Career

What’s Your More?

About a year ago, I was working too many hours. I had a huge project at work and there were too many tasks to get them all done. I often was one of the last to leave.

The man who cleaned our floor would frequently tell me I was working too many hours. Some evenings, he said he would swing back on his rounds and make sure I was leaving or, better yet, gone. I was fortunate that he helped encourage me to break a bad cycle.

The same thing happened to a friend of mine, who also was working too much. Her cleaning person stopped her one night and asked her,

“What’s your more?”

My friend looked at her, slightly confused.

The woman challenged her and asked her, “What do you want to be doing more of?”

From that night forward, my friend made a commitment to herself to leave work at a reasonable hour and to spend more time doing the things she loved.

Fortunately, we were both sharing our stories while on vacation together in Europe. Clearly, we had listened.

It’s easy to get caught up in tasks and quickly lose sight of “our more.” I keep a notebook with me for jotting notes and whenever I start a new one, I devote the first page to listing my boundaries and the things I want to be doing more of.

My boundaries are simple. I have a set time I need to leave the office, and I schedule time for buying healthy groceries and cooking meals (usually Sunday evening).

My “more” consists of time with friends, mini vacations, gardening, walking and reading. As long as I’m consistently spending time in my “more” space, I know I have balance in my life.

What’s your more?

Creating a Conference Follow Through List

Each year I attend at least one conference and a seminar or two. Like everyone else, I attend for the learning and the networking. It’s also time away from the office or whatever project on which I’m working. This allows my mind to roam and often leads to inspiration or reminders of things I need to do.

Capturing your action items from a conference in one place helps ensure follow through. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

Capturing your action items from a conference in one place helps ensure follow through. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

In years past, I would jot the idea or reminder down in the midst of my notes – whether I was handwriting them or typing them on my laptop or tablet. The problem with this is that I would return to reality and rarely returned to my notes unless I was specifically looking for something in them.

At a conference I just attended, we were provided an app to download from Guidebooks, which also included a To Do list. What a great idea! Every time I had an idea, wanted to remember to reach out to a fellow attendee, or had a specific task I wanted to do upon my return to the office, I added it to the list.

I confess that my list was a bit long by the end of the two full days, but I also already had checked off three items. Some of the items on the list involved seeking out specific people at the conference to whom I wanted to introduce myself. One involved following up with a speaker, and I was able to do that in a hallway conversation.

The rest of the items now are on one handy list for my return to the office. If I do just one item a day, I’ll knock out all of them in short order.

Why I never thought to make one list of action items instead of jotting the items down in the middle of my notes is beyond me. I’m just glad I had this app to inspire me.

Office Order Crticial to Success

I’ve spent the past few weeks organizing my new office. Doing so is critical to my success.

A study from the American Society of Interior Designers found that employees who are happy with their physical workspaces are 31 percent more likely to be satisfied with their jobs.

My cairn is a calming focal point in my office. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

My cairn is a calming focal point in my office. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

I started by removing everything I didn’t need, including excess furniture and files. I also added some personal art to the walls and a few Zen items to help me stay centered. Other key areas to make your work space suit you include:

Lighting: I have a lovely table lamp that I always put on my desk. It’s mainly mood lighting that I find calming. I also have a task lamp near my computer to help shine light on the subject.

Organization bins: I don’t like a lot of items on the desk, just the files on which I’m working. Plain file folders are boring so I order brightly colored ones. I’m using yellow and green. One of my colleagues is using a sea blue, which makes me think of the beach. Paper clips and binder clips are kept in neat bins inside a drawer along with the stapler and tape dispenser.

Desk chair: Is your chair comfortable? Mine isn’t so I checked with my boss, and I’m ordering a new one. That will make a big difference. Good lumbar support and arm rest height make the work day much more comfortable. Several of my colleagues have the work stations that can be adjusted to standing height. Fortunately, the window sill in my office is that height so I’ve decided on the days when I need to stand more, I’ll simply walk to the window and work there. I’m hoping the view will inspire me, too.

Creative space: One area where I still have some work to do is finding the right bulletin board. I’m looking for a fabric covered one. I need a spot where I can post reminders and items that might inspire me.

I’m ready for success.

Thank You Notes Matter

I was taught to write a thank you note when I received a gift. I still write them.

20140621_144742A thank you note is equally valuable in the workplace. In the past year, I’ve met with a few individuals who have sought career advice. I was pleasantly surprised when each one followed up with a thank you note. One or two were by email, and the rest were by snail mail. It didn’t matter to me how they sent them.

The act of sending the notes all but ensures we’ll continue to have a professional connection. It’s a thoughtful acknowledgement of the time I willingly gave to them. It reinforces for me, the importance of continuing to do so.

Thank you notes also remain important after interviewing for a job. While a lack of a thank you won’t eliminate a candidate, receiving a thank you, definitely elevates a candidate in my mind because it indicates that the person has social graces.

After two weeks at a new job, I gave my boss a thank you card. I wanted to acknowledge the time she had spent with me helping to orient me to the environment, and also to thank her for the extras she had done to make my first two weeks welcoming.

I also send thank you cards throughout the year to colleagues. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t appreciate a note thanking him for his hard work and dedication. The note doesn’t need to be long, but it should be sincere and specific. When I left my last job, I wrote a note to each of my teammates. I thanked each one for his or her contributions and for making it fun to be on the team.

A thank you note doesn’t take long, but it lasts a long time.

Today is National Recess at Work Day

We’ve all heard that “All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten,” and yet we often don’t apply what we learned.

What will you do on Recess at Work Day? (Photo by Cynthia Price)

What will you do on Recess at Work Day? (Photo by Cynthia Price)

I’m specifically referring to recess, which was always one of the best parts of the day. It was a time to play, to be silly and to laugh. I suspect it helped us blow of excess energy so we could better focus, too. And it gave the teachers a bit of a respite.

Turns out there is a Recess at Work Day, and it’s today!

It’s only in its second year, but I think we should all embrace the day because it encourages businesses to organize a 30-minute break for their workers. Turn off computers, put down the cell phones and go have some fun.

The day was founded by Rich DiGirolamo, a Wolcott-based business consultant who focuses on reducing employee turnover. He thought of a national day to restore some fun on the job, even for just a half hour.

Recess at Work Day is a chance “to relive your youth, create team spirit, increase employee morale and just have some fun,” he states on his site. “All employees should go outside and play. Fly a kite. Play tag. Juggle. Bring a jump rope with you. Play catch. Toss a football. The possibilities are endless.”

My contribution to the day – I am bringing in novelty ice cream for everyone in my division. The caveat is that we all need to go outside and eat the bars. Someone else is bringing soap bubbles because who doesn’t like blowing bubbles.

How will you spend recess?