Category: Uncategorised

Checklist for getting sorted before the end of the year!

Digital clutter is a huge, often invisible productivity-killer (as well as slowing down your computer over time). Before you have time off at the end of the year spend a little time decluttering so you can start fresh in the new year.

Declutter your digital documents

   Go through all your documents and delete any that you no longer need

   Resist the “just in case” syndrome — do you really need those old essays, or those notes from now obsolete projects? Didn’t think so

   If you have a lot of files and/or feel overwhelmed, organise them by date and start with the oldest documents. Break the process down into chunks so you don’t get worn out.

Make a Zen desktop

Just like a clean desk helps you focus and be productive, so does a clean desktop:

   Clean up the folders and files on your desktop

   Get consistent with naming: develop some naming conventions and stick to them

   Stop using your desktop as a default save location. Don’t put a mess in front of your face all day by using the desktop as a save location Choose a default save folder that you can sort regularly

   Set a recurring task in your task manager or calendar to go through the default folder, clean it out and move everything to its permanent home

   Find a minimalist/calm background. A new study has found that just looking at still images of nature is enough ‘natural’ stimulus to lower our stress levels.

Unsubscribe from email list/newsletters

   Stop thinking “I may need these deals/this newsletter later!”, you won’t

   If you MUST keep some kind of newsletter for a particular site/group, update your email preferences to receive fewer updates. There’s usually a link at the bottom of newsletters to edit your email preferences (some only offer the option to unsubscribe completely, however)

   For those you really can’t do without some newsletters set up mail box rules to move items from certain senders or with certain words straight into another folder for review later

   For the next week or two, every time you get a newsletter open it and either unsubscribe or adjust preferences (or set up a move into another folder rule), that way you won’t get lost and overwhelmed sorting through your inbox in one go.

Clean out your downloads

   If you’ve never cleaned up your Downloads folder, it’s probably taking up a good amount of storage on your computer

   Again, if you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume, sort files by date and delete in chunks

   Time saver: If you’ve already backed up all important files, you can simply delete the entire contents of your Downloads folder

Clean up your bookmarks

   Streamline your browser window by cleaning out your bookmarks, keeping only those you need regularly. clean-up tools exist for both Firefox and Chrome to save you the effort.

Organise and delete images

   Organise your photos into folders by date and/or event

   Put them in a cloud drive so you don’t have to store them on your computer. (OneDrive is a good place to keep pictures and other documents)

   Delete any photos that are poor quality or unimportant.

Remember to pace yourself through these tasks so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Use a task manager to schedule and organise the above tasks, or copy and paste the above tasks/checklist to a document. Happy digital decluttering!

We have a range of courses that will help you get organised, click here for more information, or call us on 9218 9059 or email hello@ati-mirage.com.au

World Kindness Day November 13 – Kindness is not something reserved just for friends and family, we can extend it to our colleagues and work family.

Making a difference to your day and someone’s day through kindness is one small act that can have a positive impact. Our human connection of being valued, listened to, considered, seen, and heard, has its roots in kindness and compassion.

In cultivating kindness habits, BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits says ‘we change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.’ It is no accident that by design, we are biologically wired to look out for one another. The physical effects of kindness include a release of feel-good hormones, reducing anxiety and stress levels with a positive and uplifting effect.

Yet often as days get busy, our minds are pre-occupied, and acts of kindness can seem like another thing to write on a long to do list. If we realise kindness is something that can be simple, easy to do and enjoyable, if done daily it becomes an essential part of our who we are and our daily experience.

In cultivating a kindness habit, BJ Fogg reminds us that ‘tiny can be transformative’.  When it comes to long term change, simplicity is an essential factor. Tiny, simple acts of kindness are just as memorable and effective. Starting with yourself, think of a simple kindness habit for your own health and wellbeing.

As kindness can be experienced and demonstrated as part of the emotional culture of a team, start with simple, tiny acts of kindness for the following;

Kindness for yourself
What is one thing you can do to be kinder to yourself today?

Kindness and your team experience
What are ways to bring more kindness into the team?

Kindness and your customer experience
What can you do to make your customer’s day?

Let us know at hello@ati-mirage.com.au your kindness habits.

