3 MINDSETS THAT HOLD US BACK FROM SELF-CARE

3 MINDSETS THAT HOLD US BACK FROM SELF-CARE

This month’s blog comes to us from organizing expert and best selling author, Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing From the Inside Out, Never Check Email in the Morning, Time Management From the Inside Out and Time to Parent.

Our hobbies, passions, and the things we do for pure relaxation fuel and restore us physically, emotionally, and even spiritually in the most efficient way imaginable. Renewal activities provide care and nurturance for our souls — providing us with the energy we need to get through everything work and life throws at us. Yet, even though we know that and crave time for renewal, it can be very hard to make it happen.

Deloitte Insights survey found that 91% of employees and executives say well-being is a top priority. Yet the majority struggle to prioritize self-care, and 1 out of 3 are constantly struggling with fatigue, stress, and overwhelm.

What gets in the way? Time is certainly one major factor. Our lives are filled with demands and responsibilities, making it difficult to carve out for self-care. But the mechanical time issue is ultimately solvable. There are many practical solutions to the time issue–and we’ll cover many of them in this self-care series. The bigger challenge is our belief systems. In my 30+ years as a time management consultant and coach, I’ve noticed patterns of thinking that hold us back from the self-care we crave and know we need but are afraid to take.

Here are the three most common mindsets that get in the way of giving yourself time for self-care. See if any of these interfere with your ability to take more time for well-being.

MINDSET 1: If I’m not taking care of someone or being productive, I don’t have value. 

That may sound harsh when put in writing, but many high-achieving people are driven by a work ethic that leads them to feel irresponsible or that they have no value unless they are working or taking care of someone. That belief system can be hard to transcend when your value is identified by what you produce, do for others, and give to the world. You may feel like taking time for yourself for hobbies, napping, or relaxing is “doing nothing.” And “If you’re doing nothing, you have no value.”

If you can relate to that, I want you to entertain the idea that the richer and more well-rounded you are as a human being, the more you can have more value in the world. Hobbies stimulate our imagination. Rest allows us to make connections and think more clearly so that we can solve problems in more innovative ways. Being well-rounded allows us to become more compassionate and relate to more people, which equips us to provide even more value out in the world.

MINDSET 2: Taking time for yourself is selfish and/or stealing from others.

It can feel like taking time for fun or relaxation, or yourself is stealing from somebody. It’s stealing from your job. It’s stealing from your family. It’s stealing from your friends. And that can make you feel so guilty, that you don’t dare give yourself the renewal time you really need. But here’s the mindset shift: taking care of yourself is not competing with your job, family, or friends. It’s in service because it restores your energy. It grounds you. It refills your tank so you can give some more. There’s a cycle of energy out, and energy in that allows us to function at peak, and you have to keep refilling so that you can continue to give. It’s not selfish. It’s in service to others.

MINDSET 3: Work first, play second

Responsible adulthood seems defined by the ethics of work before play. This mindset can be a showstopper because we were programmed with that message as kids. You know, do your homework before you go out to play. The principle certainly has its merits. But as that message seeps deeper and deeper into your unconscious psyche, it can drive you to be all work and no play and nearly guarantee that you have zero time for self-care. Your work seems endless: as you check things off your to-do list, more tasks are added all the time. So if you are waiting to complete everything on your to-do list before practicing self-care, that moment is never going to happen. And you will absolutely wear yourself out in the process. So I encourage you to flip the script. You’re a responsible adult, get some to-dos done, play, recharge your batteries, get some more to-dos done, play, restore your batteries, etc. And that cycle of play, work, play, work actually allows us to go the distance.

We need to believe that we deserve time for ourselves and that it is an essential component of a happy, healthy life. If you need a little extra boost, remember this: what’s good for your own mental health is good for all of the people and projects in your life. When you take the time for yourself, time, energy, and focus expands. Self Care positions you to do good for others, your job, your family, your community, and the world.

Your Friends at Jacobs Gardner are big fans of Self Care and Work Life Balance.  Let us make your job easier by providing you with White Glove service for all your office supply needs.  www.jacobsgardner.com

New Year Reflection Process

<strong>New Year Reflection Process</strong>

This month’s blog post comes from Christopher Littlefield. Christopher is an International Speaker, Trainer, and Founder of Beyond Thank You!

New Year Reflection Process

I hope this message finds you well and beginning to slow down for what I am sure is a much-needed holiday break.

As you prepare for the New Year, I want to share an end-of-year personal reflection activity to help you become present to all the ways you have learned and grown over the last year. Grab a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a pen and paper, and carve out a little time to celebrate your year!

Answer These 5 Questions Before Wrapping Up Your Year!

