Author: atimirage

For many of us 2020 has changed how we do things, how we work, live and socialise. Working from home is more common – even Seek.com has a “working from home” location search function now.

It’s likely that some of these changes are here to stay. Having your team all in one room to discuss the latest organisation challenges may not happen that often anymore. Now the meeting landscape is led by MS Teams or Zoom which brings challenges. How do we keep the meeting relevant, on time, with engaging content and fit for purpose?

Here are 5 strategies you can use to successfully lead your virtual meetings

Design your meeting around interactivity.

It’s not enough to just copy what you did face-to-face in an online environment. You run the risk of participants switching off or being distracted through boredom. Include ways for people to interact with your key points. You might want to use a voting button through the chat function to help make key decisions, or encourage people to ask questions through the meeting, not just at the end. If your software allows it, then make use of the virtual breakout rooms or virtual whiteboard functions.

Minimise presentations slides.

Share the presenting responsibility

Before the meeting consider inviting others to lead a portion of the meeting. This take pressure off you and increases engagement for those who will present. If your meeting calls for open discussion and collaboration ensure you call upon people by name to give their opinions.

For small meetings, don’t use the mute button.

If your group is small enough and background noise isn’t an issue don’t mute everyone. Encourage people to speak spontaneously. A small group can quickly learn to recognise each other’s voices if they regularly work together virtually. People will sometimes talk over each other but will soon get used to it and manage it well

Enjoyed these tips?  We can help with tangible tools and support. Join us for our next workshops:

Leading Virtual & Remote Teams*

MS Teams*

Mastering Delegation*

Organise and Simplify Home and Office*

Continuous Process Improvement

Productivity in Times of Change*

* Available online as a live, facilitator-led virtual training course

For more information, please call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

Who loves to hear the alarm clock on a Monday morning after a relaxing weekend? If you’re like half of the population and hit snooze at least once, you’re not alone! This behaviour typically leads to rushing around to get ready in time. Or stealing minutes from other important tasks, like doing some exercise.

How you start your Monday morning sets the tone for the day and week ahead. Especially when it comes to your mood.

Put down the phone.

If your natural habit is to reach for the phone, either to turn the alarm off or check emails – don’t! The light from the phone can strain your eyes, and depending on the emails you receive overnight they can raise your stress levels. This sets your brain on a path to overthinking and over analysing. As an alternative spend a few minutes stretching in bed. Switch your phone alarm for an old-school plug-in alarm with a radio, or ask Google to play some music to start your day.

Download your thoughts.

Move your body.

With many of us in sedentary jobs moving your body is more important than ever. Don’t have time for planned exercise? That’s ok! Try parking your car further away than your usual parking spot. Jump off the bus one stop earlier or take the stairs on the way up to your desk. Take regular breaks at work and consider “walk and talk” meetings with colleagues.

Set a goal for the day.

Decide on something you want to achieve by the end of the day. Make sure it’s realistic. It might be as simple as moving your body more. Or maybe it’s trying a new recipe for dinner, paying a bill you’ve been putting off or reaching a personal best at the gym. Whatever motivates you, build that into your day’s achievements. The feeling of success can last longer than the day itself, so get setting those goals!

Enjoyed these tips?  We can help with tangible tools and support. Join us for our next workshops:

Manage Stress, Build Resilience

Time Management & Personal Productivity

Organise and Simplify Home & Office*

Tame Your Inbox

Finish what you start – 8 Ways to Tackle Procrastination*

* Virtual Class only

Call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

With much of the world in a spin right now it can feel tough to know which way to go to gain traction. If you’re a leader, this means guiding not just yourself but others around you too. The easy route would be to do nothing at all – let the world figure things out on its own. The old saying of “time will tell” can be difficult to follow when you have major business demands and time is not an available commodity.

How do you lead to get through these uncertain times? At ATI-Mirage we meet many clients with this question in mind.

We’ve put together some steps all leaders can take today to lead their teams in uncertain times:

Be Authentic.

