PAUSE – 10.02 – Mini Retreats
January 13, 2010
REFLECTION: One of the cool things about writing and speaking on a particular topic (like I have with Pause for almost a decade now), is that others who are working in related areas seek you out.
In the last few months, I’ve been privy to advance drafts of two new books on stress and renewal. Today, I want to highlight for you one of those offerings.
Julia James, a life coach based in Vancouver, has just released her book called, ‘The Mini-Retreat Solution – How to Relax & Refresh Anytime, Anywhere’. In addition to reinforcing the case for taking time out in the midst of busy lives, Julia offers 80 specific suggestions for mini retreats (small bits of time out that you incorporate throughout the day). For easy reference, the mini-retreats are grouped by time of day (morning, lunch, evening) and situation (in transit, at the office, in the community). (more…)
More Than A Tweet
January 13, 2010
I facilitated a day long leader development session on Tuesday with about 20 people. We took a few breaks through the day – 2 minutes – 5 minutes – 10 minutes – whatever seemed appropriate at the time.
EVERY time I called a break, a good 80% of the attendees whipped out their phones to check God knows what! And having checked, most determined that their entire break should be devoted to tending the text and avoiding interaction with their peers in the room. No, they were not all introverts!
I felt very sad about the absence of what used to be an important part of educational sessions – a chance to network with others, find out what is on their minds, develop original thoughts. It makes me worry for our future in organizations. If we only know each other by the tops of our heads – and not through our eyes, or what’s on our minds – what investment will we really have in each other’s success or well-being?
And then, if I post this on my blog or Facebook or Linked In, will I find that others share the same concern, or, will I just be fueling our electronic addictions?
Yes or No?
January 11, 2010
Continuing the theme of the week – will it be yes or no? Here’s a Harvard Business Review guest blog by Alexandra Samuel titled, ‘This Year, Saying Yes to Saying No‘ .
Alexandra supports, as do I, thoughtfulness at the core of every decision.
PAUSE – 9.40 – What’s On Your Plate?
November 4, 2009
REFLECTION:
“Look’s like your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Seems like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
You took it, you eat it.”
I can’t pinpoint the precise source of those messages in my life. However, the cautionary notes still ring in my ears from time to time. These warnings also echo when I listen to clients despair about the overload and overwhelm in their workplaces and their lives.
It’s not surprising that we end up in an occasional or frequent state of overload. Here we are with this giant smorgasbord called life spread out in front of us. As we make our way through life’s buffet line, we’re sorely tempted by all the tantalizing possibilities on offer.
If you’re anything like me, by the time you get to the end of any food line (despite your best intentions to exercise restraint along the way) you can’t believe how wide and deep you’ve piled your plate. The same holds true when it comes to the number of tasks we load up as we travel life’s grand buffet.
ACTION:
Research shows that the bigger your plate, the more likely you are to overeat. So it stands to reason, that one of the best strategies for cutting down on overeating is to start with a smaller plate.
A similar strategy might be worth exploring on the task front. When we assume that we have a full 24 hours up for grabs every day of the week, there is less reason to be cautious about the number and size of commitments we pile on our plate.
If, however, we first set aside a reasonable number of hours for rest, renewal and self care, we reduce the size of the proverbial plate we make available for life’s other demands.
Interestingly, investing those hours in self care also assures that we’re healthier, stronger, and better able to carry the load. It’s like trading in your saggy, soggy paper plate for strong, substantial china.
Try apportioning those self care hours first. See what kind of difference it makes in the way you load and carry your plate of life.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork.” – English Proverb
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Setting priorities can be a daunting challenge. Here, with my compliments, is a link to a bundle of priority setting tools that I’ve provided to help you and your team or family decide what gets tackled first: http://www.pauseworks.com/renewal/documents/PrioritizingTools.pdf
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, Asking For Help, Pause reader S writes: Recently, I asked for help because I was troubled by a personal matter as well as a job loss crisis. Responses varied tremendously. Some people seemed to view my requests as broad invitations to criticize, while others have been good listeners and have offered positive encouragement. This exercise has reminded me to be very discerning about my audience. Choose your confidants carefully – especially if you are feeling vulnerable.
REFLECTION: “Look’s like your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Seems like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. You took it, you eat it.”
I can’t pinpoint the precise source of those messages in my life. However, the cautionary notes still ring in my ears from time to time. These warnings also echo when I listen to clients despair about the overload and overwhelm in their workplaces and their lives.
It’s not surprising that we end up in an occasional or frequent state of overload. Here we are with this giant smorgasbord called life spread out in front of us. As we make our way through life’s buffet line, we’re sorely tempted by all the tantalizing possibilities on offer. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.39 – Asking For Help
October 28, 2009
REFLECTION:
I’ve been working on a new opening for a speech that I’ll be giving in Phoenix next month. After having drafted out my ideas, I asked a few colleagues of mine who are blessed with an abundance of wit and humor for their reactions and advice.
