Today, reader D wonders if she has to make her own Franken-planner to find the absolute best planner out there…

I realize this may be a bit too late to be useful for the upcoming new year, I would love to see a post regarding the various paper calendars/planners Corporette users prefer.  I was digging through archives and read the entire post/comment thread regarding notebook and legal pad preferences, and I thought a similar thread about planners would be just as interesting.  A girlfriend and I struggle every year with finding the “perfect” planner, to the point we try to cobble together some sort of Franken-planner on our own.  We’ve actually discussed starting our own company to remedy this problem.

• Daily planning: As I mentioned, I recently gave up my Palm Pilot and switched to an Android phone. I looked around for a good calendar program, and came up with the following solution: I use Google Calendar (for free) and sync it with Pimlical (which cost about $25 if I remember correctly).  Google Calendar is great because it gives me notifications on my Android, my iPad, by email, and more — it’s very hard for me to forget appointments or whatnot with the system!  Pimlical is great, though, for a more permanent record of what I was doing and when.  I tend to take a lot of notes in my calendar program — for example, every time I see a doctor I record my vitals and any topics discussed on the appointment in Google Calendar. Oh: another thing that’s nice about Google Calendar is that I can invite Outlook users to events — so when we book an airline flight, for example, I can instantly give my husband the details and put those on his calendar as well.
• Longer distance planning:  Something I’ve done for a few years now is to use my Palm Pilot software to print a yearly calendar, with each month getting its own page.  I liked Palm because each day was a big enough block that you could write in it, but with only 12 pages the whole “packet” wasn’t too huge or crazy to actually use.  I always put all vacation days on it — federal holidays and the like — and would primarily use the packet to plan vacations.  (When vacation details are finally set I put everything relevant into the Google Calendar.)  When I was planning my “maternity leave” for Corporette I used the planner to keep an eye on which posts I had scheduled for which day, which needed more editing, which days still needed a post or two.
• I also have a big monthly calendar (for 2012 I used Snapfish to make baby-centric ones and then gave them as gifts to my parents, my in-laws, my grandmother, and my brother) that we hang on the wall — I also write friends’ birthdays on that one (and, um, decorate it with stickers, because I like to indulge my inner 8-year-old).  It’s great for glancing at the calendar occasionally to see whose birthday is coming up, what the date will be next Wednesday, etc, etc.  Something I really liked about Snapfish was that I could select individual dates to recognize — and so, for example, I have a picture from our wedding album on May 30 to commemorate our wedding anniversary… for each grandparent’s birthday I have a picture of him or her holding my son… it came out really nice.  (After coupons and the promotions they had going on, each calendar only cost about $9, so it was more about the time invested to make it… but I’m really glad I did.)
• Finally: I have a little teeny calendar at my desk that I got through Vistaprint — basically each day just shows me the monthly calendar (just the big numbers) and a picture (of course this one is baby-themed as well).  (Just an FYI: Vistaprint is offering 50% off all custom-printed calendars, including little desk-sized ones like the one I got.)

How messy is TOO messy of an office? I’ve worked with all sorts of people when it comes to this. There are the people with the super-bare office — completely clean desks with perhaps one photo on it. I’ve worked with folks where it was so messy that it seemed like they could film an episode of Hoarders in there. And I’ve worked with people where it was “controlled chaos” — one of my bosses memorably kept about 10 tall piles of manilla folders on her desk at all times and would have to go through each pile to find what she needed. Personally, I’ve always been on the messier side of the spectrum, but with the caveat that I can almost always find what I need in under ten minutes.

I suppose I’ve assumed something about each of these coworkers — it is, after all, a bit of a window into how the mind works. I always imagine the bare-office people sitting there grinding their teeth at the slightest noise outside their office that interrupts their concentration — the kind of people who, if their daily schedule gets off by five minutes, their day is irreparably ruined. On the converse, I’ve imagined the truly messy office people (the “how did they get that pile of papers so high?” people) always think a clean office is a good idea in theory… when they get around to it, right after they finish that novel and those other 3 ambitious projects that they never quite seem to start.  That said, for my $.02, the only people I viewed as “less professional” because of their office space had to do more with decor (a big sports-related beanbag chair, an overly pink, matchy-matchy desk set) and less to do with “mess.”