Your team will be looking to you for answers, and it’s ok if you don’t know them. Be honest and open with your team on your thoughts and plans for the future. It’s easy to hide behind corporate jargon and spreadsheets. Step out from behind this. Allow yourself to be open to receive feedback and listen to new ideas.

Build Resilience.

Trust.

Let your team know you value and trust them. When times are so uncertain, build certainty in the skills and ability your team has. By trusting your team, you can focus on what you “can do” rather than what you have no control over. This works really well to ground thoughts and feelings. Plans become easier to make and increased trust in a team enhances overall well-being.

Increase collaboration.

Acknowledge and value team interdependence. Keep away from boardroom decisions that benefit only a few people. Allow opportunities for team collaboration. When you do this it removes a competitive environment, making space for innovation and creation. Allowing people to work together drives a sense of purpose and this in turn creates accountability. When times are uncertain, building connection provides a solid platform to build upon.

Enjoyed these tips?  We can help with tangible tools and support. Join us for our next workshops:

Supervisor Toolkit – For newly promoted supervisors / Team Leaders

Managing People and Performance

Ignite! Leadership Program for Middle Managers

Emotionally Intelligent Leader with SEIP

Team Chemistry & High Performance

Leading & Communicating Change

Leading Virtual / Remote Teams Virtual Class

Call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

Sometimes we may feel like we are stuck in Groundhog Day. Every day feels the same, as if we are on a hamster wheel going around and around. Tasks we usually enjoy start to feel less interesting, and it seems we not getting anywhere fast. It is normal to feel this way sometimes and is just a part of life. When feelings become overwhelming though and start to affect your wellbeing, it’s time to take action!

Once you have recognised you’re in a rut, it’s time to reflect and wonder what might be triggering it. Coming out of a period of isolation may be the cause for many of us. Has this been going on longer than a few months? What seems to get you down the most? Is it your work routine, or lack of work? When was the last time you spent time with a particular friend?

Here are 3 strategies you can take today to make a difference and break out of your rut.

Change the frame to change the game.

Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Change can feel awkward at first and you may need time to adapt. It’s easy to give up on the first go. Maybe you decided to change your journey to work, taking the train rather than driving it. On the first attempt it ended up costing you time and you arrived to the office late. It would be easy to say “Nope ,not worth the change!”. But what if you also changed your wake-up habits to get up bit earlier? You gain time back on the train from not driving, so how could you use that time more effectively? Get comfortable with trying new things which take you out of your comfort zone.

Digitally detox.

The clues to getting out of our rut start with realising what’s created it in the first place. Spend time reflecting before taking action. You may just find yourself feeling more energized quicker than you thought!

Enjoyed these tips? We have so much more available in our PD training workshops. We can help with tangible tools and support. Check out what’s on offer:

Call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

The focus in the media has mainly been on those who lost their job or business due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But what about those who worked through it all? For some, the pressure and stress has been huge. Trying to keep up with demand or designing innovative ways to support valuable customers.

Now restrictions are being lifted and there seems to be even more pressure as we look to the future. The demands, the deadlines and expectations of work leave many of us feeling exhausted. As we enter a transition phase the question is asked: “How do we effectively re-energise ourselves so we are  able to keep going?”

In order to recharge we need to recognise the costs of energy-depleting behaviours and then take responsibility for changing them.  If during Covid-19 you found yourself working long hours every day of the week, these behaviours need to change. Establishing simple rituals can lead to many beneficial results.

Here are our top 5 actions for effectively re-energising to stay motivated and increase performance:

Find activities to fuel you

Make sleep your number 1 priority

Sleep is undoubtedly the most powerful restorative tool we have. In reality, even small amounts of sleep deprivation undermine our body’s capacity to repair. The reality is that we are not designed to run like a computer; continuously at high speed for long periods of time. Set an alarm to remind yourself to go to bed each evening at a time that allows enough sleep. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

Do random acts of kindness

Experience novelty

Manage energy rather than time

Enjoyed these tips? We have so much more available in our PD training workshops. We can help with tangible tools and support. Check out what’s on offer:

Call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

As restrictions in WA start to slowly ease and we look to the future there may be a few questions to consider. What will the new normal look like? How will things be different? What can I continue doing? What do I need to let go of?

