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Children: Flying & Adjusting to New Time Zones

October 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Learning Flexibility as We Travel

I’ve mentioned before that we travel a lot.  I grew up in a family that hardly ever left the great state of Texas.  We did short road trips and stayed in the same places more or less.  None of this caused much stress or required a whole lot of planning.  Once I got married, however, I moved out of state and then out of the country!  Being out of state meant we traveled every holiday to be with family with at least one small child, sometimes two.  When we moved out of the country, we still traveled for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but these times it was all one trip, meaning 6-8 weeks at a time!  Plus, once back in the UK, we had easy access to Europe, so we hit the continent as much as possible, too.  All of this was with our two small children, who ranged from 4 months to 5 years over a 3-year period.

Unlike my own experience as a child, my children have had to learn to roll with the punches and to sleep in random places at random times.  They have had to run in airports and change clothes on the fly.  They have had to endure seemingly endless flights and connections all for the sake of seeing family.  For us, as parents, we have had to learn great flexibility we were not born with and a level of planning and preparedness that can only be attributed to experience.  That said, here are my main tips for traveling with small children, especially for long trips that involve long {and possibly multiple} flights and time zone changes.

  • As always, talk about the trip with your children before it happens.  It might be weeks or just days, but mentally prepare them for what’s coming.  If there’s a time change or you expect your child to sleep on the plane for a nap or for night time, let them know so they expect it and aren’t surprised.  It is important to know that children never sleep as well on planes as they do in beds, so make sure your own expectations are in check.
  • If you can’t get the roomy bulkhead seats, have a back-up plan.  I really liked our seats- they were towards the back which kept us close to the bathroom, as well as the engine noise which served as a nice white noise for my sleeping children.  When I fly with my husband, too, we usually get our own row in that we have 4 seats.  This time I did not have him, so having a 3-seat row was ideal.  If you find yourself with less than 4 in your group, ask if there are 2-seat or 3-seat rows that will work.  This enables you to get out on either side without disturbing another passengers.  For me, it meant that when one child was sleeping, I didn’t have to wake him/her to get the other to the bathroom.
  • As for a time change, count on 1 day for every hour of change.  We had a 6 hour change- therefore, it took about 6 days for everyone to be completely back on track and feeling well.  You just have to deal with different bed times and nap times and try to make forward progress every day.  As always, we love our portable sound machines and the noise coverage they provide for any sleeping situation.
  • The most important thing is to be reasonable in your expectations- travel and vacation is never as smooth as being at home, so try to enjoy the ups and downs, remembering that they are happening so you can be on this trip in the first place.

As usual, planning ahead makes for smoother travel, especially with children.  Portable sound machines and the noise coverage they provide for any sleeping situation are great resources. Above all, be reasonable in your expectations.

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Crazy, Stupid, Love & Sound Machines

October 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Crazy, Stupid, Love

The recent movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love, humorously encapsulated some fairly serious cubicle issues.  Poor Cal {played by Steve Carell} gets very unexpected news that he is being divorced.  Pretty quickly thereafter, his boss approaches him in his enclosed office.  With the door open, his boss overly compliments Cal which leads him to becoming suspicious that his news is more public than he realized.  Once his boss learns that his bad news is “just a divorce” and not nearly as serious as cancer, he yells out to the eavesdropping cubicle dwellers something along the lines of, “It’s all right, everybody!  It’s just a divorce!” much to everyone’s delight.

While this was a movie parody of how blase divorce has become, I couldn’t help but think of how accurately it reflected the plight of cubicle workers {and in this case, the office dweller as well}.  Nothing is private, and nothing is sacred.  Not only is speech privacy at an all-time low with the invention and implementation of cubicles, so is productivity.  It’s hard to focus on work when your business circulates around your place of business.  On a less dramatic note, even when your personal life isn’t on the line, someone else’s might be, and there’s always office chatter that takes your mind off work.  In fact, the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours everyday.  That level of distraction is highly costly on a number of fronts- not only are workers not working while they’re distracted, they’re also more stressed, more injury-prone, and less likely to make ergonomic adjustments to their work stations.  All this adds up to a lot of lost work time, from day-dreaming to absenteeism.

