than 50% removal of dichloromethane or trichloromethane over the twelve-hour sampling period. My office now is literally littered with plants. Some of the plants from the study to clean my air and some that I just like looking at. Which in and of itself gives us some benefits as well. As the author of the study Biophilia: Does Visual Contact with Nature Impact on Health and Well-Being? said (in a rather lackluster scientific way) “It seems worthwhile to encourage interaction with plants, both outdoor and indoor, as this is likely to be a useful environmental initiative with a sound cost-benefit profile.” Enter Dr. Tamsin Lewis (who asked me to tell you guys that she is fighting a bit of a cold so forgive her croakiness). Yeah, I think this concept of indoor pollution is increasingly being recognized as a problem. There are two problems, the circulation of the air and the air conditioning which dries out the skin and the mucus membranes of the nose and the mouth. But it’s lack of air flow and lack of air quality, which can include things like a high content of carbon dioxide, which can effect even how we breathe, for example. So, there are lots of different parts there. It’s ventilation and really how strong the air conditioning would be in the office as well. I am Dr. Tam, as I like to call myself, or otherwise known as @SportieDoc where you can find me on Twitter. I run a company called CuroSeven in the UK which will be relaunching as FIBR Health in a month. Essentially what I do is run a medical and wellness consultancy where we follow a functional medicine model. Where we take people’s information and data and make it meaningful and try to get people on a better path to health and longevity. My background is a Medical Doctor “generalist” then I went into psychiatry and then after that I took time to become an elite triathlete - how that happened is a long story - but I took four years out and raced at the highest level of triathlon and Ironman. It taught me a lot about resilience, taught me a lot about physiology, taught me a lot about psychology and interpersonal relationships, and I have used all of that to change the way I approach my patient care today. I asked Tamsin to sum up the biggest health issues that she sees arising directly from our office jobs. So at the moment we see a lot of people that have... well the main things that I see are people with chronic low energy, I see a lot of people with low libido, I see people who just can’t stay awake in the afternoon, I see people with chronic mild pain issues, lower back pain, that sort of thing. And on a separate point many people with mood and anxiety issues which is compounded by the day to day environment in which most people, a lot of people, we have to be in an office environment and spend a lot of time there. So I would definitely like to address some of the issues that come up on a day to day basis in their environment of their office. Now most of those things on that list didn’t surprise me but you mentioned libido. I don’t want to derail our conversation too much but I don’t think that is something that most people connect with their office job. No! It’s true. I mean it’s complicated because it depends on the relationships with the people you have on your team but certainly, libido comes into it. Probably because of the sitting position. I don’t know if anyone’s ever addressed that, certainly not on your show yet but when people sit, they normally scrunch over slightly, they compress their certain um… genital regions. They change the temperature in the genitals, and that all indirectly can impact the sex organs essentially. So yes, that is one aspect. The other aspect is related to the diurnal variation in light exposure in the office. And we know that light exposure can affect testosterone production. So getting that bright light in the morning is very important for turning on the brain to tell the testes to produce a healthy amount on testosterone. So often when people aren’t getting that blue light exposure from a natural source, or even from an unnatural source like a light box, the testosterone production can go down - in susceptible individuals. I’m not saying this will happen to everyone but it certainly can come up as an issue. I am so happy that Tamsin brought up lighting, which I plan to tackle in a full episode but let's take a quick closer look at that while we are here anyway. There is a recent (at the time of recording this) NY Times article called Light Bulbs That Help You Sleep by Ronda Kaysen that sums some of the issues up nicely. It says that light interferes with our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that tells our bodies when to sleep, when to wake up and when to eat. Stare at a bright, bluish light — like the one from your smartphone, tablet or television — and your body sends a signal to your brain to stop producing melatonin, a powerful hormone that helps you fall asleep. Disruptions to our circadian rhythm can affect weight loss, libido, mood and sleep patterns. And chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and even certain cancers. That blue glare is not limited to our electronic devices either. LED bulbs used in desk lamps and ceiling fixtures also emanate blue light, even if it appears to you as white. It doesn’t take a scientist to notice that incandescent bulbs feel soothing, like the light from a candle or campfire, while LED lights often feel like you’re staring at a fricken blowtorch. Dr. Tam and I talked about how lighting is often chosen. I know there are a lot of issues around office lighting which is often chosen because of their low price not because of their high human compatibility. Correct and we do a lot of strip lighting which is just terrible for the brain in general but people don’t think about it, do they? It’s only once you are out of that environment and immersed in the world of wellness and biohacking that you start to look at things more closely and realize that they do in fact impact your health and how you feel on an hour to hour basis. Without getting too deep into lights and wavelengths and stuff like that, what is the issue with those cheaper types of strip lighting? Is it the flickering, the colour intensity, what is it about those lights that is really doing the damage? I think it is both of the things that you mentioned. I think it is also the fact that our bodies aren’t meant to be exposed to that light intensity for that long of periods of time. I think that a short amount in the morning of that blue light is good, but as you say, it isn’t all the right wavelengths. And also that it is literally on all day and there is no variation in the lighting at all. So all of the above. Like I said, there is no change in that lighting quality at all, so that’s definitely one aspect. And that fact that people are in that environment for so long and that is often the only light they see especially in the winter months. So as opposed to the sun moving across the sky and changing colour and position and all that stuff, we’re sitting, static, under these lights that aren’t moving, aren’t varying, aren’t changing. Interesting! And obviously, also you get the impact of the computer light which has well-researched effects on circadian rhythm and secretion of different hormones that are light dependant. So, I bet some of you can guess what your homework is going to be… But I won’t get ahead of