Need further help?
ATI-Mirage can help you create a positive emotional culture at work, with a unique game that is fun, insightful and ready to action.  To learn more https://www.ati-mirage.com.au/creating-a-great-workplace-culture/

Below are some further resources:

The power of kindness – Simon Sinek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmpUb006O4

Tiny surprises for happiness and health – BJ Fogg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1R7OtJhWs

“Mental health is not a destination, but a process.  It’s about how you drive, not where you are going” – Noam Shpancer PhD

 

Early in my career, I had been asked by the Deputy Commissioner of a large Government Department to work with his senior leaders. His passion theme was ‘moving from good to great’, based on the book of the same name.

There was one person in his team of senior leaders who was considered the ‘golden prodigy’. A real go-getter, energetic and hungry to make a difference, brimming with passion, positivity, and potential.  He was new-ish to the team and wanted to prove himself. Everyone was impressed, some even a little intimidated by his enthusiasm and drive.

In our first session together, I asked him what his objectives for the coaching were. I listened carefully as he spoke quickly and enthusiastically about his desire to “be better at time management, engage my team fully, prioritise better as I have back-to-back meetings nearly all day every day, delegate better, take on bigger projects that are coming up”. When I asked him if he did all of that what would he achieve he said “I can do more and achieve more. I have several large pieces of work involving multiple facets that must be done. I have a large team who need attention, with some performance issues to sort out. I am trying to get my head around how this place operates and put things in place to cut through red tape. My boss wants to shake things up. I’m really keen to get started as soon as possible!”

I didn’t respond straight away, I paused and noticed what looked like some strain on his face, wide eyes and fast speech and movements. Eventually I responded “That sounds like a lot. I’m just curious…how are your stress levels?” He looked at me, slightly taken aback, blinked, and paused.  Then tears rolled down his face.  His demeanour collapsed, his body bent over and he slumped.

He explained he has a 3-month-old baby at home, a wife who was ill, he wasn’t getting much sleep and the demand of his work is taking 10 hours a day and weekends. The real issue was he felt like he wasn’t good enough, as a new leader, as a new father or husband. He rationalised if he could get better at time management, he could prove himself, drive himself further and succeed. In other words, to succeed, he believed he had to do it all, and do it all 100%. He was new to his role and believed he couldn’t take time off. Yet he was at breaking point, overwhelmed and masking it with a brave face while shouldering everything including high expectations.

For the sake of his mental and emotional wellbeing, we had to start with what was really going on. So although the organisation had good intentions to develop a culture of what was termed ‘good to great’ there was a lack of understanding of what was taking place.

Having conversations about emotions can be uncomfortable, difficult and can be considered ‘soft’. Yet most organisations and leaders underestimate the influence emotion has on themselves, and their culture, leadership and change efforts. The emotional culture of an organisation influences employee experience and satisfaction, burnout, teamwork, and even hard measures such as financial performance and absenteeism.

From a personal perspective, some things you can do for mental and emotional wellbeing include:

• Accept where you are.
• Reflect and be clear on what really matters.
• Create and communicate boundaries so your time and energy are protected.
• Ask for support (from professionals, loved ones, friends, colleagues)
• Let go of what doesn’t serve the ‘really matters’. Delegate, let go of the fantasy that all is ok.
• Make a new wellbeing plan that is simple and do-able. Small changes can often be the most transformative.

From a leader perspective, some things you can do to develop a healthy team emotional culture are:

• Demonstrate to your team mental health and wellbeing conversations are part of the culture.
• Don’t assume that people who are performing well don’t need help. Productivity can mask burnout.
• Create opportunities, and space for you and the team to understand more about themselves and others through training, coaching and conversation.
• Remember as a leader, you lead people – people who are human beings, with emotions, thoughts and beliefs. Learn to see things from their perspective.
• Encourage your team to use Headspace’s mindfulness content available through Microsoft Teams.  There are mindfulness guides to help prepare for presentations, as well as short sessions that can also help prevent burnout and bring wellness into your workday.

Check out what’s on offer at ATI-Mirage:

Manage Stress, Build Resilience
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotionally Intelligent Leaders
Mindfulness@Work

Cultivating positive relationships at work is crucial to ongoing work success. We are happier, more productive and have higher levels of job satisfaction when the relationships with our co-workers are positive.

