Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

EP 1272 - Companies That Care

Our workplaces can encourage us, push us to grow, and allow us to succeed. They can be a source of positive energy and support.

Companies That Care Day is an annual event that encourages employers to highlight and expand their employee and community initiatives, and recognize the people who make their companies successful.  Companies that care value employees and are committed to community service.

Caring companies:

Sustain a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees.

Make employees feel their jobs are important.

Cultivate the full potential of all employees.

Develop great leaders, at all levels, who excel at managing people, as well as results.

And they consider the human toll when making business decisions.

 

So Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Companies That Care Day:

Send notes to employees expressing appreciation for their efforts.

Provide employees an opportunity to recognize each other by sending “caregrams”.

Highlight all the employees who volunteer within the community.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency?

Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 1271– Skip the Selfies

We are becoming more self-centered and Narcissistic. “Selfie” was Oxford dictionary’s Word of the Year in 2013. Since then, it’s become a serious preoccupation. The cultural phenomenon of the ‘selfie’ exposes a very basic human desire — to feel noticed, appreciated and recognized. Our addiction to selfies has turned deadly and selfie-related incidents now top shark attacks when it comes to unusual ways to die!

One study in the U.K. revealed that women between the ages of 16 and 25 spent an average of five hours a week taking selfies.

Research shows that selfies can make us feel lousy about ourselves to the point where we photoshop and filter our selfies in an effort to be picture perfect. How many pictures have you looked at and wonder why the person adjusted the picture so much that it no longer looks like the real thing?

However, it is hard not to love the ego boost from sharing a selfie because of the positive comments we usually get.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating No Selfies Day:

To celebrate today is easy – all you have to do is NOT participate in taking selfies!

Be in the moment, rather than trying to capture and edit it.

Finally, be careful that you are not falsely praising and reinforcing selfies that are over-processed.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1270 – Sleep Deprived 2

Millions are too sleepy for sex, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation.

Many of us are sleeping poorly which is causing us to be sleep deprived, and it’s taking a serious toll on professional relationships, productivity, public safety and even the most intimate aspects of our lives.

Nearly one-fourth of partnered adults say they have sex less often or have lost interest in sex because they are too sleepy.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Sleep Awareness Week:

To Help With Being Sleep Deprived:

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Follow a regular schedule each night. This trains your body and brain and promotes a deeper sleep.

Keep your room cool, dark, and block noises. Use a mask if necessary and blackout curtains. Allow for thorough ventilation in the room to avoid breathing stale air

The power of suggestion can be a powerful aid in getting a better sleep, especially if used in conjunction with deep breathing. The more that it is used, the more potent the effect it has. Do not tell yourself how tired you are going to be the next day as this kind of suggestion is just as fulfilling

A good night’s sleep can mean the difference between coping effectively with the daily stressors of life and completely losing your mental and physical health.

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1269 – Sleep Deprived

Millions are too sleepy for sex, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation.

Many of us are sleeping poorly which is causing us to be sleep deprived, and it’s taking a serious toll on professional relationships, productivity, public safety and even the most intimate aspects of our lives.

So Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Napping Day:

A short nap of 20 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance. It can be extremely effective at eliminating fatigue-related accidents and injuries. A 90-minute nap can be extremely effective, if you can schedule it into your day.

Naps can be typed into three different categories:

1. Planned napping involves taking a nap before you actually get sleepy.
2. Emergency napping occurs when you are suddenly very tired and cannot continue with the activity you were originally engaged in.
3. Habitual napping is practiced when a person takes a nap at the same time each day.

I love my naps and I need my naps. They help me through my afternoon slump and allow me to carry on with my projects in a more productive and creative way afterwards.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1268 – Spring Ahead

In most of Canada, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. Today!

I have a hard time with these adjustments. I love having it brighter in the evenings, but that adjustment to darkness early in the morning again makes it less likely that I am springing out of bed…for a while any way.

Daylight saving time isn't all bad.

