Category: Wellness

Boost your productivity

Posted on | by Jade Donno | Leave a Comment on Boost your productivity

Why you need to ditch perfectionism and embrace failure!

Everyone wants to be successful, but there’s a difference between working hard and striving for perfection. When we’re too focused on getting everything right, it can harm our productivity levels; and when we’re less productive, it’s easy to feel worn out or exhausted every day. We may also end up stuck in a career rut because we think that “doing more” is the answer when really what we need is just “to do something different.”

If this sounds like you, read on. Here is how ditching perfectionism and embracing failure can help you get back on track again!

Strive for ‘done,’ rather than perfect

While it may sound strange to say that you should be aiming for ‘good enough’ rather than perfect, there is a reason for it.

If you’re experiencing burnout or you’re feeling lost in your work, striving for ‘perfect’ is only going to put more unnecessary pressure on yourself. Studies have shown that perfectionism actually tends to result in less productive work too, so just focus on getting the work done for a while (at least until you’re more in control of your workload).

If you do this, you’ll soon see that your quality of work won’t drop as drastically as you first thought AND you’ll see continued growth and progress again. Why? Because when you ditch perfectionism, you make room for improvement and growth.

Only take on what you can manage

You may think that you have to do it all, but you don’t. At least not all at the same time. When we try to do everything, we end up doing a lot of things badly.

It’s hard to see when we’re overpromising, especially when we have our own ideas of what we should be able to handle, so try to be easier on yourself. If you see ‘not being able to juggle too many balls at once’ as a failure, then reframe it! Your strength maybe time management and prioritisation instead (which still means that you can juggle multiple things, just over a more reasonable period of time).

Start managing your own diary and let clients know when they can expect their work to be done. You’ll find that most clients can wait for their work and you’ll have more time and space to do a better job.

Delegate and learn to say ‘no’

Delegating low-value tasks isn’t a failure (remember, you don’t have to do everything yourself). The same goes for saying ‘no’ once in a while. In fact, it’s encouraged. If these are fears of yours, then it’s time to embrace them.

Knowing how much you can take on and letting go of control are two very difficult things to master. When you do, however, you will see significant changes in your productivity and quality of work.

Silence that inner voice

We all have that negative inner voice that criticises us, and it is this voice that forces us to seek perfection. As we mentioned previously, always striving for perfection decreases productivity, and when we are less productive, we feel like we are failing and our inner voice just keeps piling on. It’s a whole negative spiral.

So what can we do to rectify this?

First, accept that you don’t have to always be working at 110%. And if you’re not, it doesn’t mean that you’re not working hard enough. Everybody works differently and that’s okay, so stop being too hard on yourself.

Secondly, ignore that voice in your head and accept that it is okay to be human. Some days, you won’t be able to work as hard and that’s fine. Not pushing yourself too much on those days will ensure that you avoid burnout and will ensure your productivity in the long run.

And lastly, if you’re afraid of failure or limitations, embrace them anyway. Mistakes and obstacles are the keys to innovation, so these are the moments where you have the opportunity to learn and grow the most.

How to recover from career burnout

Posted on | by Jade Donno | Leave a Comment on How to recover from career burnout

Career burnout is pretty self-explanatory. It’s when we burn ourselves out to the point where we have lost the love for our work, it all seems a bit pointless, and we don’t have the energy to even flick on the switch of the kettle, never mind ploughing through a full day of work.

What are the symptoms?

Common symptoms of burnout include:

  • Feeling constantly tired and drained.
  • A lack of enthusiasm and motivation for anything.
  • Anxiety and worrying about everything.
  • Insomnia, loss of appetite, and depression
  • A loss of confidence in yourself.
  • Getting sick more often and for longer.

Why does it happen?

Career burnout can happen for several reasons, and it’s usually due to a couple of reasons rather than a single cause. Here are a few reasons why you may be suffering from burnout:

  • You’re not doing something you really love
  • You’ve lost sense of your purpose and your ‘why’
  • Your life priorities have changed
  • Your surroundings have changed
  • You’ve changed – but your role hasn’t
  • You don’t fit in your company culture
  • You don’t get on with colleagues
  • You’re being held back or your own beliefs are holding you back.

For many, the pandemic made people realise that they weren’t doing what they love or what they were doing just didn’t fit with reality anymore. This can lead to a lack of motivation and drive, and in extreme cases, anxiety and depression.

