Certainly, there were things in the past year we’d all rather forget. And yet, you are doing yourself a major disservice if you don’t pause to reflect on – from a personal and professional standpoint – some highlights of your year. What did you accomplish? What did you learn? What challenges did you overcome? What new skills did you develop? Taking stock of these items will not only improve your view of the past year, it will also help guide your thinking as you plan your goals, intentions, whatever you want to call them, for the new year.

So. Grab a tablet, a pen (or your laptop), and a beverage of your choice. Find a quiet place and allow yourself 30 minutes or so to list out the following for 2018:

What I accomplished

What I learned

A challenge I overcame and how

A new skill(s) I developed

Once you’ve made your list, give yourself some time to reflect on (and feel good about) all that you’ve achieved. Focus on the positive! Then, as you plan for 2019 (and you are developing a plan, right?) let your list help guide your intentions (that’s what I like to call them) for the new year.

I think we’ve all figured out that New Year’s “resolutions” don’t work. They are typically too broad (lose weight, get out of debt, win the lottery) and not tied to specific actions or deadlines. Research shows that 80% of them are abandoned by February. So why bother, right? Wrong!

I suggest a different approach. First of all, keep it simple yet specific. Second, keep it balanced. Too often we focus so much energy on changing one aspect of our life that we totally neglect the other aspects. For example, there’s that promotion you want, so you put 110% of your energy into doing the work, gaining the visibility, and finding the opportunity that will get you there. Pretty soon you’re skipping the gym, eating junk food at the office for dinner, and saying “no” to time with family and friends. “Vacation? Not happening!” And do you get the promotion? Maybe. But at what cost?

Here’s my guide for creating a simple plan that will help keep your life balanced and moving forward. It’s called the Circle of Life. As you consider your intentions for 2019, think about the eight aspects of your life illustrated below. Where do you spend the most effort? As you look back on 2018, what aspect did you neglect or ignore? How will you change that this year?

Now make one or two intentions for each aspect. Make them simple, make them specific, and write them down! Include due dates wherever possible.

Once you’ve created your plan, keep it visible. Put it someplace where you can see it every day. Schedule time on your calendar once a month to assess how you’re doing. Pay attention to what’s getting out of balance, e.g., when work is eating into your intentions in personal growth or friends/family. Make some adjustments to get back on track.

Taking a look back before moving forward and being more intentional about creating balance in our lives are components of my GET REAL philosophy. So often we burden ourselves with what others tell us we SHOULD do – “find passion in your work,” “lean in,” “keep climbing that corporate ladder,” – that we lose sight of what we WANT to do. We are so focused on the destination that we miss the view along the way.

Here’s to an amazing and balanced 2019! I’m declaring it a year to GET REAL! Stay tuned for more GET REAL developments.

“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” – Neil Gaiman

Till next time,

Karen

The post A New Year: Look Back Before Planning Forward appeared first on PeopleThink.

Be self-aware. Knowing your boundaries starts with understanding your values and what’s important to you. If having personal downtime in the evening or family time on the weekend is important to you, then you would want to make it clear that you’re offline in the evenings and not working on weekends. Difficult, I know, in this always-connected work environment.  And, this environment was created by all of us who said “yes” to being always connected and working a ridiculous number of hours in the week (including weekends!)  It’s up to us to change it.

Set your boundaries. Decide what your boundaries are. Prioritize them. Write them down. Internalize them. Practice saying them in front of the mirror. Give yourself permission to have boundaries and acknowledge the benefits – more respect from others; more respect for yourself; less stress and anxiety and/or feelings of resentment; more free time; more time to focus on the projects you want to do, etc.

Communicate them. Be direct. If you don’t want your boss and co-workers contacting you at all hours, be specific about the times you’re available. On projects, manage others’ expectations up front with regard to what you’re capable of and the timeframe in which you can achieve it. Be very clear about scope, and the cost – in time, dollars or other work – when scope expands beyond that.

Learn to say no. Saying “no” is hard, especially when it’s to your leader, or to someone whose relationship you value. Yet as workplace communication consultant Diane Amundson says, “Good bosses appreciate employees who have the confidence to say no.” It’s all in how you frame it.

