Business Growth Newsletter 219 – Work from home, Count blessings, Train co-workers
GREG’S BUSINESS GROWTH NEWSLETTER #219
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Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week.
In this issue:
– Techniques for FIT
– Being Human
– Random Stuff
Techniques for FIT
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- On the hunch working from home for a long stretch is new to you, take note. Minus office distractions, you will get a lot done in a short period of time. Don’t fight it. When you’re done, move on to something non-work related. Guilt free.
- Focus has its drawbacks. The main one being lack of movement. Wilson the dog makes sure I’m moving once every 20 minutes going in and out. . .and in. . .and out. If you don’t have a Wilson, my bride tells me an Apple Watch does the same thing, without the muddy paws.
- Calling all your people, every day, is surprisingly energizing. It passes the time and well, it’s probably something we should have been doing all along. (Looks in mirror.)
- At bedtime, remind yourself to give thanks. We’re not in control of the time we’re born into, but we are in control of how we react to it. Recognizing the little things before we drift into slumber is one way of taking control.
Being Human – Three blessings
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“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali
Since sheltering in place is forcing us into a new routine, if you’re not in the habit of doing this already, try this nightly exercise for the next week. It comes from Dr. Martin Seligman, and he calls it the “Three Blessings Exercise” in his book, Flourish.
“Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well. You may use a journal or your computer to write about the events, but it is important that you have a physical record of what you wrote. The three things need not be earthshaking in importance (“My husband picked up my favorite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today”), but they can be important (“My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy”).
Next to each positive event, answer the question “Why did this happen?” For example, if you wrote that your husband picked up ice cream, write “because my husband is really thoughtful sometimes” or “because I remembered to call him from work and remind him to stop by the grocery store.” Or if you wrote, “My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy,” you might pick as the cause … “She did everything right during her pregnancy.”
Writing about why the positive events in your life happened may seem awkward at first, but please stick with it for one week. It will get easier.”
I’ll do it too. As a matter of fact, I just scheduled it into my calendar. 10 minutes a night for a week.
Good stuff.
Random stuff
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Breaking them in
The last few weeks, like yours I’m sure, have been a whirl of activity. Our son started his semester in Madrid, and we visited him the last week in February. The virus had spread to Italy, but wasn’t much more than a whisper of a thought while traveling. The day we left Madrid, they announced their first cases of the virus and within a week we were scrambling to get our son out of Spain before lockdown.
This week I have him home, safe and secure, finishing his classes online. He’s staked out the basement as his new office area. My lovely bride teaches at the local college and has moved her classes online too. She’s staked out the dining room as her office area. It’s fun to hear them in “work mode” because it’s a side of their person I don’t see or hear.
What’s been less fun is breaking in my new officemates. I feel like I was here first, so Wilson the ABC and I should have our routines respected. Take the coffee pot, for instance. When it feels light, check with your co-workers and make sure they’re done caffeinating before leaving the half-dozen drops for me to discover moments before a conference call.
I mention this “breaking in” period to my eldest daughter when she checks in. On hearing this story, co-worker #2 chimes in saying, “We have our own complaints.”
I pretend not to hear her. I’m claiming squatter’s rights.
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https://calendly.com/chamberspivot/