The speed at which everyone’s lives changed when the outbreak occurred thrust many of us into a massive adjustment period. Initially, it was all about finding ways to work remotely and setting up home offices.  Next came the luxury of “time”. With the travel bans in place, we found ourselves gaining back time. Life slowed down. This opened up opportunities for us to enjoy hobbies, get to know our own neighbourhoods and enjoy new communication methods with friends and family.

So, when life adjusts in the future, how do we hold on to the positive practices social isolation has provided?

Write a list of everything you enjoyed

Shift your focus

From your list highlight what is truly important to you. That could be quality family time, making a routine to connect with friends over a drink or spend more time relaxing and enjoying hobbies. Decide what you’d like to keep doing in the months ahead and not left drift away as life moves on.

Make your new priorities a priority!

The COVID-19 outbreak is an event none of us has ever experienced. If there is some good to come from it all, let’s hold on to that for a more positive future.

We at ATI-Mirage can help with tangible tools and support:

Manage Stress Build Resilience

Manage Stress Build Resilience – Virtual Class

Mindfulness @ Work

Mindfulness @ Work – Virtual Class

Call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

We are now a few weeks into the new normal of working at home. Some people may be thriving in this new environment. For others, they may be missing colleagues and a formal office space. Maybe by now the shine of being at home has worn away. Yet work continues and needs to be completed. How do you stay engaged and motivated while being away from your usual workplace routine?

Here are our top 5 tips for keeping motivated and engaged while working from home:

1. Keep all meetings to 30mins or less

We encourage you to over communicate so you feel more connected with your colleagues. But don’t let your meetings drag on. Adjust your agenda to have shorter, sharper meetings. This will boost engagement as the pace picks up and conversations become clearer and more concise.

2. Nominate a social champion

If you naturally have social people in your team, utilise them! Get them to lead social initiatives to encourage connection – such as starting each meeting with a fun fact or sending a question to engage everyone to answer. If you would prefer something more subtle why not create themes for virtual meetings. For example, everyone wears something on their head, or chose a colour a day to coordinate clothes choices for something fun.

3. Create a channel for fun

Engagement stems from being naturally driven to pay attention and get involved. Encourage this by setting up channels for fun topics on your collaborative tool like MS Teams. It could be as simple as sharing new background images for everyone to use on your virtual meetings, sharing funny photos of your pets, or maybe sharing your home cooking disasters and delights. Either way, the more we share the less isolated we will feel

4. Change up your workspace

If you have the ability to, take your laptop outside to work. If you don’t have that option, look at rearranging your current workspace. Maybe de-cluttering is a good option after a few weeks of working. Only have what you need around you and put away everything else. Consider introducing some plants or moving your desk more towards natural light.  Small changes can make a massive difference to your state of mind. If you’re comfortable at your desk, you’re more likely to enjoy working there.

5. Learn something new

Now is a great time to develop your skills. Maybe take up a new hobby, read a self-empowerment book in your downtime or formally advance your professional skills. When we learn something new we usually want to share it with those we are connected to. This is a great way to communicate knowledge and increase motivation at the same time. When we are motivated our energy resonates to others, leading to increased connection and engagement for new shared understanding.

Implementing these tips can help foster engagement and connection among team members. This in turn is motivation to achieve more, resulting in strong successful teams.

We at ATI-Mirage can help with tangible tools and support to make working from home easier:

Productivity in times of change – Virtual Class

Organise and simplify home and offices – Virtual Class

MS Teams – Virtual Class

Manage Stress Build Resilience – Virtual Class

Communication & Interpersonal Skills (with DiSC) – Virtual Class

And please let us know if you need assistance with the transition to remote working as well as help overcoming the challenges. Call us on 9218 9059 or email us hello@ati-mirage.com.au

In this changing world, we are all adjusting to the new normal. For some of us we are converting our living rooms into home offices. Many of us may feel disconnected from the visibility a corporate office environment provides. How do we stay connected and continue to collaborate while away from the office?