Do you ever find that no matter how hard you work or how much you accomplish, you end up focusing on everything you didn’t do? No matter if your last year was the best or worst yet, before you mentally and emotionally reset and establish goals and resolutions for the year ahead, invest thirty minutes to an hour to reflect, learn from, and celebrate the last twelve months.

In this article I wrote for Forbes, I share a simple, personal reflection activity to support you in this process. You can read the full article via the link above, and I have included the questions below:

Questions:

1. What were my most interesting moments and unique experiences over the last year?

Did you attend a conference, start a new job, or get to sit in on a meeting with the boss? Did you attend a cool concert or a friend’s wedding or pick up a new sport? What moments or experiences defined your last year and why?

2. What challenges did I face in the last year, personally and professionally? How did I grow from these?

Did you start a new position that required more responsibilities? Did you or a loved one face a health issue? Did you go through a breakup or start a new relationship? How did you deal with these challenges and what did you learn in the process?

3. What new skills did I develop/improve last year?

Did you learn how to code, give presentations, or start learning a new language? Did you improve your ability to run meetings, coach employees, or increase the speed at which you write reports?

4. What have I learned about myself, how do I work, and what do I need to be at my best?

Did you develop any personal routines/processes that support you in and outside of work? Did you learn anything about the types of projects or topics you enjoy working on most/least? Did you learn anything about the types of people or work environments you enjoy most/least? Did you learn about what impacts your physical or mental health the most?

5. What am I most proud of?

After answering the above questions, reflect on what you are most proud of yourself for over the last year.

After, take a minute to reread and celebrate all that happened over the last 365 days. When you are done, schedule time to brainstorm what you want to make happen in the year ahead!

Use Gratitude to Counter Stress and Uncertainty

<strong>Use Gratitude to Counter Stress and Uncertainty</strong>

This month’s blog comes to us from Christopher Littlefield. Christopher is an International/TEDx speaker specializing in employee appreciation and the founder of Beyond Thank You. This blog is about focusing on gratitude, and we are grateful for his wisdom.

 

Use Gratitude to Counter Stress and Uncertainty

 

Taking care of our mental health during a pandemic isn’t easy. Since the outbreak began, we’ve all been feeling — understandably — a lot more stressed. One study found that 57% of people are experiencing greater anxiety, and 53% of us are more emotionally exhausted. These kinds of emotions tend to arise when we lose some form of stability in our lives. Right now, we just don’t know what comes next. Living in a constant state of uncertainty can feel like running a race with no finish line or completing a puzzle without a reference picture. Everything seems unclear, and the worst seems possible.

Of course, this not a fun state of mind to be in. So what can we possibly do to help minimize the impacts of uncertainty on our wellbeing? While it may not address the root cause, research shows that gratitude can help balance us out.

“Gratitude is an emotion that grounds us and is a great way to balance out the negative mindset that uncertainty engenders,” said Dr. Guy Winch, author of the book Emotional First Aid. When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin — two hormones that make us feel lighter and happier inside. If we want to take care of our minds during this pandemic, understanding how to trigger this feeling is an important tool to have at our disposal.

Before you can trigger it, let’s understand why gratitude is so important. We experience gratitude when we shift our focus from what we don’t have to what we do, and when we take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in our lives. Nearly a decade of research by Dr. Robert Emmons — the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude — and others has found that people who have regular gratitude practices are healthier, happier, and have better relationships. Further research suggests that gratitude is also key in helping individuals and teams persevere in challenging tasks.

Think of your mind like your digestive system — what you put in it impacts how you feel. When you flood your mind with a constant flow of worry, envy, resentment, and self-criticism (compounded by a barrage of news and other media) it negatively impacts your mental wellbeing. A gratitude practice is like a workout and a healthy eating plan for your mind.

In his article Why Gratitude is Good, Dr. Emmons shares, “You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” He goes on to share that his research found that people with high levels of gratitude have low levels of resentment and envy. When we take time to focus on what we are grateful for, we choose positive emotions over negative, thus we take steps to nurture our mental health and wellbeing.

How do we trigger gratitude in ourselves? It’s simple. We take time to shift our focus.

How to Trigger Gratitude in Ourselves

Have you ever noticed that when you are looking to buy a new phone or a jacket all of a sudden everyone around you has it? That’s because, consciously or unconsciously, whatever we are focused on is what we see. If we want to trigger gratitude in ourselves, we need to intentionally shift our focus to that which we are grateful for. The simplest way to do this is through questions and prompts and a few daily rituals.

Pause and reflect

When you find yourself stuck in a constant state of worry, or hyper focused on what is not working around you, try to pause for a second and ask yourself one or two of the following questions.