In fact, when we move an hour ahead, we enjoy more daytime hours, which hopefully we are using to get outside, connect and just become more active after the sluggishness of winter. There are definite other benefits to the clocks shifting, including decreased oil and energy usage. Daylight Saving Time seems to decrease the risk for accidents in the evening hours. However, a Swedish study found that heart attacks were significantly more common the first three weekdays after our spring transition.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating the switch to Daylight Saving Time:

Though it’s only one day, daylight saving time can throw off your entire schedule, and the sleep effects tend to linger for a few days.

Therefore it is important to take note of the impact that the clock shifting has on your sleep, mood and focus. Ensure that you are getting a good night’s sleep before this occurs to minimize the impact of this shift.

More light can equal more time to do what you want or need to do, which equals a happier you. Make use of the extra daylight and enjoy the changing seasons.

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 1267 - How Not To Procrastinate

How many of us couldn’t use an extra hour each day? Planning before starting each day, is said to save us this hour, as we are more effective at using the time that we have. Sometimes though we just can’t seem to get our act together.

Maybe we just can’t seem to get past our urge to procrastinate. It may be that we are being too perfectionistic, or we dislike the task or person that we have to work with. We could be too tired or fear that we might fail. Sometimes it is just a matter of the task not being a part of our goals and priorities.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Procrastination Week:

To Avoid Procrastination, we need to:

Find the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me”. Why do I need to accomplish the task at hand and what benefit will there be for me when I finish it?

Chunk your time – set a timer. The timer helps you to become more realistic about how long various tasks take.

Watch out for time gobblers – internet, email, TV, phone, socializing, unimportant notices and forwards

Delegate when the task is not part of your priority. Not everything has to be done or should be done by you. Let go of your need to control everything.

Make it fun by rewarding yourself. It is easier to start and finish a task if there is a reward at the end of it…by the way, my chocolate covered almonds are waiting for me as soon as I finish this flash briefing. Till tomorrow have a wonderful day!

EP 1266 – Caffeinated

Do you drink more than four cups of coffee a day?

Do you often find yourself irritable, depressed or disoriented after drinking caffeinated beverages?

When you don’t drink caffeine do you find yourself experiencing headaches, drowsiness, or insomnia?

National Caffeine Awareness Month draws attention to the risk associated with caffeine.

At 200 mg of caffeine, you can experience irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, excitement, and gastrointestinal disturbance.

If you consume more than 1 gram (1000 mg), you can receive irregular heartbeats, panic and anxiety disorders, muscle twitching, and incoherent speech.

And, believe it or not, when you ingest more than 5 grams, the results can be fatal.

Caffeine has a half-life of about six-hours. That means that if your 4 o’clock cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine, by 10 o’clock that night, there will still be 100 mg of caffeine in your body, preventing you from falling into a deep and restful sleep.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Caffeine Awareness Month:

Look at what you consume – caffeine is often a hidden ingredient in some of our favourite foods.

Be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming in a day.

Look at why you consume certain caffeinated drinks. Is it the flavour, the social aspect, the energy boost, or is it out of thirst or boredom? The answer will help you to determine if there is a healthier way to fill that need.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1265– Be Awesome

Today is the International Day of Awesomeness! This day gives us the opportunity to celebrate every person, place, thing, or idea in the world that is awesome. I encourage all of the participants in my workshops to look for the awesome. As the official tag line points out, “No one’s perfect, but everyone can be awesome.”

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Day Of Awesomeness:

Today is the day to both perform and celebrate feats of awesomeness.

Celebrate by posting about someone who epitomizes the ideals of awesomeness. It may be a family member, friend, or colleague who receive this special recognition.

Be curious. Start a conversation with someone that you have seen everyday, but have not talked to. You may be surprised by their story or by the things that you have in common.  It will brighten their day — and yours.

Build an awesome workplace, one smile at a time.

Explore the “What If”. What if we didn’t do blank anymore? What if we changed blank? What if we started blank? See where the answers take you. This simple exploration could improve your relationships or your workplace.