myself! One potential solution seems to be to replace (as they say in the New York Times article) the blowtorch with the campfire, especially after sundown. As technology for LED lighting improves, companies are making more dynamic lighting that adjusts as you go through your day. And last spring, Apple introduced the Night Shift function in iOS so users can reduce the amount of blue light emitted from iPad and iPhone screens. A company called Lighting Science has produced a line of what they call “biological bulbs” that give off light meant to work in sync with your circadian rhythm, instead of disrupting it. Philips has a line of smart bulbs called Hue, with preprogrammed settings that can transform light in a room from a warm, reddish glow to a cool, aqua blue one. And this is a cool feature - you can program it to slowly turn the lights on in a bedroom to wake you up in the morning. Which doesn’t help if you are like me and sometimes sleep with a Zorro-like mask on. Ronda concluded her New York Times article with this: With a few bulbs, I transformed the bedrooms in my home into warm, cozy cocoons of glowing yellow light. Although the mood has done nothing to convince the children that their beds are not trampolines, they do seem to drift off to sleep faster. As for me, no amount of soothing light in a bedroom helps if I’m binge watching “The Affair” all night in the living room. But at least it’s a start. And that has been my experience as well. I diligently wear my blue blocking glasses, I have a blue blocking screen protector on my iPad and always have the “Night Shift” feature in iOS enabled but my solid night’s sleep is still offset 50/50 by a crappy night’s sleep. But much like taking a multivitamin, it’s gotta be helping… right? Back to Dr. Tam Ok, so we’ve talked about light and air quality which are things that people don’t feel like they have a lot of control over. But I feel like you might have some solutions for us to minimize the damage from both of those things. Yeah, I encourage people to improve their circadian exposure to light. So I encourage people to have a light box on their desk which they can use in the morning, which emits blue light, and to use that for at least 20 minutes. And we encourage people to get out into the natural light at lunch time if at all possible. Go out into some green space and take some deep breathes - which will tie into the air quality. I also encourage people to install software on their computer or wear blue light blocking glasses any time after 4:00 pm. I wouldn’t encourage that before then because it can make you sleepy. There is software you can get, I know we use f.lux which takes out blue light from the screen. Those are a few things. I also have people use little mini ionizers which improves the local air quality environment around you. You can get them on Amazon - little ionizer boxes. You could encourage your boss to get a larger unit that cleans the air like the HEPA air filter brand - but that is a separate question. But yeah, those are the main things that we would do. How about plants? Would you encourage people to put plants around their desk to improve the air quality? It certainly does, but it’s whether you are allowed to. That’s what we come up against with many people - they aren’t actually allowed to use or have plants in the office for, you know, quote/hashtag #healthandsafety reasons, which is nonsense really. But by all means, if you are allowed to have one, get a plant. Normally this is where I would give you your homework assignment, but instead I asked Tamsin: if she could get you Workplace Heroes to implement one thing into your workspace, right away, what would it be? The least expensive option would be to have the mini ionizer air box on your desk. The second would be to have a stool, like a Salli stool where by everything you do at the desk, that is encouraged by the Salli stool (and I have no affiliate relationship with them I have just used them) I found that it improves people’s health generally on a daily basis. So that is the one I would advocate, changing your sitting position and really encouraging you to think about your posture in front of your desk. So there you have it. We have another expert vote for minimizing our habitual sitting in a static position at our desks. We may feel like the air and light around us are out of our control and that we are at the mercy of the building super intendants but that is not entirely true. With an air filter, some plants and some carefully chosen light bulbs, and maybe a funky pair of yellow glasses, we can become the Hero over our own invisible pollutants. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help and voice acting from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today Heroic idea came from the New York Times article Light Bulbs That Help You Sleep by Ronda Kaysen and Scientific American’s podcast A Green Solution to Improve Indoor Air Quality by Christopher Intagliata. You can find a transcript of today’s podcast at www.workplacehero.me/hidden

Hello cubicle counters, open space scorekeepers, corner office organizers, home den designers, and coffee shop systematizers. My name is Brock Armstrong, and I am… not the Workplace Hero. There is a good reason that the website for the podcast is workplacehero.me and not .com. I want you to be reminded that this podcast is for and about you, every time you visit. And yeah… the .com domain was already taken. Before we get started, a little housekeeping. Did you know that there are near verbatim transcripts of all the podcasts over at www.workplacehero.me? It’s true. I know that the majority of you are listening to this podcast while you are on the bus, in your car, at the gym or otherwise not near a pen and paper - so to take the onus off of you having to try to remember the important points, I am making it easy. The only thing you need to remember from this episode is www.workplacehero.me/todo. Slick eh? Ok, here we go! Between your job, your exercise program, your friends, your hobbies, and pretty much everything else you want to get done, achieving your goals and nailing your deadlines is often harder than it should be. Heck, for some people just creating an efficient to-do list is a major achievement, and that is where today’s podcast comes in. According to an article on Forbes.com, one tool many entrepreneurs use to get organized and improve focus is the To Do list. And while it can be a helpful too, they estimate that about 85% of the population is using the To Do list in a completely ineffective manner. They are using their To Do list as a measure for self-worth…and this can be a mistake. They go one to say that many people incorrectly associate self-worth with checking things off their To Do list. They think: “If I can complete a lot of things in one day, it must mean I’ve done a good job and, therefore, I’m a good enough person. Right?” Well… yeah… we all want validation. Here’s the problem with this – it means that you’re likely going to waste your time on low impact, easy to complete tasks just to feel good about what you’ve accomplished. How many of you have spent time on something that was easy and quick, but not very strategic? Was this because you were avoiding the harder, more impactful thing? We waste time on menial chores and tasks just to have a sense of accomplishment. Over time, this makes us much less effective at our jobs. This