Working From Home - Brighten Up Your Video Calls In One Easy Step

As most people pivot to a work from home lifestyle - zoom video calls are becoming the number 1 way teams connect daily. Watch below for my #1 tip for showing up clearly on your team calls.

So now that you’ve watched the video here are a few other AWESOME tips that you can all implement A.S.A.P.

Lin Marty of Lin Marty Photography, a California Based Photographer specializing in personal branding says:

Make sure the screen is at a flattering height (collar bone and full head, avoid breasts. Put your laptop on a stack of books if needed), face toward the window (no back light), avoid artificial light when possible, make sure to have quality audio by using a mic or headphones (think of hairdo option that work with your preferred method)..
Also, have fun, wear bright colors, accessories, etc. avoid earrings if you are using headphones for audio.

I know from being in the industry and having lot’s of experience with virtual calls that there is so much you can do on this topic to be visually pleasing to your co-workers.

Buffer your “getting ready for work'“ routine. I always add in a few extra minutes of buffer time for my make-up. When you are on video (similar to taking pictures or being on stage) the make up you put on should be a touch heavier that it would wear normally. I don’t normally wear foundation or heavy make up at all…I’m a natural look kinda girl…but when I jump on a video I change how I do my make up. I also make sure to also always have some slight lip color on along with my video make up.
Wear color to stand out. Most of your team will be in black, white or navy. Be the person who shows up in a color and looks great. You’re still working- and in some cases will get face time with a lot more people. This is your chance to get noticed.
Consider your lighting and background. I.E. Light facing your face BUT it should come from BEHIND the camera. Pretend you’re being filmed for a movie. Jump on video before your call to take a look at what others can see behind you. If your background is white, don’t wear a white shirt. You will look like a floating head. This tip goes back to my previous point about wearing color. Try to minimize what others can see on YOUR screen. So think of clean space and the best lighting you can.

Let’s all be successful on your video calls!

Yours in style,

Allie

Secrets To Staying Productive And Feeling Good

As a successful business owner and WFH’er of many many years now I know what I need to do to work at home and be productive.

For those of you who are new to this I wanted to share some of my tips and personal insight into this new world.

Yes, it’s amazing to be able to wear your off-duty, comfortable loungewear and pajamas more often. Your commute is now cut down to “already here” and you are now responsible for making your own lunch. You’ll be tempted to not get dressed in outside client facing clothing most days. The feeling of not having the right office outfit today will start to see like a distant memory because you assume you’ll be in your most amazing loungewear all the time and how cool is that!

I agree that sometimes a more formal item tends to feel a bit binding and restrictive vs. say a cashmere jumpsuit. The excitement of being able to wear sweatpants and comfortable clothing is novel and a welcome change for sure. But, proceed with caution here and do not overdue it. This feeling will eventually fade and you are left needlessly uninspired.

The saying “when you look good, you feel good” really does take on that meaning(and more). I can’t tell you how many times I forced myself to get dressed as if I was going into an office building, or meeting with a client to help life my spirits. Wearing comfortable clothing really does not do much for your energy level.

If I can give anyone one piece of advice today it’s ‘get up & get dressed’. Allow yourself one day a work week (Mon-Fri) to dress however you’d like. Anyone that knows what it’s like to work at home will tell you to put on work clothing. Dip into your closet and put on your favorite pretty top, brightest color dress or chicest button down shirt that you have been putting off wearing because the office is too cold, you don’t have the right coat or bag to go with it, or too many people have something like it. The weather no longer plays a role in wearing certain items. You control your office environment and you no longer have a commute that takes you outside in the elements.

This is a great time to wear the items in your closet that make you feel great!

What are other things you can do you ask? Here are a list of some best practices you should implement if you haven’t already….

Keep a “work schedule”. If you got up at a certain time to get yourself to the office, stay with it. Holding yourself accountable for the same routine you had before you started working from home will keep you sane.
Take breaks. You should schedule a few times a day to get up and remove yourself from your work area. Maybe it’s to eat lunch, have your daily afternoon smoothie. This is important to do because you won’t have anyone around you to distract you and you’ll end up burning out very quickly.
Phone a friend. Other than team calls use one of these breaks to chat with a family member or friend. Maybe this is done on one of your mini sanity breaks :)
Keep normal office hours. If your workday went from 9am-6pm than it should stay that way. When you normally finish work and close up shop to go home do the same thing here.
Set up an accountability system. Put tasks as reminders on your calendar that notifies you what you should do and BE ACCOUNTABLE for them. If you think you’ll remember to do XYZ you are wrong. Gentle reminders are a great way to make sure you do something and don’t forget or push it off.

Oh…..and make sure to get plenty of natural light and if you can go for a walk or sit outside for a few minutes each day. Walking(even around your home) helps brain function and is when I’ve had some of my best ideas to date :)

Yours in style,

Allie