How to recover from burnout

If you’re suffering from career burnout, use this opportunity to really understand the cause and make impactful changes. Here are a few steps you should start with:

  1. Identify the cause of your burnout – is it you, your job, your company or your lifestyle? For example, are your personal needs being met with your work? Is your current role fulfilling enough? Do you fit the company culture and get on with colleagues? Does your current job fit with your lifestyle and priorities?
  2. Start making changes – work out what you would rather do instead (either by making your own lists or using online tools). Consider changing careers or approaching your manager to make some role changes. If your lifestyle has changed (e.g. if you’ve recently had a baby), find ways to adapt your role, to work more flexibly, and balance your priorities.
  3. Always prioritise your self-care – you should be doing this consistently anyway, but especially if you’re suffering from burnout. Make sure to take a break (and actually switch off). Try to have at least a week where you sleep for 7-8 hours a night, you exercise for 30 minutes a day, and you eat and drink healthier things that give you the energy you need.  When you’ve done this, try to make this your normal routine.

3 magic steps

That really is it. Don’t suffer from burnout any longer; waiting will only make you ill.

To recover from burnout, identify what is causing it, don’t be afraid to make the necessary changes, and always look after yourself. Change is scary but in this case, it is good; it will ensure your happiness in what you do on a daily basis and for a very long time to come.

Help your employees prioritise self-care

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Self-care is arguably more important now than ever before, with the pandemic & cost of living crisis causing stress levels to reach new heights. If you want your employees to be at their best, this means that you need to start encouraging employees to focus on their self-care. If you don’t, you will have a very stressed and burned out workforce who will turn to negative behaviours to cope.

Why the need for self-care?

People are suffering from stress and burnout and it doesn’t seem to be dissipating.

  • A survey by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Harvard Medical School found that 55% of respondents said they were more stressed in May 2020 than they were in January.
  • According to mental health charity, Mind, the Office for National Statistics revealed that depression rates doubled during the pandemic (in June 2020, 2% of adults experienced depression in that month alone compared to 9.7% of adults who experienced it between the period of July 2019 to March 2020).
  • A Korn Ferry study revealed that 73% of American professionals were feeling burned-out and the top reasons cited were no separation between work and home and unmanageable workloads.
  • Older research also commissioned by Mind found that 57% of the people surveyed drank alcohol after work to cope with stress. In addition to this, 28% said they smoked cigarettes, 16% took prescribed sleeping aids, and 15% took antidepressants.

As you can see from these statistics, employees are not coping with the constant stress and strain that has been the past 2 years; such a situation is unsustainable. To prevent it from getting worse and to nurture the health of both your employees and your business, you need to promote self-care and proper stress management techniques as part of your culture.

8 ways to encourage self-care

  1. Understand your employees’ needs – discuss self-care with your employees and ask them what they want or need. How can you help them create a better work-life balance? Which elements of their work do they love and what to do more of? Are they struggling with something that you can help them with e.g. prioritising their work to reduce anxiety?
  2. Make the effort to meet physically – especially with staff members who are working from home or hybrid working, make sure you meet up with your employees for a physical one-to-one. A cup of coffee or a walking meeting can do wonders.
  3. Practice what you preach – whatever you are promoting as self-care, make sure you are leading by example! It could be properly switching off at the weekends, walking during your lunch break, meditating in the mornings, eating healthily or getting a good nights sleep for a few days in a row. Whatever you’re doing, schedule self-care into your calendar, share your efforts, encourage and motivate people to get involved and be their inspiration.
  4. Encourage them to write their to-do list the night before – writing lists helps reduce anxiety, so if this is done the night before, we can sleep better and wake up raring to go. Encourage your employees to do this. It not only helps with productivity but also facilitates better prioritisation and focus.
  5. Actively help individuals with time and stress management – a big source of stress for many workers is not having time to do everything they need to. As we all know, this is usually due to poor time management rather than not having the time in the first place! To help your employees work more effectively, give them the information and tools they need to succeed. (e.g. ever heard of The Pomodoro Technique?).
  6. Offer flexible hours and/or an outcome-based model – to facilitate a better work-life balance, give your employees the chance to create their own flexible schedules. If you do this and set clear goals and KPI’s for what they need to achieve, you will see an improvement in productivity and job satisfaction.
  7. Remind your employees to use their benefits – do you offer your team flexible working hours, discounted gym memberships, a study allowance or any health-related benefits? If there is something that could help them relax, develop and re-find their mojo, you need to motivate them to take advantage of these benefits. Even if it’s just taking the afternoon off to recharge!
  8. Always show your appreciation – acknowledging employees and their accomplishments and showing them how much you value what they do can seriously help with productivity and motivation. We all know how much of a difference it makes when someone gives us a job well done – it lifts our spirits and makes our week. Self-worth is a big factor when it comes to stress, anxiety and general mental health, so make sure to recognise your employees and their efforts as much as possible.

