Are you suddenly working remotely because of COVID-19? Perhaps it’s for the first time or it’s just not in your comfort zone. Here are some of my thoughts on how to succeed at working remotely — even if it’s new for you.

As someone with asthma and prone to respiratory illness, I’ve long bemoaned the tendency of people to show up to work when sick and spread infection to others. And I’ve worked in emergency management, where a basic tenet is don’t add to the emergency.

So it comes as no surprise that the public health emergency response to COVID-19 (or novel coronavirus) recommends that businesses prepare for or implement work from home for their employees if possible. By now, coronavirus is officially a pandemic, and our inboxes are flooded with status reports from organizations, most events are canceled, and many states have declared a state of emergency. Social distancing is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and perhaps you’re doing your part by working remotely for the first time.

For me, I was an early advocate of remote work, and was met with lots of resistance from leadership — particularly baby boomers — in the workplace. They were afraid of productivity issues — even though remote work is increasingly popular, the technology and tools make it easy to do, and the research shows that remote workers are more productive. As a copywriter, I find it much easier to concentrate in a library quiet setting. At home, I can also indulge in my writing process (which may involve pacing around and thinking aloud) rather than being lumped together in an open office setting.

To my surprise, some of my friends who have the option of working remotely prefer not to do so, mostly because they get distracted or enjoy being around other people. If that’s you, or you just aren’t accustomed to working remotely, here are some of the things that work for me.

Have the Technology Set Up for Success

Communicate to your employer right away if you don’t have access to adequate technology to effectively work from home. It’s okay to not be familiar with the tools that people use to collaborate and work remotely, especially if that wasn’t a job expectation before. If this is the first time that you’re participating in a Zoom meeting or using new technology yourself, ask for help and factor that learning time into your workday.

Be sure to follow any security protocols that your IT team shares. If some people on your team aren’t as tech savvy or you’re not using cloud based platforms and are concerned about confidential information, this is especially important. Bad actors are already exploiting fear of COVID-19 online. If your office didn’t have a plan in place, it might take a few days to iron things out. Accept that it’s part of the process of responding to an emergency like COVID-19.

Have a Designated Workspace

Personally, I like to work at the kitchen table. It’s where I did homework as a kid, I can easily access water or coffee, and mostly importantly, it’s completely free of distractions. I take everything off the table and put all the things I need to do at home out of my mind.

Some people find it difficult to blur the lines between work and home life. If you have a partner or roommate who works remotely, kids, or pets, it might be more challenging to set those boundaries. I know people who get dressed as if they were going into the office when they work remotely. That distinction helps them to get into work mode (and they feel more comfortable during video calls). Figure out what works best for you.

Be Disciplined and Accountable

I think it’s important to have strong time and project management skills to be effective at working remotely. That’s easy for me. Work time is work time, whether I’m doing it in lounge pants and avoiding a stressful commute or crammed three to an office.

In fact, one of the drivers of periods of intense concentration for me is the freedom that my downtime has when working remotely. I can eat healthier and there isn’t a continuous supply of treats in the break room. I can take care of an errand, do some stretches, or belt out a song rather than being bogged down in interpersonal office drama or wasting time chitchatting.

That sense of personal discipline and accountability can be reinforced by effective communication within supervisory relationships and among colleagues.

Be Overly Communicative

Communicate clearly — and often — with your colleagues when working remotely. Many companies use a platform like Slack or project management tools to have easy communication and clear timelines.

For me, I mostly work in G Suite and with social media platforms. I use project management tools personally, but not as part of a team. So it’s important to send those emails: update people on your status, recap any decisions made or next steps, and ask questions.

Relatedly, it’s important to hold others accountable. You need to have persistence in reaching other people. If you require an answer within a certain timeframe or if their input is necessary for you to proceed to the next step in a project, be sure to set expectations around response times.

Since you can’t walk up to people for a quick question, and some people are less reliable by email or genuinely prefer verbal communication, you might have to pick up the phone (even if you dread it!). Similarly, if you’re going back and forth more than a few times by email and can’t seem to understand each other, just pick up the phone.

