It’s no secret that many of us are working from home as a result of these unprecedented times. Now whether you prefer this way of working or not – the reality is it might be like this way for a while and perhaps become a regular part of some organizations routines when things do eventually return to ‘normal’. Other than the obvious, a strong wifi connection – what else can you do to make your work from home routine work for you?
Ergonomic Workspace
A functional and dedicated workspace is key for productivity at home. If you can, try to allocate an area of your home only for work use. Working at a desk or table with a functional chair is crucial; the worst thing we can do is work from our beds or couch. It’s important to position yourself correctly with arms and back in with a proper 90-degree posture at your desk, with elbows aligned to the chair. You want to ensure you’re not overarching your back and leaning into your workspace. To help facilitate this try using one or multiple monitors, and refrain from utilizing your laptop directly. Having a separate mouse and keyboard will help keep your back straight and reduce strain on eyes as well. Lastly, make sure your screen is at least a forearms length away from your body, this ensures you are not putting excessive strain on your neck either pulling forward or back.
Keep an Open Line of Communication
Although you are not in person, it doesn’t mean that the communication between your colleagues must suffer in the process. Utilize tools such as Skype, Google Hangouts or Zoom. Video conferencing apps are having a moment, and its obvious why. They allow you to engage with others through the comfort your home whether it be sharing project files, ideas or providing recommendations.
Be available and constructive in your conversations, it’s easy to veer off topic but it’s important to remember everyone is in the same boat so don’t be afraid to have that water cooler chat albeit virtually
Take Breaks, Prioritize Your Health
Working from home we can often forget to take the necessary breaks as we did in a normal office setting. Therefore it’s important to schedule in 10-15 minutes of increments of breaks within your calendar. This forces you to get up from your chair, walk around, stretch and perhaps even get a cup of joe.
There is an incredible amount of autonomy in the current work setting, and even though we stay contact with our team to collaborate, we are still faced with an increased number of decisions that need to be made individually – which can prove to be overwhelming or stressful.
Taking breaks will help avoid the feeling of mental and physical burnout – that can potentially occur. On a larger scale, studies have indicated that employees who take regular breaks and in large part more satisfied with their employer, and the company shows a shorter rate of turnover.
Set Up Work and Social Boundaries
Establishing daily work hours is one of the most important things you can do for yourself in order to maintain a distinct balance between home and work. Obviously if you have children or other responsibilities to take care of this will factor in. Ideally, creating one start time and end time to your workday will be key. This will ensure you don’t develop the habit of checking emails on your phone non-stop or remain at your desk for long hours. If you work with a company in which non-traditional hours are required, speak with your manager on how to set a healthy balance.
Avoid Distractions
The obvious distractions can be smart phones, social media, easy access to a T.V. can prove to be more of a distraction than in your previous work setting. It’s crucial to limit your time and remember it’s very easy getting caught up in the next Buzzfeed quiz, of “Which Kardhasian are you?” thus making boundaries all the more necessary. However, don’t be fooled as distractions aren’t just limited to your device. Another important thing to consider is where you are situated, which means observing where your desk is facing and what exactly within your immediate environment could pose as a possible distraction. This could be facing a desk with a noisy street or having the kitchen a little too close by.
Evaluating all these potential distractors can help you significantly with your productivity. This helps you strike a balance between a healthy work and personal life. Remember to use your time wisely and disengage where needed.
Adjusting to a ‘new normal’ with limited notice won’t necessarily bode well for everybody as each person is different. Therefore, by taking the time to see what works for you can aid with productivity. These tips encourage you to adapt and stick with a routine, without sacrificing your mental and physical health.
Guest blog by Gia Gill. Gia is an experienced marketing communications professional based in Toronto.
We have all had our share of good and bad dates. Hopefully, you have ended with your perfect person. However, do you remember the times when you were still in search of “The One”?
We’re sure it involved a lot of trial and error, a lot of understanding and a lot of compromises. All is fair in love and war, as they say.
One thing that’s also like finding love and dating is looking for a reliable partner when it comes to Social Media Management. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day here’s a check-list of positive qualities to find a social media manager who’s “The One”:
1. MAKE SURE THEY REALLY KNOW YOU
A perfect social media manager does not overwhelm you with the world’s best template, but instead sits down and takes his/her time to know what your company is about. They should be able to capitalize on your company’s existing strengths and curb down your weaknesses.
2. THEY HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST IN MIND
As they are experts, after considering your thoughts they should stand firm, and if needed insist on their plan of action. While you know your brand, they know the best course of action to make your company an internet success.
3. THEY PLAY NICE WITH YOUR FRIENDS
As a good partner, they have to get to know your friends. In the social media world, this means they constantly engaging your followers, clients and stakeholders.
4. THEY HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The problem with creativity is the difficulty in delivering it effectively. A great social media manager should be able to explain their ideas in a way that you can understand what they are trying to do.
5. THEY SPEAK HIGHLY OF YOU AROUND OTHERS
A great social media manager should be able to improve your network. They should be able to take the “word-of-mouth” adage into a whole new level by talking about you, your strengths, your passion, even if you’re not around to witness it.
6. LOYAL AND RELIABLE
Who doesn’t want a partner who’s loyal? This is non-negotiable when it comes to both relationships and business partnerships. They should have your back at all times. One way of protecting you is pro-actively informing you of up and coming competitors.
You have to date a few before
finding the right one – and as always, there’s no better way of really knowing
one’s intentions until you have spent time with them. Similar to dating, you
can only know a social media manager’s performance until they have proven them
to you over the course of your partnership.