Your employees are your greatest asset!

Employees are the life force of your business. They are the foundation, the cogs in the machine, so you must take care of them. If you don’t, cracks will form! Start investing in self-care now and you’ll see that your team, and your business, will be far stronger and resilient in the long run.

How to combat rising wages and staff shortages

Posted on | by Jade Donno

It’s no secret that hundreds of small businesses are suffering from increased wage costs and staff shortages. These issues span multiple industries, from hospitality to construction, and have only intensified since the beginning of the pandemic.

So, how do you handle rising demands with limited labour?

To help you navigate these challenging times, we’ve curated a list of strategies to boost your staff retention, improve your recruitment processes and increase your profit margins.

Here are our 5 strategies for combating rising wage costs and staff shortages:

1) Hire graduates, and interns, and apprentices

Graduates and interns offer an effective and inexpensive solution to staffing shortages.

Straight out of college or university, these young adults are primed for training, ready to be moulded to your company’s exacting needs. What’s more, studies have shown that hiring graduates can significantly increase your staff retention rates. Approximately  57% of graduates still retain their position five years later.

Hiring an apprentice, whilst quite an investment in time, can also be beneficial for many companies.

Although hiring a graduate may not be a quick fix, it’s a brilliant way to source new talent – plus, the ROI is second to none.

2) Invest in your employees

Loyalty is a two-way street. Therefore if you want your employees to remain loyal to your company, you need to invest in their development.

Provide them with opportunities to upskill, fund their training and encourage them to diversify their skillset. Not only will it improve your retention rates by 30-50%, but it will also allow you to cultivate a team of highly skilled professionals.

3) Utilise mergers and acquisitions

More and more companies are deciding to partake in mergers and acquisitions. Why? Because resources are limited and successors are few and far between.

By combining forces the parties involved gain access to a larger workforce, a greater array of talents and more viable candidates to succeed their business.

Plus, with an increased market share, companies are better equipped to manage rising wage costs as they acquire more capital and increase their profit margins!

4) Delegate administrative tasks

With labour dwindling and demand rising, our employees are really being pushed to their limits. So don’t exacerbate the problem by burdening them with non-essential responsibilities. Instead start automating repetitive tasks and hiring administrative staff to handle any paperwork.

Although investing in new employees and tech can be costly, they can notably increase productivity, profits, and employee engagement. Stop placing unnecessary strain on your staff and start streamlining your administrative tasks!

5) Update your recruitment style

Now more than ever you need to be investing your resources into your recruiting process. After all if you want to solve your staffing issues, you’ll need to attract and attain new employees. So what can you do to improve your recruitment style?

Firstly, you need to be harnessing the power of social media. This allows you to broaden your search whilst offering applicants an accurate insight into your business.

Secondly, you want to focus on your company culture as this can quickly attract or deter applicants. Ask yourself, what makes your company the place to work? Do you offer impressive employee benefits? Do you accommodate flexible working?

Whatever it is that makes your company attractive and unique, make sure to funnel that into your recruiting process.

Take care of your employees

Running a business is never easy, but our current climate is making things even more challenging. We wanted to end this discussion with some words of encouragement.

If your business can survive Brexit, a global pandemic and an inflating economy all in quick succession, it can also survive these labour shortages. Just remember to streamline your processes, adapt your recruitment methods and take care of your staff, as they will take care of your business.

6 key changes businesses should have made over the past 2 years

Posted on | by Jade Donno

The pandemic has been transformative in many ways. It has changed how we view our health, how we communicate and, of course, how we run our businesses. Whilst we certainly wouldn’t want to do it again, it has taught us a lot of valuable lessons. In light of the lesson we’ve learnt, we thought we’d share 6 key changes we believe all businesses should have made since the pandemic:

1) Hybrid Working

Before the pandemic hybrid working was a lot less common, however this is no longer the case. Recent studies have shown that 76% of companies have adopted a hybrid working model since the pandemic because it has proven to be so effective!
Employees are more productive, more engaged and generally happier when provided the opportunity to choose their work environment. Your employees and your profit margin will thank you for adopting a more flexible working model!