Challenge the stories that hold you back. Think about times in the past when you’ve said “yes” and later regretted it. Or allowed yourself to be taken advantage of. What held you back from being more direct? Fear of losing your job? Fear of disappointing the other person? Most people are unaware of how their actions impact us unless we tell them, and will appreciate being told what our limits are.

Be consistent. Once you’ve established and communicated your boundaries, work to maintain them. This will help educate others how to treat you, and will contribute to your well-being and peace of mind.

“I encourage people to remember that “No” is a complete sentence.” – Gavin de Becker

Till next time, Karen

The post Setting Boundaries: Saying “Yes” to Saying “No” appeared first on PeopleThink.

I find this amazing. We need our R&R, people!

Why are US workers so reluctant to use their vacation time? A survey by GfK, who studies American workers and time off, found the following:

26% worry they’ll be seen as less dedicated

23% worry that they’ll be replaced

21% worry that they’ll hurt their chances for a raise or promotion

But here’s the thing. In a comparison of vacation takers and vacation forfeiters, GfK found that:

“Employees who forfeit their vacation days do not perform as well as those who use all their time. While they may believe sacrificing vacation time will get them ahead, these employees are less likely than non-forfeiters to have been promoted within the last year (23% to 27%) and to have received a raise or bonus in the last three years (78% to 84%). This is on top of the $66.4 billion in benefits they lost by forfeiting time last year.”

So vacation forfeiters, let me ask: How’s that working for you?

If you don’t already have something on the calendar, I encourage you to take a few minutes right now and pencil in a week or two weeks or whatever your schedule allows.  You need a break. It’s good for you, and it’s good for your employer.

Taking vacation has been shown to:

-Reduce stress

-Contribute to better mental and physical health

-Improve relationships

When companies encourage their employees to take vacation, they benefit through:

-Higher employee productivity

-Stronger workplace morale

-Greater retention

-Healthier employees

Whether you take an exotic vacation or a low-key “staycation,” get something on the calendar before the summer gets away from you!

Just like you need to give your body a break from your workouts, you need to give your brain a break from your work. Thinking, managing your emotions, making decisions, creating new ideas, interacting with others, all require mental effort that can wear your brain out.  You need to give it a rest.

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” -Seneca

Till next time,

Karen

The post Take a Hike, Take a Cruise, Take a Vacation! appeared first on PeopleThink.

If you don’t already have something on the calendar, I encourage you to take a few minutes right now (well, after you finish reading this) and pencil in a week or two weeks or whatever your schedule allows. You need a break. It’s good for you, and it’s good for your employer.

Taking vacation has been shown to:
• Reduce stress
• Contribute to better physical and mental health
• Improve relationships

When companies encourage their employees to take vacation, they benefit through:
• Higher employee productivity
• Stronger workplace morale
• Greater retention
• Healthier employees

Whether you take an exotic vacation or a low-key “staycation,” get something on the calendar before the summer gets away from you!

Once you’ve scheduled your vacation, don’t stop there. I highly recommend that you pick a day this summer, and in fact, maybe once a month or once a quarter, that is just…for…you. One day that is your day to do whatever you want, except work! Go to a spa, take a hike, play a round of golf, or just sit by the ocean…whatever feeds your soul.

Just like you need to give your body a break from your workouts, you need to give your brain a break from your work. Thinking, managing your emotions, making decisions, creating new ideas, interacting with others, all require mental effort that can wear your brain out. You need to give it a rest.

In the words of Maya Angelou: “Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

Till next time,
Karen

The post What Are You Doing This Summer? appeared first on PeopleThink.

“No. We’ve tried that before and it didn’t work.”

“No. Thank you for the invite, but I need to…wash my hair…do laundry…” (You fill in the blank)

“No,” says the hiring manager to HR, “while the candidate has a lot of good qualities, she’s not an exact fit.”

“Risk embarrassing myself at the team karaoke event? NO!”

Shonda Rhimes, creator and producer of several hit television series, discovered the power of saying “Yes” when she committed to doing so for a year to everything that scared her. The result, as described by “Year of Yes” publisher Simon & Schuster, was that “she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self.” How cool is that?

Now, I’m not suggesting that you commit to saying “Yes” to everything for a year, a month, or even a week. Well, a week would be good. Let’s start with a week.