How a Sound Machine Can Help

This is a very frustrating situation for a lot of workers.  It’s hard to lose such a big part of the work day to unwanted distraction.  That’s why many workers feel stressed- how to recover 10 hours a week?  A simple solution is to try to cover the noise with a sound machine.  Somehow the white noise generated by the machine keeps your brain from focusing on the unwanted sounds.  This is extremely helpful when trying to actually get work done.  There are tons of options- you might want to start with a free online white noise generator to get a feel for what works for you.

Whether you’re the one in the bigger office or one of the many in the rows of cubicles, a little speech privacy can protect you and your time.

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An Ideal Ergonomic Work Station

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Designing Your Dream Ergonomic Space

Have you ever dreamed about your work space being better?  I am terrible about getting used to the way things are and not noticing how bad they’ve gotten or how much better they could be until way down the road.  I usually see a mess or see a friend’s or co-worker’s set-up and then get ideas.  Sometimes, we even swap ideas and help each other re-design the space we already have.  Even the last time I moved, I was shocked at how creative a friend was with my space- sometimes we need someone else’s insight because we are just too used to our own stuff and how we’ve always done stuff.

My Ideal Ergonomic Work Station

In addition to re-working space, it’s also fun to dream about what I’d do if I could design from the ground up.  Here are my thoughts.

  • Sit-or-Stand Work Station- I work from home, and sometimes I literally run over to the computer in between diaper changes for a quick minute.  I’m also pregnant with #3, so back pain is a frequent occurrence.  Having the option to work while standing would be awesome.  Many workers love the sit or stand for the same reasons and for easier collaboration, too.
  • Body Bilt Ergonomic Chair- My aesthetics tend to avoid over-sized, officey chairs.  Thus, I like that this Body Bilt chair has all the adjustable accoutrements while still maintaining a relatively small footprint.  Getting back and even arm support is essential in maintaining a pain-free posture.
  • Wireless Ergo Wave Ergonomic Keyboard- The lowered position of a laptop on the lap is not ideal for ergonomic posture in that we tend to drop our heads {thus straining our necks} and cock our wrists {thus straining our wrists, hands, and fingers}.  As a result, it’s better to raise the laptop to desk level.  All that to say that if I’m going to the trouble to dock my laptop, then I’d love to ergonomify it as much as possible.  I would LOVE a wireless ergonomic keyboard that offered a great set-up and a built-in wrist rest.
  • Evoluent Ergonomic Mouse- I love the handshake position this mouse provides which helps ease the aches of a day of typing and mousing.
  • Sound Machine.  There’s no point in having all the cool ergonomic gadgets if I can’t stay focused and get my work done.  Thus, I love a good sound machine for sound coverage.  Even when I work from home, I like the white noise- how much more helpful would it be in a noisy office.

What would you do if you could design your own ergonomic work station?  I’d choose the best ergonomic products and a reliable sound machine for the most effective and efficient work experience.

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Distractions & How Sound Machines Help

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Distractions & Sound Machines

I’d ask if you are distracted at work, but I already know the answer- of course you are.  The average worker is distracted more than 2 hours everyday.  The good news is that this applies to almost all worker,s not just slackers.  So, don’t feel too badly about yourself.  However, the bad news is that the toll distraction takes is still the same, whether it’s your own fault or not.  Being distracted 2 out of 8 or 9 hours a day is a massive hit on your productivity any way you look at it.  Besides setting some personal boundaries and maybe having some tough boundaries with colleagues, there is something you can do that can help you literally tune out many distractions: a sound machine.

Unlike music, the white noise employed by sound machines doesn’t add to the distraction (have you ever unconsciously typed the lyrics to a song in an email or work document?). Instead, it drowns out background noise so that you can focus on work instead of co-worker chatter or gossip. In addition, sound machines aren’t just a nice idea or experiment or latest toy to play with- studies show that they can help you keep your focus and feel less stressed.  More specifically, studies have found that offices that utilized white noise showed an average of 48% improvement in their ability to focus on tasks, a 51% improvement in elimination of distractions (especially overheard conversations), and a 27% improvement in lowered stress levels.