The importance of communication:

Being able to communicate clearly is crucial in the workplace. Everyone works better and more effectively when there are good lines of communication open. Remember the role that being a good listener has in positive communication. Try listening without judgement, jumping to conclusions, interrupting, or thinking about what you might say next. People feel good when they have been heard and understood.

Watch how you communicate:

As with any relationship, communication in the workplace is not just about what you say, but also how you say it. Blaming others when things go wrong, speaking negatively, and constantly using sarcasm are all ways that can sour relationships with your colleagues, and won’t make you look good to the boss either.

Remember about your body language. We have evolved to pick up on non-verbal cues, and use attributes like the way someone stands, their expression, or the amount of eye contact made, to decide on things like someone’s trustworthiness, or how comfortable we feel in their company.

Make the effort:

In today’s work environment, it is easy to do much of your communicating with colleagues over email or by other electronic messaging services. These can be great tools when used properly. What many people forget is the difficulty in interpreting ‘tone’ through an email or electronic message. If you send a message you think is funny, others may not see it the same way. The quality of your work relationships can be improved by making a little extra effort and making a phone call, or better yet, go and see them in person (or via Zoom!)

Spending time getting to know a little about your workmates’ interests, family or previous work history can really improve your working relationship. Asking questions and telling a few stories about your own history can make people comfortable and more likely to share. Making the effort to turn up to a social event organised for outside work hours can also do wonders as your colleagues get to know the real you.

Being a Team player:

Some jobs require constant collaboration, and in most workplaces there are times when teamwork is needed to get the job done. If you let everyone else do the work while you just do your own work or spend time checking your social media, you will quickly get a name as someone who cannot be counted on. Bragging about your own achievements whilst down-playing the input of others who worked on the task will see no one wanting to work in a group with you again.

Get your share of the work done on time, and if you manage to get it done early, see if you can help other team members who may be struggling. Always ask for help if you need it, it is much better to do this that not be able to complete the task. Helping others, or having someone help you are both great ways to forge closer relationships with your colleagues.

Trust:

Show that you are someone who can be counted on. Make the deadlines you have agreed to, as there are others depending on you. If you miss deadlines regularly, your workmates will start to think less of you, that you are not trustworthy or not up to the task.

Many workplaces thrive on gossip, however starting or spreading gossip can be damaging on workplace morale and on your relationships with your co-workers. You are breaking confidence, and gossip always has a way of getting back to the person you were talking about.

Respect:

Showing respect to others goes a long way to forging great working relationships. Listening to other people’s contributions and taking them on board when in group meeting situations shows you respect them and their viewpoint.

Keeping in mind the diversity of people at your workplace means better decisions can be made to benefit the organisation, and how it responds to workers, clients and stakeholders. Being inclusive with contributors of different genders, ages, races, sexualities, and levels of ability when making decisions or policy shows that everyone is respected and valued.

Give credit where it is due:

Be sure to acknowledge and thank everyone who contributes to your work. People like to be appreciated for their efforts, and you will be seen as someone who makes sure that any credit goes where it is due.

On the flip side, if there is a problem or something goes wrong, don’t go to the boss and blame everyone else. Take ownership of the problem and come up with a solution. A workplace relationship can quickly turn sour if someone feels they are being blamed unfairly.

Maintaining positive working relationships makes for a more enjoyable work life. They mean your voice is more likely to be heard as you are respected, and you are more likely to achieve your work goals. The people you work with will be happy to put you forward for a promotion, or later in your career help out with a reference or suggesting you for a new position.

We spend about a third of our life at work, make it count by improving your work relationships.

How can ATI-Mirage help?

 

Transform how you communicate and influence with our great new Communication Skills course (with Extended DiSC®).

The extended DiSC report acts as a map to improve and enhance professional and personal communication. It is full of strategies to build understanding of ourselves and others while developing adaptive communication skills.

Other courses to help with creating positive relationships:

• Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
• Emotionally Intelligent Leaders (with SEIP)
• Mindfulness @ Work

Book online or call us today to book your place or to arrange a group training for you and team.

