When theming gets personal
As an event pro, it’s always hard to plan your own event, or it is for me. Knowing all of the possibilities for planning and with tons of great ideas racing through my mind, it is hard to choose just one idea to stick with.
Over the holidays, my family had the opportunity to plan my daughter’s gender reveal party. Of course we were all excited to learn the gender of this “coming soon” attraction, but I’m not sure anyone’s excitement level could match mine; this is my first grand baby after all!
We started with one of the items my daughter loves to collect – owls – and the nursery theme she and her husband have chosen. The theme for this event happened to be enchanted forest.
Our event happened on Christmas Eve; a busy time of year, but the only time we could get all of her friends in the same place for any amount of time. Instead of making this a “party” we went with an afternoon event and offered a little beer and wine, fun finger foods, and amazing owl-shaped cookies in pink and blue!
Owl-shaped cookies by You Bake Me Happy
When guests arrived, the first thing they did was choose either a pink or blue owl based on their best guess at the gender of the baby. They were also instructed to write a note for the parents or baby and hang it on the Christmas tree.
I created a display using cute little owls printed and cut out, then attached to a small limb from one of our trees outside. I hung the limb on the wall and placed the little pink and blue owls all along the limb. I added some small birds and LED battery operated star lights to add a bit of twinkle.
I’ve never been a traditionalist when it came to Christmas décor for trees and this year was no different. However, it was also our first year ever for an artificial tree and I went with white. It seemed fitting for a tree decorated with baby gear. Pacifiers, socks, bibs and stuffed toys were used as ornaments and small woodland animals placed around the base of the tree and hanging throughout the tree made sure our theme was complete.
Our food selections included rolls folded as diapers, mini cocktail wieners with little diapers, cucumber sandwiches and other fun bite-sized treats. I was able to find both pink and blue sodas and added those for beverages. Pink and blue punch served out of baby bottles would have been cute as well.
Bite-sized treats
Diaper-shaped, jelly-filled croissants
Once guests settled in, had a snack and a beverage, and had the chance to reacquaint themselves, we moved from the kitchen to the living room where we were going to do the reveal. This is an opportunity to play all sorts of games and give away gifts, but we were keeping it brief and got straight to the reveal.
In our house, we have a Christmas stocking that hangs in the ceiling and unzips to reveal small gifts sort of like a reusable piñata. Since it was Christmas Eve, we loaded down the sock with gender specific treats for everyone. We had small bags of flavored popcorn with little owl heads taped to them and when the mom- and dad-to-be unzipped the stocking, out fell the little owls in…. PINK… At the same time, the Christmas tree lit up in pink LED lights.
Popcorn-filled party favors
Yep, we will be welcoming a baby girl in April and we can’t wait to meet her!! I’m headed out to find those little baby dresses we all love.
Stay tuned for other upcoming celebrations this spring, we have a whole list of them.
Tracy Fuller-White has owned and operated an event production company for 30+ years and has done events nationally and internationally for fortune 100 and fortune 500 companies.
How you can successfully e-commute
I enjoy working from home. E-commuting out of my home has allowed me the flexibility to do a lot of things not otherwise possible if I were working a 9-5 job.
My favorite things about working from home include: shopping in the early afternoon when there aren’t any crowds, working in comfortable clothes as I sit at my desk, impromptu time spent with friends and family, and not having to face dreadful weather if I don’t have to (I’m talking about you winter vortex!).
All in all, working from home is a luxury but that doesn’t mean it should be taken advantage of. There are still deadlines to meet and my productivity is directly linked to the income I receive.
If you are new to working from home or are just looking for some tips to increase your productivity while working from home follow the steps below:
1) Create an office space
Photo by Aleksi Tappura
Just because you are working at home doesn’t mean that you should allow your work to spill over into various parts of the house. While it may be convenient to take your work in the kitchen during lunch or the bedroom when you want to relax but still get some things done, you don’t want to lose track of any important papers or documents.
Have a designated office space where you store everything and that other family members know not to touch. Even if your designated space is messy, at least you know where everything is located. So if you do find that some of your work has migrated throughout the house during the day, be sure to return it to this space by the end of the day.