is the part when I direct you back to the podcast episode I did about “Doing the Hard Stuff First”. Just go to www.workplacehero.com/hardstuff to listen to that episode. Another mistake that the article on Forbes.com points out is that we have a tendency to create a very long To Do list that we can never complete in a single day. And then we feel bad about never getting to everything on our list. If you do this, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Forbes refers to this as “Using the To Do list as a form of torture.” So, it is clear that we need to avoid setting our To Do list up as either a way to measure our productivity or a way to beat ourselves up. So, how do we do that? Before I get into the suggestions of the experts, I am going to tell you my recipe for success. First thing is that I use the Notes app that comes preinstalled on all Mac computers. The reason I use this is because it is simple, clean and most importantly it syncs across all my devices. Yeah, I am one of those guys who has an iPhone, iPad, iMac and a MacBook Pro. Hey! What can I say? I work in digital media. The reason syncing across all devices is important is twofold. I find my stress level is much lower if I can add an item to my To Do list at the moment I think of it (even if it is the middle of the night… maybe ever especially if it is the middle of the night) and I also like to be able to knock things off the list as soon as it is complete and then check what is next up. This is all a “peace of mind” thing for me. Some research suggests writing information by hand helps us remember it better, but if you’re like me and you last picked up a pen in 1995, don’t worry: There are tons of apps and gadgets out there for you to explore. Next - A key ingredient to my To Do list is that it is always more than one list! By that, I mean that I have a list for today, tomorrow, the next day and so on. It is not just a never ending single list of crap that needs to get done. It is a strategic, day by day, list of what needs to get done, when it needs to get done, on the day that suits it the best. That doesn’t mean that items don’t get moved around but I try to make each day achievable. Because I work mostly for myself right now, I even take it a step further and have certain days for certain tasks. Mondays mornings is for my coaching business, Tuesday afternoons are for video editing, Wednesdays are coding and writing days, Thursdays are catch-up or catch-all days, Fridays are podcast days. And yes, the weekends do get included on my To Do list but generally they only have items like “Go to the Gym” and “Beer with Ken” or occasionally “Finish the freakin project!” I am not a slave to that outline, but I find it helps to have a general idea of what the priority is for each day. The next ingredient in my To Do list recipe is that I add pretty much everything I need or want to do on that day. It isn’t just a dreaded list of jobs I need to get done, but it is also a joyful list of fun things I am going to do and tasks I am somewhat ambivalent about. For example, my To Do list for today: - Respond to email & Social Media - Go the gym 10:00 am - Do homework (I am brushing up on my French) - Download new client video files - Coaching call with Meghan 2:00 pm - Write the outline of “To Do List” episode Workplace Hero - Watch the Habs vs. Canucks game - No food after 7:00 pm By including things watching a hockey game or reminding myself that I want to do a short fast (by not eating between dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow) I have my tasks, my work, my play and my goals all in one easy to find spot. I won’t go too deep into this because it deserves it own episode but by including daily goals on my To Do list, I find my ability to achieve them skyrockets. When I see “Go to the gym” or “No food after dinner” every time I look at my To Do list, it simply increases my resolve to make that happen. Just make sure you word it in a positive way. As they say over at reachout.com “It might not seem like much, but self-talk is a really important part of our self-esteem and confidence. By working on getting more positive self-talk, you’re more likely to get things done and feel more in control of stuff that’s going on in your life.” The next ingredient in this To Do list recipe is to assign an order to the list. Start the list with at least two items that absolutely must get done today, so you don’t end up reorganizing your spice rack instead of finishing a project that is due tomorrow. Even if the rest of the list gets shifted to other days, the do-or-die tasks don’t get missed. Now many of my tasks are things that I do out of habit at particular times of the day (like answering email with my first cup of coffee - which can lead to some seriously hilarious typos), so those are easy to assign an order to. Other things like meetings or specific gym times get a time of day listed next to them. I have experimented with assigning a time of day to all of the items and that just made me mad. I like the flow of being able to reorder on the fly depending on my mood, how much time I have left in the day or which item I just plain feel like attacking at any given point. You can experiment with this one on your own. A CEO friend of mine has his day broken down into 15 minute chunks with a task assigned to each chunk. To me, that sounds like hell but he says that it keeps him sane. Each to his own, right? The next ingredient to my To Do list is that I have at least a week’s worth of To Do days on the go at any one time. This means that I can add items ad-hoc to not only to today and tomorrow but even into next week. When I get an email confirming a meeting next Tue, I add it to that day immediately. Done! No need to think about that again. If I wake up in the middle of the night thinking “I need to book a dentist appointment next week” or “I want to try that new Poke place down the street”, I don’t have to add it to a day that is already overwhelmed. I can choose a day with less on it or a day that makes the most sense. The final ingredient is that I also keep a To Done list. Yep, a To Done list. All that means is that when all the items are checked off my list for the day, I cut and paste that day into a document called, you guessed it, To Done. I started doing this when I was working remotely for a coffee company. Because there were employees all other North America, we had weekly check-ins with our managers, and I would often find myself stumped by the question: “So what have you been working on?” Nothing more alarming than getting asked the question and only being able to reply “Um… stuff”. But having the To Done list meant I could confidently say “Well on Monday I competently customized competitive schemas, Tuesday I progressively architected emerging virtualization, and Wednesday I credibly reintermediated our emerging web-readiness. Shall I continue?” Even though I don’t work for that company anymore and am rarely surprised with that question, I still keep a To Done list mostly for my own edification. But it does also come in handy when it is invoice time, and I have that terrible feeling that I may be forgetting to invoice for a task. Which is not cool at all. So that is my recipe. You can take it or leave it. I only outlined it as an example not as the MASTER LIST TO RULE ALL LISTS. Like everything else in life, you need to experiment and find what works best for you. Before I get to your homework, here are the five suggestions that Forbes offered to optimize your To Do lists. You’ll notice immediately that a few of their suggestions are directly opposed to my methods: 1. Keep it simple. Your To Do list should have NO MORE THAN THREE THINGS on it for a given day. 2. Write your To Do list the night before. This helps you start your day with clarity. You know exactly which item you need to complete by 10 am the next morning. 