But as a junior employee, are you better advised to keep your office space orderly and neat — even if clients and superiors don’t visit your office frequently? When does a messy office cross the line?

Readers, what do your offices look like?  What do you wish they looked like? What assumptions do you make about other people based on their office space?

For those of you who live a flight away from your parents, I thought I’d share my trick for the holidays, which I use to avoid traveling with gifts.  It’s pretty simple, so here goes:

I send packages to Babette.

See, my mother’s name is Linda Vogele — so we’ve worked out a system through the years where if she receives a package for Babette Vogele (and this is kind of a year-round system at this point), she knows not to open the package.  She puts it aside in one of her many closets (ah, the joys of living in Ohio!) and when I come home I open all of the packages, wrap them, and slip them under the tree.  If it’s an occasion for which I’m not traveling home (say, her birthday or Mother’s Day or whatnot), I can direct my father to the appropriate box and he’ll open it and package it nicely and present it whenever her other gifts are being opened. (My mom tends to open all of the mail that comes to the house so this is primarily a problem with her stuff.) It’s a simple system, but I like it because it saves me from stressing about how to get gifts home, and it also means that if I see a good deal online for something my mother would like I can act on it, without having to remember to tell her that it’s coming, what it’s for, or who gets it.

Why Babette?  Well… why not?  We don’t know anyone with the name personally, so there’s no confusion.

Readers, what are your tips and tricks for holiday shopping?

(Pictured: Ribbons & Bows, originally uploaded to Flickr by david_s_carter.)

What toiletries do you keep in your desk drawer?  We’ve talked about the clothes you keep in the office, the food you nibble on during the workday, and the tech stuff you have to have for the office — but what about toiletries?  I have such an established list that, when my brother started his new job, I gave him a little bag filled with these items — they’re helpful for everyone!  (Pictured: junk drawer #1, my middle desk drawer, originally uploaded to Flickr by zeelicious.)

1. New-Skin. Yes, it’s an electronic world, but there are still far more papers to deal with than you’d think — which means papercuts abound — which means every open wound increases your chances of getting sick. My preferred method for dealing with papercuts is to apply a liquid bandage like New-Skin. It dries quickly, stays on all day (even after you’ve washed your hands), and it doesn’t leave that gummy residue on your nails and fingers.

2. Purell. This is another great way to ward off colds — and it’s particularly helpful to keep at your desk if you commute to work via public transportation (you can clean your hands the minute you get to the office), or if you shake hands with a lot of people during the course of your job. If you get one with aloe, it won’t dry your hands out as much.  (And, someone recently gave me the tip that alcohol-based cleaners (like Purell) are a much better habit than antibacterial ones (such as the richly scented ones available at some mall stores).  Of course, regular soap and water is best.

3. Thermometer. The higher up the food chain you go, the more you’ll find that a little head cold is not an acceptable reason to stay away from the office if work needs to be done in it. That said, it’s generally poor form to come to work (or stay at work) if you’re contagious. Obviously you’ve got a thermometer at home to know when you’re running a fever — but it can be helpful to have one at the office for those occasional stretches where you’re practically living at the office, or where you suddenly feel lousy in the middle of the afternoon. I’ve always done well with a digital one, like the Vicks Comfort-Flex Thermometer.  (If you really want to get fancy, get a temporal artery thermometer, such as Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer, available at Amazon for around $30 — you swipe it across your forehead and get a very accurate reading.  The new mom in me loves it.)

4. Preservative-free eye drops. Long hours of staring at the computer = dry eyes. For some women this is a particular problem. My suggestion: invest in preservative-free drops. If you use the drops only occasionally, then you’ll be happy to open up a new vial of eye drops. If you use them frequently, you’ll be glad you’re not overloading your eyes with preservatives. I recommend TheraTears Lubricant Eye Drops, Single-Use Containers.

5. Visine, Clearasil, and cover-up. Yes, I’m recommending you get both Visine and preservative-free eye drops (because while Visine gets the red out, it can be incredibly drying for your eyes).  So use the preservative-free eye drops to soothe your eyes (and possibly fix the underlying problem causing the redness).  Still:  Visine can be handy in a number of situations, such as when you’ve been crying and need to freshen up, and when you want your bloodshot eyes to look better (such as for a big meeting or a new date). My other use for Visine:  if you have an angry red zit, dab a bit of Visine on a Q-tip (or a tissue wrapped around a pencil’s eraser) and use it to make your zit a bit less red.  (I also recommend keeping Clearasil and cover-up on hand.)

