In this episode, Ryan Joyce and Graeme Reed discuss tips, tricks and advice for being more productive at home and get the most out of your day. Stay Home Productivity. Listen Here!
Magicians Talking Magic Podcast | Ep 45
On This Episode:
Working From Home! Here are 6 tips to improve your productivity and get the most out of your day
1. Have a Great Workspace
Minimal or cluttered - it’s your space
Add in your personality
Art works
Inspiration
The layout of your room
BONUS: Camera-Ready
Obviously we are limited with working at home and in some cases you may end up reorganizing the whole house!
Graeme Case Study:
Graeme’s office at CHCH - I had my back to the door for 7 years and spent monday - friday getting spooked. This simple room layout issue created a lot of unnecessary stress that could be solved just by a room adjustment
Alisha and I recently re-organized the house. I have taken over our spare bedroom as an office/virtual studio/ rehearsal space. Previously I was in the basement for streaming and rehearsing then upstairs in our loft for office work and research. I had created a mess throughout the house. I can now just have everything in my office, walk out and not be reminded of all the daily work
THE CRA - When it comes to taxes you can write off a percentage of your bills ect based on the size of your workspace. In a recent talk from the CRA I learned that even if you have a 12x12 room with a desk and a filing cabinet - the CRA will measure just the space you use - so that little space around your desk. Just keep in mind when it comes to taxes you have to justify the size of workspace.
2. Internet Connection
This seems like a basic conversation yet in every video conference there seems to always be at least one with internet issues. We have quickly moved into a virtual landscape a lot of us are sharing the internet at home with other family members, roommates or friends. A key to Livestream production - be hardwired in with ethernet to have the fastest, most reliable connection. Imagine you were performing live and someone turned the lights off? Its part of our responsibility to broadcast a clean show.
Graeme's Case Study:
I am no network technician but recently I changed the cables and connections in our house so both Alisha and I can be hardwired in allowing us both to work from home without issue.
Everyone’s home setup, internet connection, modems and all this is different based on where you live - this step will take some research on your part
3. Apps
Have all the necessary software to be a virtual service provider. Stay researched and up to date on the latest trends.
Most Common Apps:
Skype
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Facebook Rooms
Good Meetings?
Enhance your virtual experience:
OBS
Touch Portal
Sound Board apps
Qlabs
Media Star
4. Minimize distractions
I live at home with my Girlfriend, she is currently doing second career education. I also have 4 rescue animals - often the house can be fairly noisy. Having a space where you can close the door is very key when sharing an at home workspace. Sometimes there is no door option so the best option is noise cancelling headphones.
Social Media isn’t going anywhere - you’re not missing anything
News - you can watch the news all day but I will tell you from working in the industry - if you want to facts, clear and concise - wait until the 6pm or 11pm news. Most news is on this live ongoing cycle - by the evening - the producers, writers and editors have had the time to polish up all those stories through the day.
Plan time for those distractions - social media, video games, tv.
5. Plan non-work related social interactions
Stay connected with friends - your support system
Clear your mind by having fun with those who love and support you no matter what.
6. Schedule your day/ week
5 or 6 am - wake up and start writing before the house wakes up
7am - walk the dog for 30-45 minutes
9-Noon - Take care of work
1-4 - Take care of work
Evening - slot for social interaction
Always eat with your household - lunch, dinner and breakfast
Week:
Monday - Social media planning/batching
Tuesday - Creative experiments
Wednesday - Think Tank
Thursday - Production Meetings
Friday - Live Shows/Podcast Rec
Ryan's Additions Stay Home Productivity
Learn to Batch and Schedule
Create a clear plan (week, month, year)
Design your tasks around when you are most productive
Assign the most difficult task first
Work off a to-do list, but only if you add this ONE thing.
Define a process
LAST EPISODE!
Late Night Magic Touch Featuring Fielding West, Dan Harlan & Dom Chambers!