3. Tackle the first item on your list first thing in the morning when you are fresh. You need to get the biggest, most important task completed before moving on to anything else. 4. If you have a hard time limiting your To Do list to a maximum of three items, or your mind keeps wandering off thinking about all the other things you “need to do”. Take five minutes, no more, and write down every single thing you can think of that you need to do in the next week. This can be personal or professional. Write it all down just to get it out of your head. Then put that list away. This is NOT your To Do list. This is a data dump, and what they call a psychic release. 5. Sometimes, a small To Do becomes a huge energy suck because we’ve put it off for so long that it truly bothers us (like a stain on your carpet, cleaning off your desk at work, doing that ROI analysis, or buying that late wedding present). In this case, it IS one of the three most important things for you to do that day because releasing all the anxiety you have built up will move you forward more than anything else will. One item that I saw again and again in my research was the idea that goals such as “work on research paper” can be too vague and intimidating, meaning we’ll be too afraid to start tackling them. One way to reduce the fear factor and make goals seem more manageable is to break projects into smaller tasks. Instead of “work on research paper,” try something more specific, such as “write the first half of chapter three” on Monday and “write the second half of chapter three” on Tuesday. I do this with the scripts for this podcast. I never aim to finish it in one sitting. Today is the outline and tomorrow is the meat. I sometimes add a third day on for polishing it up, and occasionally I get in the groove and can check off a To Do item a couple of days early. That fricken RULES! Ok. Now your homework. If you don’t have a To Do list - it is time to make one. Again, don’t aim to create the perfect list on your first try but you do need to start somewhere. Follow my guide or find another one online and get it rocking. If you do already have a To Do list going, this is a perfect time to make some adjustments to it. There is always room for improvement, right? You might want to add durations to your To Do items (something that I tried but hated) or try adding in more light things like “lunch with mom” or items you would like to start doing but can’t quite pull the trigger on like “leg day at the gym” or “turn off all electronics at 8:00 pm”. One last thing, don’t forget to add “make To Do list” to your To Do list. I know that seems silly, but I have been bitten by that one more than once. It is a very off-putting feeling for a guy like me to suddenly not know what he is supposed to be doing next Wednesday! I break in to a cold sweat just thinking about that… ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with editing help from Eleanor Cohen. Podcast logo by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today Heroic idea came from the Forbes article “Five Best To-Do List Tips” by Vanessa Loder with some extra oomph from the Greatist.com’s article “How to Actually Get Sh!t Done With a To-Do List” by Shana Lebowitz. Shownotes and transcription of this podcast can be found at www.workplacehero.me/todo  

Guest Hero: Katy Bowman - Part biomechanist, part science communicator, and full-time mover at nutritiousmovement.com Hello cubicle crouchers, open space sitters, corner office pacers, home den dancers and coffee shop squatters. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… You’re expecting me to say “I am the Workplace Hero” but I am not. The goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am simply here to give you something to listen to on the subway. Before we really dive in, here’s a teaser - some stats for you to be horrified at: Only 18% of adults get the total amount of physical activity recommended for good health. And 40% get no physical activity at all! We average North Americans work more than 47 hours a week and we are sitting down for most of that time. In fact we’re sitting down more than ever before in history: 9.3 hours per day! That's more time than we spend sleeping which is 7.7 hours per night. Before I overwhelm you with even more stats and percentages, I want to encourage you to visit SkywalkerFitness.ca. That is the coaching business that I run. Whether you are wanting to run a 10k or a marathon, race in a triathlon, pack on some muscle, clean up your diet, or get totally ripped, I will create a plan for you. And there are no cookie cutter programs allowed. Just 100% tailored programs that fit around your life’s commitments. And for being a Workplace Hero, I will give you a special deal on your first 3 months of coaching. Head over to SkywalkerFitness.ca and send me a note referencing this podcast so I can start building you the perfect program to meet your wellness goals. And now back to some the horrifying stats… Did you know that sitting for 6 hours (or more) per day makes you up to 40% more likely to die within 15 years than someone who sits less for than 3 hours per day? And here's the kicker – this is true even if you get regular exercise. Humans evolved to participate in an assortment of daily movement and physical challenges. Unfortunately, the vast majority of humans aren't honouring our genes. And being a fitness enthusiast, or even a serious competitive athlete, doesn’t give you a free pass here. Between 1980 and the year 2000, exercise rates in the UK stayed the same but sitting increased by 8% and obesity doubled. Bluntly put - sitting on our butts is killing us and making us fat! Wait that was a strange order to say that in… let me try that again: sitting on our butts is making us fat and killing us! Obese people on average sit for 2 and a half more hours per day than thin people. And, incidentally, 1 in 3 of us is currently obese. Our desk jobs, commuting, watching TV, and playing video games all conspire to make us sedentary and this comfortable lifestyle takes its toll. Even those of us who exercise regularly still spend much of the workday planted in a chair in front of the computer. The solution: Reduce our sedentary behaviors to a total of just 3 hours per day and we have the potential to increase our average life expectancy by 2 years. Awesome! Right? Let’s look at what happens in our bodies when we sit? • Electrical activity in our leg muscles shuts off, • Calorie burning drops to only 1 calorie per minute, • Enzymes that help break down fat drop by 90%, • After 2 hours of sitting our HDL (good cholesterol) drops by 20%, • After 4 hours, our insulin effectiveness drops 24% and thus risk of diabetes rises, • After work, each extra hour of "couch time" raises all of these risks factors by another 11%. I have a confession to make. I am one of those people who has a standing workstation. I originally bought it because I read that standing at my