One leader I know says that she worries about the people she doesn’t hear from. It sounds simple, but I’ve observed that, in general, people who don’t succeed at working remotely communicate poorly, are difficult to access, and don’t have much to account for their day.

It’s easy to show progress on a project. If you don’t have a tangible outcome yet, simply send an end of day email describing what steps you took towards your goal and outline any help you might need to progress further.

Find Ways to Deal with Social Isolation

Since I don’t need the social aspect of an office every day, and I wind up calling a lot of people for interviews or participating in conference calls, I can sometimes forget to plan for social interaction. I like to occasionally work with friends, so sometimes I’ll plan a co-working day, where we hold each other accountable to focus and do work, and enjoy lunch together.

With COVID-19, those of us who work remotely were relying on events for social time and most of those were canceled. It’s important to be proactive, so call or FaceTime loved ones or schedule in-person time to hangout. That’s not in my comfort zone, so I’ll be working on that.

You Will Meet In Person Eventually

This period of social distancing will end. Maybe you still won’t like working remotely or maybe you’ll decide to advocate for more flexibility in your workplace. The folks behind one of my favorite productivity tools, Trello, put together this fantastic guide about embracing remote work. If you work remotely in the long term, it’s helpful to meet in person periodically and it goes a long way towards understanding your team at a deeper level.

Stay safe and well.

About the author.
Jess Powers writes about marketing, food, and wellness. She has experience in nonprofit communications and emergency management. Follow her @foodandfury.

COVID-19: Find yourself working remotely? Learn the ropes.

MARCH 12, 2020 — We are all living under the growing threat of COVID-19 hitting the United States full force — and one of the ways it will impact us is how we work. Does your team have to make the jump to fully remote work? Here’s how to keep things on track and running as smoothly as possible.
Many companies have already instituted work from home policies, among them Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon. As things progress, we are looking at the possible mass disruption of normal work patterns, communication, and team collaboration. But as anxiety and uncertainty mount around how the novel coronavirus will impact the economy, some strategies can be put in place to help ensure that teams can still collaborate successfully and keep business as-usual-as-possible.

Here are some strategies you can use to help ensure that teams can continue to collaborate effectively and keep projects on track.

1. Culture is set from the top down.

   Leaders, it’s time to lead. The CEO needs to be present online, using the same tools and channels that the rest of the organization is using. Communicating proactively and engaging in conversation is vital. Be available. Be approachable. Be human. Don’t just show your professional side; this is a time for vulnerability and strength to walk hand in hand. Be a cheerleader. Give praise. Encourage. Digitally high-five people across your organization. When the leader has fully donned their remote-work-digital-hat — everyone else will be more ready to follow.

2. Set goals and review roles.

   Going from a co-located work environment to one in which a whole company is working remotely is a sudden change that calls for clarity around goals and roles. Look at this as an opportunity to revisit project or team objectives, individual roles, and how each person contributes to the company. Explain in simple language the mission of the company and what you are collectively trying to accomplish. Be crystal clear about roles to help your team understand whom to turn to if they have a question. From there — make detailed goals and objectives. Why? Employees are more aligned when they can get behind a clear, delineated vision.

3. Welcome to the new normal.

   A new age brings with it new challenges. Having an entire company work from home may create new distractions and increase the potential for miscommunication and misunderstandings. Here is where some old-fashioned advice intersects with the digital age: get to know each other.

4. Barking dogs, crying babies, noisy trucks. Time for the nickel tour.

   Have team members give short virtual tours of their home workspaces and share what possible distractions might exist. Think barking dogs, crying babies, loud traffic. Doing this will help colleagues develop personal context for each team member’s environment, and help foster understanding of each other’s circumstances. Here’s why this matters: it’s easy to misinterpret behavior when there’s no context for it. For example, someone on your team may be speaking up less than usual during online meetings. Is it disengagement? Or is the team member mindfully using mute more frequently than others to muffle the constant stream of traffic outside? Ask, don’t assume.

5. Hello, home office / living room / kitchen table.

   It’s key to acknowledge the wide variety of home circumstances. Many folks on your team may be working from non-traditional workspaces, particularly in urban areas, where younger workers may live with multiple roommates. If all the roommates find themselves working remotely as a result of COVID-19, there may be various people walking, talking, typing in the background. If this proves to be too disruptive during online calls, consider making flex work arrangements so video calls occur during quieter times.