1.  What have I gotten to learn recently that has helped me grow?
2.  What opportunities do I currently have that I am grateful for?
3.  What physical abilities do I have but take for granted?
4.  What did I see today or over the last month that was beautiful?
5.  Who at work am I happy to see each day and why?
6.  Who is a person that I don’t speak to often, but, if I lost them tomorrow, it would be devastating? (Take this as a cue to reach out today!)
7.  What am I better at today than I was a year ago?
8.  What material object do I use every day that I am thankful for having?
9.  What has someone done for me recently that I am grateful for?
10.  What are the three things I am grateful for right now?

By taking time to write down our answers, we consciously redirect our attention to that which we are grateful for. It’s also a great way to look back and realize what we may have thought of as insignificant was actually the things that brought us joy.

Write a gratitude journal

One common practice is to keep a daily gratitude journal. Jae Ellard, the founder of mindful-based consulting company Simple Intentions, recommends book-ending your day with thoughts of gratitude. She recommends carving out a few minutes at the beginning of the day and end of the day for reflection. Maybe it is the fresh pomegranate you had with your yogurt or gratitude for the health of one’s families. Dr. Winch suggests starting the practice of “writing one paragraph every day about one thing for which we’re truly grateful and why that thing is meaningful to us.” He says, “This introduces positive thoughts and feelings into an emotional climate that is tipped too much toward the negative.” We can also focus our gratitude exercise toward the meaningful things in our lives of which we are certain, such as our friendships, passions, or family, thereby reminding ourselves that while uncertainty exists in some aspects of our lives, certainty still prevails in many others.

Build it in like a routine

Since the start of the pandemic, my wife, our four-year-old daughter, and I start every meal by going around the table and sharing one thing we are grateful for. It may be our health, the food on our table, or getting to play with Legos for an hour earlier that day. Although my daughter resisted the practice at first, she is the first one to remind us if we now eat a bite without sharing our thoughts.

I recently came across someone who has taken on the practice of sharing one picture a day on LinkedIn of something he is grateful for and tells his audience the reason behind it. His daily practice not only helps him focus on the positive but inspires others to do the same.

Another way to create a ritual around gratitude is to start or end each virtual meeting or co-study session with a grateful minute. Pick any one or two questions outlined above and invite a few team members or friends to share their answers.

If we want to be able to keep running in this race with no clear finish line, we need to learn to take better care of the runner. Although there is no one solution, learning to trigger gratitude may help us cope along the way.

Jacobs Gardner carries a wide variety of journals to begin your own Gratitude Journal: www.jacobsgardner.com

 


 

Christopher Littlefield is an International/TEDx speaker specializing in employee appreciation and the founder of Beyond Thank You. He has trained thousands of leaders across six continents to create cultures where people feel valued every day. He is the author of 75+ Team Building Activities for Remote Teams—Simple Ways to Build Trust, Strengthen Communication, and Laugh Together from Afar. You can follow his work through his weekly mailing The Nudge.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Wrap Up the Year

5 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Wrap Up the Year

Happy Holidays!

Our last blog of the year comes from Christopher Littlefield of BeyondThankYou.com. Christopher has lots of thoughtful questions to ask yourself as the year comes to a close, and the New Year unfolds.

Answer These 5 Questions Before Wrapping Up Your Year!

Do you ever find that no matter how hard you work or how much you accomplish, you end up focusing on everything you didn’t do? No matter if your last year was the best or worst yet, before you mentally and emotionally reset and establish goals and resolutions for the year ahead, invest thirty minutes to an hour to reflect, learn from, and celebrate the last twelve months. In my latest article in Forbes, I share a simple, personal reflection activity to support you in this process. You can read the full article on Forbes, and I have included the questions below.

Questions:

1. What were my most interesting moments and unique experiences over the last year?

Did you attend a conference, start a new job, or get to sit in on a meeting with the boss? Did you attend a cool concert or a friend’s wedding or pick up a new sport? What moments or experiences defined your last year and why?

2. What challenges did I face in the last year, personally and professionally? How did I grow from these?

Did you start a new position that required more responsibilities? Did you or a loved one face a health issue? Did you go through a breakup or start a new relationship? How did you deal with these challenges and what did you learn in the process?

3. What new skills did I develop/improve last year?

Did you learn how to code, give presentations, or start learning a new language? Did you improve your ability to run meetings, coach employees, or increase the speed at which you write reports?

4. What have I learned about myself, how I work, and what I need to be at my best?

Did you develop any personal routines/processes that support you in and outside of work? Did you learn anything about the types of projects or topics you enjoy working on most/least? Did you learn anything about the types of people or work environments you enjoy most/least? Did you learn about what impacts your physical or mental health the most?

5. What am I most proud of?

After answering the above questions, reflect on what you are most proud of yourself for over the last year.

After, take a minute to reread and celebrate all that happened over the last 365 days. When you are done, schedule time to brainstorm what you want to make happen in the year ahead!