I just heard back from the first of my buddies. He offered some great suggestions and reassured me I was on the right track. Now I’m even more excited about doing some additional tweaking and tuning.
On the same day, a colleague of mine contacted me and asked if I’d contribute to a bonus package of items that she was putting together as a purchasing incentive to help market her new book. Our messages are complimentary to each other, so I was happy to give her a hand and add to her bundle.
What do these two experiences have in common? The practice of reaching out for help and asking for what you need.
It has been my experience that friends, family and colleagues are more than willing to lend a helping hand. But if you and I can’t identify the need or find the confidence or humility to make the request, those generous offers of caring and support are much less likely to surface.
ACTION:
What do you need? And where can you help? Pay close attention at work and at home. Someone just might need support; and at any given time it could be you or me on the giving or receiving end of the equation.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“He who is afraid of asking is ashamed of learning.” – Danish Proverb
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Here’s an interesting article from the Business section of the New York Times titled, “Why Is Asking For Help So Difficult?” See: http://tinyurl.com/yhxcasw
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message on ‘Buckling Down’, Pause reader GJ writes: Well, this is one of the most timely messages I have received in ages! I’m in a wonderful new position. After 20 years at home raising my children, I’ve been easing into part time work. For the last 8 months I’ve been working full time. I love the learning curve around my new position; but prioritizing, managing the interruptions and trying to remain focused on task is a weakness. Today YOU have just written out what I need to place in front of me to help me transition to a more productive day. Thank you!
REFLECTION: I’ve been working on a new opening for a speech that I’ll be giving in Phoenix next month. After having drafted out my ideas, I asked a few colleagues of mine who are blessed with an abundance of wit and humor for their reactions and advice. I just heard back from the first of my buddies. He offered some great suggestions and reassured me I was on the right track. Now I’m even more excited about doing some additional tweaking and tuning.
On the same day, a colleague of mine contacted me and asked if I’d contribute to a bonus package of items that she was putting together as a purchasing incentive to help market her new book. Our messages are complimentary to each other, so I was happy to give her a hand and add to her bundle.
What do these two experiences have in common? (more…)
PAUSE – 9.38 – Buckling Down
October 21, 2009
REFLECTION:
As I write this, it’s 4:30 on Monday afternoon, and I’m feeling GOOD!
My time in the office is limited this week, and it was important for me to accomplish a few of those ‘Must Do’ items today. Otherwise, I knew I’d be scrambling as the week moved along – feeling pressured and just a wee bit frenzied at every step.
It’s amazing how satisfying it was to check those essentials off the list. Sure, there are things still not done, but the time sensitive tasks are behind me.
Makes me wonder why I don’t buckle down, focus, and work this way more often.
ACTION:
The success strategy looked like this:
* List the top five critical tasks – in order of importance (not ease or interest). Keep that list directly in front of you.
* Right from the first moment of the day, start on the number one task. Work it to completion before moving on to number two.
* After each outside interruption, reorient yourself with the list, and immediately return to working on the task at hand.
* Refuse to interrupt yourself by giving in to the impulses to: check email, place low priority phone calls, or flip through items of lesser importance perched on the periphery of your vision or attention.
It’s not rocket science – but it is structured. Give it a serious try for an hour – a morning – a day. See what kind of a dent this approach makes on your list and how much it reduces your feelings of overload or overwhelm.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“You don’t have to be good to start, but you have to start to be good.” – Mary Marshall
“If I ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.” – Sir Isaac Newton
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
I’m only 50 pages into this book, but I’m really enjoying Lucy Jo Palladino’s insights in ‘Find Your Focus Zone’. Published 2007 by Simon & Schuster. You can check out the first chapter online at: http://www.yourfocuszone.com/bks_fyfz_ch1.html
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READERS WRITE:
Pause reader, MT writes: In my desire to do a good job and help people out, I have been working too much. I have a mountain of tasks, and have been thinking if I just keep working on them, the mountain will go away. I have tried to enlist the help of others where I can, but the mountain still looms and grows.
My efforts were wearing me down, making it harder for me to provide good service. So rather than continuously pushing that rock up the mountain, I decided to use my banked hours and flex time arrangements to take a day off every week.
I find most people who take a day off choose Friday or Monday. This gives them a short week and a long weekend. But instead, I’m taking Wednesdays off. I don’t get the longer weekend stretch, but I often don’t need it. Instead, by taking off Wednesdays, my “hump-day” disappears entirely. I get two short work weeks and two “weekends”.