  • A small portable option for a white noise machine is the Sound Oasis Travel White Noise Therapy System.  I like to think of this as the Mighty Mouse of the sound machines. It is tiny in stature, but can beat up all the big distractions keeping you from doing what you are supposed to be doing–working. Even better, since it’s portable, you can take it home with you to help you get better sleep at night.

  • If you don’t want a portable option, the Sound Oasis Deluxe Office White Noise System is a nice option. It’s not as small as the travel sound machine, but it does have a lot more features, including 20 main sounds & 5 mix sounds create 120 sound environment possibilities.
  • If you aren’t convinced and would just like to try it out, you could try a free online white noise generator. Just keep it open in a background browser window and you’ll be well on your way to working–without as much distraction and stress.

Sound machines have been shown to improve focus and tune out distraction.  It’s an easy fix for a costly problem at work.

 

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White Noise Helps Recover Wasted Energy

October 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are like me, you feel drained at the end of the day and struggle to finish your work on time. While you should look into medical reasons for decreased energy, upgrading to ergonomic tools and eliminating distraction can help prevent energy wasted muscle strain and poor concentration. Here are some tips to reduce the amount of wasted energy and recover some of your lost productivity.

Try Using White Noise – It takes a great deal of energy and effort to concentrate in the midst of distractions and noise.  Most people lose up to two hours a day from interruptions and distractions at work. But a personal sound machine can help by covering unrelated conversations and surrounding office noise. Try establishing a distraction-free time of 30 to 60 minutes; turn off all your self-distractions, such as e-mail or phone calls, and turn on a white noise machine to block out office noise and conversations. This will allow you to work with focused energy.

Drink More Water.  If you wait until you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Even slight dehydration can decrease your energy and productivity by more than 20%.  Although the necessary water varies by weight and activity level, a general rule of eight full glasses of water each day is a good place to start.

Upgrade to Ergonomic Tools.  Ergonomic products are designed to help you maintain a a neutral typing posture where your muscles are at their lowest strain and even relaxed. Good posture prevents you from wasting energy on strained muscles and a sore back. Start with a well-adjusted, ergonomic chair to encourage good posture for long periods of time. And make sure your back is well supported and add more lumbar support if your chair doesn’t provide enough. You should also try an ergonomic keyboard to help improve your hand and wrist posture; it will reduce the energy and muscle movement required for each key stroke.

Be Aware of Your Energy-Draining Tasks. Do you find that certain tasks or dealing with certain people drain you faster than your normal work? We all have things we don’t like to do and personalities that challenge us.  Think about what or who these are for you and be deliberate about how you deal with them. Find a good time of day for you, when you are not hungry or tired, and spend only 10 or 15 minutes on this work. If necessary, come back to finish the task a little later in the day. When you finished, work on something that energizes you.

We all encounter distractions and physical discomfort that drains us of our energy and concentration. Try using white noise to cover the constant office noise around you. And upgrade to a good ergonomic chair or an ergonomic keyboard to help relieve some of the physical pain. Changing a few habits can significantly impact your energy and help you regain your productivity.

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5 Reasons You Need a Sound Machine

October 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

There are many irritations in life.  For me, one of the more frustrating irritations is noise, unwanted noise.  It may sound silly, but I have 2 children, one on the way, and I am surrounded by noise all the time by the nature of my role as mother.  I find by the end of the day, the last thing I want is to hear my neighbor’s dog or passers-by on the street.  I can’t even tolerate loud movies or music.  My ears are just too tired.  Thus, I am a huge fan of sound masking technology and everything to do with it.  Interestingly, for sound masking to work properly, you have to add noise to deal with all the unwanted noise.  Counter-intuitive to be sure.  However, sound masking focuses on covering unwanted noise with white noise which uses a diversity of sound from the sound spectrum.  The result is that the brain can’t focus on one specific irritating sound and is freed from its irritation.

5 Ways to Use Sound Masking

1. For work. The average worker (including you!) is distracted up to 2 hours every day.  This distraction usually comes in the form of conversational distraction.  Thus, an individual sound machine on your desk (or even this free online generator) is great for tuning out this kind of noise. Better yet, sound masking throughout the office space can provide this benefit to the entire office.