Happy New Year from all of us at Jacobs Gardner

Six Tips for a Healthy Work Life Balance

Six Tips for a Healthy Work Life Balance

This month’s blog comes to us from author Pamela Bump and our friends at HUBSpot. They have a huge selection of resources to help balance your work and personal life.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you love your job, you’ll never have to work again.”?

Well, that myth is both false and incredibly misleading. In fact, research shows that the more passionate you are about a job, the more work you’ll actually do.

The truth is a successful career takes time, initiative, and hours of hard work. And, while some companies enable employees to successfully execute on their roles within 40 hours each week, you’ll occasionally need to work later or longer to excel at other organizations

When you think you have the perfect job, you might tell yourself, “I clock in 70 hours a week because I’m doing what I love,” or “The family dinners I’m missing will be worth it in the long run.” But, while your role might not “feel” like a job, working long hours without making time for yourself eventually takes a major toll.

In fact, research shows that throwing yourself into work too heavily could cause stress, burnout, and — commonly — a lonely personal life.

Yes — Managers value employees who take initiative and put in extra effort when needed. However, your personal life is important to your

physical, psychological, and emotional well-being

.

So, how do you continue to excel in your career while making time for yourself and your loved ones?

The truth is there’s no simple trick to achieving an ideal work-life balance. But luckily, there are a handful of strategies that can get you pretty close.

To help you juggle your work and personal life, even if you work remotely, here are six tips that I collected from a few highly motivated HubSpot marketing managers.

While the tips below work well for in-office employees, these can be especially helpful if you’re working remotely and finding it hard to separate your work life from your personal life.

6 Tips for Achieving Work-Life Balance

1. Set hard-stops for each workday.

Despite the thought that successful employees will work late into the night, studies show that you’re least productive at night. Additionally, working late hours can make you tired in times of peak productivity during the day.

If your role revolves around large projects or long to-do lists, you might be tempted to work late or on weekends to get more done. However, our marketing managers suggest setting hard stops so you don’t overexert yourself.

“When working on a long-term project, it’s very easy to keep going into the night thinking, ‘I can get the whole thing done today,’ which was obviously bad for work-life balance,” says Joe Mayall, an associate product marketing manager at HubSpot. “Setting hard stops for myself in the evening really helped me balance things out.”

“Set (and abide by) your own boundaries and accept that a task is usually not THAT important that it can’t wait until tomorrow,” advises Lisa Toner

To prevent any tasks that you can’t plausibly complete in normal work hours, Toner says, “You should manage expectations with your manager about how much can actually be done during business hours.”
When you’re working remotely, setting hard stops can be even more import.

My blog colleague Christina Perricone explained that knowing when to stop working is a common struggle of remote employees who usually work where they live.

“Since you miss out on the social cues to head out for lunch or end the workday that are inherent in in-office settings, you have to create them,” says Perricone. “Set calendar appointments for lunch or a walk or a midday workout. Otherwise, you might find yourself sitting in front of your computer for 10+ hours a day.”

2. Make time for self-care and breaks each day.

Whether you’re working remotely or in an office, you can take steps towards managing your personal life without getting distracted from work. If your schedule allows, one way to do this is by blocking time for breaks or short self-care activities, such as taking a walk, on your calendar.

“Schedule personal things in your calendar like workouts, phone calls with family or friends, or coffee breaks. Then honor those commitments. This will force you to take a break in your workday and do the things that will recharge and fulfill you,” says Jennifer Stefancik, a marketing manager in our acquisitions department.

“When I get back to work after doing something personally fulfilling, like going on a run, I always feel more focused and energized.” Stefancik shares.

3. Be transparent with your manager and colleagues about your personal-life boundaries.

While you need to set work-life balance boundaries for yourself, you should also be transparent about boundaries you’ve set with your team or manager.

One way to do this is by noting your work and off-work hours on your company’s internal calendar. Additionally, you should also talk to your manager to come up with a schedule that enables you to experience and manage important moments in your personal life.

One HubSpot manager who’s transparent with his team and creates a public schedule to embrace his life as a parent is Victor Pan, HubSpot’s Head of Technical SEO.

“I cherish the small talk I do when I drop off my daughter at school and with other parents. To do this, I talked to my manager about blocking out time in my work calendar — which is shared externally to my peers and colleagues,” Pan explains.

However, Pan notes that establishing a flexible schedule with managers won’t always be doable at other companies.

“Being able to engage in work-life design is a privilege for teams with safe spaces, but it’s also something someone engaged in part-time work can consciously control,” says Pan. “At the end of the day, we’re here to make the most out of the time we have given to us.”

4. Prioritize and audit your to-do list.

Along with establishing a transparent schedule that fits in both time for life and work, you can prevent yourself from instances where you’ll need to work overtime by taking on prioritization tactics and auditing your to-do list to ensure that you’re working efficiently.