Wishing you an awesome day!

EP 1264 – Don’t Panic

Help! It’s Panic Day.

This awareness day is not about panic attacks or panic disorder which is serious and affects 2-3% of the population. Today is the day to examine how we may over-react to the stress in our everyday lives and to find strategies that will keep us focused and healthy.

You know the over-reactions that we are talking about.  We even have sayings that go with them… such as don’t cry over spilled milk… Or don’t make mountains out of mole hills.

Anxiety and stress have their place in our life. They help us to avoid danger. They keep us thinking and being creative. And they keep us on our toes so that we don’t become complacent.

The point at which worry becomes unhealthy is when it stops pushing us to act and move forward.  This panic can be paralyzing and prevent us from thinking clearly enough to find the best strategies to deal with the source of our anxiety.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Panic Awareness Day:

Listen to the way that you describe the situations that you find yourself in.  Do you use extreme-type words?  Do you awfulize everything?  Choose the words carefully. 

Evaluate how you are feeling in relation to the situation.  Are you feeling helpless or hopeless? 

Notice what happens to your body when you feel this way.  Where does it hit you the most? 

Try different relaxation techniques to combat those anxious feeling.

Evaluate the situation to see what options you have.  Keep yourself moving forward in the problem-solving mode and the anxiety will be kept in check.

What is your release?  Sometimes we need a quick strategy to release the anxiety so that we can start to problem solve.  This may include a good scream, a run, or a round or two on the punching bag.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1263 – Less Clutter, Less Stress

I admit that I love the satisfaction after I have cleaned my office or purged my files.

You don’t have to be self-employed or work from home to have a home office. It’s easy for this workspace to become messy, dusty, cluttered, and disorganized. As you work in your home office, things stack and layer around until one day, you realize that it has gotten way out of hand.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Organizing Your Home Office Day tomorrow:

Start off small. Pick five things and throw them out or return them to their proper location.

File, Shred or recycle unwanted paperwork that is sitting on your desk.

Attack one file drawer at a time. Purge out-dated documents or notes.

Take stock of those things in your office of everything you're no longer using, especially unused or broken office equipment, and cut back to only the essentials.

Curb Cable Clutter. Use a surge-protected power bar to prevent your computers and other equipment from frying during an electrical storm or other power surge. Bind the remaining cables together with cable ties, so they stay out of your way.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1262 – How To Be Heard

Running a small business can be very stressful. One of the keys to success, is to be able to reach your customers. But it can be difficult to break through the noise, so that your customers know that you even exist.

It can be just as difficult to be heard at work by your boss, or even within your family.

Our minds are being constantly bombarded by messaging from other brands and social media, from colleagues and from friends and family.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Be Heard Day:

Get to the point…you have 8 seconds! One website suggests that we are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 messages per day and less than 100 of those messages will be remembered. Human attentions spans are at an all-time low dropping from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. The key to cutting through the noise is through short messages.

Use visuals. We process visuals faster than text and we remember visuals more than text. Create a picture in the mind of your listener if you can’t use a visual.

Provide value first. People are most engrossed in their own self-interest, so play into that. Make it about them, their needs, goals, wants and desires. Relate it to their own history, situation, reputation and behavior.

As a small company, what do you do to make it easy to work with you? How do you assist your boss or colleagues before presenting issues or problems? Do they only hear negative comments or issues from you? In your family, do praise and recognize the positives or is all your communication negative?

Want to check out more health and wellness related celebrations, visit my wellness calendars under the resources and courses tab at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1261 – Telecommuting May Be The Answer

It’s not a bird. Nor a plane…It’s the Telecommuter!

A survey of employees who telecommute three days a week experienced a

• 46% decrease in stress,
• 45% increase in job satisfaction, and
• 30% increase in job productivity.