Blog written by Wendy Wilson, ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant PD and Wellness

 

 

The World Economic Forum sounded an alarm back in January 2020 by announcing: ‘The world is facing a reskilling emergency. We need to reskill more than 1 billion people by 2030.’ This highlights how we all need to focus on upskilling to make sure that nobody is left behind.

A learning transformation is required – one that focuses on the connection between continuous reskilling/upskilling, on the one hand, and actual work, on the other. The challenge for Learning & Development teams is to prepare for a super learning future, centred on skills and capabilities at the individual, team and organisation levels; powered by data; and integrating ‘learning in the flow of work’ across functions and organisations.

The journey towards a learning transformation involves a number of well-calculated steps. At the end of the journey is a ‘super’ workforce: resilient and adaptable to current and future disruptors.

The benefits of a strong learning culture to an organisation and individual:

• Greater efficiency
• Increased productivity
• Increased profitability
• Stronger employee and employer engagement
• A mindset of continuous improvement
• Leadership development
• Culture of curiosity
• Adaptability to change

We have a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine how we work.  Workplaces need to create a new, more effective operating model that works for organisations and people navigating a world of increasing uncertainty. Organisations need to establish future needs and training and development requirements to future proof for a profitable and productive centre.

Many organisations are realising they will not be able to recruit for all the new skills they need. Looking internally and developing existing talent is often quicker and more financially prudent, as well as being good for morale and retention.

For over 30 years ATI-Mirage has upskilled and trained the workforces of Perth and WA. We are keen to work with you as you plan your workforce needs. Call us today on 08 9218 9059 and we can provide advice and support.

Or join our free event ATI-Mirage’s Hybrid Workplace of the Future Summit 2021 on 18th August, an inspirational and informative event that will equip you with important information and essential tools to help you understand and plan for the future for yourself, your team and your organisation. Click here for more information.

Blog written by Paula Rogers, ATI-Mirage Senior Associate.

Life has been challenging for many of us and this has impacted our wellbeing and mental health.

With that in mind, Saturday 24 July 2021 is Stress Down Day at Lifeline – a day dedicated to lightening up, having fun and enjoying the moment.  It is a good initiative to help us to kick start a focused wellbeing experience that is do-able, simple, and practical.

(Remember: For the best results in health and self-care, consistency is key, just like daily habits of taking a shower or cleaning teeth)

Before we get into some practices let us have a look at an element of biology. Did you know the warmth you feel from a long hug is caused by an entirely different chemical sensation than the high you feel after a long run or bike ride?

Your D.O.S.E. of Happy chemicals

In her book, Meet Your Happy Chemicals, Loretta G Breuning PhD discusses that for us to maintain levels of healthy happiness, de-stress and ultimately build our resiliency muscle, it is helpful to understand the chemical interactions within our brain.  Our ‘happy chemicals’ work for us in very specific ways.  Here is a DOSE of four Happy Chemicals to consider in choosing your de-stressing and wellbeing experiences:

1. Dopamine: A motivating high towards a goal – it is the ‘I’ve got this’ optimism feeling
2. Oxytocin: Sense of connection, belonging, deep love and trust
3. Serotonin: Sense of pride, loyalty, status, appreciation, accomplishment, recognition
4. Endorphins: feelings of euphoria (and a natural pain killer)

Which one of the above would you like more of?

Here are some activities to enjoy for Stress Down Day (and beyond) that can boost your happy chemicals.  (And if you are in lockdown or quarantine don’t let that get in your way).

• Play a game, board game, sports game, or create one for you and others to share and be in the moment
• Enjoy belly laughs: watch a favourite comedy
• Set some small goals to start and finish a project you’ve wanted to do
• Get some movement in by walking, or taking a bike ride in nature
• Get creative in the kitchen
• Choose a topic and share with others a story of the funniest moment (for example while travelling, at a restaurant etc)
• Connect with others who have a shared interest by joining or start a group (online or in person) with an optimistic, fun theme
• Declutter and feel lighter/freer. Choose an item to bin, donate or sell Perhaps an item that has outworn its usefulness or gives you a bad feeling. Free yourself from it.  Remember your trash is someone else’s treasure. Only have items that bring you joy and are useful for now
• Lift someone else’s serotonin by letting them know how much you appreciate them
• Reach out to someone who might need your support (and to let them know you are thinking of them)
• Put some music on that you love and enjoy. Singing is a great way to be present and connect to emotions and mood
• Have some fun with filters (from apps such as Snapchat or Instagram) and share your photos to help make other people have a laugh and lighten up
• Take time out for yourself in whatever way you enjoy and benefit from.