“So many of us get bogged down by never-ending to-do lists and as you check off one item, three more gets added. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to focus on the high impact activities and reduce or cease the activities that do not drive significant results,” says Toner.

To help her prioritize her tasks so that the most important items fit smoothly into her work hours, she draws out an “Impact/Effort Matrix”: a four-by-four chart where you list all your tasks on scales related to the effort needed to complete them and the impact they’ll create.

Once she’s done filling out her matrix, Toner follows these steps:

Review the activities in the high effort low impact bucket and assess if you can simply stop doing them — these are usually not worth your time.

Take the activities in the low impact, low effort bucket. Determine if you need to keep doing them or if they can be delegated to someone else.

Look at the high impact, high effort bucket and research more efficient ways to achieve the same results. If so, move those items into the high impact, low effort square.

Six Tips for a Healthy Work Life Balance

When you’re done using the matrix, “you should have one to two items remaining in the high effort, high impact bucket that you continue to work on over a longer period of time,” says Toner.

“Everything in the low effort, high impact bucket should be the work you prioritize,” Toner adds. “By doing this exercise regularly you can learn if your to-do list is actually worth the time it takes to do it. Then, you can decide if you should stop, delegate, improve efficiency, or keep going.”

5. Schedule time off as needed.

In a recent blog post where HubSpot marketers revealed how they prevent burnout, Irina Nica, a community and influencer relations manager, noted that taking time off can help you eliminate stress while also adhering to your personal life.

“I was one of those people who would rarely take any time off because ‘there are so many things to be done,'” Nica said. “Even when I did, I still let some work slip into my day, even if that meant only checking my emails.”

“Over time, I’ve changed my views on time off and it’s been great for my productivity,” Nica explained, adding, “I learned to disconnect in the evenings and during weekends. Now, aside from the regular summer and winter holidays, I take long weekends off every now and then. That helps me relax and refreshes my perspective.”

Taking time off doesn’t necessarily need to be devoted to vacations or travel. For example, if you live with family, time off can be used for staycations, where you stay in and spend time with loved ones. Or, if you live alone, you could simply take a few days off to relax, video call friends, binge some TV, and perform self-care.

6. Physically separate work from your personal life.

If you occasionally or regularly work from home, the lines between work and life can get incredibly blurry. Because of this, you might find yourself working too late or thinking about work when you try to relax in your home. Luckily, one strategy that can help with this is creating a workspace for yourself.

“Try to designate a space in your home exclusively for work,” Perricone advised. “Taking calls from your bed or writing memos in front of your TV likely won’t be very effective. You need a space that allows you to focus and be productive. That way, you can keep your work and home life as separate as possible.”

Finding a Good Balance

While the five tips were all slightly different, they all followed just a few major themes that you can keep in mind when aiming to achieve a work-life balance:

• Time off: Everyone needs breaks or time to disconnect from work. Even if you work remotely, be realistic with yourself about when you’ll need a break from work and schedule break times in your day or longer PTO accordingly.

• Setting boundaries: Schedule hard stops and breaks for yourself, while also setting boundaries related to your work hours with your team and manager.

• Prioritization: Recognize the tasks you can save until tomorrow and how to complete your weekly to-do list more efficiently.

• Separate work from life at home: When you work from home, the lines between work and life can get blurry. Be sure to use the tips above to help separate your work life from your personal life at home.

Tiny Wisdom: Caring About What Others Think (and Do)

Tiny Wisdom: Caring About What Others Think (and Do)

This year, we are focused on Mindfulness and Self Care – both at home and in the office.

That’s why this month’s blog comes to us from Lori Deschene, the founder of one of our favorite new websites, Tiny Buddha. We hope you enjoy her blog as much as we did.

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

Growing up I often heard the phrase You shouldn’t care so much.

Derivatives of this idea included: So what if they’re talking about you. Who cares what they think? He’s a jerk; why do you care about him? You’re your own person; why do you care about what she’s doing?

I associated the word “care” with stress, because in all these instances, caring meant feeling bad.

It meant being overly worried about someone’s opinion of me, or feeling for someone who didn’t feel for me, or thinking someone was somehow better than me.

I frequently responded, “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t care?”

I also argued that not caring could be a limiting choice.

Sometimes someone else’s criticism contains a valuable lesson. Sometimes someone who seems like a jerk really needs someone to take a chance on him (or her). Sometimes someone else’s choices help us illuminate the path we really want to take.

If we decide to stop caring in all instances that might push and challenge us, we risk closing ourselves off to insights, relationships, and ideas that could change our lives for the better—and potentially do the same for others.

I’ve since realized that the real message isn’t to stop caring, but instead to recognize how we care and why so that we don’t give our power away.
Sometimes we care with love; sometimes we care with fear. Sometimes we care with self-respect; sometimes we care with self-contempt. Sometimes we care with a sense of possibility; sometimes we care with fears of inferiority.