2. For sleep. This is one of my favorite ways to use white noise.  I hate lying in bed, listening to the wind howl or car doors slam on the street. Using a sound machine next to your bed will mask the annoying sounds from neighbors or street noise, helping you sleep better and stay asleep with fewer interruptions.

3. For kids. Sound machines can work wonders with kid’s sensitive sleep schedules. Maybe your children are sharing a room for the first time, or you want them to easily sleep through the noise of your dinner party. White noise can ensure good, uninterrupted sleep for your little ones, which means better sleep for you, too.

4. For relaxation. After a long day at work, you want to come home to relax and unwind, but a barking dog across the street is interrupting your reverie. You can relax to the sounds of nature found on many household sound machines. Enjoy the sound of the sea as you sit down to read a good book.

5. For tinnitus. Ringing in your ears, also known as tinnitus can be very distracting and uncomfortable. The irritation caused by tinnitus can be lessened though the use of sound therapy, letting you relax.

A sound machine provides a more focused environment, free of intrusive and distracting noise. This can increase your productivity at work, or provide you with a more restful night’s sleep. Sound masking can also be utilized throughout a open office space to provide better productivity and confidentiality for everyone. Try sound masking for yourself, and begin enjoying the benefits of improved concentration and better sleep!

 

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2 Uses of a Sound Machine

October 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What Is a Sound Machine?

I had never heard of white noise or sound machines before I had children.  I knew my parents used a really, really loud fan to sleep at night, and I just assumed you had to have a lot of volume to block unwanted sounds, such as our slumber parties.  I never understood why they needed noise to block our noise, being a young, good sleeper.  Then, I went to college and had roommates who kept different hours than I did.  Not everyone believed in the 1-3 siesta, nor did they stay quiet just because I did.  I found this shocking and quite eye-opening.  I still didn’t know about sound machines, but I wish I had.  I think a friend recommended them when we found that we had a very alert baby who could hear the carpet crunch as we crept by.  As I have recently been contacted by 4 or so people interested in sound machines, I thought I would shed light on their various uses.

  • For sleep. Sound machines provide the same noise blockage as my parents’ loud fan but at a lower volume so you can sleep.  White noise is effective as a low-level background noise.  This is helpful because you don’t have to blast them to get their benefits.  When you run the machine low enough, you can block unwanted noises, but still hear the necessary sounds, such as a child’s cry, a burglar, or even the phone.    So, you can get a good night’s sleep without sacrificing your own or your children’s safety.
  • For work. This is another great application of sound machines.  Instead of blocking noise to sleep, you can block noise so you can focus better.  If you don’t have a noisy, distracting office, consider yourself lucky (and in a very small percentage!).  The average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day, usually by conversation.  That includes conversations workers want to be a part of and the ones they’d rather not.  White noise serves as a buffer so you can keep your mind on work and as productive as possible.

Sound machines are great resources for sounder sleep and more productive work.

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Sound Machines & Bedtime Routine

October 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Need to Plug In

You may recall all the recent storms related to Hurricane Irene.  The fall-out was catastrophic, leaving many without electricity for days on end.  A friend of mine who lives on the northeast coast had days of power outages, too.  However, much to her relief her landlord supplied them with generators.  Interestingly, she itemized a list of her top priorities for power necessity: sound machines, night lights, a refrigerator, a light, and a tv.  While a refrigerator, lights, and a tv may not seem too far a stretch for most, many people may be surprised at the inclusion of sound machines and night lights.  I would wager those people do not have children.

Why Sound Machines are Top Priority

As a mother of soon to be three, I can relate to the desire to plug in.  Hurricanes notwithstanding, I have had my share of power outages, and the first things I think of are our sound machines and night lights.  It’s not that we can’t live without them, it’s just that they are part of our routine, especially our bed time routine.  And as all mothers know, bed time routines are sacred.  There is little a mother won’t do to soothe her tired child to sleep.  For us, sound machines have been a staple almost since day one of new baby.  We had barking dogs, noisy neighbors, loud phones, heaters and air conditioners that turn off and on all the time, as well as just general noise.  Thus, having a little white noise was comforting for us all.

It was when we added baby #2 that we really appreciated our sound machines.  They did the same noise control for our baby and protected our toddler from all the baby’s sounds/crying in the middle of the night.  It’s hard enough to get up with a newborn for midnight feedings- there is no reason to be getting up for your disconcerted toddler, too.