2) Internal Communications

Learning to navigate a business in social isolation has really highlighted the importance of effective communication, not only between team members but between firm owners and partners too.
We made sure to have daily zoom meetings with the whole team throughout the pandemic so that we all had a chance to see and talk to each other, even if there was nothing particular to report. Without these open streams of communication we would not have been able to adapt our businesses, engage our teams or maintain operations during the Covid-19 crisis.
Therefore, you must continue to prioritise and invest in your internal communications. After all, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that effective communication is a valuable commodity.

3) Digital Processes

Working from home forced us to adapt in more ways than one. However, the most notable difference has been the global shift towards virtual working and digital processes.
Adopting cloud-based software has innumerable advantages, but perhaps the most noteworthy is its ability to increase efficiency. In a recent survey, 48% of respondents agreed that cloud computing increased their efficiency thanks to cloud automation and broad network access.
So, if you haven’t already, do yourself a favour and start streamlining your processes by using a digital payment process and introducing automation tools to your workflow.

4) Advisory Services

If guiding our clients through the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that our advice is both valuable and scalable. Developing your advisory services is something you need to make sure you are doing.
Offering tailored advice can be a simple way to utilise your expertise, enhance client relations and increase revenue. So don’t limit yourself to debits and credits – expand your services by offering relevant business advice!

5) Outsourcing

In a time when we had to adapt quickly many businesses had to outsource labour and resources to operate, and that continues to be the case. Labour shortages have forced us to seriously evaluate what we can and can not deliver in-house.
Yet, despite the great resignation and the global pandemic we’ve come to find there are actually many benefits to outsourcing.
Outsourcing can improve revenue, increase efficiency, and reduce operational costs. What’s more, it enables you to delegate tasks outside of your expertise, allowing you to channel your energy into what you do best. Don’t be afraid to ask for help as you’ll need it if you want to scale your business.

6) Refined client base

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. Whilst the pandemic did present us with many hardships, it also allowed us to take a good look at our client base.
If you’re yet to do so, we highly recommend reviewing your client base as well. Who are your high-value clients? Which clients drain your resources? The aim is to identify which clients you can afford to let go in order to save yourself both time and money.
Although culling clients is never easy, refining your client profile can be extremely beneficial if done respectfully. This will help you make space for more clients that fit your ideal client profile!

Future-proof your business

Unfortunately Covid-19 won’t be the last challenge we face. There will always be another bump in the road or another fire to put out. By implementing these suggestions you have the ability to streamline your business, optimise your performance and keep up with your competitors, all of which are essential when preparing your firm for the future.
Try not to be despondent when times get tough. Remember, challenges are also opportunities for growth and innovation.

3 hacks for embracing change in the workplace!

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Embracing change is the secret to business growth. It allows us to learn how to do things better and adapt to survive, which is an essential skill in today’s economy! This is easier said than done though. We all like our comfort zones, and it can be really difficult to break out of them. Then, we also have to help our employees get out of their comfort zones as well!

If you want to move your business forward, here is how to embrace change in the workplace and how to get your team to get behind it too.

1) Get yourself in the right mindset, so you can lead by example

You won’t be able to implement a change if you’re not behind it yourself, so take some time to embrace it first. What are the positives that will come from this change? Why is it needed? What will you and your team get out of this change? Re-frame this in your mind, and you’ll be far more effective in embracing and then leading this change.

2) Communicate the change to your support team

The worst thing you can do is spring change on your team and not communicate what it really means. You want to implement change in your business successfully and your team is a major key player in that, so you really need to communicate this in the right way.

To avoid resistance from your team, make sure to:

  • Communicate changes that are happening as early as possible -NOT at the point where it needs to be implemented.
  • Involve the right people in the process as early as possible – they have valuable insight and need to be the ‘champions’ of this change.
  • Share the overall vision with the team – your team needs to understand how this all links together and having a shared purpose increases the chance of success.
  • Communicate “what’s in it for me?” for every team member, not just how it will help the business – reward is a massive motivator so help your team get personally invested.
  • Provide them with sufficient training and support – how do you need to support them to implement the change successfully?.

3) Nurture the right habits and behaviours in the long term.

When times get tough and things are going wrong, this is when your team will revert to old behaviours and habits and how things were done before. To avoid this, start nurturing the right behaviours now by working on resilience and wellbeing. This will help to make sure that the change is a long term one.

