January 21, 2021 – Productivity and Self-Care

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Resources from the Virtual Coffee:

  • PowerPoint – LINK
  • Mentimeter results PDF – LINK
  • Completing the stress cycle – LINK
  • Time Blocking – LINK
  • One person’s Trello/Zapier system – LINK
  • 21 creative ways to use Trello – LINK
  • Trello  |  Zapier
  • Atomic Habits – LINK
  • Hormonal cycles and productivity – LINK

Notes from Breakout Rooms:

What’s working for you?

  • Each person says something positive at the end of weekly team call 
  • Take notifications off your cell phone 
  • Tapping World Summit (2/22-3/2) – LINK
  • Do Not Disturb setting on cell phone 
  • Not working in bedroom 
  • Use your daily mantra as your password on often used accounts – do not save to force yourself to type them in. Take time to reflect on those words
  • Leave work computer at work 
  • Priority of the day
  • Be flexible – do not try to micromanage
  • Daily mediation 
  • Daily reading to start the day
  • Clearing my mind – write down everything I need to do as soon as I think it and put a box next to it
    • Feels good to check boxes!
  • Tape notes in front of you
  • Set boundaries – be kind to myself; no pressure to do something work-related when not on the clock
  • Set reminder/alarm with to dos
  • Deep breathing – 5 minutes twice per day, sit or lay down; breathe in 4 (say a kind thing; notice where tension is and direct breath there); 8 out (say something that’s stressing me out)
  • Taking a big break (2 weeks over the holidays) to completely disconnect
  • Set alarm at 8pm to have two hours to get ready to be in bed by 10pm – need to have sleep to be productive
  • Retired – keeps track on a calendar to keep a routine; volunteer work, gym in the morning; looking at priorities for day and the week
  • Carry notepad with me to write down things
  • Post its
  • Paper calendar
  • MIT – prioritize
  • Control what you can control
  • A pad of paper with a to do list, cross off as done, check every evening before bed to plan the next day; update and renew every week or so.
  • Need to physically write things down in order to remember them. Write to do list the day before, keep a pad of paper to compliment the electronic calendar.
  • For a productivity shift: create a separate DONE list that captures what’s been accomplished and can shift the mood and “reframe” in a lull to make you feel more energized and recognize the work you’ve already accomplished.
  • Use color systems on the electronic calendar, where possible, have separate calendars for separate jobs or parts of life so that you can “close” a calendar when you don’t need to focus on it.
  • List to do items by urgency
  • Self care; take time every day.
  • When working from home, pack the “work stuff” away at the weekend and tuck it out of sight. Staying organized at home can be a challenge if you have a larger space to spread out. 
  • Working from a designated space so that restful spaces (like bed) can remain restful and set boundaries around common use areas, increases the ability to keep work times isolated and have healthy boundaries for starting and stopping the workday. 
  • Schedule a work-out, cook dinner, take a walk – some personal task that creates a real shift away from the workday. Creating a “ritual” that ends the day (even in the office) that is a constant transition between work and end-of-work.
  • Mini-naps (right at the desk) or meditation for five-minutes can help rejuvenate and refocus. 
  • Do emails only at the beginning and end of the day. Midday check of email only if they are anticipating something coming in.
  • Sort out my inbox! Time Block including daily walks/exercise
  • Exercise first thing in the morning!
  • It’s ok to take it slow in the morning and be true to yourself…and also set boundaries about when/how folks can reach out to you. 
  • Do emails only in the morning, have a designated work space
  • Organize my calendar…and stop trying to keep stuff in my brain. 
  • Have some grace with yourself

Challenges/Resources Needed:

  • Separate work from home when working remotely 
    • Some ideas from entrepreneur.com – LINK
  • Turning off for the day – working too many hours 
    • Workday shutdown ritual – LINK
  • More information about Trello (see links at the top!)
  • Tapping and other brain breaks, stretch break resources for the few minutes between Zoom meetings
    • Tapping – LINK
    • Brain Breaks – LINK
    • Office Stretches – LINK
  • More tips for productive meetings

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