desk, I can burn up to 50 extra calories per hour. That is approximately 400 extra calories per workday! I rocked that standing desk in a room full of sitters and I was pretty darn proud of myself… until I met Biomechanist, Katy Bowman. If you hang out on internet health sites, chances are you’ve read a headline that screams something like "sitting is the new smoking." That’s Katy. These headlines imply that sitting, like smoking, is statistically associated with numerous health issues including death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. And that it will take some time before we all wise up and quit. I’ll let her explain her job. As a biomechanist and kinesiologist, I help people understand that the shape of their body on the gross level (i.e. their posture) affects the shape of the cells themselves. In other words the way you have been sitting has changed the tiny parts that make up your structure; like the shape and density of your bones, the length of your muscles and tendons and the resting tension in your connective tissues. The adaptations to sitting on this deeper cellular level means that reaping the benefits of not sitting so much requires more than just swapping one static position for another. It requires an entire overhaul of the way you think about and move your body. Standing Workers (even the stationary ones like I was when I worked behind a cash register at a liquor store) burn about 1,500 calories while at work; a person behind a desk might burn 900. This goes a long way in explaining why people gain 16 pounds within 8 months of starting a sedentary office job. But even those with active jobs are generally engaged in repetitive tasks that only mobilize a fraction of their joints and muscles. Furthermore, the grind of physical labor can lead to assorted overuse injuries and health problems. But ok… what it really comes down to is that you don't absolutely have to stand all day long but you should absolutely interrupt your sitting and move around as often as you can. Back to Katy… As a longtime proponent of the "stop sitting so much" campaign, I am thrilled that sitting is finally getting attention in the media. Research into diseases associated with sitting like cancer, aren't new. The first article I ever read in 1997 on sitting and risks of cancer was published in 1993, which means scientists, at least somewhere, have known about this relationship for at least 20 years. In light of sitting resurgence, sitting less campaigns, healthy minded individuals (like me) have been super motivated to get out of there chairs and on to Physio balls, standing workstations (like me), and tread desks. The options to sit less are endless so the notion that standing in one place is a solution to sitting so much reminds me of that joke about all accidents happening within 15 miles from your home. “I read that all accidents happen within 15 miles of one's house so I moved” or “I read that sitting kills so now I'm afraid to stop standing.” Which is pretty much what I did when I was working for an email marketing firm in 2011. And… many of my coworkers followed my lead. As I explained more deeply and my book “Move Your DNA - Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement" the sitting itself really isn't the problem. It is the repetitive use of a single position that makes us literally become ill in a litany of ways. For example, muscles will adapt to repetitive positioning by changing their cellular make up, which in turn leads to less joint range of motion. This muscle and joint stiffness can lead to a stiffening of the arterial walls within these muscles. Is this bumming you out? Just hang on… The positive news is that because we've all been sitting "static" the same way for decades, changing our static positioning, i.e. standing more, can improve our health as can moving intermittently throughout the day. Ah ha! Moving intermittently throughout the day! Now this is actionable. When I was working for a big financial firm in downtown Toronto, I would often set an alarm on my iPhone to go off every hour, on the hour, and do pushups, or calf raises, or squats, or jumping jacks, or burpees. Getting up and raising your heart rate for 4 minutes, once an hour, gets you the 30 minutes per day that your doctor has been nagging you about. Plus it makes you more productive, clears your head, gets you refocused and energized. Yes, getting up from your desk is good for your brain as well as body. When you are not at work, look for opportunities to move around as well. Never sit on a bus. Always take the stairs. If you are on an escalator, pretend it’s stairs. Ignore what your mom told you and bounce a leg or fidget whenever you can. This extra movement is called “Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis” or “NEAT” and it all adds up! Here’s a good one - I never sit through a commercial break. They’re a built in timer that should cue you to get up and do something. I keep a set up dumbbells by the TV to swing around or I just wander into the other room. Just remember to come back before Rick tells Carl to stay in the house again. But anyway, lets get back to the comparison of sitting and smoking… Sitting and smoking are different. Sitting itself isn't the creator of ill effects the way a cigarette is. Sitting, the position, is perfectly harmless when consumed appropriately. It's not like putting your butt into a chair makes you ill. As they say, it's the dose that makes the poison. But isn’t “sitting still” what got us in trouble in the first place? Language can also get us into trouble when seeking solutions because we keep equating sitting with not moving. But in many cases the physical effects of sitting are just as much created by repetitive geometry (always sit in the same way) as they are by the metabolic changes that come with being sedentary. So in the same way that standing can improve your health, so can sitting differently which is great news for the millions of people who aren’t fit enough to stand for a considerable amount of time yet. Yes, even you who wants to change your risk profile for disease but feels trapped by your current physical limitations can change how you sit and improve your health on a cellular level. So this week your homework is clear. No, I don’t want you to take up smoking! Come on, man! No. Every day this week, set an alarm on your phone, computer, tablet or whatever to go off every hour. When it goes off. stand up and do some sort of movement that you don’t usually do. Like I said before: pushups, calf raises, squats, jumping jacks, burpees, dips on your chair, even some moves you learned in your yoga class would do. Just do something for 4 minutes and enjoy the feeling of rejuvenation, focus, clarity and a smidgen of superiority… ‘cause, well, you earned it. Extra points if you do it in the middle of a meeting. I’m serious. Every revolution needs a leader. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong with additional editing and social media from Eleanor Cohen. Artwork by Ken Cunningham and music by my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s Hero is Biomechanist and DNA mover, Katy Bowman. Go to primalblueprint.com/dont-just-sit-there for more of Katy’s suggestions on how to become and better non-sitter. Special thanks to Katy and Primal Blueprint publishing for allowing me to use portions of their Don’t Just Sit There audiobook for this podcast.