Try implementing one or more of these strategies:

  • Rewards – take your team out for lunch or give them the afternoon off if they need motivation.
  • Check-ins – have monthly 1:1s to make sure each team member has what they need to succeed.
  • Good habits – encourage self-care among your team, especially everyone getting enough sleep, exercise, good food and recharge time.
  • Mindset – help your team reframe their thinking if they are struggling and lead by example.
  • Nurture initiative – if team members need help, don’t solve their problems straight away. Ask the right questions to guide them to the answer. This will help them start to identify and initiate change to improve working practices themselves too!

Following these hacks will not only help you and your team embrace change, but it will set you up for positive growth in the future!

4 Productivity Tips From 1 Accounts To Kickstart Your New Year

4 Productivity Tips To Kickstart Your New Year!

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Many people find it hard to return to work after the long Christmas and New Year slowdown, but the pandemic has slowed many people down to a halt. It may take longer than normal for some people to return to their usual productivity levels – but why stop at “usual” when things are unusual? Why not aim higher?

To help you do just that, here are 4 productivity tips to being as productive as possible when you return to work.

1. Know what you want to be different

Think about what normally happens when you start back at work. What tasks do you do that don’t really need to be done? What high-value tasks can you do instead? How much time do you usually have before things properly kick in and you’re very busy?

If you think about what you want to change so that you can start the year right, your intentions will be clear going into your first day and you’ll be far more likely to achieve what you want.

2. Identify the habits you’ll need to change

When you know your intentions (i.e. what you want to change), you then need to think about what action you will take. What steps do you need to take every day? Do you need to break bad habits that waste time and create new ones or do you just need to adapt them?

For example, if you want to develop a habit to do business development every day, try to link this to another habit that you already have. Something like, every morning after I get a cup of coffee and switch on my computer, I will do 10 minutes of engagement on LinkedIn.

3. Prioritise the right tasks

You shouldn’t have mounting emails or multiple requests from team members on your first day back, so use this time wisely. Prioritise the tasks that give you the most bang for your buck or the essentials that usually get pushed further and further down your to-do list. Plan your work for the next few months and start getting ahead.

You can even use this time to build those all-important relationships with your network. Phone up your best clients to find out how their Christmas went, let them know you’re back and to give you a shout if they need anything.

4. Don’t forget to look after yourself

Yes, looking after yourself is essential for productivity! The worst thing you can do is return to work and slot right back into the busyness and leave all those benefits that come with having a break behind. All that will do is result in you getting overwhelmed and potentially burning out after a few weeks or months. Instead, you should use this time to implement some self-care elements into your routine which you can carry on throughout the year.

Find out what works for you. Maybe it’s writing down a few things that you’re grateful for at the start of every workday. Maybe it’s going for a walk at lunch or the gym after work. Whatever helps you to focus when you’re working and switch off when you’re not, you need to make these a part of your daily work routine. What you’ll find is that you’ll keep that holiday feeling for as long as possible AND you’ll transition into a much healthier way of working where you’re far more productive.

Christmas picture

How to combat Christmas stress in your workforce

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Although Christmas is a magical time of year full of celebration and quality time with family and friends, it can cause stress too. Beyond just the pressure of gift buying and financial stress, the month is a lot shorter and there’s an increased pressure to meet deadlines, hit end-of-year targets, and attend additional social functions. And that’s not even mentioning the stress that comes with hosting people for the actual holidays!

According to the Health and Safety Executive, approximately 50% of all work-related illnesses in 2019/2020 were caused by stress, anxiety or depression. And that was without the stress that comes with the holiday season. Too much stress at work can lead to bigger problems for your employees – impacting productivity, morale, and wellbeing – so as an employer, you need to think about how you can support your team through this time of year.

To help combat Christmas stress (so that rather than burn out, your employees come back in January refreshed, engaged and motivated to get going), here is an essential checklist.

Your ‘combat Christmas stress’ checklist

1 . Plan Christmas-themed activities

If you have your team in one office, get everyone to decorate together. An easy group activity such as this can be very therapeutic. As well as decorating their own desks, you can also arrange festive activities such as Secret Santa, Christmas jumper day, and of course, the office Christmas party.

If you have a remote team, think about how you can bring the team together and nurture festiveness. Can you send the whole team gifts which will be opened together at the virtual Christmas party?

2. Help staff manage their workload

Time management is a big source of stress in December, so can you help your employees with this? Since the season has fewer work days but the same amount of work, help your employees plan ahead as much as possible so that their productivity isn’t affected.

Another option is to outsource or take on temporary staff over busy periods.

3. Maintain effective communication

Is everyone doing okay? Do your employees need anything from you to make this time easier on them? Make sure to increase your communication with your employees this season or at least maintain effective channels when things get busy.