6. Floss. You probably won’t use this one a lot, but you’ll thank me that rare time when you do use it — like when you’ve got something in your teeth and have to run to a partner’s or executive’s office. My favorite is Glide.  (Although in a pinch, tape flags and folded Post-It Notes work as well.)

7. Eye-makeup remover. There are a lot of reasons for keeping eye-makeup remover with you in the office. Personally, I’ve always used it on those those nights where you’re stuck in the office in front of the computer for hours on end.  Maybe it’s just me, but 16+ hours of wearing mascara makes my eyes feel, well, crunchy.  Another big reason for having eye-makeup remover: occasionally, emotions may screw up your eye-makeup. Whether you’re crying for joy, sorrow, or frustration or anger (and hopefully you’re doing this behind closed doors), your eye makeup may need to be redone entirely in order to “save face” when you stick your head out of your office.  I’m a fan of Neutrogena Hydrating Eye Makeup Remover.

8. Advil. Just give in to the idea that you’ll likely be at the office when you get a lot of headaches/cramps/aches, and invest in an economy-size bottle.

9. Tampons and/or pads.

10. Basic make-up (if you don’t already carry it in your purse). On the rare day that you can get to the gym, or when you walk to work, or when you need to re-do your makeup, you’ll be set.

Readers, what toiletries do you keep on hand at the office?

So a few months ago, I got to meet the founders of this new site, Hoseanna, and was introduced to what I seriously think is a great idea: letting busy women put some of those fundamental things (the ones you buy again and again) on auto-ship. That way, you don’t have to waste valuable mental space (or that even rarer commodity: free time) over these things — they just magically show up at your door on your schedule.

When the site launched it was just a curated hosiery collection (hence the name, Hoseanna) — but the site recently expanded. They still have legwear (now with more brands, including Berkshire, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Hue, and more). But the new site delves into some of those other little things that women hate to buy (and especially hate to ask their significant others to buy): feminine care like pads and tampons, as well as intimate things like condoms and lubricants. They even have a bunch of brands in the “health and beauty” category — you know, the items that even YOU manage to grab the wrong item off the shelf, no matter how much you think you know what you want. Alba, Aveeno, Biore, Blistex, Burt’s Bees, Carmex, ChapStick — you can put it all on auto-ship. I also like that the box includes a monthly surprise treat — and that now, as a bonus, you can earn shopping dollars for future Hoseanna purchases when you refer a friend.

This video explains what they do a bit better (and a bit more amusingly) than I do…

Don’t forget that we’re currently running a giveaway with the service — click here to enter to win a $50 shopping credit to try out Hoseanna!

Not only do I consider myself a bit of a tech geek, but I specialize in a weird subset of tech geekiness: tech for the office.  These are my top techy things to keep at the office — readers, what do you keep?  (Check out our prior discussions on clothes to keep at the office, as well as food to keep at the office.)

Gadgets

1. Refrigerator — This was one of my all-time favorite tech purchases for my office (and it lasted forever).  I bought a super, super small fridge for my office — so small it could barely fit a six-pack of Coke.  I kept water and soda chilled, as well as cheese sticks, lemon juice, cheese, salad dressing — even leftover food.  You can find them for around $50 (look up “mini refrigerator,” “portable refrigerator,” “travel refrigerator”) and up.

2. Extra chargers for your phone, Blackberry, and any other personal gadgets.  I’ve never regretted the $40 or so the extra cord cost me.

3. Speakers for your iPod or iPhone. This doesn’t need a lot of explanation, but you may want to brush up on the etiquette of listening to music at the office, particularly when other people can hear it.  For my own $.02, I think it’s fine to quietly listen to music if it’s after working hours, but “quietly” is the key — the person in the neighboring office should never have to come over and ask you to turn it down.

4. Phone headset. If you log lots of time on the phone — on conference calls or in meetings — a good headset might be worth an investment.

5. USB heated gloves (pictured above). If you have poor circulation and are always freezing, you may want to prepare for those long stretches in front of the computer by purchasing these USB-heated gloves. They plug into your computer and warm your hands as you type and click your way through the day.

