Is it a busy fall for you? Maybe you are a wee bit too busy? What are you doing that keeps you busy? What are you doing to fend off burnout and to take care of yourself?

Many of us turn to self-care when we are busy, but sometimes that is difficult, because it takes time and we are short on time. The attached photo from Positive Psychology can give you ideas to care for yourself when you are short on time.

As some of you know, I blog BUT actually, I am a lecturer and trainer, a business coach, supervisor and a spiritual director. The next two blogs will be about supervision vs. coaching, starting with supervision.

What is Supervision, after all?

Supervision is a relational process of personal development where the client(s)become aware of and reflect on and then develop their personal resources for positive change both regarding themselves and their work environment.

I am Looking Forward and Dealing with Today – being grateful in everything.

I hope you remember the PPFs model. Past-Present-Future.

Remember and be grateful for the past, even the hard times.

Savor the present – the good and the hard parts.

Look forward to the future with hope and anticipation.

The Art of knowing when to keep on going and when to quit.

OR maybe you pivot (more next time).

Business is a lot like gambling, and oh-so-long-ago a famous country western singer, Kenny Rogers, wrote a song called “The Gambler”- I have known it since my childhood. One of the phrases is “You’ve got to know when to hold them (cards)… know when to fold them.” When to keep playing the hand you’ve been dealt and when to quit.

When do you continue on your chosen path and when do you change and do something new? That’s the question.

Last week e looked at a formula: when you put what you want + what you need + what you can do (or learn to do) + what your future clients/customers need + what is right and good = a winning idea!

This week we are looking at customer (clients) needs. (you need to solve their problems).

What you do and say is important – for life, for your company, and work

It’s amazing how important it is to be what you (and your company, your company’s product, and its ramifications in life) present yourself as.

As a client of mine says, “It you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you have said. It makes life much easier.” She is so spot-on! I’ve been quoting her ever since she said this in a group supervision I was leading. I used the quote this past weekend with a friend who wants to encourage her son to be transparent at work.

I thought about it when a friend shared some of the struggles, she had been having with her (not truthful) spouse and how most everything comes down to being who you say you are. The inside and the outside match- no hiding.

I thought about it when sharing my own struggles with a few friends regarding the upcoming months and what is “on my plate” for work and life, and other things that cause me to pause and take note.

Be honest, I told myself, and I did. It’s about our integrity, one of the points on Goleman’s EQ list.

Integrity

If you are a person of integrity you are like this…

Are you too focused on the past?

Do you focus on the future too much?

Where is your energy spent?

Are you able to savor and be grateful for the present situation?

When the future can overshadow the present, positive or negative, you are missing out.

When the past does the same you are missing out.

Savor the present, too! Be grateful.

The past few blogs have been all about change. This week is the “can do” week. Next week is “off” because I am again, on holiday. Then it’s back in the saddle for me.

What can you do? (Step 2)

Add that to what you want and what you need - and you have a great start!

What do you want, really?

Last weekend I wrote about new endeavors.

Do you need or want to start something new? There are some steps involved in the process, even before it becomes “a THING”. To be successful, I suggested some ideas.

The first and most difficult part is to ask yourself this: What do you want?

The second question is what do you need?

These are two different questions and, depending on the circumstances, what you need will help determine what you want.

Do you need or want to start something new? There are some steps involved in the process, even before it becomes “a THING”. To be successful, I suggest the following steps and ideas.

Reading books brings me joy, especially during holidays.

I have read or finished quite a few books this holiday time in Tenerife and I want to share some highlights in case you need or wish for something new to read.

Besides telling you about the books I am reading and what I have read, I want to challenge you to go on holiday and do what you love while on holiday. For me it is reading books. What it is for you may be a very different activity, but go somewhere, see some now scenery and enjoy doing what you love. It will do you, your creativity, your work, and oyur company good.

We all need to keep “fresh” and grow.

But not every attempt at a change is successful. Some are, of course, failures.

Failure is the next step towards success. Those “blips” I consider “learning events” when we take the time to reflect and learn from the situation.

You can change, too.

Summer is a wonderful time to celebrate. The nights are long and the temperatures not too hot (in the evenings).

Celebration is an important part of life – and success.

When you celebrate something, you give it weight and consider it special. So, I ask again, what are you celebrating?

People who celebrate and who are grateful, in general, are healthier and happier than the negative crowd. Research says it, not just me.

Life is well, rather… stuck?

Business not going well? Or something else?

You have all your ducks in a row, but something seems to be stopping you? Is something intangible slowing down your business? Maybe you have inner conflicts with yourself that need addressing so you can start moving forward again.

A while ago week I read a wonderful book by negotiation expert Professor Dr. William Ury of Harvard Business School called Getting to Yes with Yourself and I found some treasures to help us out of those stuck places in business and in life.

When you are triaging- remember to plan for the two most important things:

THE MOST IMPORTANT things that are not urgent

AND

BREAKS

What about you?

What are the MOST IMPORTANT things that are not urgent for you?

Maybe it is about finishing a book you need to read for work or study.

How do you plan for you MOST IMPORTANT items on your list? Do you block out certain times in the day/week/month that are sacred for these projects?

What about breaks – whether half-days, days, a mini-vacation, or a real one, they should also be scheduled and sacred.

Where can you go and what do you do to find rest and restoration?

This week I am trying a new way of encouraging you to take a break by describing two days in my week of “down time”. You need downtime to regenerate and to find new creativity in work – and life. Doing something different gives you new perspectives and a change of pace and scenery charges your brain to find new solutions to the great problems in your work and life.

Photos are included.

I have some very good ideas for you to stay focuses when everyone is “relaxing” around you.

You and I need to focus, even in the summer.

We all need an easy way to keep on track when we are trying to focus.

Here are some tips:

REMEMBER TO DO ONLY THE MOST IMPORTANT (& urgent) things- things that will make a difference in one, two or five years. AND…

Start slowly, with lowered expectations

Do not plan a long first day or two, but slowly set and get into your list of “to-dos”; don’t expect to get finished with your list, but try to focus on one or two key goals for the first few days. Remember to reacquaint yourself with the team, the space, and the food, too, especially if you have been away for a long time or working (mostly) remotely. Freshen up your workspace and make it “your own” once again.

I don’t know if you are having the same issue, but…

Suddenly, my next two weeks are really full!

How did that happen? I thought I was “off” for the month! I only begin correcting exams at the end of the month. But I have a guest teaching “week” this week with a focus on leadership and team development, plus an important funeral of a good friend, so now this week is much fuller than expected. Next week looks about the same because of birthdays and such.

And that makes me mostly happy. I get to teach something I love; I will certainly not be bored  - and the funeral will bring closure for many of us who loved Helen.

The How of productivity without overwhelm:

How do I keep from feeling overwhelmed, even if the activities are (mostly) great?

I use a couple of coaching tools on myself.

One is the Eisenhower Matrix (some call it the 4 Ds of time management; you can look up both)

Another is writing everything down- on the family calendar, on my electronic calendar, writing it in my to-do journal…

These two activities help me to separate the important from the urgent, and to keep everything “together” so it gets done in as calm a manner as possible.

In a crisis we can acknowledge the fear (which is NORMAL), lean in, decide what you can control, make a plan and be as ready as you can be