Sound machines can be an essential and comforting part of your bedtime routine with your children.

 

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White Noise Improves Productivity

October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We all want to make the most of our time at work. The more productive we can be, the more we can get done, and the less often we have to bring our work home or stay late. But productivity doesn’t happy by chance; it takes deliberate planning. Here are some helpful tips to increase your productivity and efficiency at work.

  1. Eliminate self-inflicted distractions! A recent study found that people tend to interrupt and distract themselves at work more than 30 times a day. Try turning off your self-distractions, such as email or phones, and spend around half an hour completely focused on your work. For even better results , turn on a personal sound machine to block random office noises fight for your attention. At the end of your designated time, take a short break to check email and then get back to your distraction-free work.
  2. Rearrange your desktop. Start by getting rid of all the clutter; the mess is distracting and wastes within easy reach. Move your keyboard and mouse so that they are centered in front of you, an inch or two above your legs. An adjustable keyboard tray can help optimize your work space. Try upgrading to an ergonomic keyboard to increase your comfort and productivity.
  3. Use white noise to block excess office noise, instead of wasting time and energy trying to block the extra conversations around us. If you have never used white noise, try out this free white noise generator to see you find it helpful at work.  With white noise, the interruptive sounds and distracting discussions fade into the background.
  4. Stand up!  A recent study showed that standing can increase brain function by 5% to 20%. Find some creative ways to work while standing, like while answering phone calls, or just take a break from your chair. For even better results, maybe its time to try a sit-or-stand ergonomic desk. This device it attaches directly to your current work surface to provide easy height adjustment for your monitor, keyboard and mouse, allowing you to stand up ergonomically while still using your computer.

You can learn to accomplish more during a work day by eliminating distractions. Start by using a white noise machine to block the time-consuming distractions and office conversations. Try taking a break from email and phone calls for a while and turn on some white noise to help you concentrate.  At the end of the day you will feel less stressed, more productive and able to leave on time for a relaxing evening.

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Tips for Flying with Kids

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever flown, then you know how stressful the whole experience can be.  That experience only gets worse with kids.  It’s not that children are so terrible, but there are so many more factors to consider when adding in little people.  I recently flew across the Atlantic for the first time with my 2 kids.  Well, it was not the first time, not by a long stretch, but it was the first time I did it 7 months pregnant, and the first time I did it without my husband.  I actually had a very pleasant experience and was told by numerous passengers how well-behaved my children are.  Since they are 3 and 5, that’s saying something.  I think most of the compliment is due to the fact that we had good circumstances, so I wanted to share my planning as well as what just happened so you can benefit.

  • As always, talk about the trip with your children before it happens.  It might be weeks or just days, but mentally prepare them for what’s coming.  If there’s a time change or you expect your child to sleep on the plane for a nap or for night time, let them know so they expect it and aren’t surprised.  It is important to know that children never sleep as well on planes as they do in beds, so make sure your own expectations are in check.
  • Call ahead for seating.  It may be that your airline will let you pre-select seats online.  If that’s the case, great!  Most of the time they won’t allow you to pre-book the bulkhead seats- those are the ones that don’t have seats in front of them and are therefore roomier.  Often times, these seats are equipped with a bassinet for infants under a year.  If you have a 12 month old or younger, you should be able to request these seats.   If you are unable to book these seats in advance, arrive early to request them, as they will probably be assigned first come, first serve.
  • If you can’t get the bulkhead, have a back-up plan.  I really liked our seats- they were towards the back which kept us close to the bathroom, as well as the engine noise which served as a nice white noise for my sleeping children.  When I fly with my husband, too, we usually get our own row in that we have 4 seats.  This time I did not have him, so having a 3-seat row was ideal.  If you find yourself with less than 4 in your group, ask if there are 2-seat or 3-seat rows that will work.  This enables you to get out on either side without disturbing another passengers.  For me, it meant that when one child was sleeping, I didn’t have to wake him/her to get the other to the bathroom.

As usual, planning ahead makes for smoother travel, especially with children.  Be sure to call ahead for ideal seats that will keep you close to the bathroom and that will provide good white noise.

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