Instead of getting worn down during the week and waiting for the weekend, I rest up and stay energized throughout the week. Sometimes the arrangement is a bit tricker for meetings and multi-day events, and I occasionally need to come in on my day off. But as more people know that’s what I’m doing, it gets easier. And, as an added benefit on those Wednesdays off, I also have more time to relax and enjoy the Pause newsletter as it arrives – hot off the press!
REFLECTION: As I write this, it’s 4:30 on Monday afternoon, and I’m feeling GOOD!
My time in the office is limited this week, and it was important for me to accomplish a few of those ‘Must Do’ items today. Otherwise, I knew I’d be scrambling as the week moved along – feeling pressured and just a wee bit frenzied at every step.
It’s amazing how satisfying it was to check those essentials off the list. Sure, there are things still not done, but the time sensitive tasks are behind me.
Makes me wonder why I don’t buckle down, focus, and work this way more often. (more…)
Introducing: New E-Product
October 5, 2009
INTRODUCING NEW E-PRODUCT:
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace? These collections of article may be just the ticket. Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at: http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace?
These collections of articles may be just the ticket.
Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at:
http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
PAUSE – 9.35 – Tuning In & Tuning Out
September 30, 2009
REFLECTION:
Ever watch a teen or twenty text and twitter? If so, you might envy their finely tuned ability to coordinate thumbs and ideas, communicating with abandon. These folks respond to friends and colleagues at top speed while appearing to tend to other tasks at hand with ease. However, the youthful advantage may not be as rosy as it seems.
The Institute for Innovation & Information Productivity and the Institute for the Future of the Mind recently conducted joint research, asking: What kind of impact does communication technology have on our ability to accomplish a challenging task?
Two groups were assigned a timed task that required a high level of concentration. They were asked to use a code to translate images into numbers in 90 seconds. As they worked on the task, volunteers were interrupted with either a telephone call, a text message via phone, or an instant message via desktop computer.
Members of one test group were 18 to 21 years of age. The other test group members were 35 to 39 years of age. The young ‘uns, having grown up with technology in their hands and lives, were expected to outperform the older group who had learned their way around the techno tools as adults.
The results? With no interruptions, the younger group performed ten percent better at the task than the older test group. However, when the interruptions were introduced, the 18-21 year olds lost their advantage.
Meanwhile, the performance of the older age group changed very little with the introduction of the interruptions. The 35-39 year olds were more easily able to accommodate switching attention from task to interruption and back again with minimal decline in performance.
The ‘elders’ may think more slowly, but were better able to block interruptions and choose their focus. Granted, they weren’t quite as fast as the younger set in the first place. However, it appears that the constant connectedness and reactivity of the millenials can take a toll on performance.
ACTION:
What’s the take away message? Practise maintaining your focus in the midst of external demands on your attention. Cultivate your ability to assess the importance of a new call for attention relative to the track you are on when it arrives. Become more discerning and you’ll be far more focused and effective – no matter what your age!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Interruptions can be viewed as sources of irritation or opportunities for service, as moments lost or experience gained, as time wasted or horizons widened. They can annoy us or enrich us, get under our skin or give us a shot in the arm. Monopolize our minutes or spice our schedules, depending on our attitude toward them.” – William Arthur Ward
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
For a related article see the NYTimes piece titled, “Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Donít Read This in Traffic” at: http://tiny.cc/suaHf
REFLECTION: Ever watch a teen or twenty text and twitter? If so, you might envy their finely tuned ability to coordinate thumbs and ideas, communicating with abandon. These folks respond to friends and colleagues at top speed while appearing to tend to other tasks at hand with ease. However, the youthful advantage may not be as rosy as it seems.
The Institute for Innovation & Information Productivity and the Institute for the Future of the Mind recently conducted joint research, asking: What kind of impact does communication technology have on our ability to accomplish a challenging task? (more…)
PAUSE – 9.34 – Work Life Research Update
September 23, 2009
REFLECTION: Wondering what’s happened with work-life balance issues given the recent downturn in the economy? CEB, the Washington based Corporate Executive Board which advises high performing organizations around the world, offers a few insights in their August 2009 report on the issues. Of note are these developments:
- financial instability has fueled work-life balance pressures.
- growing demands and heavy workloads have reduced employee engagement and morale.
- work-life balance has risen on employees’ priority wish lists while their satisfaction with achieving it has fallen.
Bad news for individuals, certainly. But why would organizations care? (more…)
Dithering
September 16, 2009
No sooner had I posted today’s Pause message about indecision on the blog, than I opened the paper to the comics section where I discovered a great cartoon expression of the same conundrum.
Check out the ‘Cornered’ cartoon for September 16/09 at: http://www.gocomics.com/cornered/2009/09/16/
Enjoy!