Guest Hero: Monica Reinagel - licensed nutritionist with a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition. Hello cubicle cucumbers, open space spaghetti, corner office onions, home den Doritos and coffee shop shallots. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. I know you expected me to say that I was. It happens every darn episode. But the goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am just hear to fill your ears with inspiration. When you think about it, most of us spend at least 40 hours per week at our place of work (47.7 hours is the actual average even if we only get paid for 37.5 hours). We put time and effort into what our home looks like. We put research into the car we buy or the clothes we wear. Why wouldn’t we put at least that much effort into how we approach our workspace? Before we get started, now that we are a few episodes in to the podcast, if you enjoy this podcast and the tips and strategies it contains, I encourage you to visit SkywalkerFitness.ca. That is the wellness coaching business that I run. Whether you are wanting to run a 10k or a marathon, race in a triathlon, pack on some muscle, clean up your diet, or get lean and ripped, I will create a plan for you. No cookie cutter programs allowed. Just 100% tailored programs that fit around your life’s commitments. And for being a Workplace Hero, I will give you a special deal on your first 3 months of coaching. Head over to SkywalkerFitness.ca and send me a note so I can start building you the perfect program to meet your wellness goals. Let me set the stage for you - It’s Monday morning. In a surprise turn of events, you feel great! You had an amazing weekend of good sleep, good food, fresh air and exercise, and aside from the one glass or wine (or beer) you had with dinner on Saturday night you stuck to your diet exceptionally well. You are feeling so good that you pull out those skinny pants that look so good on you but often feel a little tight around the waist. And - yes! They feel good. Sadly, something goes awry with the kids, or you take a little too long chatting after your sunrise yoga class, or doing your morning journalling, or spacing out on your coffee cup, and you find yourself running late. So you put your coffee in a travel mug, grab a banana and eat on the way to work. You think to yourself “at least I didn’t grab one of the crappy meal replacement bars” - you are still on track! The problem is that around 9:30 or 10:00 am the banana wears off and you find yourself hungry and losing energy and focus. And you are supposed to be leading a breakout meeting in 15 minutes. You don’t want to dig into the lunch that your prepared on Sunday night - not yet - it’s too early. What do you do? You know Debbie always has M&Ms on her desk and you saw one of the EAs from upstairs bring down the leftover donuts from the Monday morning SLT meeting. But you have been doing so well! What do you do? What do you do? Ok, that story may not sound exactly like you but I am sure you can relate and extrapolate the sentiment to match something in your life. Even those of you who work in a home office can likely relate to being in a rush and feeling trapped by your lack of solid meal options. We’ve all been there. A fridge full of condiments… First, let’s look at what happened to our fictional Hero. What was the issue, really? In my opinion, the issues is that breakfast was left to chance. Lunches were prepared (in out fictional scenario) but breakfast was not and while a banana is a better choice than a bowl of sugary, overly processed cereal, it lacks many of the nutrients that keep us full, fuelled and focussed. According to AuthorityNutrion.com a banana contains: Calories 89 Water 75 % Protein 1.1 g Carbs 22.8 g Sugar 12.2 g Fiber 2.6 g Fat 0.3 g So, not much in the way of Protein and Fat (both of which keep you feeling full) but quite a bit of sugar and carbs (both of which make you feel good for a short time but lead to a sugar crash quite quickly) and a ton of water. It also only contains 89 Calories and if you believe the calories-in-calories-out theory even a little bit, you will find that 89 calories will only fuel an average sized woman for 20 minutes of walking briskly, on a level, firm surface (according to CalorieLab.com). So the solution here isn’t to pack a bunch of mid-morning snacks, it’s to make sure you eat an awesome breakfast. Choosing the right types and amounts of food so you get hungry when it is appropriate… not when your team is in the middle of hamming out an actionable plan that is both synergistic and C-level. Ok, let’s move forward in the day. Lunch break is over and you have jumped back into your day. 2:00 hits and you get a slight rumble in your belly or you start to feel a little logy and unfocussed. A lot of times I think people reach for a snack in the afternoon not because they're hungry but because their bodies or their brains just need a break. And in those cases I think you'd be better off, instead of going to the vending machine, stand up from your desk look away from your screen, do some stretches, get the blood flowing. That’s Monica Reinagel. I’m a licensed nutritionist and creator of the weekly nutrition Diva podcast. And my blog and nutrition coaching programs live at nutritionovereasy.com If you have an opportunity get outside, get some fresh air, take a little walk. Even just have a conversation with somebody else in the office of a friend. Just give yourself that little break. Sometimes when we feel snacky, that’s what we really need. Which is something that is going to come up in a future episode about “movement snacks” which is a way of getting your doctor prescribed 30 minutes per day of exercise without having to get up early or stay out late making time for the gym. Now, it could also be possible that your body needs some calories and in that case I think you want choose calories that are going to sustain your mental performance for the afternoon, that aren’t going to leave you feeling sleepy. Sound familiar? We talked about this earlier when we were talking about breakfast. So you want to reach for things that are lower in sugar and higher in protein and/or healthy fat and I think the trick to that is to plan ahead and not wait until you're already hungry to start figuring out what you're going to eat. What kind of things do you suggest? I like to have nuts in my desk drawer or if you have a refrigerator at work you can stash some healthier choices in there - maybe some yogurt and some fruit or a sandwich or some hummus and raw vegetables - but the idea is that by front loading and stocking your environment with some healthy choices you can afford to take that snack break and really fuel your body instead of just throwing yourself at the vending machine or the coffee cart. When I go grocery shopping I can’t help but notice the ever growing aisle of energy bars. Sometimes when people feel their energy flagging in the afternoon, they think it makes sense to reach for an energy bar. I mean, after all that’s what they're designed to do right? Wrong! Energy bars are really designed for athletes who are burning a ton of calories, they are exhausting the muscles, they need a fast source of sugar in order to continue their physical exertion. And so energy bars tend to be really high in sugar and that's the last thing that you would want if you're sitting at your desk and looking for a little boost in energy. Because a big dose of sugar is more likely to just put you to sleep. Ok, this is clearly a topic that we could go on and on about but instead, let’s get to your homework. This week is an easy one. Head over to Monica’s website at nutritionovereasy.com/hero and get her Complete Guide to Heroic Workplace Snacking (which is also known as Chapter 6 of her book: Secrets for a Healthy Diet ), for free! That’s http://nutritionovereasy.com/hero for a free Workplace Snacking Guide. Obviously, I want you to read it as well. What kind of homework would it be if it didn’t involve reading? Come on, man! That’s it for today. After you grab your free chapter at http://nutritionovereasy.com/hero make sure you give this podcast a review or a rating. Especially during these first few weeks of launching a podcast, it really helps out. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in rainy downtown Vancouver. Additional research and editing by Eleanor Cohen. Artwork by Ken Cunningham. Today’s Hero is none other than the Nutrition Diva herself, Monica Reinagel.