Download

6. Leechblock. I’ve written before of my affection for Leechblock to help keep you focused.

7. RescueTime. Seriously consider signing up for this service if you’re wasting a lot of time and wonder where it went — it logs every online activity.

8. Consider installing a bookmarklet for ShoppingNotes — if you see an item of clothing that you wish were on sale, you click the bookmarklet, and  the free service monitors the price for any adjustment.  I’ve gotten some sick deals by using this service!

9. LogMeIn. Talk with your boss about this, but LogMeIn lets you log into your office computer from home (or your home computer from your office).

10. XMarks. As someone who alternates between multiple computers, I love XMarks — it syncs my bookmarks across all of my computers (and browsers).  This is handy for me, both because I have a crazy folder/filing system for some bookmarks, but also because I now don’t need to remember what device I originally found a new website.  If you upgrade to the premium (paid) version of Xmarks, it will even sync your bookmarks to your iPhone, Android, or Blackberry.

Software

Most businesses supply you with all the software you need. Still, I’ve had great success with a few programs and had to recommend them.

11. PDF Factory (or something similar). This program is hugely helpful if you sit far from the printer, if you want more control over picking up your printouts, or if you email a lot of PDF’d documents. (For the lawyers out there, it’s very helpful if you frequently review documents in .tif format, as well as if you print cases from Lexis or Westlaw.) Basically, when you click “print” you can choose to print to PDF Factory. The program opens a new window on your computer, and begins to compile a PDF. When you’ve finished printing, you can save the PDF to your hard drive, e-mail it to a coworker, and/or print it to your local printer.

12. Microsoft OneNote 2010 (or Evernote, if you’re comfortable with the cloud).  This allows you to create “notebooks” that will be word searchable, printable, e-mailable, and so forth. I primarily find OneNote helpful in working on a project — planning a vacation or a wedding, decorating an apartment — but it’s also helpful in keeping track of restaurant reviews, recipes, articles full of gift ideas, and more. (I also find it useful on an organizational and environmental standpoint, because we now have a single place to put all those articles we used to just print out and leave in various places in our apartments.) (I prefer OneNote, but I know a lot of folks out there prefer Evernote for this kind of thing.)

13. Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This is pricier than the others, but this software is extremely helpful for those of you who practice the lost art of dictation. Dictating is a great skill to pick up for a variety of reasons — it’s much easier to summarize notes from all-day meetings via dictation, or to make sense of documents as you review them without constantly toggling between screens to be sure you’ve gotten the numbers and quotations exactly correct.

Readers, share your tech must-haves for the office!

Button-down blouses can be great — if they fit you and don’t gape in the bust.  Some companies specialize in creating non-gaping versions for larger-busted women (e.g., Carissa Rose, Rebecca & Drew) but sometimes you just want a DIY fix for a shirt you’ve already got.  Today’s guest poster Kathryn Rubino — one of my personal friends — is a plus-sized fashionable overachieving chick who has some crafty suggestions for fixing the problem. (She also posted a few weeks ago about how to get a great-fitting blazer.) – Kat

We’ve all been there. You’re getting ready for that big interview/meeting/presentation and as you look yourself dead-on in the mirror you are the image of professionalism. As you reach for the straightener to put the finishing touch on your perfectly coiffed hair there it is. It’s your bra. Peeking out from that infuriating gap in your button-down shirt. It almost seems like it is mocking you, “maybe you aren’t as put together as you think you are.” It is maddening. So, how do you deal with this problem? I’ve tried all the work-arounds. The camisole under an unbuttoned button-down. A wrap-style dress shirt. A button-down that is deliberately ruched at the bust. And these are all pretty good solutions, but sometimes I yearn for the simplicity of the classic button down. So this plus size writer test drove three potential solutions to the problem. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but here’s how they worked for me.  (Pictured: Mind the Gap, originally uploaded to Flickr by toastbrot81.)

1. Sewing. This seemed like the most professional option. It was easy enough to find matching thread in a travel sewing kit I had from my last stay at a fancy-pants hotel. Okay, it was a white shirt so that wasn’t too difficult a task, but Amazon has some options that seem pretty comprehensive at under $10. I found it pretty straight forward to lightly tack the gap closed with a small x-shaped stitch, though more time consuming than other options. I found I didn’t have to worry about it too much throughout the day and I felt super strong ripping out the stitches with my bare hands at the end of the day.

