B6 The Boston Globe THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021 ComfortZone By Rachel Raczka ON THE JOB relief from a Zoom-heavy schedule. GLOBE CORRESPONDENT For Duffy, it’s keeping social media off joke that emerged in her phone, reading the news only 2020 among the work- twice a day, and keeping short-term, from-home crowd goes long-term, and daily to-do lists. A like this: “We should “It’s OK if your productivity looks stop calling it working How to be more different than other people’s,” said from home and start calling it living Duffy. “But it’s not OK not to figure it at work.” For many, 2020 marked a out.” year of learning to adjust to working- E-mail like an editor at-home routines, while handling efficient and productive child care and remote schooling, cab- Leadership consultant Nancy in fever, and the daily stressors of an Halpern — whose client roster in- ongoing global pandemic. Even with cludes Condé Nast and Dow Jones — social lives on hold, time to get it all cites traditional newspaper editor done could feel in short supply, and working from home mentality when composing an impor- though the vaccines are slowly rolling tant e-mail. “The standard rule: cut it out now, a definitive end to this rou- in half,” she says. tine is still hazy for many. If finding With the boundaries between home and office blurred, “When people write too much it’s ways to be more efficient and produc- usually with good intent,” Halpern ex- tive deserves a place on your 2021 to here are four tips for working smarter. plains. “They think, ‘If I tell them ev- do list, here are some strategies that erything I know, then they’ll have all might help. the answers and they’ll be all set.’ But Innovate your schedule what they’ll really have is a tsunami of information, not knowing what infor- If your job doesn’t require strict mation is critical and what is just an hours, Liz Fosslien, coauthor of “No extra detail.” Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of She says using bullet points, se- Embracing Emotions at Work,” rec- quencing by importance, and bolding ommends restructuring your working key dates and information can help hours outside the 9-to-5 standard. get your message through in few “My job involves a lot of writing and words. (“Two sentences per point, I’m way better at [working] early in max.”) Then use a one-sentence sum- the morning or late at night,” said mary or takeaway as your subject line. Fosslien. “If I want to go for a run in Remember, if recipients need more the afternoon or read a book, I will, information, they’ll ask. because I know I will work again from “Their goal is to extract what they 7 until 10, and I know I’ll do my best need to know as quickly and painless- work and work the fastest.” ly as possible so they can get on with Fosslien, who is head of content at it,” Halpern says. Humu, a human resources consultan- Brush up on your Zoom cy, reminds us that we may have lost natural breaks in our day, like before etiquette or after meetings or a daily commute. While some of us may now consid- “It’s the ‘in between time’ that I er ourselves Zoom experts, Halpern loved,” Fosslien says. “That’s when says a refresher on best practices can you’re not actively doing work and help. Small changes can make a video your brain can synthesize everything conference more effective, engaging, [you’ve] heard and come up with and, of course, productive. ways to connect or present those.” “When you’re on Zoom, you’re Fosslien recommends anyone fortu- communicating even when you’re not nate to work from home add in a saying anything,” she says. “Are you “false commute” at some point (or well-lit? Is your camera cutting off points) during the day, “Get out of bed your chin? Do you have a virtual back- and walk around the block twice.” ground you think is cool but is actual- Or, take a nap. Studies have shown ly distracting?” Halpern recommends brief naps during the workday can using Zoom to replicate as close to an help cognitive performance — brief in-person interaction as possible, meaning anywhere from six to 90 showing your full face in a profession- minutes. In her 2013 TEDx talk, sleep al environment. Also, sit up straight scientist and author of “Take a Nap! — “Posture matters, you can hear it in Change Your Life,” Dr. Sara Mednick your voice when you are opening your argues for a midday nap between chest. You sound more confident and noon and 4 p.m. Her experiments clearer.” with both poor and average sleepers Halpern reminds speakers to al- found that a 60-minute nap improved ILLUSTRATION BY LIZ FOSSLIEN OF @LIZANDMOLLIE ways use full sentences and break at work performances as much as a full the end of sentences or commas, al- night’s sleep. Mollie West Duffy, Liz Fosslien’s ous (and all-too-relatable) illustra- Duffy believes defining your work lowing colleagues to process informa- Know your work style coauthor and cofounder of their pop- tions of common workplace stressors. style cultivates productivity. Are you a tion, while consciously adding other ular Liz + Mollie social media account They also host workshops that coach data-driven introvert with a dislike voices into the conversation. “Pause A September Harvard Business (@lizandmollie), says boundary set- corporate teams on feelings-focused for large meetings? Or someone who and say, ‘I’ve said a lot, do you have School study polled more than 3 mil- ting around notifications and avail- practices, such as “How to be an emo- thrives on a team but struggles to fo- thoughts or questions?’” she says. lion remote workers and found the ablity— using the “in a meeting” sta- tionally fluent leader” and “Combat- cus when working alone? Or a big pic- “Mention people by name, highlight average workday had increased by tus on Slack for example — is impor- ing burnout and building resilience.” ture ideator who just can’t get orga- and acknowledge others. It creates 48.5 minutes since the start of pan- tant. “If people are more OK with “Understanding differences in work nized? that connection and community that demic. The study also found an uptick doing that and not expecting replies styles” was a popular one at the start Recognizing work style helps you we’re all longing for right now.” in meetings, and in e-mails sent after so quickly, there will be more forgive- of the pandemic, says Duffy, who build in productivity-encouraging hours. So, the workday isn’t just lon- ness.” worked in organizational design at habits, like committing to brief but Rachel Raczka can be reached at ger — it’s more taxing. Duffy and Fosslien create humor- global innovation firm IDEO. consistent screen breaks to provide [email protected]. NAMES Tom Hanks brings star power Wahlbergs set to serve their to inauguration day special burgers down under By Diti Kohli heroes this past year step up to the By Diti Kohli will employ 500 staff members, ac- GLOBE CORRESPONDENT front lines and serve their fellow GLOBE CORRESPONDENT cording to news.com and Daily Mail. f one person has the power to Americans, so we are telling their he Wahlbergs are carving United Cinemas CEO Sam Musta- bring Americans together, it stories, spreading their collective out an empire down un- ca told an Australian news site that I might be . Tom Hanks? light, and celebrating the best of T der. the partnership is a “perfect fit.” The beloved actor will our country and its people with Wahlburgers founders “We had been following the con- host the prime-time television spe- this prime-time program,” inaugu- and brothers Mark and Paul Wahl- cept for years,” Mustaca said. “With cial Jan. 20, capping off presidential ral committee CEO Tony Allen said berg announced this week that the really great food, beers and a fun at- inauguration day for Joe Biden and in a statement. fast food franchise would be open- mosphere, we think it’s going to be a Kamala Harris. Titled “Celebrating In March, Hanks and his wife, ing locations in Australia and New big hit.” America,” the 90-minute program is Rita Wilson, were among the first Zealand. The chain plans to launch Hungry customers in Australia poised to feature musical guests public figures reported to have con- 20 restaurants across the two coun- will be able to munch on beloved fa- Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, tracted COVID-19, as the pandemic tries, according to multiple outlets. vorites: burgers, shakes, beers, and Ant Clemons, and longtime Demo- spread rapidly through the world. In fact, Sydney residents could be bunless bowls known as Wahlbowls. cratic supporters Bon Jovi. Addi- Since then, the couple have become feasting on Wahlburgers by the city’s But some additions may also be tional acts and details will be an- INVISION/AP champions for front-line workers harbor — Circular Quay — as early GETTY IMAGES coming. Mark Walhberg told “A Cur- nounced soon. Tom Hanks, among and encouraged safe practices such as this spring. Mark Walhberg rent Affair” host Leila McKinnon he Produced by Emmy winner the first public as mask wearing and social dis- “We’re starting off the first Mon- told “A Current would consider adding canned beet- Ricky Kirshner, the special is slated figures reported to tancing.