The important thing is that we don’t let caring about people or circumstances detract from our ability to care for ourselves.

A friend of mine recently told me she’s stopped caring about what people expect of her. Knowing that she values those relationships, I concluded that she really meant she stopped stressing about how well she met their expectations.

She essentially decided to stop worrying about things outside her control, and focus instead on all the things that were within her power.

That’s what it means to care for ourselves: to do our best and celebrate that, even as we keep learning and growing.

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She’s also the author of Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal, Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, and is co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. For daily wisdom, visit Tinybuddha.com.

How to Stay Motivated When You Are Working From Home

How to Stay Motivated When You Are Working From Home
How to Stay Motivated When You Are Working From Home

We’re excited to bring you today’s post written by LCSW, Amy Moran. With more people working from home those days, we know many are struggling with motivation and the challenges of staying engaged in your workplace. We think you will find her suggestions helpful. Please let us know some of your own tips for staying motivated!

Most people find working from home to be challenging—especially at first. From piles of dirty laundry to daytime TV, there are tons of distractions.

And sometimes, pajamas and a comfortable seat on the sofa just don’t provide the same type of motivation you get from a suit and an office chair.

Whether you’re home alone and the house is too quiet, or you’re home with the family and the kids are out of control, you may find it’s tough to stay on task, get your work done, and feel productive. Fortunately, the following strategies can help you stay motivated when you work from home.

1. Create a Schedule

Without a structured workday, time can get away from you. You might find that you start shifting your workdays later and later as you sip an extra cup of coffee. Then, your work hours extend later into the evenings, which causes you to stay up later at night, as well.

Or you might find that you easily get off track or distracted while working. Projects that used to take 20 minutes are suddenly lasting 2 hours.

That’s why it’s important to have a clear schedule. Establish a time to begin and end work. Try to stick to it as much as you can.

2. Establish a Dedicated Workspace

You might be tempted to work in bed. After all, it’s likely the most comfortable space in the house.

But when you associate your bed with work, it can interfere with your sleep. And trouble sleeping will affect your performance the following day. Most sleep experts recommend reserving your bed for sleep and sexual activity.

So even though your bed might feel like a comfortable spot, create a workspace somewhere else. The kitchen table or a desk in the corner of the living room might be better alternatives to your bedroom.

3. Work in Small Blocks of Time

Blocking out small amounts of time—and planning what you’ll do during that timeframe—can make big tasks feel more manageable.

You might find you have more motivation when telling yourself that you just need to complete one invoice in the next 30 minutes, rather than telling yourself that you have 50 invoices to create by lunchtime.

Scheduling your time will also hold you more accountable. You’ll be less likely to get lost on social media when you know you only have 15 minutes to complete a task. And you’ll be less likely to procrastinate when you’ve given yourself a tight deadline.

4. Limit Distractions and Interruptions

You might find that you struggle to get back on task each time you’re interrupted. You can stay motivated by limiting the distractions and interruptions you experience.

This may mean muting your phone notifications and only checking your email once an hour. Or placing your phone on “Do Not Disturb” until you complete a specific task.

If you’re working from home with kids, keep them occupied to reduce how often they interrupt you. Give them tasks to do and plan to check on them at a certain time.

Establish some ground rules about what constitutes a legitimate reason for them interrupting you while working. Then, you can reward them for playing well on their own with a chance to do something extra fun when you’re finished working.

5. Practice the “10-Minute Rule”

It can be hard to convince yourself to start working on a task you really don’t want to do. Whether you know it’s going to be boring, frustrating, or just really challenging, convincing yourself to get started is tough.

One of the best ways to get moving on something you don’t want to do is by using the “10-minute rule.” Tell yourself that you only have to work on something for 10 minutes. Then, after the 10-minute mark, you can take a break if you want.

More times than not, you’ll likely find that at the 10-minute mark you’ll choose to keep going. Usually, getting started is the toughest part. But once you do, it’s easy to keep the momentum going.

6. Reward Yourself

You might find you work best when you know there’s a little reward waiting for you. For example, tell yourself you can watch your favorite show if you get your work done by 6 p.m. Or tell yourself you can have a cup of your favorite tea as soon as you finish this report.

A little incentive can often go a long way toward helping you get work done efficiently. And it’ll help you see what you’re capable of accomplishing.

7. Challenge Yourself

Sometimes, a little challenge can help get you moving, too. For example, you might try to write a certain amount of words in 30 minutes. Once you see how many words you write in 30 minutes, you might try beating that during the next 30-minute time slot.

You might also make some discoveries about yourself. Maybe you type faster when you’re sitting at the kitchen table, or perhaps you have better focus right after lunch. Learning these things about yourself might help you set up your day for success.

