Episode #010 Living In Place with Linda Kafka

Featured in this week’s episode on Productive Design, Crystal interviews Director of Trade Relations at Caplan’s, Linda Kafka. Linda is a specialist and industry resource on inclusive design and wellness in the residential trade sector. She also has an in-depth knowledge of living in place long before the current coronavirus pandemic began. 

The living in place idea is to think about designing in ways that could make life easier in the home whether it be easier for expecting mothers to move around the house, designing a room to increase sleep quality, or creating designated spaces in the home for visitors and deliveries. The idea is that life should be adaptable and Linda gives us different ideas of how to do that.

So join Linda and Crystal as they explore different ideas to bring your home designing to the next level in comfort, care, and ease. 

If you would like to know more about Linda or get in touch with her, you can reach her at livablecanada.com or on Instagram at lipnetwork.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindakafka

lindakafka@gmail.com

#010-Living In Place – The Productive Designer

Featured in this week’s episode on Productive Design, Crystal interviews Director of Trade Relations at Caplan’s, Linda Kafka. Linda is a specialist and industry resource on inclusive design and wellness in the residential trade sector. She also has an in-depth knowledge of living in place before the current coronavirus pandemic began. The living in place idea is to think about designing in ways that could make life easier in the home whether it be easier for expecting mothers to move around the house, designing a room to increase sleep quality, or creating designated spaces in the home for visitors and deliveries. The idea is that life should be adaptable and Linda gives us different ideas of how to do that.So join Linda and Crystal as they explore different ideas to bring your home designing to the next level in comfort, care, and ease. If you would like to know more about Linda or get in touch with her, you can reach her at livablecanada.com or on Instagram at lipnetwork.#livinginplace #livablecanada#livinginplacenetwork#lipnetwork#lindakafka#interiordesignresource
  1. #010-Living In Place
  2. #009 Perfectionism and productive procrastination.
  3. Ep#008 Your lighting supplier making your days brighter.
  4. #007-Working effectively with your luxury appliance A&D Representative
  5. #006-GC recommended home modifications for aging and living in place.

Episode #009 Perfectionism and Productive Procrastination

Do you find yourself looking back at the end of the day asking yourself “what did I actually get done today”? Despite being busy all day-most likely you were “busy”, you just did not really do anything that moved the needle on your business. We can all fall into this trap easily, and I am not talking about getting caught in the rabbit hole of social media either. I am talking about doing “busy work”, doing tasks that keep you occupied but distract you from what you really should be doing-you are “Productively Procrastinating”. Furthermore, I will point out the types of perfectionist tendencies, and what the downside of those behaviour are.

Key Takeaways

-Productive procrastination is the act of being busy while still procrastinating on your most valuable tasks.

-By distracting yourself with keeping busy, but at the end of the day you really have not moved the needle very far

-Aim to get the harder tasks done earlier in the day when your energy is high

-“Eat the frog”

-Typically these low value tasks are “easier” to do

-Perfectionism can stop you before you even start

-Perfectionist need to aim to product B+ work

https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-about-frogs

https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/perfectionist-10-ways-to-stop-being-your-own-worst-enemy.html

#010-Living In Place – The Productive Designer

Featured in this week’s episode on Productive Design, Crystal interviews Director of Trade Relations at Caplan’s, Linda Kafka. Linda is a specialist and industry resource on inclusive design and wellness in the residential trade sector. She also has an in-depth knowledge of living in place before the current coronavirus pandemic began. The living in place idea is to think about designing in ways that could make life easier in the home whether it be easier for expecting mothers to move around the house, designing a room to increase sleep quality, or creating designated spaces in the home for visitors and deliveries. The idea is that life should be adaptable and Linda gives us different ideas of how to do that.So join Linda and Crystal as they explore different ideas to bring your home designing to the next level in comfort, care, and ease. If you would like to know more about Linda or get in touch with her, you can reach her at livablecanada.com or on Instagram at lipnetwork.#livinginplace #livablecanada#livinginplacenetwork#lipnetwork#lindakafka#interiordesignresource
  1. #010-Living In Place
  2. #009 Perfectionism and productive procrastination.
  3. Ep#008 Your lighting supplier making your days brighter.
  4. #007-Working effectively with your luxury appliance A&D Representative
  5. #006-GC recommended home modifications for aging and living in place.

Ep#008 Your lighting supplier making your days brighter.

Today I speak with Julia Fraser, owner of Watts Current “brick and mortar” lighting store located in Mississauga, Ontario Canada. Julia and I talk about some of the pitfalls Interior Designers can run into when specifying lighting. Working with a knowledgable lighting supplier is liking having a “free employee” they are an extension of your design team, everyone can save time, the Designer, the Client, and the Electrician.

Take-Aways

-Make sure you establish and share your lighting budget, and be honest and realistic about your timelines, this will give the necessary requirements that your supplier needs to be made aware of to provide you with the best lighting solutions for your projects.