What I am suggesting is that you pay attention to how often you’re saying “No” and start turning some of those into “Yes.” Each time you do it, it gets easier. Each time you do it, you open yourself up for new experiences, opportunities and ideas.  Fear holds us back from so many wonderful experiences – fear of the unknown, fear of differences, fear of being embarrassed.  Say “Yes” to your fears and allow yourself the opportunity to stretch and grow in new directions. That “unknown” you’re worried about may be just what you’ve been waiting for.

What’s holding you back? What are you afraid of? Your assignment is to commit to a week of saying “Yes” to whatever opportunities come your way.  Then just keep going…

Till next time,

Karen

The post Saying “Yes” to Just Saying “Yes” appeared first on PeopleThink.

Additionally, workplace stress can interfere with productivity, impair relationships, and even cause safety issues. We’ve all seen over-busy people walking along – even crossing streets – with their eyes focused on their cellphone and not what’s in front of them.

So how do you recognize when you’re under too much stress – when you are “overextended”? It starts by being self-aware. When you start to feel overwhelmed, pay attention to how you respond to your work and the people around you. When we’re overextended, our positive qualities may actually become “too much of a good thing” causing negative impact. For example, someone who is detail-focused and analytical may exhibit “analysis paralysis” when overextended. Someone who is typically creative and social may become impulsive and overly emotional under extreme stress. And the “people person” who brings harmony to every meeting may suddenly become stubborn and resistant. When Mr. Peabody becomes Attila the Hun it’s time to get a handle on stress.

Oh, right, you say. There’s work to be done and we’re down two people…I don’t want to lose my job…I just need to get through this month and then I’ll (fill in the blank): get back to my family, get back to my workouts, get back to my life.

OK, people. Listen up. Part, not all, but PART of the reason we’re in this environment is that we allowed it to happen. Just like Lucy and Ethel in that famous bit in the chocolate factory, the more we demonstrated a willingness to work more, work faster, sacrifice life balance for the sake of a pay raise or out of fear for our job, the faster the conveyor belt went. The 40-hour work week turned into 50, then 60. Vacations? Who has time? Off hours? What are those? Welcome to our 24 x 7 world of work.

So what to do? I say, let’s take back our lives. Let’s stop the insanity and lean out for a change. Here’s how.
1. Set boundaries. Establish a time after which you don’t take work phone calls or respond to work emails, texts, smoke signals, whatever. Manage expectations about your “work hours.”
2. Be willing to say “no.” When asked to do something with a clearly unreasonable deadline or without appropriate resources, explain the impact it will have on your current work. Offer alternative dates, suggest alternative resources.
3. Stop and pause. Do a personal check-in. Adjust priorities, if needed. Take a break.
4. Breathe. Deeply and often. Consider meditation. Take a walk in the park or along the beach.
5. Laugh. Find something to laugh about every day. It’s good medicine.

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”
-George Burns (who lived to be 100)

Till next time,

Karen

The post What To Do When You Are Overextended appeared first on PeopleThink.

Fast forward to TODAY. If you were asked to write about your summer vacation, would you have a good story to tell? Or would your response be “What vacation?” If the latter, you wouldn’t be alone. A survey conducted by Skift, who tracks American travel habits, found that in 2014, 42% of Americans didn’t take a single day of vacation. Why is that? Some often-cited reasons (ahem, excuses) are: heavy workload, lack of money to “go anywhere” and the perception that people who take time off are less dedicated.

It may also stem from the fact that the United States is the only advanced economy that does not require its employers to offer their workers paid vacation time. In their report, No-Vacation Nation Revisited, researchers at the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that:
• Nearly one-fourth of U.S. companies offer no paid time off
• Those companies that do offer an average of only 10 days vacation per year

Compare this to European countries where employers are required by law to offer at least 20 days per year. And they expect their employees to take it! In Austria, the typical employee gets 25 days annual leave plus 13 paid holidays. Now that’s a vacation!

It amazes me that so many people in the U.S. who DO have the opportunity to take time off don’t take it. Even those working for companies that have unlimited or more generous than average time off policies. Back to that 42%. If you’re in that category, you are missing out on myriad benefits from getting away from the office. And I mean REALLY getting away. Not just moving your electronics to the beach! Research shows that time away from work:
• Improves overall health
• Increases creativity (New experiences! Different scenery!)
• Provides for quality time with family
• Ignites neural connections (Increasing your brain power, and that’s got to be good!)
• Increases productivity upon return

So what are you waiting for? There are still a few weeks left before summer officially ends. Do yourself a favor and use up some of those vacation days to take a well-deserved break. Even if you take a “stay vacation” (note: without electronics). You’ll feel better for it. Your family will feel better for it. And, yes, the company will survive while you’re gone.