6. Be the architect of digital trust.

   Leaders need to be open and authentic. Culture flows from the top — and successful collaboration is grounded in trust. Remote work removes the physical connectedness that often helps anchor trust; cultivating it now is more important than ever. Issues will arise. Deal with them. Now is not the time to hide from problems. Handling things as proactively as possible is key. You are the architect in charge of building digital trust — be caring, compassionate, and diplomatic, and you will succeed.

7. Gauge capacity and capabilities.

   New tasks will arise during this crisis, and members of your team may be pulled in different directions. Let them know that they can count on you to help them navigate new claims on their time. Think about where there might be skill redundancies and how to tap into outside resources if necessary (Creative Circle is a great resource!). You may need to move people from one project to another — understanding the layered experience of individuals will help make that process simpler and more streamlined. If you do have to re-prioritize goals, make sure the changing objectives are communicated to your team — and be mindful of who gets the new assignments.

8. Curate a digital company culture.

   The land of spontaneous connection in a physical space may be on sabbatical for some time. People accustomed to being together in a physical space may feel lonely — which can give rise to a dip in productivity and engagement. So how to cultivate company culture in these remote work times? Create channels (hello Slack, Google Hangouts, Trello, and more) for online expressions of your company’s unique culture. Work anniversaries. Jokes. Celebrations. Personal interests. Pet photos. Think about it like a digital water cooler, where team members can “run” into each other and connect on a more human level.

9. Use the right digital tools for the job. And stick to them.

   Decide what tools best serve the needs of your organization — and then stick to them. Text. WhatsApp. Slack. Trello. Hangouts. Zoom. Skype. And so many more. Create a system so that you can have copious, clear communication. Use chats to sidebar with other team members during online meetings. Figure out what works for your organization and embrace with zeal.

10. Cultivate remote compassion.

    Hosting a birthday celebration or buying delicious cookies to celebrate a job well done will need to be translated for remote work times. Pass along kind messages digitally. Consider sending a card, gift basket, or flowers to someone that deserves (or needs) it. And if it fits with your corporate culture, consider sharing images of the gifts via one of your “water cooler” channels (see #8) for other team members to see.

11. Keep it regular.

    Create set times for your team to meet virtually. Keeping regularly scheduled meetings means team members can plan around it, mitigating possible distractions if they are able. It’s easier to cancel a meeting that is not needed than it is to call for off-the-cuff meetings that may exclude folks who may need to make special arrangements to meet.

12. New resources in these new times.

    Seismic priority shifts may require you to onboard new team members. Yes — it’s not ideal to do so while everyone is working remotely. Here’s what can help: genuinely take the time to introduce new team members formally; by doing so, you will help build trust. Make sure to focus on both the personal and professional — now is the time to really humanize your team as more normative modes of connection (read: happy hour) may not be available.

COVID-19 will cause disruption — it already has. But in challenge lies opportunity. Remote work is not a problem to surmount, but rather a potential business advantage. We are now a digital world — how lucky we are that work for so many of us can actually continue because of it. Use this time to uncover new ways to work as a team and take a close look at old beliefs that will almost certainly benefit you in the days and years to come.

About the author.
An award-winning creator and digital health, wellness, and lifestyle content strategist — Karina writes, edits, and produces compelling content across multiple platforms — including articles, video, interactive tools, and documentary film. Her work has been featured on MSN Lifestyle, Apartment Therapy, Goop, Psycom, Pregnancy & Newborn, Eat This Not That, thirdAGE, and Remedy Health Media digital properties.

Alton is president and chief searchologist at Searchology, a digital marketing firm he founded in 2009. For the last 10 years, he has also been a Creative Circle candidate in Chicago, developing and executing digital marketing strategies for SEO, SEM, SMO, paid search, and display for both national brands and local companies.

Along with sharing some of his favorite quotes (“Ambition’s debt is paid.”), he’s given us a look into his career and what it’s like to work with Creative Circle.

Illustration by Creative Circle candidate, Erin G.

Tell us about your career journey.