Being more aware of your time helps you use it wisely. And challenging yourself in some way might provide the extra incentive you need.

8. Practice Good Self-Care

You’ll never be at your best if you’re exhausted and running on caffeine and sugar only. You need a healthy diet, plenty of rest, and good self-care strategies to perform at your peak.

But meeting your physical, social, and emotional needs right now will be a bit more challenging than usual. Eating a healthy diet might not be as easy when you’re limiting your trips to the grocery store. And video chatting with friends isn’t the same as meeting in person.

So take a step back every once in a while and ask yourself what else you can do to better take care of yourself. As your stress level increases, your self-care should increase right alongside it.

9. Experiment With Different Strategies

There are plenty of online tips about how to work well from home. But everyone is different. And what works for one person might not work well for another.

So it’s important to experiment with different strategies to discover what works well for you. You might find you feel more motivated in the evenings, or you might have more energy after a morning workout.

10. Practice Regulating Your Emotions

Research shows we tend to put off tasks that stir up uncomfortable emotions. If you’re anxious about a medical appointment, you might not be motivated to call the doctor. Or, if you’re afraid studying will bring frustration, you might find yourself binge-watching Netflix instead.

In these cases, the lack of motivation stems from your desire to avoid discomfort. And when you’re working from home, there are always plenty of opportunities to engage in something more fun than the work you’re supposed to be doing.

So consider what emotion(s) you’re trying to avoid feeling. Acknowledging the emotion might make it feel less scary. Remind yourself that you can handle feeling uncomfortable.

Additionally, remind yourself of how good you’ll feel when you get the project done, as opposed to how bad you’ll feel if you don’t do the work. This might remind you to take action regardless of whether you feel like it.

What This Means For You

Working from home can be challenging in the best of circumstances. But if you find yourself working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, the added stress of the situation will make it harder than usual to stay motivated.

Be willing to cut yourself a little slack if your productivity isn’t on par. Rather than beat yourself up for not being motivated enough, you might find a little self-compassion goes a long way toward helping you feel your best.

Jacobs Gardner has the products you need to be productive whether you are working from home or in the office. Contact us for fast, free delivery on over 50,000 products today. 1 (800) 638-0983 or shop www.jacobsgardner.com

Jacobs Gardner

Double A Paper Grows over 500,000 trees with help of farmers in Thailand.

Double A Paper Grows over 500,000 trees with help of farmers in Thailand.
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Jacobs Gardner is proud to announce that our partner, Double A Paper, has successfully planted 500,000 trees, meeting the goal of their fantastic One Dream, One Tree Campaign! Throughout the campaign, Jacobs Gardner has helped to provide sustainably produced Double A Paper to our customers while also helping Double A to save the planet.

What is Double A Paper?

Double A Paper is a paper production company based in Thailand. With the sustainable movement gaining traction across the globe, Double A has been dedicated to producing quality paper in a completely eco-friendly way, involving a production process that leaves no negative impact on the environment. The process begins with Thai farmers planting Paper-Tree saplings on their KHAN-NA, the unused land between rice paddies. This allows Double A to source from high-quality trees without contributing to deforestation or taking up large amounts of land. Not to mention, all the waste from the pulping process is made into a renewable biomass fuel that provides electricity to fuel their paper mill!

The planting process of the Paper-Tree also allows the partnering farmers in Thailand to earn extra income as Double A compensates them for the use of their land. This money allows the farmers to meet many goals of their own, such as providing for their families, paying for their children’s education, and putting more money into their local economies. Double A Paper believes in promoting economic and environmental sustainability, and their One Dream, One Tree campaign has allowed them to make a major difference.

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What is One Dream, One Tree?

To promote environmental sustainability and help make Earth a greener place, Double A Paper kicked off their One Dream, One Tree campaign in November 2019. During One Dream, One Tree, for every ream of Double A paper purchased, one tree is planted by a Thai farmer. These trees will fully mature in only three to five years, and in the meantime, they will provide much-needed shade to the Thai farmers and much-needed oxygen to the world. Double A set a goal when they launched One Dream, One Tree: they wanted to plant 500,000 trees by the end of February, and thanks to partners like us and customers like you, they finally met that goal!

What is the Value of Each Tree?

Every tree contributes to the environment by helping to combat global warming and climate change, absorbing carbon from the air and producing oxygen. Planting trees could remove as much as two-thirds of the carbon dioxide that humans have put into the air from daily life, helping us all to breathe a little easier. With these trees growing on the KHAN-NA, Double A also helps reforestation efforts by not requiring trees from forests, allowing that land to be restored over time. Reforestation will help to restore damaged lands, bringing life back to the environment and promoting biodiversity.

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If you want to help Double A’s cause, you can buy their high-quality paper and support a company that is making a difference. Contact Jacobs Gardner (www.jacobsgardner.com) to place an order for Double A Paper today, and help improve the world, one ream at a time.

