 How you spend your Saturdays and Sundays has the power to change your entire week. By Rebecca Muller, Assistant Editor at Thrive Global As much as we’d love to leave our work at work, letting our to-do list follow us home on the weekends is a trap that many of us fall into. With the rise of hustle culture, our always-online tendencies, and our trouble setting boundaries, it’s all too easy to let work time spill into personal time. “Many people feel like they can’t afford to turn off work for the weekend,” says Elana Feldman, Ph.D., an assistant professor of management at UMass Lowell’s Manning School of Business. Here’s the rub: When we don’t disconnect, we risk sabotaging our own weekends, Traci Stein, Ph.D., M.P.H., a clinical psychologist and adjunct professor at Columbia University, tells Thrive. “The problem with bringing your work home with you is that doing so means you can’t fully engage with family, friends, or make time for self-care.” On the flip side, a work-free weekend not only allows you to enjoy your time off, but also helps you start your week on Monday feeling truly recharged. “When people allow themselves to experience a true break, they generally return to work feeling less tired, more positive, and better able to expend the effort required to be effective in their jobs,” says Feldman. “What’s more, research shows that downtime can help prevent burnout over time.” Of course, completely separating from work is easier said than done — but these tips can make it easier:  Delegating isn’t lazy. In fact, it can be a learning opportunity for you and your team. By Jessica Hicks, Editorial Fellow at Thrive Global
Knowing how to delegate is essential to successful leadership, but it’s a skill that can be challenging. Some managers don’t like to hand over responsibility, while others might be nervous about appearing disengaged — but what these leaders don’t realize is that delegating can provide growth opportunities for their colleagues, and reduce stress for the entire team. Plus, managers need additional support. A recent Gallup report found that managing various types of employees and stakeholders can escalate stress for managers, who “need protected time to think, do their own work, and respond to requests.” If you’re a manager who’s unsure how to hand over a task, check out these tips to make the process more thoughtful and effective:  There were certain tasks I was avoiding out of anxiety, and a new strategy of getting small tasks done right away really helped. By Alexandra Hayes, Multimedia Reporter
While at work, I find myself looking for ways to be a productivity wizard. Often, I tend to hit a wall around 4 p.m., but my job, which consists mostly of writing, requires my brain to function like a well-oiled conveyer belt, delivering fresh, coherent thoughts as they are needed (and I like it this way!). Not all assignments require the same level of focus, so one way I’ve learned to optimize my time is by doing the labor-intensive tasks first. I’ll start whatever it is early in the morning, and I’ll chip away at it for however long my brain continues to produce quality work for. For the most part, this strategy works for me. I dedicate my most productive hours to my most demanding tasks, and getting a head start on those items alleviates the anxiety that can be induced by intimidating deadlines, and the disappearance of time.  Try considering a simpler (and even counterintuitive) approach. By Carol Tuttle Overwhelmed, scattered, totally worn out. Does that ever sound like you? Even though you’re committed to work-life balance, sometimes equilibrium isn’t as easy to find as you’d like. Most advice suggests that you set boundaries, manage time better, and practice self-care. Yes, those are important. But if you’re juggling a hundred balls, you need an overall strategy to calm things down — not just tactics that give you more to do. Consider the possibility that you can have work-life balance with a simpler (and even counterintuitive) approach. Where your balance (and imbalance) actually comes fromIt’s easy to look at your emails, phone calls, meetings, and to-do’s and believe that they are the problem. Everything coming at you is just too much! This poem remains my absolute favourite description of the process of change. So often people believe it is simply 'a flick of a switch' in their brain. You read something, have an insight ... an intellectual insight ... and believe all will be different by changing your thinking. This is indeed true - a change of mindset helps tremendously. Depending on what specifically needs to be different it is not always complete with a mindset change. It is possible but not always...
It is important to recognize that a change in your behaviour patterns do not always follow a quickly as a mindset change. Portia Nelson in my opinion beautifully describes the process. I can confirm this process personally and professionally with my clients. (Suzie Doscher) Autobiography of Change in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson Chapter One I walk down the street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in I am lost... I am hopeless It is not my fault It takes forever to find a way out Chapter Two I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I pretend I do not see it I fall in again I cannot believe I am in the same place But it is not my fault It still takes a long time to get out Chapter Three I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I still see it there I still fall it … it is a habit My eyes are open I know where I am It is my fault I get out immediately Chapter Four I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I walk around it Chapter Five I walk down another street For exercises to help master those difficult moments in the process of change, check out: BALANCE - A Practical Handbook for Life's Difficult Moments (Revised 2018 2nd Edition)  Why your mind should be like a rubber band. By Dhruti Shah
Every day at the Alliance Rubber Company’s factory in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a lot of pinging takes place. The family-owned company has known for years that elastic is big business. In 1923, founder William H. Spencer realised he’d hit upon a novel commercial idea when he created rubber bands by cutting up the inner tubes of Goodyear tyres before using them to wrap up newspaper bundles. Since then, the company has diversified what it produces and now services industries including healthcare, shipping, fitness and the military. Hot crustacean band The company’s rubber products also play a role in the lucrative global lobster market. Jason Risner, Alliance’s director of business strategy, explains: “Traditionally when lobsters and crabs were caught for consumption purposes, their claws were secured with wooden pegs. This was because as soon as the creatures were harvested, they would go into holding tanks underneath fishing boats and fight each other. The wooden pegs also damaged the lobster meat and caused infections. This meant some innovative thinking was needed.” The rubber band has now replaced the pegs to keep lobsters from nipping lumps out of each other.  Giving your brain a break can actually make you more productive on the job. by Celeste Headlee
How many hours do you work every week? Take just a moment and figure out your average. Be careful, though: I want you to include all of your time spent working. Not just the hours that you’re in the office, but the time it takes to check your email while watching TV, or responding to a quick text from a co-worker. You’re not done yet, though. Now add up all of the time that you spend doing non-work activities while on the job. Any time that you’ve scanned through movie reviews or celebrity news on the internet, or done a little online shopping, or called your partner to ask what they want to have for dinner. More than half of all online purchases are made between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and almost two-thirds of traffic on porn sites happens during the work day. When you add all that up, subtract it from your working hours. What is the final total?  Quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer by Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach and Life Coaching focusing on Personal Development, Self-Help Author: Balance - A Practical Handbook for Life's Difficult Moments
Coaching your team? Add this skill to your coaching style – being non-judgmental. There is an abundance of articles on being a coach to your people. I enjoy reading the quality information provided by the Harvard Business Review. The desire to increase, enhance or maintain the quality of work, and in some cases even the quality of life at work, is evident. The article in the HBR: Most Managers Don’t Know How to Coach. But They Can Learn, offers wonderful insights on what coaching is all about and aims to achieve. Your responsibilities include leading, motivating, inspiring and with your coaching you hope to further their growth, development and enhance their skills. |
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