It has been a journey of professional, personal, and educational growth due to my partnership with the Creative Circle Chicago team which began in late 2008, early 2009. The economy was a disaster; companies were not hiring; digital marketing and advertising were nothing more than a small disco ball; and money was not flowing anywhere. It was a very scary time for those of us who recall.

My first position with Creative Circle was for a major Chicago-based company that moved billions in various financial markets. It was during this same time I launched my own small company called Searchology. I didn’t have enough clients to support my household nor did I have the ability to seek new clients. And that is exactly where Creative Circle came in.

During my interview, they knew I was trying to launch my own digital brand. Not only were they able to find me positions with some of the biggest companies in Chicago, they put me in position to continually succeed at every step since. Because of their support, encouragement, faith in me, and faith in my abilities, I have been able to grow as a speaker, professor, and business owner.

Since 2009, Creative Circle has consistently provided me with opportunities and challenges I would not otherwise find on my own. I have worked on incredibly complex websites, business goals, analytic conundrums, and strategic digital efforts.

I can say emphatically that I would not be in the profession I am in today with a successful business and a life I love so very much without the continued support and unique opportunities Creative Circle provides for me and now, my family.

What advice do you have for other candidates?

This may sound a little ‘old school’ but when the knock of opportunity comes, it is the wise man who opens the door. Every opportunity is a chance to learn, to grow, and to gain valuable experience.

For those of us in the digital space, I learned our clients don’t really care about education. What they DO look for and NEED is experience. They don’t want to know your GPA, they want to know your case studies. They want to know the industries you’ve worked in and the results you’ve delivered. That is exactly what Creative Circle provides: constantly-changing opportunities for professional growth and experience clients will pay top dollar for.

How do you find creative inspiration?

I landed my first job in digital marketing nearly 20 years ago. Since then, much has changed which means professionals in the creative and digital realms need to constantly be thinking on their feet and devising creative ways to generate income and support their lifestyles. They MUST be creative and offer unique solutions or else they will fall behind and wither into the digital abyss.

In many ways, the opportunities from Creative Circle are the fuel that feeds my internal digital engine. Over the past 10 years they have kept my mind and creativity razor sharp by working with very large companies, associations, digital agencies, and top brands.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned?

1. Gain all the knowledge you can and share it freely.
2. Take time for yourself and recuperate your energy and mental faculties.
3. Find your source of energy and use it to bring life and light wherever you go.

What are your plans for the next 10 years?

My ten-year plan is to continue the road less traveled. If there’s anything my first 20 years of digital marketing experience has given to me it’s that truth is the key to success. My personal bucket list includes becoming a better father to my son, a stronger and humbler man for my wife, and extending a helping hand to all who need it.

Achievement is not something monetary; it is something that fills your soul. After all, the measure of any one individual is not what they are willing to take but what they are willing to give without the expectation of something in return.

Any other favorite quotes?

• “But wait there’s more!” – Ron Popeil
• “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” – Walt Whitman: Song of Myself, Part 51
• “If you want something in this world…you WILL it into existence.” – My grandmother, Dr. Pola Zuska
• “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein
• “This above all: to thine ownself be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” – Polonius in Hamlet

Whether you’re looking for a new job, courting new clients, or trying to demonstrate value in your current role, personal branding is what makes you stand out from the sea of people doing the same things as you. But how do you differentiate yourself, and not in a way that everyone else is differentiating themselves? One way that not many people want to put effort into is starting a blog. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, you have a voice, and sharing it can be one of your best personal branding tools.

If you’re a creative, you can use your blog to showcase your professional work and creative side-projects. If you already have a dedicated portfolio site, adding a blog with content on industry, creative, or cultural trends can underscore your personal brand and position you as an expert — like this fantastic all-around blog from designer David Airey that shows off all of his creative interests.

If you work in account/management, show off what makes you so good at what you do. Write about the latest industry changes, share best practices, or offer insight into business news. Account-guru Robert Solomon’s blog is an excellent example of how to turn your insight into value for your readers.

If you’re a junior creative, one of the great struggles is convincing others that your opinion is worth listening to. By setting up an aggregator-style blog (similar to something like Copyranter) and recapping news items with your own take, you can get instant credibility.

