WorkStyle™ Great 8's
Welcome to our WorkStyle© Great 8's
Our clients are always looking for more ways to build their WorkStyle© into every day life. To help make it easier to implement, we have developed these WorkStyle© Great 8's. If you need to know how to implement WorkStyle© into an area of your life and you don't see the Great 8 you need, contact us and we will send some ideas your way.
Enjoy!
- 8 Great Tips for Holiday Season Planning
- 8 Great Trends for Business Building
- 8 Great Reasons To Take The Day Off
- 8 Great Ways to Celebrate Success
- 8 Great Ways to Slowdown
- 8 Great Ways to Unwind
- 8 Great Ways to Salvage your Spending
- 8 Great Ways to Overcome Overwhelm
- 8 Great Ways to Improve your Work Environment
- 8 Great Ways to Succeed in a Down Economy
- 8 Great Ways to Take Responsibility
- 8 Great Ways to Lift your Spirits
- 8 Great Ways to Start the Workday Positively
8 Great Tips for Holiday Season Planning
Firstly, it is critical that you schedule in your holidays at the beginning of the year. This may be December/January for readers in the southern hemisphere, or July/August for our northern hemisphere readers.
Secondly, remember the story about putting the rocks, pebbles and sand into a jar. If we put the rocks in first then we can fit in the pebbles and sand later. In this case, think of your holidays as rocks. For many of us this will be something new. Sure, work project and family may be rocks, as may your well-being (gym, yoga, sport) but holidays? Well, yes, holidays are rocks too. We need to create new neural pathways to make holidays rocks.
Thirdly , schedule the dates for your holidays, breaks, mini-breaks, school holidays, public holidays in your calendar. Work around public holidays and school holidays (if you have children you will want your holidays to coincide with theirs; if you don't have children you will want to avoid school holidays!). Now you have your holidays scheduled, you have something to look forward to. Anticipation is a great thing. Just knowing you have a break coming up – be it a week on a tropical island, or a weekend at a Bed & Breakfast; there is a psychological effect in knowing that there is a circuit breaker on the horizon.
Four: You may or may not know where you are going for your holidays. Now is a good time to start talking about, listening, reading, watching and researching where might be possible. This adds to the anticipation of the actual event. Your Reticulating Activation System (RAS) will be on alert for 'holiday ideas'. Already I'm ripping news articles out of magazines if they mention Indonesia, Lombok or Sasaks (the indigenous peoples of Lombok who make delicious food!)
Five: Here is the essence of this exercise.... very importantly, actually take your holiday. Enjoy it. You have earned it.
Six : Now you have something to reminisce about. Whenever I see an article or documentary on Bali or Lombok, I am drawn to it, knowing I was there 4 months ago and will be again in 2010. WorkStyle by design long term readers may remember that I have friends who threw a party a couple of months after they returned from their dream holiday in Paris. Their party has a French theme – food, outfits, decorations, and champagne of course! They had their photos on a rotating slide show on their laptop and it was a great way for them (and us guests) to relive their Parisian experience. It is also good to share with family/friends/colleagues/clients who may have been to that desitation too. You can reminisce about restaurants, activities or even how much the destination has changed since they were there. Bali, Indonesia is one of those places that many Australians have been to so we can compare crowds, restaurants, shopping and of course, the magnificent scenery.
Seven: As a coach, I have to ask "What obstacles do you face in planning and actually taking holidays?" "Why do one third of Australian’s take no vacation each year." As you’ll read in the killer stats there are numerous reasons:
- Tourism Australia launched the "No Leave, No Life" program this year, 2009. They say Australians are so addicted to work that they have accrued 123 million days of annual leave which equates to about $31 billion dollars of unspent revenue. Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson told reporters here recently that too many Australian workers were not taking annual leave. "I scratch my head at times and wonder: why do employers allow that leave to accumulate?" he said. "Their liability goes up because wages and salaries go up ... Employees who go on holiday spend quality time with their family and friends, they come back to work better workers."
- Many organisations have a Culture of Presenteeism. So long as you are seen at work you are thought to be doing a good job. This is out of date as most successful organisations focus on the outcome of the work - not the hours you put into it. The rise in telecommuting, working from home and working virtually testify to this. Yet in organsisations with the Culture of Presenteeism, employees wear their 'days owing' like a badge of honour.
- Then of course there is the belief that the business cannot cope without me! This belief, that we are not replaceable, we are pivotal to the organisation is actually Magical Thinking. It is simply not true! You just are not that powerful!
- Other obstacles to taking holidays may be "What will clients think?" (especially if you are a small or micro business). "I'm not worth it/worthy to have a break". "I've got no one to go on holidays with".... etc... what are YOUR obstacles to taking leave?
Eight: Remember that nature, seasons, athletes - all have down time, renewal, recharge and time to RE-CREATE. Yet, society, especially in developed countries is running 24/7 and expects us to be UP or ON all the time!
8 Great Trends for Business Building
- begin with the end in mind
- have boundaries between WHO you are and WHAT you do
- ask for expert help - don't assume!
- plan the year ahead - holidays; family occassions; anniversaries
- plan weekly - define YOUR WorkStyle Week
- live life as an expression of your values
- take your birthday off
- celebrate success - acknowledge achievement
8 Great Reasons To Take The Day Off
- it's your birthday
- you need a mental health day
- you are sick - stay home and get well!