2. Taping. This seemed like the easiest option. Just use Hollywood Fashion Tape (or other pre-cut double-sided tape) to lock down the gap. And it was easy! I just worried over the tape peeling away throughout the day. While I never had any major mishaps I did have to subtly press down on the gap to re-stick my shirt together several times throughout the day. I would probably continue to use this for finer fabrics I worry about putting holes in, but it would not be my first choice for cotton shirts. One tip that I haven’t tried, but I received from a few friends in the costume industry is toupee tape. It may sound silly but I am assured that it holds better and is generally cheaper then the other options.

3. Pinning. This seemed like the most familiar option. It feels like I am forever pinning closed low cut dresses or gaping shirts. And I know it works, I just hate the tell-tale glint of silver at my chest. Then I found these. Black and white safety pins. (Jo-Ann’s actually caries them in a variety of colors; so does Amazon.) For me, this is the perfect combination of lazy and effective. I didn’t worry over the gap throughout the day, and I loved that I could re-use the pins. But if you can’t location these little gems, or your gap emergency happens before the two day shipping arrives I still prefer the pinning option. Usually button-downs will have an extra fold down of fabric along the button line and you can use this underside of material to keep your shirt closed without a pin showing through. I also prefer smaller pins, and I attach them upside down (so that the closure points toward my feet) as that helps to disguise the usage of the pin.

Readers, do you consider gaping blouses one of your big problems?  What has your solution been?

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When you’re a busy woman, taking the time to cook for yourself can be a luxury.  It’s better from a health perspective — you know exactly what’s in the dish, as well as how fresh/healthy the ingredients are– and you can much more easily accommodate special desires (low calorie, low sodium, low fat, low carb) by cooking for yourself.  Furthermore, frequently it’s far cheaper than eating out.  The easiest way that I’ve found, when I get time to cook for myself, is to cook large batches — but then the problem becomes that my schedule is so unpredictable that half of the batch (or more) goes to waste.  Not to mention you get “food fatigue” from eating the same dish so many days in a row.

My personal answer has been to cook large batches and then freeze them with a fairly, um, elaborate system.  (I’m a bit crazy, but we all knew that.)  A friend came to visit a while ago and was fascinated by my system, so she encouraged me to share it here. When I was single, I used this system ALL the time for pasta sauce — I hated opening a jar of sauce, then seeing the jar in the fridge a week and a half later and throwing it out 3/4ths full because I hadn’t had time to make myself more pasta.

1.  Get good quality freezer bags. I like to buy Ziploc bags that are designed for the freezer — when I’ve used no-name brands or non-freezer bags I’ve had problems (leaky bags, freezer bite, etc).  I prefer to buy quart-size because I’ve found that those tend to hold two servings — the perfect amount for me and my husband.

2.  Cook a bunch of food. I’m a big fan of the crockpot, so a lot of what I cook for myself and the hubs are things like stews and soups.  I also will freeze a lot of raw chicken and raw beef, as well as things like leftover tomato sauce.  I haven’t had a lot of luck freezing fresh vegetables or fish, but your mileage may vary.  Two things to note about the food:  It’s going to be easier to fill the bags when the food is not piping hot — either lukewarm or chilled is preferable.  Second, when possible I try to freeze my food as soon after cooking it as possible (rather than waiting 3-4 days) — I’m not sure if it’s right or not but my perception is that as the ingredients (like veggies) age, they loose some of their health factor.  That said, freezing will kill a multitude of bacteria (I think), so you shouldn’t be too shy about freezing food at the tail end of the time when you would be eating it.

3. Label your bags before putting any food inside; this way the writing is neater.  I like to include the name of the dish, the date I made it, and occasionally the amount (1lb chicken) or the Weight Watchers Points value per serving.

4.  Next, get tall glasses (or sometimes even a vase if it’s a gallon-sized bag) to help my Ziploc bags “stand up.”  This is hard to describe, so hopefully the picture helps — you push the bag inside the glass and then open them up.