If you’re a freelancer, a blog can keep you top-of-mind with existing and prospective clients. Create mini-case studies to demonstrate how you’ve helped your clients succeed. You can also write “how I get it done” articles that invite participation from other professionals, like this post from former Crispin Porter + Bogusky wunderkind Sally Hogshead.

And no matter who you are, you can use a blog as part of a larger integrated marketing campaign to promote yourself and build awareness for your personal brand.

Ready to get started?

How to Build It

There are dozens of platforms that let you quickly put together a polished-looking site in an hour; no tech skills needed.

Many of them provide a free option that gives you a certain number of pages, but you can’t have your own URL – instead, you’ll have to settle for something like yourname.wordpress.com. And Wix, for example, shows third-party ads and Wix branding on free pages.

• If you only want to share visuals or other multimedia content, tumblr or Instagram allow for easy sharing, and both have built-in social components.

• If you want to reach a wide audience, try Medium. It isn’t exactly a blog in the traditional sense, but the online-magazine format lends authority to your voice. What’s a plus for some (or drawback for others) is Medium is content-only — there’s a single format, so you don’t get to play with how it looks or functions.

• If you want to create something customized and professional-looking, Squarespace is a great choice. Even with no coding skills, you can put together a lush-looking site with built-in functionality. If you want your own domain name, it’s the most expensive of the bunch, but it’s a solid investment if you’re a creative director or a senior professional (or want to look like you are).

To give your audience a reason to come back and engage with the site (and eventually, you), update your blog once a week, at minimum. Drive additional traffic to your blog by posting updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or wherever else it’s appropriate. It’s a win-win: when you post relevant, interesting content on social, people will like it and share it — giving you new ways to grow your own personal network.

Blogging alone may not get you a new job, new clients, or a new title (then again, it might) but it’s an impactful way to market yourself and improve your personal brand. When it’s part of a plan that includes a solid resume and social presence, you might be making a move sooner than you expect.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

You’ve spent your time and energy trying to break into a big-name agency, doing editorial work, and appreciating the “seed-planting phase.” Have you ever considered that you might find happiness and job satisfaction working at an in-house agency?

To clarify what I mean by in-house agency, many mid-sized to large companies have departments that handle advertising and marketing needs that aren’t done by an advertising agency. For example, a company like Kaiser has an agency for their broadcast work supporting the famous Thrive campaign, but depend on their in-house team for smaller or regional campaigns. Sometimes in-house agencies do the same high-profile work as an external agency – for example, that infamous Kendall Jenner ad was produced by Pepsi’s in-house team.

I’ve spent half my career at in-house shops, and the other half working at agencies, so I’ve seen it from both sides. To help you decide if you want to switch from agency work, these are (arguably) the best and worst parts of working in-house.

The 5 Best Things About Working In-House

1. Work-life balance

During my in-house tenure, I’ve never worked a weekend, and on the few occasions I had to work late, it was never by more than 90 minutes. (Your mileage may vary). The unfortunate truth of #agencylife is that it’s filled with long hours and late nights.

2. Stability

Again, with that #agencylife: if you’re at an agency that loses the big client, the agency execs may lay off everyone on that account. (I, personally, was laid off three times in three years for that exact reason.) While in-house agencies occasionally get swept up and out in corporate restructuring (been there, too), it’s relatively infrequent.

3. Predictability

With minimal overtime, a regular work schedule, freedom from the fear of being laid off, and almost no travel (since your client is usually just down the hallway), you’ll be free to make long-term plans – that could either be for a vacation next month or taking night classes at a university next year.

4. Opportunity to try new things

Many in-house creative teams are kept lean and mean, so you’ll work on many different projects. In-house teams usually don’t have the same hierarchy and structure of an agency, so the team may work on UX, outdoor, branding, event marketing, and other things that are usually highly segmented at agencies.

5. Get close to the brand

One of the most exciting things about working at a company is your ability to shape its brand, even beyond just suggesting a color palette and font family. You’re closer to the people who champion the brand voice; even if your company uses an outside agency for branding, you’ll help articulate and hone your brand’s values.

