Being productive takes planning, and energy. We have all put off those things that we really wanted or needed to do!
We recently read a fantastic blog post about how time, energy and attention are all at the core of being more productive, and the importance of daily rituals.
Do you have a daily routine that helps you stay on task and gives your energy?
Read more via AsianEfficiency.com
Virtual meeting fatigue is very real. Have you experienced it?
Working from home has a ton of perks, but just because you can sit in front of your laptop all day and attend back-to-back meetings…doesn’t mean you should. Your brain needs a break!
Doing something as simple as taking 10 minutes away from your computer or device can be a huge boost for your mental health. Try taking a walk around the block or meditating for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Practicing mindful breathing with slow, measured breaths is another simple but impactful way to slow down and recharge before your next conference call.
Schedule time in your calendar for these mini-breaks and stick to it. You’ll show up for yourself and your colleagues with a happier and healthier mindset.
“On the best of days, many CEOs would be lost without their EAs. In the chaos of the pandemic, exemplary assistance is not a luxury, but a requirement.”
Of course… we couldn’t agree more! A good Executive Assistant is much more than a task-doer. A great Executive Assistant brings workability to a busy person’s life that they didn’t think was possible, and is a trusted partner. This has been especially true during the last year. Our firm definitely knows a thing or two about that.
Read more about how exceptional Executive Assistants are keeping their CEOs thriving during a crisis, via Chief Executive Magazine.
Like the author of this article, our team has been working remotely since the start of our company, almost five years ago. Working from home is a benefit and advantage for our contractors. Our team of virtual Executive Assistants stay connected via bi-weekly strategy meetings and regular check-ins.
How have you adjusted to the world of working from home? Do you see this continuing for yourself and/or your teams?
This article offers up some practical tips on how to stay focused, work through any distractions or loneliness, and be less stressed and more productive.
What does it take to manage people remotely? As the founder and CEO of Athena, that’s all I’ve ever done. We didn’t “transition” our business to a “work from home” business. That’s been the primary benefit for our staff right from the beginning. With the pandemic came many articles about managing remote workers. I particularly like this one from the Society of HR Management.
Item #7 in this article talks about being connected with your people and that is more important now than ever. Frankly, it was always important, but we could skate by without putting much effort into it in the past. Knowing and empathizing with whatever your remote workers are dealing with is critical in these times. As someone who has always had staff who work from home, I have always been interested in what’s going on at home. Why? Because that’s the environment in which they are working (for me and our clients). It gives me a sense of how hard or easy it is for them right now to be working from home.
Staying connected to your people is an ongoing job. You can’t assume that how they were last week is how they are this week. People and their circumstances are always changing. As a leader it serves you to always be interested in what your people are dealing with in life and with their work. If you have more attention on listening than speaking, you’ll be amazed what you will learn.
Read the full article at SHRM.ORG
Our CEO Gina Cotner frequently speaks to other Admin and Executive organizations on successfully managing expectations what accountability really looks like. Our own team of high-performing Executive Assistants are continuously trained and mentored on setting and managing expectations.
We recently came across this excellent article on Inc.com that addressed what words really matter as an accountable leader:
“Leadership, after all, is primarily a function of determining a direction and influencing people to move in that direction. However, that makes it sound far too simple. Moving a group of people collectively in any direction is hard. One of the most challenging parts is that you are ultimately responsible for the way your team and organization performs. Not only that, but you’re also accountable.“