5. Ladle the soup or stew inside. You’ll find that the Ziploc-inside-the-glass gets full faster than the Ziploc will, so after a while you have to remove the glass from the equation and let the Ziploc stand by itself.

6. Continue to fill the bag(s) until all of the soup is ladled out. If there’s some spillage on the bag, wipe it down.  Next, you may want to weigh the bags using a digital scale — I really do use mine frequently and it has been a great investment for the kitchen.  If there’s any huge inequity between the bags, you can take this opportunity to balance it out; otherwise you can just eyeball the bags and close ‘em up.

7.  A note on closing the bags: there should be as LITTLE AIR IN THE BAG as possible.  Air causes freezer burn, and no one wants that.

8.  Next, get out a plastic cutting board (or other smooth, flat surface).  This is key to a neat freezing process — even if you’re just freezing chicken breasts or something simple like that.  Layer your Ziploc bags on the bag — it’s okay if they overlap a bit — and then slide the plastic cutting board into the freezer.

9. Then, let it sit for 4-24 hours. The bags freeze nice and flat, at which point you can remove them.  If you like an organized freezer you’ll find that the flat quart-sized bags even fit in a shoebox, pictured at the very top of the post.  (I bought a box of 20 clear shoe boxes from The Container Store when I was changing up my shoe storage system, and have found that they come in ridiculously handy in a lot of places, including the freezer.) Here’s one bag after it’s been frozen.

10.  Voila! Healthy, homemade dinners (or lunches) for the next 3-6 months, depending on ingredients.  If you’re heading off to work in the morning and want some of the leftovers for lunch, it’s easy enough to grab one of the frozen Ziploc bags and chuck it in your purse — it should stay frozen for your commute, and should defrost (either in the freezer or under a watchful eye just on your desk) enough to get it out of the bag before heating it up for lunch.  I’m also a fan of taking out a Ziploc bag in the morning and putting it on a plate (or in a large bowl) to defrost in the fridge during the day, meaning all my husband or I have to do at night is to heat it up.  Personally, I prefer to let the food defrost entirely so I can transfer it to a proper bowl or pot to reheat it — I like to avoid putting plastics in the microwave whenever possible (both because it is never pretty when you overcook plastic, and because I’ve heard rumblings that plastic in the microwave may not be so safe for you).

OK, readers, that’s my insane little system for freezing food.  What tricks do you use when you cook?  Any favorite recipes that work particularly well for the freezer?

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If you have special eating needs, how do you navigate the business lunch, as well as other noshing and networking events? Today’s guest poster, Valerie from City|Life|Eats, tackles this very issue. Valerie is an old friend to Corporette, having posted here before about makeup and a favorite shirt. Enjoy! – Kat

It can be difficult to manage dietary restrictions with the demands on being a professional woman.  Learning that certain foods are off-limits, whether because of Celiac disease, other autoimmune conditions, food allergies, food intolerances or sensitivities, means a lifestyle change that takes adjustment.  When I learned I could not eat gluten, dairy, eggs and a host of other foods, I was concerned about how to manage these new restrictions, particularly with regards to my professional life.   As an associate at a law firm in Washington, DC, I was acutely aware that business entertaining was only going to be a larger part of my life moving forward, as would business travel and conferences.  It has been a couple of years now, and along the way it has gotten a lot easier. I do not hide the requirements of my restrictions, but manage them in such a way that the way I eat does not become a focal point of interacting with me either.  (Pictured: gluten free and dairy free ranch dressing, originally uploaded to Flickr from elana’s pantry.)

The Big Picture

I have an abnormal immune reaction to eating gluten, which means I must avoid all forms of wheat, barley and rye.  When eating out, this means both avoiding foods containing gluten and exposure to gluten through cross-contamination.  Anything less than 100% compliance with avoiding gluten is not an option, nor is eating other foods I should avoid.  My goal is always to minimize the number of opportunities of being exposed to foods that would cause a reaction but also not let that get in the way of business situations that require dining out.

The Business Lunch

The key with business meals for me is being able to order a meal without my dietary restrictions turning into a conversation piece that detracts from business at hand.  I have a short list of restaurants that I know from past visits have procedures in place where they can feed gluten-free diners safely.  I always call ahead to go over my dietary restrictions and, if I am not going to a go-to place, ask questions about cross-contamination.  I also remind the host when I arrive at the restaurant to let the wait staff know.  Setting expectations repeatedly and going to the same restaurants has generally worked, though I am lucky to generally have at least a day’s notice for such meals.