The 5 Worst Things About Working In-House

1. Lack of variety

If you crave variety, you may not find it in a corporate environment. Working on just one brand means you’ll probably work on the same things, over and over – and if you’re a designer, that means sticking to one color palette, one set of fonts and one asset library.

2. Sh!t jobs

The one exception to the lack of variety rule is the type of lackluster requests you’ll get because the company doesn’t want to have to pay for an advertising agency. These include, but are not limited to: designing a flier to notify employees that the parking lot will be closed for a week, writing a 10-second spot to be read over the PA system at a tradeshow, or being asked to rewrite the words to Katy Perry’s Firework to make them specific to selling insurance. (Fun fact: That last one was me; the song was going to be played at the introduction of a national sales meeting.)

3. Lack of respect

If your company has the budget, glamorous jobs will go to an agency, and you might get lucky if you can do production. In some places, it’ll be no secret that they’re only using your services because you’re cheap, close and convenient. But this is not something you need to accept if it’s crossing a line.

4. Less mobility

You may find yourself with fewer job opportunities within the company, unless you’re OK with branching out of the creative department. Even if you’re creating award-winning work and your team uses a traditional agency process, it’ll be tougher to find work at an agency. Just look at how many job listings stipulate “X years of agency experience REQUIRED.”

5. The corporate-ness of it all

Depending on where you work, you may find yourself in a sea of button-ups, slacks, and people who want to “leverage” your “core competencies” and will “circle back” later.  Some companies appreciate that creative employees are different and give them more flexibility with their hours, workspace, and wardrobe. Still, the rest of your colleagues may be corporate citizens.

Still not sure? You can always go freelance.

The alternative to deciding on one or another is freelancing, and getting a taste for both. You could also learn you want to build your own environment and make your own rules, and start a business of your own.

Either way, take time to decide what is really going to work for you. Searching for a job can lead to frustration and desperation, but knowing what you will say no to can help you design a life you can be proud of.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

Thinking about your future can be overwhelming. As children, we are regularly prompted by parents, teachers, and mentors to dream, set goals, and systematically take the steps to get us closer to those goals.

After you complete your formal education, reminders are infrequent and incomplete:

• Development conversations with managers focus exclusively on your professional life; you aren’t at liberty to truly speak freely about your professional goals if they involve leaving your employer.
• Speaking with family members may not allow for the freedom you need, as relatives may struggle with objectivity.
• Gatherings of classmates and friends — including weddings and reunions — may prompt reflection, but conversations tend to emphasize what you’ve accomplished more than what you want to accomplish.

If you want to give some attention to your future but are feeling stuck, here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Meditate

I resisted this one for so long. My excuses were countless: I don’t have the time; I’m not spiritual in that way; it’s just not “me.” Then, last May, while attending a conference at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, I sat in on a morning guided meditation led by Sarah Tucker, director of the business school’s Coaching and Team Skills Program. I entered the room frazzled by L.A. traffic and my subsequent late arrival. The meditation lasted only 10 minutes, but to my surprise, it calmed me down and helped me refocus on my goals for the conference. It shifted my mindset on the entire day, which ended up being one of the most productive conferences I have attended. Coincidentally, a chance meeting in the courtyard with the executive director of the career center at UCLA Anderson led to a project on her team, which aligned directly with my goals for the next year.

Meditation has many uses related to your future, including priority-setting, focusing, discovering a sense of appreciation, and releasing regret. As little as three minutes can make a difference in your day, and a regular practice can make a big difference in your life. You don’t have to be in the presence of an expert to give it a go. I’m a fan of the Headspace app. I’ve been using it to wind down before bed, and most nights, I fall asleep before the 5- to 10-minute meditation is complete. I’ve also received personal recommendations for Calm and Insight Timer.

2. Listen to your body

When you need to make important decisions, how well do you listen to what your body is telling you? Where do you feel it? In your heart? Your gut? You can try to make decisions solely through analysis and reason, but most important decisions require listening to both your head and your heart.

Last year, I was considering a big professional move. It was an unexpected opportunity, but shifting priorities and a strong sense of trust in the team I’d be working with pushed me to explore it. I’d worked out the opportunity in my head and on paper, but there was a tightness in my chest that persisted for the three days leading up to a final commitment. I ultimately passed on the opportunity, and I haven’t questioned once whether I made the right decision.

