One moment please...
The month of August, how sweet you are! The eighth month is officially my favourite. The initial fervor of 'summer busy' levels out as parents have found a groove for the kids and everyone is enjoying some well earned leisure. The lake temperatures have risen, the bug population has diminished and the sunsets cast wonderful long shadows over everything.
For us at THG, summer is a very busy time as we continue our research and curate data to have reports ready for folks when they return from vacation. The end of August typically reveals a window in which I can daisy chain a few good weather days together for a short break. This summer we are officially taking a vacation! Two years ago we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and promised ourselves we would return to the Mediterranean someday. Well it seems #Sweet16 is the year. It is exciting and frightening all at the same time as the internet connection will be minimal - at best. The little villa we booked says that we might have WiFi on the balcony on a clear day. I said pardon?
A forced electronic detox. Ok. Wish me luck! For years I have dreamed of working from anywhere and have been an avid pioneer and ambassador for telecommuting.
Like we have seen of late with the Pokémon Go players, I do not want to be the crazed WiFi Warrior roaming the Italian coast hunting for connection or a rare Mewtwo!
How do you handle being disconnected from work? Are you a star or a rookie like me?
Timely yours, Brenda
TOP 5: Time Management Strategies
Each year we see the most stressful jobs ranking and Meeting Professional consistently makes the Top 10 list. Here are some of my favourite time management strategies that can at least prevent self-inflicted stress!
- If you are like me, there is something on your 'to do' list that you keep skipping over in order to do the more “enjoyable” tasks. Chances are you are procrastinating about this one task right now. No matter how loathsome this job is, just start the process. Before long momentum kicks in and you will be racing towards the “pleasant” tasks.
- If it will take you two minutes to complete, do it now! There are several productivity experts that refer to this strategy. The rationale is why should you continue taking up space in your brain to keep on remembering this task that needs to be completed when it can be accomplished in two minutes. Get it done and move on!
- Create folders or categories for your email Inbox. An overflowing e-mail inbox is stressful! If there are emails that you need to refer back to, file them where you can find them at a later time. An inbox with just a few actionable emails will give you peace of mind. If your inbox is still full with actionable items refer back to #2.
- Further to #3 if you have a cluttered workspace this also increases your stress levels on a subconscious level. If there are pieces of paper on your desk that you need to take care of refer back to #2 again. If there is something on your desk that you haven’t referred to or used in a year, get rid of it.
- Don’t answer every single email the moment it comes in. If you are doing this, you are distracting yourself from perhaps some higher level tasks that require more of your time. Give yourself 2 or 3 designated times per day to answer your e-mails. Remember to refer back to points #2 and #3 when deciding how to handle your Inbox!
If you like the content from this email, forward it to an industry friend. Share your comments on our blog! Prizes throughout the year will be drawn for those who engage with us. Be the first to comment on our blog and you will receive two ballots!
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Honeybees