2) Remove distractions
Photo by Hunter Langston
The ability of distractions to present themselves throughout the day is much more likely while working from home. Having a space that is away from televisions, animals that feel like play time, and laundry duties will help minimize the ability for distractions to arise. You don’t want to get sucked into a movie only to find you have a couple of hours to finish your task or project.
Find a well-lit room with a table/desk and comfortable chair – somewhere that you can get your ideas flowing. If you find yourself easily distracted by social media, there are several online sites that allow you to temporarily block access to social media sites in order for you to be more productive. Examples include http://getcoldturkey.com/ and http://anti-social.cc/
3) Balance your work and life schedules
Photo by Michael Coghlin
When family members come home from school, work, or travel, be sure that you have the ability to disengage yourself from your work. It isn’t fun for loved ones to be greeted in an off-handed manner as you type away at your latest work project.
Be sure that you know when they are coming home so that you can find a stopping point in order to greet them and ask them about their day as they should you. If you MUST get back to work while they are there, find time while they are watching a movie or otherwise engaged in something that doesn’t necessarily have to include you.
4) Network with like-minded individuals
Photo by Ashraful Kadir
Don’t let your social life suffer because you spend the day working at home. It’s easy to get in the routine of not leaving the house for week night outings or events because you are used to staying in during the day. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap!
One bonus that “office-life” has is the ability to socialize with co-workers throughout the day. Chatting online with friends can be distracting and time consuming when you are trying to work, unless the conversation is business-related.
Either way, we suggest finding networking opportunities in your community to get out and have conversations with like-minded individuals. Nothing is more exhilarating than swapping stories and ideas with someone that has similar interests as you.
5) Have a schedule
Just because you can decide your own hours, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a schedule that you follow. Allowing your hours and productivity level to be based on how you feel that day can be risky. There are some days none of us feel like going to work, however because you have the flexibility to do just that, doesn’t mean you should.
Scheduling requires allotting time to social media/email, tasks in order of their importance, and for breaks. Once you’ve got a schedule that works, stick to it! If you struggle with the monotony of strict schedules, then switch it up by spending different days on different tasks and some days with a mix of general tasks.
6) Set your goals
It is important that if you are working from home that you set some goals for yourself. These will help remind you of your purpose while working from home and keep you on track with getting specific tasks accomplished.
I recently found out about an amazing planner that aligns with your goals in a specific aspect of your life. The datebook called Passion Planner includes a weekly appointment calendar, journal, goal setting guide, to-do list, and gratitude log all in one mobile notebook.
If you would rather create something at home to display create a mind map with goals within specific time frames or construct a vision board to hang next to your desk. See my blog on vision boards here.
7) Stay active
Photo by David Marcu
One thing you have to be mindful of while working from home, is the amount of activity you have compared to other more-active career choices. If you are required to sit at home for eight hours straight in front of the computer, then make sure you get up and stretch your legs throughout the day!
Take an early morning, mid-afternoon, and evening walk or make a trip to the gym during a designated time. If you have a gym at home, do your exercise while watching your one of your favorite shows. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes a day. If you’re healthy you’re able to be more productive and get paid more in the end.
8) Outsource time consuming responsibilities
If you find you can’t do it all yourself, then outsource. There is no shame in outsourcing for specific tasks that you aren’t phenomenal at or just don’t have time for. If social media isn’t your thing then hire out, same with blogging, budgeting, etc.
Weigh the costs and gains of outsourcing before you do. What took you hours to do yourself could take someone else ten minutes and you could use those hours to focus on outputting quality work that comes more easily to you.
9) Organize your things
Photo by Juhan Sonin
Although creative minds see disorganization as evidence of genius, it really never hurt anyone to maintain an organized office space. All of the time spent searching for a specific document, data drive, or CD with information you need RIGHT NOW can really add up.
When you add up the time searching for things over a week, month, or year – this is time you could have spent writing an award winning proposal (who knows). Organizing your desk helps you organize your thoughts and will pay off in the long run.
10) Seek out support from other telecommuters
Just like spending time with like-minded people in your industry, also reach out to other telecommuters. They can provide advice, ideas, and share the perils that they experience while working at home.
Bouncing ideas off one another will allow you to try out different techniques and find out what works best for you. If you’ve found any methods that work for you, feel free to share them with me. I am always looking for ways to improve!
What do you do to ensure success while working from home? I’d love to hear your tips!