- annual leave - time to recharge the batteries
- celebrate your success in a major way
- go to a special event of someone you love
- be inspired at an art gallery, museum or just look at nature
- have a planning day to set your goals for the year
8 Great Ways to Celebrate Success
- rent a sportscar or motorbike and go for a long drive or ride
- listen to your favorite CD
- play in the park with your kids or someone elses
- take the day off
- encourage your partner to make you a candle lit dinner
- go to the movies or the theatre
- have a massage
- catch up with friends at a cafe
8 Great Ways to Slowdown
- cut down on caffeine, alcohol & sugar
- stop speeding ... with your car, voice and stride
- notice a magical moment every day
- breathe deeply
- arrive 10 minutes early
- laugh, smile ... just have fun
- stop thinking about what's next and focus on what you're doing now
- give conservative deadlines, allow yourself plenty of time
8 Great Ways to Unwind
- have a hot bath with bath salts/aromatherapy
- listen to your favourite music
- talk to a friend
- have a massage, from someone you care about or a trained masseur
- read a book just for fun
- write in your journal
- go for a walk
- play with pets or children (if you don't have any, borrow someone elses!)
8 Great Ways to Salvage your Spending
Do you owe $5,000 on your credit card or know someone who does? Do you only pay the minimum payment each month? You are not alone. Outstanding national credit card balances, in billions. (Note: All figures are in U.S. dollars.) US - $775.0, UK - $87.5, Canada - $73.9, Australia - $40.4, (Source: USA Today, December 2009)
Many of us fall into the trap of spending too much money on expensive Christmas gifts and use our credit card to finance them. While credit cards are convenient, they are an expensive source of money. Many of us don't realise how expensive. The answer to this quick quiz may surprise you.
If you have $5,000 owing on your credit card and only pay the minimum repayment every month, how long will it take to pay off?
a) 3 years b) 5 years c) 10 years
While you think about it, here are 8 Great Ways to Salvage your Spending.
- set an overall Christmas budget and stick to it
- have an agreement with your family about a limit spent on Christmas presents
- make a list of who you are buying presents for and have an individual budget for each person
- pay for presents using cash or lay-by and not credit cards
- give yourself time to shop - don't rush around at the last minute buying whatever you can get your hands on
- consider a Christmas savings account - even $10 a week will give you $520 by Christmas
- if you use a credit card, plan to have all of the festive season expenses paid off within three months
- don't give Christmas presents - give New Years presents that you buy in the New Year sales
By the way, the answer to the quiz is c) 10 years. And that assumes you don't buy anything else with that credit card for 10 years!
8 Great Ways to Overcome Overwhelm
- believe in yourself and that it is possible to get it all done
- break each 'clump' into simple tasks and write these down
- prioritise and have deadlines for each of the tasks
- do first things first - often these are the ones that involve other people/resources
- get an expert on your side - a coach, mentor or someone who has done it before
- be disciplined and do what you have planned, especially when you don't want to - use your expert to motivate you and keep you on track
- visualise yourself having completed these tasks and imagine how you will feel when you have finished
- celebrate each success along the way
8 Great Ways to Improve your Work Environment
- have your favourite coloured sticky notes
- put your favourite motivational quotes where you can see them
- have some inspirational images (family, holiday destination or a goal) that you can see throughout the day
- have a tidy desk (it is possible!)
- have some plants or flowers nearby
- master your filing
- escape from the air-conditioning - go outside and see the sky or some nature at least once a day
- smile
8 Great ways to Succeed in a Down Economy
- use your contacts to get referrals
- do something different - provide great service your client/customer. How many of your competition do?
- establish a personal relationship with your key clients/customers
- remain 'on course' with your strategies, don't change direction depending on the latest news on the economy
- use any 'slack time' to learn new skills, research a target market or update your business plan
- focus on your personal integrity as people find it attractive
- fisten to motivations tapes and read motivational books to keep you inspired
- to paraphrase Winston Churchill - "Never, never, never give up!"
8 Great ways to Take Responsibility
If you were to fall ill or even die, are your families left with a multitude of decisions to make? Are your wishes and estate affairs organised, leaving them only to celebrate our life? To make it easier for those you love, take the time to put your affairs in order. Here are some simple ways to start or review this process.
- update the list of important contact details (banks, super funds, doctors, dentists) with your Power of Attorney
- update your will: include your preferences for the type of service and how to handle your body (buried, cremated or frozen!)
- update your Advanced Health Directive/Medical Power of Attorney
- review/consolidate your superannuation policies
- review your insurances life, income, TPD, Trauma, Health and so on
- review your financial plans
- create an emergency pile for irreplaceable/important documents in the home
- store other important/irreplacable documents off site (Bank security envelopes/boxes)
8 Great ways to Lift your Spirits
- Call a friend and ask how they are
- Listen to your favourite 'up' music
- Have a long soak in a bath
- Take a walk with nature - in a park, by the beach, near the mountains...
- Play with your own or someone else's children
- Honour your creativity and dance, paint, draw, write, dream...
- Write a gratitude list - an attitude of gratitude is guaranteed to lift your spirits
- Smile!
8 Great ways to Start the Workday Positively
- write morning pages (see The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron)
- instead of reading the paper (usually full of negative news) - use the time to really be with your family, in your
- garden, or play with your pets
- listen to inspirational tapes or CD's in our car or walk/discman
- smile
- say 'hello' to your work colleagues - be enthusiastic
- get up 15 minutes earlier so that you have plenty of time vs rushing around
- meditate
- listen to beautiful music vs talkback radio or breakfast TV