 

Or you could do what Lifeline suggests with their stress down and dress up day.  The link is here  https://wa.lifeline.org.au/get-involved/individual/campaigns-and-events/stress-down-dress-up-wa/

Also check out our courses specially designed for you to take charge of your health and wellbeing here:  https://www.ati-mirage.com.au/wellness/

What’s On at ATI-Mirage?
The team at ATI-Mirage are participating in Lifeline’s Stress Down Day the day before on Friday 23rd July, and will raise some money for Lifeline WA. Stay tuned for the photos on our  Facebook and LinkedIn.

Blog written by Wendy Wilson, ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant PD and Wellness

If you would like to slow down, create more space to work through big decisions and make plans, then the practice of mindfulness can help you.

Right now, in this moment, pause for a few seconds and focus on your mind.  Notice your mind has incredible expansiveness,  resources and possibilities—for imagination, creativity, kindness, compassion, insight, focus and wisdom.  Appreciate, in this moment, the true powerhouse of energy and drive that is your mind. Breathe.

Michael Singer, author of The Untethered Soul said
“You are not your thoughts, you are the observer of your thoughts”

For some of us, our mind can seem like an untamed animal, full of distraction, busyness, unwelcome thoughts and inner chatter that can make us feel overwhelmed. Sometimes you would like to just shut off your busy mind so you can get some work done or have a moment’s peace. Yet our mind is the one thing we often struggle to shut off. Even so, if you can notice these thoughts, you can learn to let them go.

Just as we exercise our body to stay fit and healthy, we can gently and consistently exercise our mind, with small practices that make a big difference. Through mindfulness, we can train our minds to work better for us.

Here are 4 top ways to practice being more mindful:

1. Keep an open mind
   Being open minded allows yourself to be curious, attentive, receptive and perceptive. It is often referred to as tapping into our growth mind or conscious mind. Whenever you notice your thoughts falling into unhelpful old familiar patterns, stop and examine, with curiosity and kindness, what is going on. Notice and accept the physical sensations in your body, the emotions you are feeling and the stories your mind is telling you. Remember these are stories, and not necessarily truth.
2. Remember, thoughts are not facts
   Thoughts manifest from our programmed mind – based on our values, beliefs, perceptions, experiences and more. A way to observe, and not engage in your stories, is to say to yourself “I’m having the thought… – this is difficult” (for example). This affirms to yourself, you are not your thoughts, your thoughts are just…thoughts. Remember, in our mind we can make generalisations, assumptions, have opinions and these aren’t facts.  Through mindfulness and observing our thoughts, you can question the thoughts. Ask yourself, with curiousity, “How can I get a great result with making this easier?” (for example)
3. Learn to respond, rather than react
   When you take time to examine your thoughts, you will generally see your own story forming. It is important to become the reader of the story instead of the protagonist. You may notice your heartbeat, sweaty palms, and tightened shoulders or jaw. Responding in this state may not be effective for you. When you let go by simply relaxing the tension, these feelings and/or sensations will also release. From this new state, it is easier and more effective to respond. Mindfulness tends to increase your empathy, your ability to put yourself in someone’s shoes with greater understanding. It enhances your connection with other people and supports you as you build work relationships. It enables you to build better boundaries with more effective communication.
4. Build healthy habits
   Healthy habits stick best when done consistently and in small do-able steps. It is an ongoing practice of self-care. To benefit from mindfulness it helps to have both training in mindfulness and informal practices that incorporate mindfulness into your everyday. Mindfulness training involves learning a simple mindfulness meditation such as following the breath and practicing it on a regular, preferably daily, schedule. Informal practice can take place any second of the day by focusing the mind on whatever is happening in the present moment taking a deep breath and focusing on what is in front of you, and how you are being at that moment in time.The team at ATI-Mirage are training experts and can assist you with mindful practices to build your resilience, call us today to book your place on our next Mindfulness@Work course.

