ESL Podcast 544 - Working from a Home Office

functional - able to work properly; able to meet one's needs

The kitchen is beautiful, but it isn't very functional, because the sink is really far from the stove.

overhead - the amount of money a company has to spend to stay in business, regardless of how many products or services it sells; money spent on things like rent, electricity, telephone, and salaries

The company decided to close its third office to reduce its overhead.

to decentralize - to spread things out so that they are not concentrated or centered in one place or with one person

Terrence used to make all the decisions at work, but now the managers are trying to decentralize the decision-making power.

to think twice - to hesitate in making a decision, because one is considering another option

If I had an opportunity to work overseas, I wouldn't think twice about it. It would be a dream come true! (someone) would kill to - for someone to want to have or do something very much

Jacques and his wife would kill to buy a house in that neighborhood.

dedicated - used for only one thing; with only one purpose

This is a dedicated computer for office work. That means no personal email or web browsing.

to set (one's) own schedule - to decide when one will do certain things; to be in control of one's own schedule

As a business owner, Mariah gets to set her own schedule and take time off when she needs to do personal things.

to concentrate on - to focus on something; to put one's attention on a particular thing

How can you concentrate on what you're reading if you're listening to music and watching TV at the same time?

distracted - not able to pay attention to something because one is looking at, listening to, or thinking about something else

Why are you so distracted today? What are you thinking about?

home office - a room in a home where one works; study; den

The kids know that when their mother closes the door to the home office, she's working and shouldn't be interrupted.

to block (something) out - to ignore something; to not pay attention to something

I know you're scared of heights, but try to block out your fear and just enjoy the view from up here.

drawback - a disadvantage; a negative aspect of doing or having something

The job offers interesting work and great pay. The only drawback is that there isn't very much vacation time.

productive - able to do a lot of work in a short period of time; producing a lot of good results; efficient

Kelvin is most productive early in the morning, when he feels wide awake. (something)-centered - focused on something; with most of one's interest, attention, and activities related to a particular thing

They have a family-centered lifestyle and spend most of their evenings at home with their children.

to take (something) over (something) - to prefer something over something else; to want to do or have one thing more than another thing; to choose one thing instead of something else

Francesca is a vegetarian, so she'll always take a vegetable dish over a steak.

conducive to - helpful; useful; helping something else to happen

They bought desks for their children to try to make their home more conducive to studying and learning.

to double as - to serve more than one purpose; to be used for more than one thing

During the winter storms, the shopping center doubled as a warming center for the homeless.