-Electricians are not allowed to install light fixtures that are not CSA or ETL approved, very important if you order lighting online

-Warranties, by working with a trusted supplier they will be able to rectify any issues on your behalf.

Mentioned in this episode:

Quote from Mark Twain “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything” 

https://www.csagroup.org/testing-certification/marks-labels/csa-marks-labels-north-america/

https://www.intertek.com/marks/etl

Podcasts Julia Recommends

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/front-burner

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts/current-affairs-information/sks

https://canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes

Want to get in touch with Julia and her store Watts Current 

https://www.instagram.com/wattscurrentinc

https://www.facebook.com/wattscurrentinc

https://wattscurrent.com/

Episode #007 Working effectively with your luxury appliance A&D Representative

In this episode, we chat with Kitchen Design & Product Expert Margaret Macdonald. Margaret is the Ontario Architect and Design Sales Manager for Sub Zero, Wolf, and Cove – focusing on the education and specification of luxury residential appliances.

We learn why your A&D representatives can serve as a member of our team when it comes to specifying. Your A&D rep comes equipped with the tools, experience, and knowledge to take you and your client through the entire process of designing, specifying, installation, and the end-user experience of luxury appliances. 

MargaretMacdonald_Episode#7_

Email: mmacdonald0415@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/margaret_macdonald0415/

https://www.instagram.com/subzeroandwolf

#subzeroandwolf #luxuryappliances #kitchendesign #traderesource

Episode #006

With 30 years of experience in architectural design, project management, and general construction Foti Hatzidemetriou brings knowledge and experience to every collaboration he works on. 

Foti is a General Contractor, accessibility expert and Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), he gets his biggest satisfaction from helping his clients discover practical ways to modify their home/work so they can enjoy it for as longs as they want. He is an advocate of The Home Modification Council working on public awareness and government change. 

500

Listen to our conversation as we discuss ideas to improve and accommodate your client’s specific needs to have a safer and more liveable environment through the use of home automation, design, and materials just to name a few.  

Episode #005 Is there an Imposter in your head?

Today we chat with Interior Design Professional Ingrid Porter from Cleveland Ohio-we talk about that mean girl voice in our heads! You know the one, the voice that likes to remind us that somehow we have managed to “trick” everyone into thinking we know what we are doing, and we will soon be exposed for the “fraud” we really are. This is commonly known as “Impostor Syndrome”, and I am sure each and every one of us has battled it at some time in our lives and careers. As Entrepreneurs we are typically “high achievers”, some may say “A Types” who are typically not happy with the status quo, we tend to stretch ourselves outside our comfort zone, and that is often when the voice starts to get loud.

So listen in to learn how Ingrid deals with Imposter Syndrome, what books, podcasts, and mindset tools she likes to turn to when the “inner mean girl” rears her ugly head!

IngridPorterEpisode#6_

Episode #004 Tools I Use

What is in my toolbox_

Episode #004 I don’t know about you, but I love hearing what tools others use in their work life or daily life to be more productive or just make life easier for them. In this solo episode I talk about the tools and software I am currently using in my business. I discuss what is working for me now, and some of the software or apps I have previously used and why I switched. 

Below are the links to the apps or software mentioned in this episode.

 Here are two additional apps I use but forgot to mention in this episode. I will definitely talk more about time tracking & planning in future episodes.

#interiordesigntools

#interiordesignbusiness

#interiordecoratingbusinesstools

#interiordesignmindset

#interiordesignentrepreneur

#interiordesignworklife

Episode #003 Your design firms first hire, it is not who you think it is.

003-SaraKeeling_PodcastEpisode#3_500x500

Do you find yourself working around the clock and you are thinking it may be time to hire? I bet you think it should be a Junior Designer or Design Assistant, as that is what is typically done right? Well, when The Productive Designer guest Sara Keeling felt the need to hire-it was not a Design Assistant it was somebody else. Tune into this episode to find out who Sara’s first hire was, and how her approach taught her some valuable business lessons we should all learn. 

We chat with Sara Keeling founder of Custom House Interiors & Co. Since 2005 Sara has been building her design-build business and has positioned herself as the go-to kitchen design-build expert in her area. 

When not designing and running the kids to their activities, Sara enjoys a fun golf game, (not too serious because her games needs some work) hanging out with her hubby and friends, and traveling.

Episode #002 A second set of eyes

Are you running your design business by yourself or as a small team. Do you ever wish you had a second pair of eyes to review the work, or handle some of the hundreds of details that goes into designing the perfect kitchen? Well you can…even if you are a solopreneur and you are wearing all the hats. 

Meet Kristina O’Boyle a seasoned Kitchen and Bath expert who has been pairing up with interior design professionals to be just that “a  second set of eyes” on your next kitchen remodel. She will go over all the details and will be your support staff-either in front or behind the scenes. 

Kristina O’Boyle brings 20 years of experience in kitchen design. As a natural organized and detail oriented person she approaches every project with a well thought out game plan.