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Category: Time Management (Page 3 of 9)

6 steps to setting up a meeting for success

05/06/2019 /

It is very likely that sooner or later we will be required to organise a meeting in our professional careers. While it may seem like a fairly simple task, setting up a successful meeting means thinking about certain issues beforehand in order to avoid unpleasant situations.

It can be useful to clearly state where the meeting will take place, at what time, what the objectives are and therefore who must be present and who needn’t be. A very useful model to do this is the PALACE model.

Preparation
Agenda
Logistics
Agree timing and objective uprfront
Communication styles
Efficient follow-up

To read more about each step of this model, be sure to check out the full article!

“How to conduct the perfect meeting for account managers”

 

The Power of Less

06/03/2019 /

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all that you have to accomplish, all the deadlines, responsibilities?

Do you ever wonder how on earth you can juggle it all, obtain good (if not excellent) results, while still remaining sane?

Well, here is the simple answer: you just can’t.

It is important to learn how to prioritise our tasks and identify small steps that can help us to reach our goals in a progressive way. Only by doing so will we be able to be productive and stress-free at the same time.

In his book “The Power of Less”, Leo Babauta talks about how to find what is truly important to you and how to pursue it successfully in order to lead a satisfying life.

Here is a quick (only 4 minutes!) summary of the book: Four Minutes Books – The Power of Less

And here is the book for those of you who wish to read all of it: The Power of Less

3 best ways to say NO

20/02/2019 /

Sometimes it feels like there’s just way too much to do and too little time. There are many helpful productivity and time-management tips, but, according to this article, the most powerful one is the art of saying no. But how to say no?

 Here are three simple guidelines that might just make your life easier:

1. Don’t respond immediately.

When you are asked to do something that isn’t a part of your primary focus, simply tell the person that you will get back to them.

2. Consider creative solutions.

When someone comes to you with a request that you would like to fulfill but it would put a crimp in your schedule, think about giving them a partial yes, or offer another solution.

3. Keep it simple: Never overexplain or apologize profusely.

You do not have to apologize for doing what’s right for you and your business. If you are kind in your response and offer a few very simple words of explanation, most people will respect you for it.

Image: Flickr – duncan c  (CC BY-NC 2.0) 

1,2,3 steps to work-life balance… really?

19/12/2018 /

How many times have we heard the term “work-life” balance being tossed around the workplace, the internet, podcasts and just about anywhere we turn to. This is mostly a result of how our daily routines have changed, a big part of our day usually being occupied by work-related tasks. And so the infamous search for balance begins, often ending up in us being even more frustrated than to start with.

But what does it all actually mean? Take a pause for just one moment: what does work-life balance mean to YOU?

Steve Farber, leadership keynote speaker and bestselling author, tells us that “the very idea is an insidious lie. It implies that “work” and “life” are two different things. If “work” is not “life,” then what is it? Death. Which, of course, it isn’t. ”

Funny isn’t it? He might almost be right.

This means we must find a way to build that “work” element, that we now perceive as being something outside of our life, into our life. Mind you, this doesn’t mean we have to identify ourselves with our work and dedicate our every single living moment to it; it’s not all black and white here. Rather we can try to follow these three tips by Farber to succeed in this delicate balancing act:

  1. Work harder at loving your entire life
    In Jeff Bezos’ words:  “The reality is, if I am happy at home, I come into the office with tremendous energy,” he said. “And if I am happy at work, I come home with tremendous energy.”
  2. View your life as a circle you complete, not a finish line to aim at.
  3. Appreciate what’s great about doing the work

 

To read more about these tips, head over here:

https://www.inc.com/steve-farber/work-life-balance-is-a-lie-heres-what-should-take-its-place.html

 

Image: Pixabay (CC0 Creative Commons)

 

 

31 tips to enjoy the holiday season

12/12/2018 /

The holidays are often associated with joy, rest and spending time with family; but for many of us it can also be a stressful time, taking us out of our comfort zone and changing up our daily routine. It can also be uncomfortable for some of us to take a break from our busy schedules and dedicate some time to rest and reflection.

The stress that emerges from these situations can result in irritability and a feeling of unease that prevent us from truly being present and enjoying the moment.

That is why today I am sharing with you a Holiday Journal prepared by Calm (a wonderful meditation app I strongly suggest you try, it does wonders!) to help you face this merry but sometimes challenging time of the year.

