Building rapport with your team

Greet everyone. Taking the time to say good morning to your team and close colleagues goes a long way to fostering a sense of appreciation and respect. At the very least, it acknowledges people’s presence and contribution, and beyond that it shows you are approachable and happy to reach out to them. With so many […]

Giving constructive feedback

Aim for balance. No-one wants an uninterrupted flow of criticism during an appraisal, but neither do we really want a shower of praise. One kills morale and motivation, the other is mood-boosting, but offers no opportunities for growth. When offering feedback – both professionally and personally – aim for a balance between what the person […]

Dealing with a bad mood

Don’t analyse it. When you’re in a great mood, do you roll your sleeves up and get to work figuring out why you’re feeling so chirpy? No. So don’t do it when you’re feeling low! Often it’s simply inexplicable, so trying to identify all the things that are bringing you down will only pull those […]

Managing the email avalanche

1. Make appointments to check email. Trying to keep on top of your emails all day long is a time-suck and the enemy of concentration. Choose your least productive times of day and schedule a meeting with yourself to check and deal with your email (keep high-productivity times for your most important tasks). This might […]

Slowing the rush

Do less. Overbooking yourself and cramming your schedule is a sure-fire way to become hurried and harried, someone who tap their foot when the checkout moves slowly and beeps their horn if the driver in front doesn’t zoom off the second the light goes green. Intentionally accept fewer activities than you think you can take […]

Avoiding overwhelm over the holidays

Lower your expectations Too often we put so much pressure on ourselves to have (and ensure others have) the perfect Christmas or New Year’s Eve that we end up stressed, frazzled and disappointed. What would it be like actively to set a lower expectation for your family this year? What if you were define a […]

Making self-care a daily habit

Treat your feet like friends Clearing out shoes that pinch, jab, squeeze and rub is a radical act of self-care because it has an immediate positive impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. As well as eliminating pain, careful shoe selection makes your movements and activities, boosts your energy, and enables you up to skip […]

Controlling your smartphone habit

Turn off notifications You don’t have to completely uninstall every app on your phone to take a break. Simply turn off notifications from Twitter, Facebook, etc. in your phone’s settings or within the app itself. Give yourself the power to choose when you look at the app instead of reacting every time it summons you. […]

Decluttering when the task is overwhelming

1. Divide and conquer Make a (very) long list of all the parts of your home you wish to declutter. Itemise on a small scale. List large drawers individually, same with cupboards. The kitchen might go like this: spice rack, glasses cupboard, crockery cupboard, top drawer, middle drawer, pots and pans drawer… 2. Break it […]

Enjoying time with your kids more

1. Concentrate Nothing ruins time with my kids more than when I attempt to multi-task. They hate it when it’s “their time” and I am not giving them my attention; and, once they are off at school or in bed, I always regret when I wasn’t 100% present during the time we had together. Managing […]