Here’s a funky remix of the old ‘Shift Happens’ clip – with updated stats on tech and info. Enjoy!

Filed under: Coffee Break (Just For Fun), HR Buzz, Info-Overload | No Comments »

I spoke at a breakfast for Human Resources leaders last month, and we asked what was on their minds these days. Here’s what they said:

• Managing people’s expectations
• Dealing with increased levels of fear and anxiety
• Managing morale in the face of the media hype, especially for financial institutions
• Improving internal communication skills
• Keeping people motivated when they don’t know whether they’ll be around next week
• A new internal focus – ‘Back to Basics’
• Relying on internal expertise rather than external consultants
• Getting managers to lead and be decisive
• Noticing that employees are very self-focused
• Working to build confidence in leadership

My topic was Helping Your Team Accomplish More With Less.

I’ve prepared a 1-page summary which is ideal for team leaders looking for practical ways to help their people today.

Please download your copy here.

Filed under: Business Organising, Focus, HR Buzz, Productive Routines, Time Management | No Comments »

This article reminds me of that essay we had to write when we were kids: “How I Spent my Spring Vacation” by Kristin Lowe.

There are 4 extra bodies in the house this week, and they all want to be wherever I am, drawing me into whatever they’re doing. I am genuinely interested, but I keep wondering, “Does anybody else see the computer in front of me, or the phone I’m holding up to my ear?”

Our clients are all working this week – kicking off 2nd Quarter with much more optimism than Q1 – so nothing is slowing down on the work front. I could go into the office, but I sort of like staying in my jammies all day with everyone else.

Here’s how I’m staying focused in the midst of piano practice, Play-doh, PBJ sandwiches and paint being applied to the walls of the study where I (try to) work:

1. Hard stuff first - Whatever requires the most intense concentration is the first task of the day, before kids and clients start looking for me.
2. Clear priorities - I start my day with a gorgeously organised RTM task list – and I don’t go to bed until it’s ready for tomorrow.
3. One thing at a time - I write on a piece of paper next to me the ONE thing I am working on right now. I cross it off when I’m done. Under these circumstances it seems to take a superhuman effort to stay focused on one thing at a time, but by day’s end, the list of completed items is nice and long.
4. Batching tasks – Processing email, making calls, writing proposals, replying to email…these are all distinctly separate chunks of the day, interspersed with family stuff like cleaning the guinea pig cage, getting dinner together and watching a movie. There’s a rhythm to it; my brain likes the variety.
5. Change of scenery - I move my laptop around the house whenever I switch activities. Depending on what I’m working on and how deeply I need to concentrate, I might sit at my desk, on the sofa, or on the balcony.
6. White noise – If I sit at the kitchen island, the rain on the window drowns out the noise of the playdates and renovations. When the rain stops, sometimes I put in headphones and listen to recorded ambient noise: the sounds of a waterfall, ocean waves, or a thunderstorm. (By the way, this is a great trick for when you have to work in a coffee shop or airport lounge).
7. Support - My husband is on holiday too, and he’s great about throwing the kids in the car and making errands feel like a special outing. This is when I can call people without letting on I’m at home. I guess now my secret’s out.

Is it a picture of perfect familial and entrepreneurial bliss? Nah – I’ve shouted at everyone plenty of times…but this is what I wanted, right? Freedom, fulfillment and family. It works – as long as I stay focused!

How do you stay focused in the midst of distractions when you’re working from home?  How about in an open-plan office?

Filed under: Flow, Focus, Productive Routines, Tasks, Work/Life Balance | 2 Comments »

Skype in the palm of my hand – perfect. I’m so jazzed about this. Free Skype-to-Skype calls and handheld instant messages from any Wi-Fi zone…somebody pinch me, please. I remember trying to do something like this through the web browser on my old Treo once when I was waiting for a bus. It was an expensive – and unsuccessful – experiment.

My amazing virtual assistant told me the other day she doesn’t have SMS on her phone. What?!

She has every application known to modern man on her computer, but I can’t send her a message when I’m not at my desk? I just didn’t get it. I’ve always thought she lived on Planet Earth where we ALL have SMS…but then again, we’ve never actually met. She says she’s somewhere in Canada, eh.

I realised our entire working relationship for the past 18 months has been through Skype, so I only bug her when I’m sitting at my computer. Now she can run, but she can’t hide…

Filed under: Coffee Break (Just For Fun) | No Comments »