 

In addition, telecommuting provides an opportunity to create a more harmonious balance between home and work commitments. Three-quarters of employees polled said the ability to work from home was their most desired family-friendly job perk.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Telecommuter Appreciation Week:

For some, telecommuting may be a viable option that allows for an increase in productivity and more sense of control over when tasks get accomplished.

If you think that this is for you, sit down with your work team and discuss how this may be implemented.  If telecommuting isn’t the answer, at least you have opened the door to looking for other alternatives to maintaining work and life balance.

Though I am not a true telecommuter, I am an entrepreneur with a home-based office.  I appreciate the flexible work arrangements that I have.  Some days, I work all day and into the evening.  On other days, I may find myself helping out a family member or pulling the weeds from my gardens.  This flexibility gives me the balance that I want and need.

Want to find more strategies to coping with stress?

Check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1260 – Tech Detox

We are missing out on living life, the more we have our noses buried in our phones or spend time chronicling our every move through Facebook and Instagram. Not to mention that constant connectivity negatively affects your sleep, takes a toll on your mental health and can lead to burnout. Ditching your devices gives your brain a much-needed rest.

Have you tried to disconnect, but FOMO took over? Could you go unplugged for 24 hours? Do you check your phone or social media out of boredom or procrastination?

Maybe it is time for a detox?

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Day Of Unplugging:

Unplugging allows us to connect with ourselves, our loved ones and our communities in real time. 

Take a walk out in nature today. Check out the parks, countryside or stroll along a beach, even if there is still snow on it.

Share a meal with friends or family.

Play together. Try a board game or use conversation starters like ‘would you rather’ to create some fun.

Write a gratitude list.

Meditate and fully relax. This can leave you feeling less stressed, and positively change your brain.

Immerse yourself in the moment. Take in the awesomeness of a sunset without Instagramming it.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1259 – Send Out Happiness

Yesterday was the day to encourage each other, to avoid selfishness, and do something to make other people happy.

I know that you can’t make someone happy, but you can remind them of their value and you can help change their focus, all of which can allow their happiness to flourish.

Building Resiliency and Celebrating I Want You To Be Happy Day:

Buy a friend a flower to brighten up their day.

Remind your kids how much you love them and how proud of them you are. 

Leave a sticky note for a co-worker letting them know something that you appreciate about them. Compliments make us feel valued, and they give us a positive boost to our thoughts and self-esteem.

Smile. Research has shown that a smile is constantly rated as the number one thing that makes other people feel emotionally better.

This day was created as a day encouraging us to do something to make others happy.  The benefit is that putting a smile on someone’s face tends to put one on ours, too. 

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

 

 

EP 1258 – Just Do It

Everyone has problems that they need to deal with. Because problems can cause anxiety, many people will try to avoid, ignore or procrastinate when dealing with difficult issues in their lives. Ignoring them is useful sometimes. Unfortunately, with most problems, avoiding them just causes them to come back, and a small problem can become a big problem over time.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Do Something Day:

The most difficult step in problem solving is getting to the doing part. To help you carry out your solution, make an action plan. If you know how you are going to carry out your solution, you are more likely to follow through.

Don’t let your own voice derail you. Be aware of and challenge negative self-talk that can stop you from moving forward.

List all the obstacles. Great problem solvers take a high-level view of the issues and list of all the potential factors that could get in the way of implementing their solution so that they don’t get taken off task.

Want to find more strategies to coping with stress? Check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1257 – Customer Service Matters

What kind of customer service do you give?

You might be thinking, “I don’t do customer service”.

The reality is that we all DO customer service. Most interactions that we have today are ones where someone is supplying another person, with something.

Customer service is the act of satisfying another’s needs through assistance or service. Some of us deal with external to our company customers, some of us deal with internal to our company customers.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Stop Bad Service Day:

We interact with a company because it delivers quality products, great value, or a compelling brand. We leave one, more often than not, because it fails to deliver on customer service.

Whether you are dealing with external or internal customers, know that:

The Customer is not dependant on you - you are dependant on the Customer

The Customer is not an interruption to your work, they are the purpose of your work.

