Dana Burland

561 days ago I got word I should work from home. Since then staying home has and hasn’t been constant. Over the top of my computer I’ve seen the front yard pile up with snow, I’ve seen it melt, dry out and dew on the morning grass freeze over again. I’ve spent months with a 15 second commute to my computer. I’ve been into a physical office so infrequently in the last 1.5 years that I’ve had to retrain myself in a morning routine–what time do I need to wake up again? Do I even fuss with eyeliner anymore? The answer is no. I absolutely do not fuss with eyeliner anymore. For months I worked in our finished basement, at a lovely built-in office area that we oooh'ed and ahh'ed at when we first bought the house. But when I was the last standing WFH employee of this household I moved to the kitchen table so I could enjoy some natural light. Since then I’ve parked my big comfy Steelcase office desk chair in the corner of the playroom during off hours. I’ve worked at a foldin...

This month I closed a big career chapter and started a new one. After eight years at Steelcase, I’m switching gears to work at Bissell. First, can I get a standing ovation for Steelcase? Those were eight really great and professionally impactful years. When I joined full time in 2013 I had a hunch there was more to our web experiences than what vendors, limited analytic data and our gut feel were telling us. I was the first to employ user feedback (surveys, mining customer service themes and running user testing interviews) to insightfully point us in a direction that matched user’s expectations. User testing specifically became a fast passion of mine. With Steelcase’s support, I got certified in user testing through an outside industry expert (Nielsen Norman Group). I brought back a robust tool box of methods for listening intently to our users. I sharpened my ability to make recommendations internally to meet our business goals and better our experiences. I worked under a manag...

Ok, let’s look on the bright side of our annual family-of-four weekend away first: A rainy forecast which let up and brought us to a hands-on kids museum which truly rocked The little boys bunked up in the same room marvelously New playgrounds and shops; plus introducing someone to Oreos at a bonfire But to be honest our Labor Day weekend away in Manistee was riddled with chaos. Accidental spilled drinks and shattered little maple leaf jars of farmer’s market maple syrup. Winds so strong we couldn’t play at the sandy beach. A first splinter. A family bout of food poisoning. Still I know the boys had fun. And in the midst of it all, including a fall on the playground, the little one waddled over to give the big one a hug; which warmed the big one’s heart so much he ran over and hugged the little one again. I’d go through the whole weekend again for that sweet moment. I suppose you can’t win them all. It feels good to be home.

It’s fall as far as I’m concerned. Temps have dropped, it’s dark out when I wake up and my husband is talking about football again. If you were a fly on my wall (perhaps like the actual one that got in from the garage, ack!) you’d see my happily scampering over to a new season. I’ve plugged in my two inside self timer lamps again. Now the house has some light in the morning and again at night when it gets dark. It’s a little something to combat the oncoming darkness. Also can I tell you about Crockpot chicken enchiladas? I made these once and they’ll definitely be in rotation for a while. Here’s how I made them: In a Crockpot put about a pound of chicken breasts and enough jarred salsa to let them bathe but not submerge in. Cook on low for 7.5 hours. Once chicken is cooked, it should shred like a breeze. That, plus shredded cheese is a fast filling for chicken enchiladas. Roll ‘em up in tortillas, snuggle them in a baking pan, top with canned enchilada sauce and more cheese an...