Another option is to order “off-camera” – this is helpful at restaurants without gluten-free menus where I need to order a dish with several substitutions/modifications.  When I call ahead, I essentially place my order, such that by the time I am actually sitting at the restaurant, all I have to do is reconfirm with the waiter/waitress what I am ordering, rather than go through it from scratch.  This is also a good strategy if you foresee the lunch being time-constrained for any reason.  I also encourage you to check out these good tips on eating out when following a gluten-free diet, or these for dairy-free dining out.

Other Business Obligations That Involve Food

Business lunches and dinners are generally the setting where I have had to manage my dietary restrictions.  There are of course many other settings, such as:

• Socializing with Colleagues: My office does not have a culture of lunch with colleagues, so I generally I bring a lunchbox which includes a meal and snacks every day I am at the office. However, there are a couple of lunch places within a few blocks of work where I can eat a gluten-free meal also suited to my other food restrictions, which also comes in handy for the occasional lunch with colleagues.
• Networking Events/Receptions: I usually stick to not eating in these situations, but make sure that I have something to drink so that my hands do not look obviously empty.
• Conferences: At conference luncheons, I tend to just ask for a plain salad without dressing and/or steamed vegetables and supplement those with nuts and other snacks that I bring with me.
• Business Travel: I have not had to travel much for work, so am including these links on traveling to a conference, business travel and Celiac disease, and a gluten-free blogger’s resort experience.

Valerie is an associate at a law firm in Washington, DC and intent on thriving in all aspects of life – professional and personal.  She balances the demands of her work and long hours with her interests in food, healthy and mindful living, and a love for lists and planning, all of which you can find at her blog, City|Life|Eats.  You can subscribe to City|Life|Eats via RSS or email or connect with Valerie via Twitter or Facebook.

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I read somewhere recently that people are well-advised to keep their office keys separate from their home keys. While I’ve never done that, I started thinking about the different ways that I have tried to keep my personal life separate from my professional life, and thought it might be a fun topic for an Open Thread. (Pictured: Ying Yang, originally uploaded to Flickr by Bibi.)

1. Keys. I’ve actually always kept office keys on the same chain as regular keys (but on a separate ring if that makes sense), but primarily because I’m forgetful with keys and never wanted to show up at home or at work and realize I’d forgotten my keys for the appropriate locks.

2. Email. When I left my law firm job, it was really amazing to me how much personal email had encroached on my work email (perhaps because I had a work Blackberry but not a personal one). I swore, from that point forward, to keep my work email and personal email as separate as possible. Even now I do this — for example, I talk about contracts and IP issues re: Corporette a lot with my lawyer father, and I’m fanatical about keeping those conversations in my Corporette email. In addition to keeping things separate in a mental perspective, it’s also handy from a filing perspective.  (Furthermore: I’m sure you all know this, but there is no expectation of privacy in work email — anything you write can be read by the company, and I believe I read a statistic that 85% of employers do some degree of monitoring on work email, even if it’s just to search for keywords indicating terrorism.)

3. Clothes. When my younger brother started work, I strongly advised him to change into jeans when he came home from a long day at his conservative office — and I’ll advise you all to do the same! It’s a good way to signify to yourself, “I’m home, it’s OK to unwind.” (Also, if you’re eating dinner or snacking, it helps you keep your more expensive work clothes pristine for easier/less laundering).

4. Creative endeavors. It’s wise to keep your office for doing work, and your home for personal creative endeavors (whether it be a blog, a screenplay, or a business plan you’ve devised). In addition to helping to keep your dreams separate from the office, it avoids any confusion about who owns the creative work.

5. Social media. I don’t care how close you are with your coworkers — there is a line that exists in terms of what’s acceptable to share and what isn’t, particularly when you’re talking about something that can be easily forwarded or copied. For example, when I was dating I kept an anonymous blog about my adventures — and even though I was becoming really close with one of my coworkers (who is now one of my best friends, and heard about many of those adventures verbally) I never mentioned my blog to her at time.

Readers, how do you keep your work and personal life separate? What are the advantages/disadvantages to doing so?