Get working on that essay!

Till next time,

Karen

The post What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation? appeared first on PeopleThink.

If you HAVE joined in my challenge, I’d love to hear what you’ve been doing to be more in the moment and appreciate today, versus fretting over yesterday or focusing on tomorrow. Please comment.

If you have yet to join my challenge, I invite you to do so today. What are you waiting for? Don’t lose those magical moments. Here are 6 ways to make the rest of your year “The Year of Being Present.”

1. 1. 1. Pay more attention to the little things. A sunrise, a smile from a stranger, your child’s latest discovery, a “thank you” from someone you helped or coached.
      2. Listen. Really listen. Too often we are forming our response or thinking of other things when someone is speaking to us. Be in the moment and focus entirely on them. You will be amazed at what you’ll learn, and how good you’ll make them feel.
      3. Figure out what ignites your soul and do it. Often. Schedule it. Capture it. Repeat it.
      4. Say “thank you.” Always. We seem to run through our days so quickly that we forget to stop and say “thank you” to those who have helped in some way, or given advice, or shown a kindness. Be specific, and if possible, do it in person.
      5. Have at least one belly laugh, every day. Laughter is an incredible stress-reliever and healer. And so powerful when shared. DO NOT miss the moments of laughter.
      6. And, perhaps most importantly, surround yourself with good friends – as I do with my Jersey Girls…

“Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.” – Tennessee Williams

Till next time,

Karen

The post The Year of Being Present – How’s It Going? appeared first on PeopleThink.

Here’s what research tells us:

• • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh (I like to call it a “belly laugh”) relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

In addition to these physical and emotional benefits of laughter, there are also cognitive and social benefits.  Humor and laughter contribute to increased creativity, improved problem solving, enhanced memory and increased ability to deal with stress.  They also strengthen bonds with family and friends, increase attractiveness to others, and contribute to happier marriages and closer relationships.

And you might also be interested to know that while you are laughing you are burning calories! A researcher from Vanderbilt University conducted a small study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories.

But perhaps the best testimony for laughing comes from those who have spent their lives helping us derive the benefits of a chuckle, a chortle, a guffaw, a giggle, a cackle, a crack up, a smile, and a big ol’ belly laugh.  Here’s what a few of them have said….

“Laughter is an instant vacation.” – Milton Berle

“We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” – Ellen DeGeneres

“If love is the treasure, laughter is the key.” Yakov Smirnoff

“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain

“If Heaven exists, to know that there’s laughter, that would be a great thing.” – Robin Williams

“A wonderful thing about true laughter is that it just destroys any kind of system of dividing people.” – John Cleese

“Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations.” – Red Skelton

Till next time…keep laughing,

Karen

The post Laughter Really IS the Best Medicine appeared first on PeopleThink.

How adaptable are you?  Change is constant in today’s work environment. Leadership change. Shifting priorities. Forced job changes. I spoke with someone the other day who’s had three different managers in the short 8 months she’s been at her current company. And let’s not even think about how many times people we know have been laid off over the past decade.  Being healthy means that you recognize the situation, vent/grieve/tune out (temporarily) as you need to, then dust yourself off and move on. So often with these changes come new opportunities. The key is having a support system. Being connected to colleagues and having strong relationships with friends and family outside of work. Engaging in your community and leveraging social networks to identify new opportunities and learn different approaches. And, of course, knowing where you can find additional resources, if necessary.

How well do you self-manage?  Are you aware of your behavior traits and how they affect – positively or negatively – your work and the people around you? Self-awareness is the first step in self-management, which is often equated with emotional intelligence – another important factor for “health.” Personal health can be improved by proactively taking steps to ensure you are doing things in your life that are meaningful and by seeking out meaningful work. Continuous learning. Self-motivation. Goals. These all contribute to your ability to self-manage.

Finally, what makes you happy?  Our happiness has a lot to do with how healthy we are. Take some time this week over a pumpkin latte or some candy corn or whatever your favorite fall indulgence is and think about what makes you happy. Then plan to do it. Where’s your favorite place to go? Plan to go there. Who makes you laugh? Spend some time with them. What makes you feel good? Just DO IT!