Tired of social media manager dating? Give us a try and find out if we are “The One”. We are 3 social media managers in one! Happy dating!
Meredith Wolting is a visual artist, performer and designer based in Toronto. She performs, paints, and teaches throughout the city, designing sets, props, and costumes for theatre companies, as well as logos, posters, and paintings by commission. Her art contains a little touch of magic and Disney!
What draws you to creating your art?
I am drawn by images and feelings that have become important memories, especially ones from my childhood. A particular song, a scene from a movie, the texture of a fabric, a moment paddling on a lake… these are all memories that inspire me to create.
In 3 words or less, how do people describe your art?
Colourful, dramatic, fantasy
What is one goal you’d like to accomplish in your lifetime?
One goal I have is to learn more about large-scale puppet building for theatre. I would love to create a giant man-eating plant for Little Shop of Horrors!
Do you spend time promoting your art online? If you do what has been most helpful for you?
Yes, promoting my art online is an important part of how I find jobs! Instagram has been extremely helpful, especially using Instagram Stories to show quick snippets of what I’m working on. I like to engage my followers through creating polls and contests for them to participate in. Being active on social media keeps me on people’s radars, so when they are looking for an artist, they think of me right away!
What’s the most difficult part of promoting yourself online?
The most difficult part for me is posting work that I’m not completely satisfied with. It’s hard to put something out there for everyone to view when I see the flaws or I can’t stop thinking about what I could have done better in different circumstances. Especially in the theatre industry, I am learning to be proud of the work that I accomplish with the time and resources I have. If I only showed art that was perfectly complete, my website would be blank.
What advice would you give to other artists who are starting out?
Let go of perfectionism. Be proud of your flaws – they are what make you special and your art interesting! Show your work to everyone and celebrate the work of other artists. We are all on a different creative journey and we all have a different timeline.
If you have any upcoming shows, projects or events – please share here!
I will be featured in the RAW Toronto Showcase on Friday August 17 at the Mod Club.
Snapchat is a quintessential app for “living in the moment”. Snaps are shared on the fly and in the heat of a moment without the attached worry of how many likes or comments they’ll receive, allowing for more realistic and unedited looks into people’s everyday lives. When using Snapchat as a musician, following this level of openness and transparency shows personability, promotes your art, and shows interesting content beyond your music that fans will be sure to love.
A Day In The Life
If people take an interest in your music, chances are they’ll take an interest in how it comes to fruition. Try snapping some footage of your process, and what goes into making your music what it is. This could come straight from the inception process in the form of songwriting or jamming, to actually recording and mixing the track with snaps of studio sessions and various instrument demonstrations.
But hey, you don’t always have to snap about your music! Let people know that you’re a human being; give them a glimpse of your life outside of music. What goes into your smoothies? What do you do to de-stress after a day of producing music? Fans like to know that their favourite musicians are people who they can relate to: people who take part in everyday chores and activities just like they do. So stop overthinking and let your snaps show your fans the real you!
A great way that musicians can easily use Snapchat to promote their music, is by previewing new songs. This can be as simple as firing off a quick snap story of you listening to a track that’s currently in the works, or even recording a new track in the studio with your band.
Previewing new work creates a buzz. It gets your followers excited for what’s to come and gives them something to look forward to. Not to mention that sharing these quick snippets is essentially creating shareable content in the easiest way possible. If you’re already in the midst of recording or listening to an upcoming track, why not turn it into a shareable snap that can get people talking about your music?
Behind The Scenes Footage
If you perform live, giving your fans a behind the scenes look is a great way to create excitement and give them a VIP treatment of what goes on backstage. You can show them snaps of what it’s like to make sure your instruments are in tune and ready to go, how a sound check works, or even the various staff at the venue who are working hard to make the concert a reality!
This also goes back to being personable with your followers and shining a light on what life as a musician is really like. Even if your just cracking jokes in the green room or making small talk with the sound guy, most of your fans are likely unfamiliar with what happens beyond the stage, so let them into your world!
Creating A Geofilter For Your Show
This one’s more so for those with a bit of graphic design skills. But if you can pull it off, it can be a HUGE benefit to your live show and the promotion of your music. Ever noticed how when you go to a certain location, new filters directly related to that location pop up for you to use? These are called Geofilters, and they’re actually free for anyone to make! So making one for your show that features branded images and awesome graphics related to your band is a surefire way to get people snapping and sharing that they’re at your show! Pricing to use Geofilters changes according to size of duration and campaign duration.
This is a Geofilter!
To learn more about these Geofilters and how to create them, check out this great walkthrough by SocialMediaExaminer.
If you have extra marketing budget, look into Snapchat Lenses. Similar to Geofilters, a Lens can appear according to your geographical area. Here’s an example of how Ed Sheeran used Snapchat Lenses to promote his new single.
Snapchat Spectacles
Snapchat Spectacles are the newest and greatest thing to come out of Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. Spectacles are sunglasses with built in cameras (talk about 007) that allow you to take snaps hands free, from a high definition, first person POV.
As a musician, these can be used to add an entirely different perspective to any of your snaps, with the most notable setting being live shows. Showing your fans what you see from stage is an awesome way to let your fans virtually walk in your shoes, and it gives them a much more intimate feeling of what it’s like to be you!
In conclusion, it’s truly best not to overthink it. As long as you remain tasteful and appropriate, your fans will be interested in what you post because they are already interested in you and your music; so get out there and start snapping!