I am sure you will find some good prompts for journaling or reflection in there!!

These holidays might just be the occasion to start living in a more mindful way!

https://blog.calm.com/relax/31-ways-to-cultivate-more-peace-and-joy-this-season

Image result for calm holiday journal

 

The 4 A’s for stress relief

28/11/2018 /

Happy events, such as a wedding, as well as unhappy events, such as overwork, can cause stress. When your stress level exceeds your ability to cope, you need to restore the balance by reducing the stressors or increasing your ability to cope or both.

In this article are described the following four A’s to cope or reduce stress:

1 Avoid

You can simply avoid a lot of stress. Plan ahead, rearrange your surroundings and reap the benefits of a lighter load. In particular, try to avoid people who bother you, learn to say no and clearly define your priorities

However, some problems can’t be avoided. For those situations, here are the other A’s.

2 Alter Take inventory and attempt to change the situation for the better.  In particular you can respectfully ask others to change their behavior, communicate your feelings openly, manage your time in a more efficient way and state limits in advance.

3 Accept

Sometimes you may have no choice but to accept things the way they are. For those times try to talk with someone, forgive (it takes energy to be angry), practice positive self-talk and learn from your mistakes.

4 Adapt

Sometimes adapting can be the most helpful and only available solution. In particular in those situations stop gloomy thoughts and adopt a mantra, try to reframe the issue and recall all of the things that bring you joy in life.

In general, you should adjust your standards and stop striving for perfection and always try to look at the big picture.

Stress

Image: Flickr – Jesper Sehested (CC BY 2.0)

6 High Performance Habits

17/10/2018 /

Many of us wish to reach success. What the definition of that is varies from person to person, but #1 New York Times Best Selling author Brandon Burchard has put together the 6 High Performance Habits that people that are considered successful generally share:

  • Seek clarity
  • Generate energy
  • Raise necessity
  • Increase productivity
  • Develop influence
  • Demonstrate courage

High Performance therefore seems to be the result of simply performing specific actions day in and day out: you have no more excuses! The book also includes a professional assessment to measure one’s own progress in reaching his or her goals.

 

 

3 Tips for getting back to work

29/08/2018 /

The vision of returning to the office after vacation and the reality usually have very little in common. In this article you will find some tips to avoid the post-vacation crush:

  1. Actively plan for your return.

When planning time away from work, most people focus on getting organized for departure. Avoid undoing all that restoration by treating your return as something that needs to be managed in advance as well.

While many of us try to maximize vacation time by coming home Sunday night experts suggest considering an earlier-than-last-minute return.

2. Factor in some triage.

Don’t just walk back into the office after a vacation without a plan of attack, unless you want to be steamrolled. Experts suggest you protect the time you’ve set aside to get caught up the way you would a meeting or a presentation.

3. Your out-of-office response is your first line of defense: wield it to your advantage.

Your out-of -office autoreply needs to be straightforward, helpful, and honest, but not that honest.

 

Learn to plan ahead, rely on your coworkers, and understand that sometimes, it’s inevitable that you’ll miss out on that last-minute request, and you’ll be that much more productive when you return.

 

Image: Holiday – yourdoku .com  (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

MindMapping to learn better

11/07/2018 /

Mind Maps are a tool introduced by Tony Buzan which help organize our thoughts and ideas through key words in a hierarchical yet creative manner. Mind maps can be used for anything from studying, to tackling problems, to making decisions and even preparing for our next job meeting.

Here are the main steps to creating a mind map:

  1. Take a blank piece of paper and place it horizontally
  2. Write the core concept you wish to analyze
  3. Add branches which represent the main ideas which are linked to that concept
  4. Each branch can have further branches stemming from it
  5. Lines representing the branches should be thinner as you get further away from the central point
  6. Be creative: use colors, use curvy lines, use images which help evoke certain ideas
  7. DO NOT FOLLOW A LINEAR PATH: you can go back to branches and add or subtract as you wish

Most important of all, find your own mind mapping style. In order to make ourselves be understood by others, we must find our voice!

 

Here are two TED talks on Mindmaps:

 

 

 

If you want to learn more about mind mapping, you should check out these previous articles:

The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps (part 1)

The Ultimate Book of Mind Maps (part 2): the success formula

 

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