Here are some points to help boost your communication for remote working:

1. Become comfortable with being vocal:

Seeming like you’re drawing attention to yourself can feel uncomfortable to start with, particularly if you are more introverted by nature. Letting others know what your working on helps to provide more visibility to others. This allows greater opportunity for teamwork and collaboration. Use emails and chat platforms to keep conversations going.

2. Provide meaningful context to your peers:

Communicate to colleagues about topics that matter to them. Don’t just share your own news, talk to others about topics they are interested in. Maybe ask how their project going? If you want to share your own work try linking it back to a piece of work they did so you can celebrate success together. Without meaningful context you may come across to others as self-promoting rather than a team player.

3. Consistency:

Approach communication in a consistent manner. This means creating a routine for when and how you connect with your colleagues. For some people this could be a group web chat every day at 9am over a coffee. Or others might enjoy a casual “huddle” every afternoon at 2pm. These communication opportunities are above and beyond the standard work meetings.

4. Ask Questions:

Quality questions provide quality answers to gain clarity. Don’t be shy when it comes to clarifying your key work priorities. What you think is important may differ for others. Without being in the same room as your colleagues you may miss out on small bits of information. Asking questions to your colleagues can help to steer away from your own assumptions and keep you on track.

5. Collaborate:

Find ways to complete your work to involve other people. Working remotely for long periods of time can be isolating. On top of all the social distancing, we have to do working alone can compound things. Look at your daily tasks and break them down, so they can be shared. Even if it’s just sharing an idea with a colleague, or drafting an email for them to proof read for a second opinion.

Creating a culture of over-communication allows colleagues to feel more connected and in-sync with each other. This will be even more rewarding once offices re-open and life goes back to a sense of normal again.

We at ATI-Mirage can help with tangible tools and support to make working from home easier:

Communication & Interpersonal Skills (with DiSC) – Virtual Class

Leading Virtual and Remote Teams – Virtual Class

MS Teams – Virtual Class

Collaborate with Office 365 – Virtual Class

And please let us know if you need assistance with the transition to remote working as well as help overcoming the challenges. Call us on 9218 9059 or email us hello@ati-mirage.com.au

The opportunity to work from home might sound like a fantastic idea. You can be comfy in your own surroundings and have grand ideas of getting “so much work done”. For some of us this may be very true. For others though, working from home can mean demonstrating discipline and creating a “new normal” as our home morphs into our new workspace.

Here’s our best tips for managing your work from home.

Technology, technology, technology:

If you’re a manager and enjoy the ability to see what your team are doing, working from home could give you a sense of overwhelm. “How do I know the work is still being done?”. Or maybe you’re a team member who just enjoys the social aspect of being in an office environment. Technology is there to help you. Explore what your organisation already has access to as part of their suite of programs. Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams and even Tasks in Outlook are all features you could use to support remote team visibility. Keep your focus for new technology on demonstrating results, rather than to “keep an eye on people”. You’ll find more uptake and acceptance from people when introducing new tech tools.

Be flexible with your work hours:

If you live with other people, especially children, working from home can be challenging. There may need to be a new routine you create in order to get the work done. For example, maybe start your day at 5am so you have a couple of quiet hours before everyone else wakes up. Not a morning person? Try working later in the afternoon. You may need to break your day up, working in 1-hour blocks over a longer period for example. Be proactive and work to suite your home schedule, rather than trying to make your office routine work at home.

Adjust your response time expectations:

Being office-based we have the luxury of sitting next to a colleague we need answers from. Just because we are at home doesn’t mean 24/7 availability. If someone hasn’t got back to you straight away it could be they have stepped away from their laptop for a break, or maybe they are preparing some lunch. If you have urgent matters that need attention, consider picking up the phone or using a web-based video chat instead of firing off multiple emails.