   Blog written by Wendy Wilson, ATI-Mirage’s Lead Consultant PD and Wellness

COVID has impacted everyone, and rapidly transformed, and modernised organisations in their operations.  It has changed the way we work and connect with each other.  The digital transformation of the workplace has accelerated the switch to remote working and the use of the cloud applications, such as Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Planner, Power Automate and a range of other apps within Microsoft 365.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said MS Teams users are clocking up 30 billion
“collaboration minutes” each day in the most recent reporting quarter.

Microsoft Teams builds on its functionality, enabling a more hybrid way of working

Microsoft Teams application has gone through a major transformation since its launch and is now one of the main digital hubs for teamwork and collaboration. To put it in perspective, below are the Microsoft’s accelerated growth statistics:

• Microsoft 365 added 95 million users in 2020, as it became one of the most popular apps during the coronavirus pandemic
• Microsoft Teams noticed 894% growth, from March to June 2020
• Over 500,000 organisations globally use Microsoft Teams as their default messaging platform

Organisations are now focussed on adopting a more hybrid way of working.  Staff will have far greater flexibility on how and where they work. According to research conducted for Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, over 80 percent of managers say they expect more flexible work from home policies post-pandemic, and more than 70 % of employees say they expect to take advantage of them.

With a more hybrid work option, days can work to suit employees enabling them to work from anywhere, either working from home or for example starting work at 6am, working a few hours before dropping the kids off at school and continuing to work until 2:30pm for school pickup. On returning home with the kids, a quick Microsoft Teams meeting is possible via the Microsoft Team mobile app.  It is easy to transfer meetings between your mobile and your computer desktop and it all works seamlessly.

Communication continues to speed up as well as digital collaboration, according to Microsoft’s research – The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work—Are We Ready? The digital intensity of workers’ days has increased substantially, with the average number of online meetings and chats steadily increasing since last year. Specifically, when we compare collaboration trends in Microsoft 365 between February 2020 and February 2021:

Sourced – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work

There are still challenges and opportunities ahead for us all in a more hybrid way of working. People are resilient and are adapting and developing new ways of working in a changing world, but careful steps are needed to understand what is working well and who needs the extra support in the new digital hybrid world of work.

For many, the switch happened overnight and often with minimal or no training because of the sudden arrival of the global pandemic. Many organisations are now realising their staff are not as knowledgeable as they need to be about the possibilities and opportunities of Microsoft 365 for their operations.

The expert team at ATI-Mirage have over 120 training programs for you to select from. There are options to work on the personal and professional development coupled with the suite of IT training which can demonstrate how to better maximise your investment in Microsoft 365.

Call us today 08 9218 9059 to find out more or go to our website
www.ati-mirage.com.au

Our latest lockdown seemed to come out of nowhere. From the announcement on the Sunday some of us may have felt a sense of overwhelm, wondering what the immediate future would look like. Once the realisation of the situation became apparent, we adjusted. Perhaps we thought “well, we have done it before, so we can do it again” and this thinking helped us to adjust.

This time though, for some of us, procrastination was a new battle we faced at home. Whether it’s juggling work, managing children at home, partners out of work or disconnection from family and friends, overwhelm can lead to procrastination. Maybe you planned to start your day with some writing and found yourself watching puppy videos an hour later. Or maybe you had a report to finish and ended up casually browsing news articles instead. Perhaps you were super productive in some areas and just put off those difficult tasks.

However, and whenever procrastination hits you, it is safe to say that there is nothing worse than putting things off that we know we need to get done.

Here’s our strategies for rescuing your time and not procrastinating.

Identify why you’re procrastinating

When faced with a decision or a task to complete, we usually rely on our self-control to push ourselves to get things done. When it comes to specific reasons why people procrastinate, in terms of demotivating and hindering factors, the following are among the most common:

• Feeling overwhelmed.
• Rewards that are far in the future.
• Task aversion.
• Perfectionism and fear of failure
• Boredom

So firstly, decide what is causing you to procrastinate, then build a plan around it.

Acknowledge and accept to break out of the cycle of procrastination.