Hello desk defenders, cubicle champions, open space servicemen, corner office combatants, home den defenders and coffee shop conquerors. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. That’s you! You see, the goal of this podcast is to make you into a Workplace Hero. I am your guide on this journey. Think of me as your auditory custodian. Today we’re going to talk about the particular ways to start your day. Over at Lifehacker.com I found and article where they say that the first hour of your morning sets the stage for the entire day to follow. Wow. Let’s sit on that for a second. Think back to this morning. How did you spend your first hour? {rewind sound} Personally I put my coffee on, went to the bathroom, took mine vitamins, fired up my laptop, grabbed my coffee and spent the rest of the hour responding to some easy/friendly emails and scrolling through endless photos of my friend’s pets on Instagram. Then I headed to the gym. I am not sure how that sets the stage for the rest of my day but I’ve survived this far so… let’s continue. The article went on to say that there's a better way to start your than what I just described and that is to take the morning to tackle the hardest jobs of the day—those heavy tasks that you are pretty sure you won't have the mental fortitude for later on. By doing that tough thing - that you may otherwise end of putting off - first thing in the morning, you will feel a large sense of accomplishment to have it done and in the can (as we say in the biz). You can then use that happy feeling to carry you through the day. Recently, conventional wisdom was challenged with something Penn State University refers to as “pre-crastination.” After doing a series of studies in which students pick up and carry one of two buckets, researchers theorized that many people prefer to take care of difficult tasks sooner rather than later. That theory poses the question of whether this new idea of pre-crastination or the more widely acknowledged constructive procrastination is more effective. The research, published in Psychological Science (a journal of the Association for Psychological Science) suggests that people often opt to begin a task as soon as possible just to get it off their plate, even if they have to expend more physical effort to do so. Study author David Rosenbaum, distinguished professor of psychology, said “Most of us feel stressed about all the things we need to do -- we have to-do lists, not just on slips of paper we carry with us or on our iPhones, but also in our heads.” The researchers conducted a total of nine experiments. This is what it looked like: College student participants stood at one end of an alley, along which two plastic beach buckets were stationed. The students were instructed to walk down the alley without stopping and to pick up one of the two buckets and drop it off at the endpoint. The researchers varied the positions of the two buckets relative to the starting point and the students were asked to do “whatever seemed easier” - pick up and carry the left bucket with the left hand or pick up and carry the right bucket with the right hand. In the first three experiments, participants showed an overwhelming tendency to choose whichever bucket had the shorter approach distance, which translated to the longer carrying distance. In case you were wondering, the researchers were able to rule out various potential explanations, including potential problems with hand-foot coordination, left or right handedness and differences in attention, in subsequent experiments. When the students were asked to explain why they chose the bucket they did, they often said that they “wanted to get the task done as soon as they could.” Back to professor Rosenbaum, “Our findings indicate that while our participants did care about physical effort, they also cared a lot about mental effort, and they wanted to complete one of the subordinate tasks they had to do, picking up the bucket, in order to finish the entire task of getting the bucket to the drop-off site.” All this without the promise of a nap or a vacation or even a cookie, the subjects simply wanted to experience the “good feeling” of knocking the task of their mental to-do list. Sound familiar? It does to me. It’s likely the same reason that I answer emails first thing in the morning. I know that is off my list and I can concentrate on other my fun and fulfilling tasks. In another laboratory (in a University far far away), behavioural scientists have discovered that one of the most effective ways to create an enjoyable experience is to stack the painful parts of the experience early in the process. Psychologically, we prefer experiences that improve over time. That means it’s better for the annoying parts to happen early in the experience. As a side not they also discovered, not all that surprisingly, we don’t seem to enjoy it when painful experiences are drawn out or repeated. Here are some examples of how to stack the painful part at the beginning… - If you’re at the dentist, it’s better to combine the annoyance of waiting into one segment. The wait feels shorter to your brain if you spend 20 minutes in the waiting room rather than spending 10 minutes in the waiting room and 10 minutes alone in the exam room. - The scientists also found that people enjoy all-inclusive vacations because they pay one lump sum at the beginning (which is the painful part) and then the rest of the trip is divided into positive experiences, excursions, and parties that kinda feel like they are somehow free. - If you’re a project manager you have probably noticed that it is better to give the bad news to your clients first and finish with the good news. Clients will remember an experience more favourably if you don’t start with all the super cool new features you have added and then end with the bummer news that the project is horribly behind schedule and over budget. So, let’s take a normal day where you might have something annoying or painful to do (like writing a proposal) and you also have something you really enjoying doing (like writing a 5-star review for your new favourite podcast). If you write the review on your lunch break and then start the proposal with only an hour left of your workday, you will remember your day as going from a good experience to a bad experience. Obviously that’s the opposite of what you want to remember because your brain likes it when experiences improve as time goes on. Interestingly enough, to us folks who are involved in marketing or sales, the path to a kickass workday resembles the path to a kickass customer experience - it starts with a few painful experiences and improves as you goes until you are happily holding your cool new purchase in your hot little hands. Using this strategy, you allow yourself to move toward happiness even when you know there are annoying or painful things you have to get done. Very much like the people in the bucket experiment or your trip to the dentist, the biggest high you can experience from these tasks is to get them over with. Get them out of the way. Get them off your to-do list. Then you can spend the rest of the day admiring your glistening teeth and knocking the easy stuff off your list. I think this is super interesting stuff and definitely worth trying out. You’re homework for this week: Pick three big things that need to get done each day, and NO MORE (if you choose 100 things, you’ll just pick the easy stuff to avoid the hard things), and put them at the top of your to-do list. Oh and by the way, if you haven’t picked up on this already, you’re going to need to start using a to-do list (we’ll cover how to manage those in a future podcast - I promise). So, pick three big things you need to accomplish and get them done as soon as you possibly can. Do those three things early in the day and then bask in the glow for the remainder of the day. Whatever you do, make sure your first hour is well spent— if you do it right, it may be the most productive hour you have. That’s it for today. If you are enjoying this podcast, connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or the podcast website www.workplacehero.me. Because according to a recent study by Evolv (in which they monitored hundreds of metrics from Fortune 500 companies) there is an exciting correlation between usage of social networks and productivity/output per employee. They found that Employees who belonged to more than five social networks had a 1.6 percent higher sales conversion than their counterparts and a 2.8 percent lower average call time. See! You will be more productive if you engage with me on more than one social media platform. But if you only choose one, please make it giving this podcast a review and rating on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube or TuneIn or where ever else you happen to be listening. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated, and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in Vancouver Canada. Additional research, social media and editing by Eleanor Cohen. Logo by Ken Cunningham. Music is courtesy my old band, The Irregular Heartbeats. Today’s Heroic topic came from Lifehacker, Buffer Social and Penn State University.