Communicate:

If there are other people you share your home with. Let them know your work plans for each day. Maybe you select a room to become your new office space. Create respectful boundaries to let other know what to do if they want to access the room or want to talk to you while you are working. Likewise, if you have created a new work routine at home, communicate this to your colleagues so they know when you’ll be available to answer any questions they might have.

Never work from bed:

When deciding on where you work in your home, try to stay away from your bedroom. Bringing work into a private space can blur the lines between work stress and relaxation time. This can impact your ability to fall asleep at night or feel motivated in the morning. Keep your bedroom as a place to unwind after your day rather than an extended office space.

Keep track of your downtime:

Taking regular breaks when working from home is important so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Time can move quickly when you are at home and its easy to get caught up in a domestic task. Keep an eye on the time you spend away from your work. Consider having a 20min alarm set, so you can get back to work and achieve those work goals you’ve set.

Socialise – virtually:

While it’s important to get your work done working from home it’s also important to keep up the social connection to your colleagues. Don’t be afraid to send chat messages to your colleagues on a social level too. Convert your morning coffee chats into online chats to keep the connection going while you are physically apart. Just be mindful of how much time you’re using for this.

Working from home can provide a great opportunity to have work/life balance. Find the best way that works for you and enjoy the experience!

We at ATI-Mirage can help with tangible tools and support to make working from home easier.

See our PD & IT schedules for our virtual, live facilitator-led courses.

And please let us know if you need assistance with the transition to remote working as well as help overcoming the challenges. Call us on 9218 9059 or email us hello@ati-mirage.com.au

There is so much value in building a culture of accountability within ourselves.

On a daily basis we are accountable for someone or something. For example, your peers at work, your job, paying bills, bringing up your children, family responsibility… the list goes on. With more demand and expectations on us than ever before how do we stay on track? How do we keep accountable for our actions and not be distracted or led astray from what’s important?

Here are our top 3 tips for keeping yourself accountable

1. Respect time and tasks with outcomes.

We all have the same amount of time in a day. So how do some people glide through life and others feel like they are floundering? The key is how they spend their time. Imagine every minute of the day was a ten dollar note – by the end of each day do you spend it on what you want or do you find yourself lining other people’s pockets? Being accountable is looking at how we are spending our time. Do we fill it up with meaningless time-filler tasks or do we spend it working towards what we want to achieve?

In life there must be balance, so look at where you’re spending your time and if the pendulum swings too far one way, look at balancing things out. For example are you stressed out because you spend so much time completing tasks for everyone else you miss out on getting your own stuff done? If so, look at taking 1 hour of the day (split in 15mins bursts if that’s easier for you) doing something for yourself. Respect the time that is yours to keep yourself accountable.

2. Use technology to support you.

When we are busy, on the go all the time we can store everything in our short-term memory. Like a computer our short term memory can only hold so much before it’s overloaded. While technology can be a major reason for distraction, it can also provide some practical tools to help prioritise. There are plenty of apps out there which create lists, reminders and progress trackers, such as Planner or Trello.

Consider using your 1 hour a day for yourself to research the best apps out there that will work for you. Using visual activity-based technology can keep you accountable to achieve those daily goals.

3. Reward yourself for more than a second.

So, what happens when you deliver on a promise you made yourself? Or when you succeed on a task you’re accountable for? Do you just move straight on to the next one? Stop! Take some time to bask in the glory of all you’ve achieved. Take some time to celebrate your success. You could do that by taking a lunch break, phoning a friend or just getting up from your desk to get some fresh air.

It’s so easy to ignore the celebration part of accountability with all you have to get done. Being accountable takes hard work and dedication so celebrate your wins – even the small ones.

Success in anything comes from making it a priority. It’s down to you to make the conscious effort in mastering your own accountability. Once you do it can be a very rewarding experience.

We at ATI-Mirage can help. Join us for our next workshops:

Tame your Inbox

Time Management and Personal Productivity

Time Management Boost your Productivity

Manage Stress Build Resilience

Microsoft Teams

Develop your Emotional Intelligence

Microsoft Outlook