If somatic awareness is not something you practice regularly, it can take time to learn what to look for. My first several attempts to articulate what I was feeling prompted the feedback from my coach, “That’s what you’re thinking. Try again, and tell me what you are feeling and where the feeling is in your body.” One warm-up is to reflect on times in the past when your heart or your gut spoke and consider how well those messages served you. To go deeper, check out Suzanne Zeman’s book “Listening to Bodies: A Somatic Primer for Coaches, Managers and Executives.”

3. Get outside

Important conversations frequently happen face to face: business conversations are held across a desk; talks with significant others may happen across a table. Without intending to, these setups create distance. Each person faces in an opposing direction, resulting in different views. This reinforces opposing forces and presents the two participants as being on different teams. And there’s literally a piece of furniture creating distance between the two.

Heading outside for a walk — or even better, a hike — changes everything about what it means to have a conversation. First, you are both moving in the same direction, suggesting that you are in this together.

I offer every coaching client who’s local to Los Angeles the option of hiking during a session. Recently, a client accepted my offer. Without the crutches of notebooks and pens, we pushed beyond to-do lists and explored deeper questions about obstacles. Since I was moving in the same direction, challenging her viewpoint presented more as a curiosity than as a threat. At the end of the hike, she felt ready to try some of the ideas we’d unpacked to help her move forward.

A recent Business Insider article from Lauren F. Friedman and Kevin Loria, “11 scientific reasons you should be spending more time outside,” lists several mental and physical health benefits of getting outdoors, including restored mental energy, improved concentration, and sharper thinking and creativity. What feels more energizing to you: sitting at a table over a laptop or opening up possibilities on a heart-rate–increasing hike?

4. Pick a personal board of directors

Businesses have them to stay on track with their goals, so why wouldn’t you want one for yourself? Loved ones and close friends may have advice for you, but it’s hard for them to be objective enough to give you the support and guidance you need. After all, your decisions are likely to impact them.

There are different approaches to building your board. Vanessa Van Edwards, lead investigator at Science of People, a human behavior research lab, sees the value in board members with perspectives outside of your industry. Leaders from other, different businesses may offer an unexpected but effective approach. Tim Kilpin, President/CEO of Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group, is part of a group of leaders who all come from the same industry, albeit from different parts of the value chain. They can look at the same situation with unique perspectives, which increases the likelihood of valuable, divergent viewpoints. Because these leaders have a shared history, he also values their mix of professional and personal advice.

Consider your goals in picking the right board. If you are in startup mode, you might consider individuals who’ve taken this path and are further along the learning curve. If you are aware of your weaknesses, who excels in those areas? If you are considering a career change, how can you gain insights from people who’ve taken similar leaps as well as people who have taken different paths?

Lastly, your board doesn’t have to focus exclusively on professional topics. What areas of your personal life would benefit from the insights of someone you respect?

5. Unpack your suitcase

Motivational speaker Jim Rohm famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” How well do these five people align with your goals and the life you want? Are there relationships that are holding you back from your future?

This is not a call to break up with or ghost any friend or relative who isn’t living the life you want. Take stock of their support for you in achieving your goals. If they aren’t helping you become the person you want to be, maybe it’s time to establish clearer boundaries in the relationship so you can make room for relationships that honor where you are headed.

This process of unpacking to make room for the resources and relationships that will support you can be applied to other areas of life, including setting priorities at work, focusing on community commitments, and maintaining self-care.

Peter Drucker said, “To try to make the future is highly risky. It is less risky, however, than not to try to make it.” These five activities can get you closer to turning your dreams into a plan and ultimately into accomplishments. They can all be done together, but trying even one is better than doing nothing. Pick the ones that spark your interest. Test the waters with an experiment and see what sticks.

Peter Gandolfo is an executive coach and founder of Gandolfo Group Coaching & Consulting. He’s passionate about helping men achieve professionally while being present fathers and about creating a more diverse workforce by helping leaders develop their authentic leadership styles.

In addition to individual coaching, Peter facilitates team workshops and gives talks on marketing strategy, listening to customers, effective communication and more. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband Andrew and their two sons.