Studies have shown the more people feel bad about procrastinating, the more likely they are to do it in the future. It is a recursive loop, feeling bad about procrastinating, feeling overwhelmed to know where to start, then go back to procrastinating. One way to break the cycle is to acknowledge where you are and accept the past. We can sometimes give too much value to things we can’t change, and this impacts our future decisions. For example, you may have avoided upskilling in a certain area that would benefit you. That time is gone. So why should it have such an influence on your future decisions? Procrastination is an emotional problem. Self-compassion and forgiveness help get us out of the habit of putting things off.

Establish some small, achievable goals

Every time your brain crosses something off a list you get a hit of dopamine, one of our ‘happy chemicals’. The more you keep this going, the more likely you are to achieve your goals and not procrastinate. Our confidence increases based on our ability to make progress. Start small by focusing your attention on your task for an easy 5 minutes, uninterrupted. Once you achieve this, add another 5 minutes and another, then so on.  Completing even tiny parts of tasks towards your goal makes you feel more confident in your own abilities. This leads to feeling happier and motivated.

Understanding procrastination is beneficial, since it can help you figure out why you yourself procrastinate. This is in turn can help you figure out how to solve your procrastination problem.

To learn more about this, and to understand how you can implement this knowledge in practice attend our Finish What You Start – 8 Ways to Tackle Procrastination workshop. For more information visit www.ati-mirage.com.au

Do you find you repeatedly put the needs of your boss, colleagues, family, friends, or even pets ahead of your own needs? Setting boundaries is just as essential to your well-being as water, food, and air. Your boundaries are where you end and where other people begin.

Many of us dedicate a good chunk of our time at work. That work also can spill over into our life at home, where the line between work and life gets blurred.  This can mean we feel constantly ‘on’ and ‘available’ for work and this can affect our health and stress levels.

So, creating boundaries around our workplace is critical. Creating boundaries at work can feel risky because there is the real worry of possible repercussions. Yet with clear communication, practice, and preparation it can be done.

Here are 5 tips for setting boundaries and navigating your current workplace.

 

1. Know your values.

What is important to you? Honesty? Trust? Integrity? Understanding your own values will give you a clear path to creating boundaries. By knowing your values, you can identify when your limits are being tested. These become your boundary lines. What you consider to be ok or not ok. For example, you might value your hard work ethic, but that does not mean you are constantly available outside of work hours. Once you are out of the office it is personal time and work can wait until the next day.

 

2. Actively practice applying boundaries.

Actively demonstrate the behaviours you expect from others. If you like people to be on time to meetings, then be on time for meetings too. If you prefer face to face communication and expect it of others, then demonstrate that behaviour. People will quickly learn your boundaries by your actions, rather than you having to tell them.

 

3. Communicate

While actions are important, communication is key. It is up to you to let others know what your boundaries are. In the workplace, it can be difficult to just volunteer them without any context. It might not be until a situation arises when you are able to let others know. For example, when starting a new job, it is important to communicate how available (or not) you will be outside of regular business hours. Of course, this will depend on your role and responsibilities.

 

4. Prepare for a breach of boundaries.

There may be times when boundaries are going to be crossed. Decide ahead of time how you will deal with that situation in terms of how you will respond and act. For example, your boss emails you on the weekend. What will you do? Reply straight away because it is your boss or wait until Monday? Has it become a usual practice or is it a genuine crisis that requires attention?  When boundaries are crossed our emotions can take over, so it is important to have a rough plan of action so you can handle the situation rationally.

 

5. Boundaries are there to help us.

View boundaries as cementing positive working relationships rather than walls to keep people out. They can alert us to behaviour that might be harmful in the long run. Breach of boundaries can lead to stress and a breakdown of working relationships.

 

No matter how uncomfortable it may be for you at first, you will never regret taking care of yourself and letting others know how to treat you. Set yourself up for success by taking the time to investigate your values and clearly communicate them. The more you connect with your boundaries and values, the more you will be able to create a healthy work/life balance.

 

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

 

Communication & Interpersonal Skills with Disc*

Developing Self Confidence & Assertiveness*

Conflict to cooperation*

Develop your Emotional Intelligence*

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders with SEIP*

*Also available as a live, facilitator-led virtual training course