Hello desk jockeys, cubicle curmudgeons, open space operators, corner office carousers, home den dwellers and coffee shop squatters. My name is Brock Armstrong and I am… not the Workplace Hero. No no. I know you probably expected me to say that I was but no. I am not. The goal of this podcast is to in fact make you into a Workplace Hero. I am merely your guide on this journey. Perhaps I am more of a sherpa or concierge… but in any case, no matter what you w ant to call me, you are the true hero here. The aim of this podcast is for me to arm you, my amazing workplace-casual army, with the weapons needed to combat the potential and perhaps inherent downsides of our chosen lifestyle. And let’s not beat around the bush here, it is a lifestyle and we did choose it. We could all quit or jobs and move to the mountains to harvest our own veggies and catch our own fish and grow a beard down to our navel but honestly, how many of you want that? For more than a week anyway. Right? One of my largest pet peeves in life is hearing people state, as if that were an indisputable fact, that in order to be happy you must bust out of the corporate world and throw off the shackles of an office job. Or that you can’t truly be creative in a cubicle. Or that being your own boss is the only way to be healthy, happy and fulfilled in your work life. This is patently not true. There are so many people, like you and me, who enjoy their day job, kick ass in the cubicle and flourish in the 9-to-5. We pounce on the chance to get stuff done and can’t wait to knock the next item off of our to-do list — but we might also be gaining weight from sitting at a desk all day. We can’t wait wait for our next assignment and thrive on getting lost in the flow of a job well done but we also worry about dozing off in our afternoon meeting. We are email ninjas who have inbox zero within our grasp but also have an inkling that we could be more productive overall and less stressed on a daily basis. If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, this podcast is for you. What qualifies me to guide you on this journey? Well, I won’t lie. I have had many, many jobs over the years which have involved many, many desks of every shape and size in every configuration you can imagine. I am also a health and wellness coach and have been involved in the fitness industry since graduating from high school (as a professional ballet dancer) all the way to now where I coach elite athletes and every day Joes cross the finish lines of marathons, triathlons and fitness competitions. The intersection of these two interests is where I live! The constant conundrum of how to stay fit and healthy, productive and creative, focussed and sharp in an atmosphere that can be viewed as oppressive, stale and stagnant is what I live for. What topics will we cover in Workplace Hero? We’ll tackle the easy ones like managing email (before it manages you), avoiding unnecessary snacks (even the donuts in the break room), staying adequately hydrated (is it really that tricky?), and incorporating movement into your day (movement snacks rather than snack snacks). We’ll also get into bigger wins like weekly meal planning and prep, alleviating muscle tension, avoiding eye strain, making the most of your weekends, vacations and sick days, and even the pros and cons of working remotely. We’ll also get into some of the more cutting edge, fringe and potentially woo-woo ideas out there that may make your co-workers snicker, wonder, laugh, get intrigued, ask questions and likely eventually join in. If you go to the website at www.workplacehero.me you will see a photo of me, taken a few years ago in my home office. The first thing you will notice is that I am standing at my desk with no chair to be seen. The second thing you will notice is that I am wearing yellow tinted glasses that block the blue light spectrum from hitting my eye balls. The third thing (or maybe this is the first thing you noticed - hard to say) is that I am wearing a vest that is filled with ice packs. Yes, you heard that right - ice packs. I am also wearing some rather fancy boxershorts… but that is not the important part. The important part is that there is so much more you can do with your work habitat aside from installing an ergonomic keyboard, a gluten free sun lamp, and a pleasing picture of your dog from that vacation you took three years ago to perk up your workspace. I acknowledge that some of what I talk about may not be 100% for you but I bet it will spark some of your own ideas and creativity. Rest assured that not every episode will feature my smooth Canadian vocal tones 100% of the time. I have a roster of guest experts lined up to not only enhance your listening experience but also boost the knowledge base and lend credibility to our workplace heroics. I will have experts in mindset, nutrition, fitness, mobility, biohacking, nature, business, productivity and so on and so on and so on. Which brings me to my final point. This podcast is not just about me passing information to you. I want to hear from you guys! What have you tried? What have you heard about? What would you like me to investigate, research, or find an expert on? Let’s make this a conversation. After all, I am not the Workplace Hero - you are. Or at least, you will be if I do my job. You can email me at podcast@workplacehero.me or leave me a note on Facebook or Twitter. Let’s get started. As I mentioned earlier, the website for this podcast is www.workplacehero.me and there you will find the show notes where I will post the synopsis of the podcast along with any links to resources, studies, articles, products and so on so you don’t have to be madly scribbling down notes as you listen. The easiest way to make sure you receive each and every episode of the podcast, aside from coming to the website each week, is to subscribe. If you are an iTunes user, just go to the iTunes app and search for Workplace Hero and hit the subscribe button. The podcast is also available on Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, YouTube and the good old fashioned RSS feed. Seeing as this is the first episode, I don’t expect you to dash out and give the show a review or 5-star rating quite yet but once you have listened enough to form an opinion, I would love it if you left me a review, rating, like, thumb or heart. It is a great way to spread the word and support the podcast without opening your wallet. If you didn’t enjoy what you have heard, I urge you to be honest while also keeping in mind that unsubscribing is always an option. My feelings will not be hurt if you quietly remove me from your ears. If you have constructive feedback - bring it on! If you just really hate the sound of my voice or don’t find the information useful, that is when unsubscribing from this free podcast is the best solution. That’s it for this episode. Thank you for listening. Now here is your assignment for this business week: for the next 5 days, when you arrive at your desk, before you sit down, I want you to scan the area and look for anything that you didn’t put there with intent, purpose, forethought and comfort. Is your telephone in an awkward spot? Is your keyboard centred on the desk but not centred to your body? Is there a box of tissues lounging where you would really prefer to plop your coffee cup? Find at least one thing to rearrange every day this week. Extra points if you discover after a few days that the original location was indeed the correct one. Subtract points if you have the thought “I don’t have time for that.” But being the master of your own time is a topic for another episode. ** Workplace Hero is researched, written, narrated and recorded by me Brock Armstrong in rainy downtown Vancouver. Additional research and editing by Eleanor Cohen. Artwork by Ken Cunningham. Today’s heroic idea is courtesy of author and mindset guru, Dean Dwyer, who’s insistence and encouragement prompted me to pull the trigger on this podcast. Do yourself a favour and check out the interview I did with Dean for the Primal Blueprint podcast at http://blog.primalblueprint.com/episode-65-dean-dwyer/