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As we hurtle down the runway toward the most hectic time of year for many of us, both personally and professionally, let's take a moment to keep things in perspective. Recently, as I attempted to set my priorities for the day, I became acutely aware of my sense of overwhelm regarding what the next 8 - 10 weeks would bring. That's right. I felt profoundly overwhelmed even with my fancy-schmancy task management system and my weekly review.
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[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below] Let's listen in on a quick conversation between a man and a woman. As the woman pulls items from their bedroom closet, the man lies on the bed looking at a magazine. Woman - "..., I cannot do this job without you. Most of these things are yours." Man - "Well, honey, why don't you leave all that junk in the closet?"
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How often do you say to yourself (or others), "there aren’t enough hours in the day?" Time management is a popular term. It conjures visions of stopping clocks and herculean feats of efficiency, squeezing in one more task or commitment. In reality, it's less about managing time and more about managing ourselves and our decisions. We know that ineffective time management results in stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, burnout, low self-esteem, and low confidence. Arguably, nothing we want.
[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below] What does this quote say to you? It tells me in our quest for growth, the best time to act is now. So, what holds us back as we try to improve ourselves? Usually, fear and mistaken beliefs.
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I know this about myself and suspect many can relate - sometimes, I have an all-or-nothing mindset. If I can't complete something from start to finish in one shot, I procrastinate starting at all.
[2 Minute Read or Listen Below] A quick Google search of life's top stressors returns arguably positive events such as getting married, starting a new job, retirement, and moving to a new residence. One might expect the positive nature of these events would negate their stressfulness. However, their persistent appearance on stressor lists contradicts this theory. At first glance, one explanation may be these life events create fear or concern about the unknown. A few of these events also involve daunting project management.
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I had a Zoom video meeting scheduled on my calendar. These days, who doesn't, right? Shortly before start time, the person messaged me saying their computer had gone into an unexpected update, they couldn't access the Zoom link, and they would have to reschedule.
[3 Minute Read or Listen Below] What do you think and feel when you hear the word "routine"? For some, it brings thoughts of rigidity and mind-numbing boredom. For others, it evokes calm and a sense of accomplishment. No matter your reaction to the word, I promise you - you have routines. You may not have intentionally crafted them, but you have them. When we allow detrimental habits to play out on auto-pilot, these routines can work against us. When we use our routines for good, they create consistency and intention around positive behaviors.
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Many of us are facing a new clutter trap. In the not-so-distant past, working in the office typically provided us access to a printer, making it quick and easy to print notes, meeting agendas, contracts, and more. Many of these documents landed permanently on our desks. After being thrust into work-from-home, another clutter trap emerged. The cluttered computer desktop replaced our cluttered physical desktop.
[2 Minute Read or Listen Below] Leadership First recently posted a quote on LinkedIn, attributed to Tim McClure: "When passionate employees become quiet, it usually sends a signal that the work environment has become very dysfunctional."
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Before you even get started, do you hang your head in defeat when you look at your to-do list? I've been there, and no doubt many can relate to that feeling. To-do lists are fantastic for capturing random tasks you think you'll remember, but let's be honest, if you don't write them down, you forget them 10 seconds later. To-do lists help map out the individual steps and the necessary order of those steps for projects. They're a great tool, whether paper or digital, but they can get overwhelming.
[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below] No doubt, you've heard the statistic that humans have a shorter attention span than goldfish. Human attention wanes between 6 and 8.25 seconds depending on whose statistics you read, while the goldfish hangs in there for 9 seconds. The commonly held belief is that technology has eroded our ability to concentrate with continuous notifications and never-ending scrolling.
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Have you ever been so lost in the weeds you lost sight of the bigger picture? At some point, I think we all have. And while attention to detail is important, too narrow a focus often comes at the expense of the greater goal.
[8 Minute Read or Listen Below] When you hear the word clutter, what comes to mind? If you're like most people, you envision stacks of unfiled paper, old take-out menus, and closets full of clothes that no longer fit. But clutter goes beyond the physical. It can also accumulate in the form of digital and emotional clutter.
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Those who know me know I'm not a fan of new year resolutions. I've stated before there is nothing magical about January 1st, and far too much emphasis is placed on declaring resolutions. That may sound ridiculous coming from a productivity coach, but I will say instead I am a huge fan of goal planning. You may think they're the same, but they’re not.
[2.5 Minute Read or Listen Below] In a post almost two years ago, I confessed avoidance and fear of my weekly review. At the time, I celebrated the completion of an unprecedented streak of two consecutive reviews. Two weeks doesn't sound like an accomplishment, but it certainly was for me.
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Have you ever felt frustrated that things weren't going your way? I talked with my business coach recently, spouting multiple frustrations and reasons I felt overwhelmed.
[4 Minute Read or Listen Below] Times of transition can be upsetting, frustrating, and overwhelming. Even if the change is positive, we feel we've lost our footing and cannot regain our balance. A variety of situations can make us feel this way: a job change, a residential move, a corporate acquisition, just to name a few.
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Have you experienced a moment so perfect it's fixed in your memory? I recently found myself absorbed in just such a moment.
[3.5 Minute Read or Listen Below] If you've caught the news recently, you likely heard the term "The Great Resignation" of 2021. (For the benefit of those who haven't heard of it, The Great Resignation is a term coined to identify the staggering number of employees worldwide resigning from their jobs in 2021.)
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Every year, on the last weekend of August, one of the largest art festivals in the US comes to my city. After the surrounding streets are blocked, I love watching the artists set up their booths.
[2 Minute Read or Listen Below] Monotony has set in, and I need to do something about it. How about you? I believe monotony is the reason why, for several months now, I've had the urge to rearrange my office. The world's COVID-19 roller coaster has taken a toll on our collective mental and emotional well-being. For many of us, concerns for our health or the health of loved ones, the sudden shift to remote work, and the resulting feelings of isolation continue to leave us feeling unsettled.
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Are you a people manager? In a previous post, we talked about the impact overwhelm has on your cognitive function. In today's post, we'll talk about the effect your overwhelm has on your team. At a time when more than half of employees surveyed in North America plan to look for a new job this year, it's a critical and timely topic.
[3 Minute Read or Listen Below] I have a close friend who is struggling. About three months ago, she started a new job that has taken her way outside her comfort zone. A contributor to this struggle is that the job description wasn't accurate in conveying her duties. But we'll leave that inaccuracy for another discussion. My focus today is the even more significant reason for her struggle - her negative self-talk. My friend is intelligent, progressive-thinking, resourceful, and extremely capable. To hear her describe herself, you would think she's talking about a completely different person. Often, the hardest sell is convincing ourselves of our attributes. More often, we focus on our perceived negatives.
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Is there anything that brings you so much joy you have to drop what you're doing to savor the moment? As I worked from home a few days ago, three feet away, the window was wide open, allowing me to enjoy the cool morning air before Chicagoland temps reached far into the '80s. |
Kathy Muzik
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New Path Productivity®, LLC provides worldwide virtual and Chicagoland onsite services for individuals and businesses to increase productivity
through organization and management of resources (e.g., energy, information, people, processes, space, and time).
through organization and management of resources (e.g., energy, information, people, processes, space, and time).
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New Path Productivity®, LLC © 2015 - 2024 All Rights Reserved
New Path Productivity®, LLC © 2015 - 2024 All Rights Reserved