You are not doing the Customer a favour by serving them.

The Customer is deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment you can provide.  They are not someone to argue with.

Research shows that delighting customers, doesn’t build loyalty.

Reducing their effort and the work they must do to get their problem solved, does.

If we keep at least these four rules in mind, we will be able to stop bad service from ruining ours, or someone else’s day.

Looking for resources to build your resiliency? Check out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1256 – Going Solo

Have you ever wanted just to get a way, but the timing didn’t work for your partner, children, or friends?

Why wait for the timing to be just right? Why not go solo?

Vacations are a great way to restore resiliency. They can be rejuvenating, and energizing.

And going solo is one of the best ways to learn about yourself.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Plan A Solo Vacation Day:

There is no such thing as the perfect vacation. But planning, especially when going solo, is essential.

The first step is to pick and choose your location and activities wisely. Choose a location and activities that meet with your particular goals. Decide if your upcoming vacation will be focused on relaxation, celebration or adventure. Then chose activities that meet those needs.

Don’t be afraid to step outside your typical vacation comfort zone and say yes to new experiences.

If you find yourself craving company, find a group tour of the city or local area. Or strike up a conversation with the bartender or barista and you will be sure to find out some insider secrets to exploring your vacation area.

Going solo means that nobody is going to kick up a fuss about whatever plans you decide. It’s your trip, your way.

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 1255 – Greatness Imagined

Our greatness is limited only by our imagination.

Your road to your greatness takes courage, energy, and persistence. It is about being hungry for more for yourself, but also enjoying what you have achieved along the way. If greatness is the ever-expanding concept of your potential, you must have an internal urge to become your best.

Building Resiliency and Celebrating Plant The Seeds Of Greatness Month:

Pay attention to what is happening around you. Take time each day to think about your life and the opportunities for growth.

Be willing to try new things, take different approaches, and experiment. Ask different questions that will create a different reality. Greatness involves failure. It involves taking calculated risks. It is about learning through the journey. You’ve got to believe that you can make the changes necessary in order to achieve greatness in your life.

The more we learn, the larger our capacity for growth becomes.

And finally, have a picture of the best version of yourself. What does greatness look like for you? How would you act towards your self? How would you act towards others? What would you have achieved? This picture my change as you grow, but striving in this direction will put you on the path to your greatness.

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 1254 – Expect Success

When you expect success, you become successful!

But it is not just a matter of thinking good thoughts and good things will happen.

Positive and successful people expect success and they look for ways to bring success into their life.

Research shows that high expectations lead people to work harder and commit to problem solving the challenges ahead of them. 

Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Expect Success Month:

People who want to change their mental mindset:

1. Accept that life will have setbacks and disappointments and they don’t let the fear of failure cloud their judgment or allow them to aim too low
2. They build their resiliency by seeing the setback as only temporary.
3. They don’t quit trying just because there was a set back.
4. And finally, they wake up every morning and expect positive things to happen.

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 1253 – Can’t Find The Time

We never seem to be able to find ‘the time’.  Stop looking.  You will never find it.  It isn’t lost.  You are living in it.

So what kinds of things waste our time?

44.7% of the more than 10,000 people polled cited personal internet use as their #1 distraction at work.

Today’s Time Truth:

If we fail to control the events in our life, then the events in our life will control us. Planning is key to performance. Not planning wastes time and energy.

According to one survey the average worker admits to wasting away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, which is twice as much time as their employers expect.

So Here are today’s Hot For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Time Management Month:

Eliminate useless meetings. Insist on short, well-planned, morning stand-up meetings. They are the least likely to waste your time and interfere with your work.

Stop thinking that you can multi-task. Prioritize and then break up your day accordingly. Don’t move on to the next task until you’ve really completed the previous one. Not only will you do a better job when you’re focused, you’ll also force yourself to finish something within the time allotted.

Come up for air. Productivity declines after a certain period, so pump up your productivity with scheduled breaks.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.