Five Strategies to Cope with Stress and Avoid Burnout

Five Strategies to Cope with Stress and Avoid Burnout
Five Coping Strategies to Avoid Burnout

Which list would you like to describe you?

– Option 1: Energized, invigorated, focused, passionate, balanced, strong

– Option 2: Run-down, sluggish, brain-fogged, stressed, depressed, anxious

I’d choose Option One and I’ll bet you would, too. As we start the new year, and a brand new decade, I thought I would shake things up a bit and write about a different topic that is of interest to us all – reducing stress and avoiding burnout.

Before writing Competitive Selling: The Guidebook to Being Proactive in a Reactive World in 2019, I got about 70% finished with a book focused on nutrition and good health for the super busy professional. Notice I said only “70%” finished. I never completed the book for a number of reasons, but it is still a topic I feel passionate about.

Besides being a writer, I’m also a passionate reader. I’ve read countless books on business and the profession of selling. In my pursuit of living a balanced life, I’ve read an equal number of books on improving nutrition, relieving stress, and strengthening relationships.

On the active side of things, I’m an avid runner and mountain biker. Work-wise, I travel most weeks and put in long hours on the job, as you probably do, too.

Life can be very busy. A busy life can easily lead to burnout, but with focused daily habits, it can largely be avoided. Here is my advice on how to do just that in 2020:

1. Get the list out of your head before you hit the bed.

We’ve all been there. Your mind is racing and you can’t sleep. One strategy that works is to make sure you compile your master list of things to do before you hit the sack. This can be done before you leave the office or even later in the evening. It frees up your mind to truly rest and helps you prioritize tasks much faster in the morning.

One of my all-time favorite books on time management is Brian Tracy’s book, Time Power. The author boldly promises you’ll learn how to get more done than you ever thought possible. It’s a great resource. I think we can all improve in this area!

2. What you track improves.

Just like I would advise a salesperson to track their sales activities, I would also suggest tracking your physical activity and your food intake.

The more conscience you are of your daily habits the better you will do. Life is stressful. Eating the right foods can help. They can truly be medicine to the body and build up your immunity and stress-tolerance. One way to tap into more tracking this year is to try out an app like MyFitnessPal. Other good ones are available, too.

Most nutrition gurus say for an active person, your diet should be made up 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. These percentages can shift depending on your fitness goals, health needs and doctor instructions.

Whatever the numbers are, how do you know if you are hitting them if you don’t track them?

Along with tracking nutrition, track your exercise. Let’s get physical…every single day. We have all seen the rise of the sale of standing desks and for good reason. Stand up. Get your body moving!

3. Take your vacation time this year and lose the guilt.

Without regular rest periods, your mind quickly fills up and the hard drive of sound thinking can be disrupted. When I started my business 16 years ago, my father-in-law, a successful business person, told my husband and me to get away every ninety days, whether we had the resources or not. That’s something we’ve stuck to and it has paid huge dividends in avoiding burnout and feeding our marriage.

For me personally, taking a vacation is an act of faith. There is always a long list of tasks to tackle and it never stops. But give yourself permission to rest guilt-free. Come back re-engaged and even more focused. Go ahead. Look at the 2020 calendar and plan your time off. If you don’t, it will be 2021 before you know it!

4. Get off the Complain Train.

There is a great book by Jon Gordon called The Energy Bus. In the book, he describes a great “No Complaining Rule.” Aspire to hold yourself to this rule and encourage others to do the same. Be conscious of this energy and time sucking activity and stop it in its tracks!

As the old hymn says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” Work on driving up your awareness of how much there truly is to be grateful for!

5. Find passion in your work.

You have been gifted with certain skills, talents and abilities that are uniquely yours. Do you know what they are? Here’s a quick question to figure out one of your gifts: “What is something you can do almost effortlessly, without much planning, and still perform it with excellence?” The “without much planning” is not advised but it’s still a way to think of your most natural gifts! (The Gallup Poll Strengths Finder is a great tool to use to create a more comprehensive list.)

Recognize those parts of the role you play at work that give you the most joy versus those that drain you. For a salesperson, it is helpful to look at things you do that are proactive vs. reactive (often draining activities). Analyze how much time you are spending in each area. Then make it a point to be more proactive in the areas you are gifted in the most…the areas where you find your passion.

So, reflect on these coping strategies and see which ones make sense for you. Remember, people love to do business with someone who loves what they do.

Are you that person?

Reignite that passion, take good care of yourself, and make it a fantastic 2020!

Marisa Pensa is founder of Methods in Motion, a sales training company that helps businesses execute training concepts and create accountability to see both inside and outside sales initiatives through to success. For more information, visit www.methodsnmotion.com

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