Tips for Staying Awake at the Office

Today is Wednesday and the 5th day of carmageddon here in Seattle. With one of our main streets closed (the poor Viaduct) for 10 days, I have been getting in the past 3 days around 7am. On top of that, I haven't been sleeping too well, so this is the 3rd night in a row with about 4 hours of sleep in me. Needless to say I'm tired and starting to fade...

It is important, however, that I continue producing good work for my company. With meetings and presentations and bids, I'm not allowed to slip, no matter how tired I am! Here are a few tips and tricks I've found over the Internet to help me (and possibly you) stay awake at work!


Tip number 1 from WikiHow: Use your sense of smell. Apparently smells both good and bad can jar us into waking up. They recommend Rosemary, Eucalyptus gum, Peppermint, and Pine Oil

A tip from Medicinenet.com is to get up and walk around. Just because your working doesn't mean you can't be moving. This helps increase blow flow and improve circulation thus making you more alert.

Buzzle.com suggest splashing a little cold water on your face and turning on the fan. That little shock will definitely wake you up!

And, if you pulled an all nighter, eHow has some tips for surviving a day with no sleep (I hope you like coffee!). Click here for the article!

I hope these tips help to keep you up and ready at the office. Make sure to check out the articles from WikiHow, Medicinenet.com Buzzle.com and eHow for some more great info!

~ Kendal

Need CEU Training? Check out this event!

Need CEU training? Check out this great event hosted by Bank & Office Interiors, Fuller Associates and Vanerum Stelter that will take place in two locations!

First, Spokaneon November 8th:



And check out the Seattle event on November 10th!

 Hope you can make it!

~ Kendal

Business Cards and Why They're Still Relevant

About a year ago, a local vendor came in to discuss his new and improved furniture line. After the meeting was over, we started chatting about the use of social media and its extremely large presence in the world. And then he said the oddest thing - "soon business cards will be obsolete". Obsolete? Really? He then told me a story about how he had just gone to a conference in Vegas and met two European gentlemen he wanted to network with. He pulled out his business cards, they pulled out their smart phones...they wanted to connect virtually instantly (via LinkedIn). They no longer carry business cards. Well that's slightly embarrassing, I guess. Apparently America is still one step behind the current trend...

So what does this mean? The days of shaking hands and exchanging cards in a face to face fashion are going away? Soon everything will be virtual and digital and smart. Well, not necessarily. "Exchanging contact details is still not high tech to everyone. There are still a good number of people who prefer the business card over modern marketing means" - Martha Killian (http://ezinearticles.com/).

Martha's article discusses the advantages of having a strong card to represent your business. As she mentions, not everyone is tech savvy and there are many who still prefer the old-fashioned Rolodex. It's also not as archaic as some may have you believe. Going to local events with your business card stack refreshed allows you to introduce yourself and pull out your info...icebreaker solved. You can check out this article from Amazing Webzine for more ideas.

As we continue to work outside the office, the importance of branding yourself and your company via the old rectangular cardboard-like paper is still as relevant as ever. Having all your networking capabilities on your card will allow you to connect in the virtual world. But first, maintaining that first impression with a simple card will continue to help your business grow in the real world.

So! Time for new business cards?

Check out Vista Print for great prices.

You can be Zazzled

And you can be sustainable from 123print

Happy Designing!

Kendal

A Quick Way to Brighten Up Your Day? Task Lighting!

Today it is gray in Seattle. Tomorrow will most likely be gray, as well. And if I'm honest with myself, I will probably rarely get to see the sun shine over the next 8 months. How does one fight off the urge to move to Arizona after sitting in a dark office for 8-10 hours? Why, task lighting of course! Cute, fun and effective ways to keep the gloomy days ahead out doors. Here are 4 of my favorites that we have scattered around the showroom:

The Terea from Luxo "combines energy-efficient LEDs, ergonomics and compact design for an incomparable value. Terea, which efficiently and cost-effectively illuminates any work surface with maintenance-free operation, better articulates its ergonomics with the effortless tilt of its arm and complete flexibility of its head. This allows the light to fall asymmetrically across the work surface providing optimal lighting and functionality". I also enjoy the modern look and feel it brings to the desktop.



The Ovelo from Luxo is a "uniquely designed LED task light for the modern office. Complete with a timer which automatically turns the light off after 9 hours of use to ensure energy savings, this task light uses 6W dimmable LEDs to illuminate an entire work surface. A combination aluminum and steel construction and covered spring-balanced arm provides complete flexibility of the pivoting arm and lamp head". It kind of looks like a classy donut...but I love it!

The Pisa by Details  "is a uniquely designed free-standing, incandescent task light. Pisa leans up to 20 degrees in any direction to position light where you need it most. Making it useful as a lighting supplement in a workstation or wherever direct light is hard to get". It was one of the first desk lamps I saw in the offce and fell in love with it's cool color and "home-like" design.

And lastly, but certainly not least, is the Dash Light by Details. "Designed in collaboration with Foster + partners - the new dash LED Task Light is as much about improving how we work as it is about making a subtle statement with its design. Featuring clean lines, fluid movement and a timeless aesthetic, dash provides optimal lighting in nearly every environment. Yielding a soft consistent pool of light which “falls off” considerably less than other LED lamps. It is the first freestanding LED task lamp to achieve BIFMA Level 1 certification - utilizing a mercury-free LED and a wireless current to eliminate PVC. Use dash to complete a space or define it. The freedom is yours". They have so many colors to chose from...who wouldn't want a desk lamp with a colorway of Wasabi?

I may have to go commandeer one of the showroom samples of these task lights for my space...but which one to choose???  

 ~ Kendal