Who are you, and what do you do?
I am Maurika Moore and I am the idea person, founder, and CEO of Hestia Home Advantage. Focusing obsessively on creating the best experience for aging adults living with chronic and serious illnesses is where you will find me most of the time. Our passion at Hestia is to empower those we support to live happily in the comfort of their home by providing a network of skilled Hestians to help them with daily activities and to also provide healthcare. My background in many healthcare and business settings – and we are talking about reception work in a medical office, certified EMT, working in an assisted living, hospital, medical clinic, selling drugs for pharma, starting multiple companies, waiting tables, calling bingo – all of these experiences have given me a multifaceted background with a unique perspective. Importantly, co-starting and then eventually years later, running a hospice have helped me to see the gaps in our system that others may not notice until they have fallen into them. This constant challenge of meeting the changing needs of the people we support and their families combined with the growing dynamics in healthcare – YES, it keeps me curious and fascinated all of the time.
What is one habit of yours that helps you be productive?
I recently realized that I am an expert at slow-motion multitasking. Until I learned about this term from a TED talk, I didn’t really understand how my constant drive to have multiple projects happening simultaneously was benefiting my long-term goals. The opportunity to be creative and solve problems is where my mind works best. Working one project until there is a lull or a block can feel defeating, but when I can bounce to another project that is waiting and tackle that for some time I feel more productive. This process allows me to “slow-motion multitask” many projects – staying active and creative in my best space. Then returning to the original project to finish up feels fresh with new vigor and ideas.
What is your morning routine and how does it help you get the most out of your day?
Ha! As a single mom with four kids and a dog, working to change healthcare – it is pretty nuts. My morning routine is getting lunches packed, hoping for healthy breakfasts, loving up the amazing humans in my life, and catching a hot cup of coffee. Once these important tasks are squared away, and the kids are doing their magic – I tackle projects that require headspace and no interruptions before I head into the office; reading journal articles, following the news, writing, and setting out goals and tasks for the future. It feels like a treat to have a few hours at home to give attention to these things without distraction.
In the last few years, what lifestyle, habit or behavior change has had the biggest positive impact on your life?
Cutting back or “pruning” unproductive tasks from my life have really made a difference. Grapevine pruning is an annual practice where nearly 90 percent of the previous year’s growth is removed but is it the best way to maintain the vine and produce the best fruit. On a vineyard, this is a sad time, because it is not easy to see the growth removed. However, it is part of the process to focus on producing the very best fruit. Without, I find myself chronically over-scheduled and running late for everything trying and failing TO DO IT ALL. No complete success to be sure, but when things feel out of control I now to focus on pruning things in life to keep the sweetest most productive fruits of my labor.
When you feel unfocused, what do you do?
When I’m feeling unfocused I walk and I organize. Walking is the best way to declutter my mind, the best solutions and ideas come during a long walk. Whereas, reorganizing workspace is a way of literally decluttering my environment and setting priorities. Both of these, as a practice, help me to prune back the unproductive fruit and get focused on what matters most.
What is one piece of software or a web service that you get immense value out of? How do you use it?
We recently started using a program called Teamwork which brings our team together for task management. It is crazy valuable; setting milestones for long-term goals while keeping an eye on the short-term ones. Maintaining the long reach when working to accomplish something big while working the smaller important tasks is exactly how we get there, and this software helps us to keep a good hold on both.
What is the one book you recommend most often and why?
Being Mortal. It is incredibly well written and gives independence, compassion, and integrity back to the aging process in a meaningful way. Life-changing. I recommend it and give this book away regularly!
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
Advice: Go out and get the most diverse experiences you possibly can. Don’t be afraid to change course in this process. Cross-train YOURSELF! By gathering a unique set of experiences and knowledge you are much more valuable to yourself and to our communities.
Ignore: People who say it can’t be done.
What is your favorite quote, one you aim to live by?
Will narrow to three: (quote nerd!) “All anyone asks for is a chance to work with pride.” – W. Edwards Deming and “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer” – Albert Einstein and “You may not control life’s circumstance, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them.” – Atul Gawande