Consider what research has shown about laughter and happiness:

– A hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes afterward.
– Laughter increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, which improves your resistance to disease.
– 20 minutes of exercise, 3 times a week for 6 months will improve your general feeling of happiness by 10-20%.
– Happier people do better in their jobs. A recent study found that happy people make more money and obtain better job performance reviews than do unhappy people.

When you are happier and healthier, the rest will take care of itself.

Till next time,

Karen

The post Personal Health – More Than Just Diet and Exercise appeared first on PeopleThink.

But what about the health of the organization – the company – we’re a part of? Since so much of our time is spent at work, how does our work environment – healthy or unhealthy – impact our personal health, and how does the collective health of an organization’s workforce affect its health?

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” More recent definitions describe health in terms of adaptability – “the ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges,” (Machteld Huber) or simply, “the ability to adapt and to self-manage.” (British Medical Journal).

In the past few years there have been a bazillion articles, surveys, studies, blogs, etc., written about employee engagement – but that’s only a small piece of the bigger puzzle – organizational health. Think about this. Someone could be very engaged in their work and by extension, in the company. So engaged in fact, that they spend many late nights at work, to the detriment of their family life and their personal health. Stress and exhaustion finally take their toll, family life is kaput, and soon this “engaged” employee is out on medical leave, resulting in a huge gap on the team.  Talk about a broken engagement.

It’s time we looked at the bigger picture. It’s time we thought seriously about the work environments we’re creating and how those environments are impacting employees at work, at home and in their communities. They’re all connected.

Leaders, how healthy is your team? Have you created an environment in which each employee feels valued, connected, challenged and recognized? Do you recognize when someone is overextended and then provide the support, resources or coaching they need to dial it back?  In your hiring decisions, do you consider both the person-job fit and the person-organization fit?

An organization is only as strong, or as healthy, as its people. If you want an organization that can adapt and self-manage in the face of the many challenges today, you’ve got to start paying attention to the health of your team. Yes, engagement is part of it. But just part.

If you’d like to learn more about how to assess the health of your organization and what that means, please contact me. kcolligan@PeopleThink.biz or 415.440.7944.

Till next time,

Karen

The post Let’s Talk about Organizational Health appeared first on PeopleThink.

So how do you recognize when you’re under too much stress? It starts by being self-aware.  When you start to feel overwhelmed, pay attention to how you respond to your work and the people around you. Under stress, our positive qualities often get overextended causing negative impact. For example, someone who is detail-focused and analytical may exhibit “analysis paralysis” under stress.  Someone who is typically creative and social may become impulsive and overly emotional under extreme stress. And the “people person” who brings harmony to every meeting may suddenly become stubborn and resistant.  When Mr. Peabody becomes Attila the Hun it’s time to get a handle on stress.

“Oh, right,” you say. “There’s work to be done and we’re down two people….I don’t want to lose my job…I just need to get through this month and then I’ll (fill in the blank): get back to my family, get back to my workouts, get back to my life.”

OK, people. Listen up. Part, not all, but PART of the reason we’re in this environment is that we allowed it to happen. Just like Lucy and Ethel in that famous bit in the chocolate factory, the more we demonstrated a willingness to work more, work faster, sacrifice life balance for the sake of a pay raise or out of fear for our job, the faster the conveyor belt went. The 40-hour work week turned into 50, then 60. Vacations? Who has time? Off hours? What are those? Welcome to our 24 x 7 world of work.

So what to do? I say, let’s take back our lives. Let’s stop the insanity and lean out for a change. Here’s how.

1. 1. Set boundaries.  Establish a time after which you don’t take work phone calls or respond to work emails, texts, smoke signals, whatever. Manage expectations about your “work hours.”
   2. Be willing to say “no.” When asked to do something with a clearly unreasonable deadline or without appropriate resources, explain the impact it will have on your current work. Offer alternative dates, suggest alternative resources.
   3. Stop and pause. Do a personal check-in. Adjust priorities, if needed. Take a break.
   4. Breathe. Deeply and often.
   5. Laugh. Find something to laugh about every day. It’s good medicine.

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”
-George Burns (who lived to be 100)

The post Stress at Work – 5 Tips for Managing It appeared first on PeopleThink.