One of the most important things to communicate during this period is when everyone will be taking their holiday. Help your employees communicate this to each other and also to their clients! If everyone is clear who is off and when in advance, then things won’t build up right before Christmas and your employees can properly switch off without worrying about what they are coming back to.

4. Help staff reduce their financial stress

Financial stress is one of the biggest pressures during December, so think about the ways you can help your employees with this. Can you give your employees an end-of-year bonus? Or other financial rewards such as gift cards or vouchers? Can you recommend finance planning apps for budgeting? Or get a financial expert to come in and run a workshop on “holiday budgeting” or “how to avoid overspending”?

5. Encourage healthy eating and exercise

The holiday season is full of rich, unhealthy foods and drinks, all of which can reduce mood and energy and increase stress and anxiety. If you want your employees to come back in January healthy and raring to go, help them to make wiser food choices.

You can start by offering healthier food at the company Christmas party and encourage the team to compete over the holidays – who can eat healthier and log more steps? Maybe you can all do a food or exercise challenge together?

6. Check for signs of anxiety/depression

Is anyone displaying signs of social withdrawal, anxiety, depression or grief? Keep your eyes open for the tell-tale signs and be prepared to give extra support to these people.

Christmas and New Year can be a lonely time for people, especially for those who have recently lost a loved one, so be aware that some may need alone time while others may feel isolated and will need encouragement to get involved.

Other things you can do is to maximise natural light in the office and encourage employees to take vitamin D!

7. Encourage work/life balance

Can you offer your employees flexible hours or to work from home this season? If your employees can schedule work around their personal lives, you’ll see a huge difference in productivity and wellbeing. Even if it’s a simple as allowing people to work earlier and leave earlier, so they can take care of their children or finish their Christmas shopping. A good work-life balance is essential for mental and physical wellbeing.

Pave the way for a prosperous New Year!

The more you can reduce stress in December, the more productive the New Year will be, so help your employees. Help them manage their workload, their client expectations and their work-life balance. Think about how you can help to reduce their financial stress and always keep an eye out for anyone who is struggling.  If you do this, you will combat Christmas stress and you’ll have a full team who switched off during the holidays and have come back refreshed, motivated and raring to go.

 

How to find purpose blog

How to find purpose in your work (and day) again

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Are you feeling burned out from the chronic stress that has been our lives over the past year? Perhaps you are run down or fed up of every day feeling the same as we are stuck indoors? Maybe you feel just generally overwhelmed with everything at the moment, as you juggle work and family life at home 24/7?

If you see yourself in any of the statements above, you are not alone. Many have said that they feel bogged down with everything at the moment and don’t really know how they feel. Conversely, many others have said that they feel too caught up in their feelings, whether good or bad, and have lost sight of the big picture.

It’s been an extremely taxing year, so it’s no surprise that many of us have strayed from our purpose. With that being said, however, it’s important that we don’t let this happen for too long.

We all need to feel a sense of purpose. It gets us out of bed in the morning, fills our days with meaning, gives us motivation and energy, and carries us through the difficult times. What many don’t know, however, is that often, purpose is built not found.

4 ways to find purpose in your work (and day) again

1.Connect your work to service

Finding your purpose again can be as simple as asking yourself ‘who do I serve?’ and then shifting your perspective. For example, think about who you actually serve and the benefits they get from the work that you do. Then, consciously and concretely, connect this result to your day-to-day jobs. You may just find that shifting your thinking makes your work more purposeful.

2. Pursue excellence

How can you adapt your job to provide your clients with exceptional service (whilst also making your days more meaningful)? For example, would devoting time to learning a new skill make you happy but also benefit your clients? Enhancing your assigned work to make it meaningful to you and to those you serve is a great way to nurture a sense of purpose.

3.  Focus on building positive relationships

Who we work with, who we live with, and who we have in our corner, is just as important as what we do. Therefore, to feel completely happy and fulfilled, we must develop and maintain these relationships. Take some time every week to reflect on your relationships. Whether it’s a colleague or a family member or a friend, try to understand him or her and why you’re grateful to be working with them or to have them in your life. Think of ways that you can help them.

4. Reflect on what matters to you most

You can only find your purpose again if you know yourself, what you want, and what matters to you. If you don’t know this, then this may be why you feel aimless or demotivated. To help you delve deep into what ‘purpose’ means for you, try the following tasks:

  • Remember your ‘why’ – why do you do what you do? Why did you want to pursue this direction in the first place? Who are you working for if it’s not yourself?
  • Review your values – if you have role models, what are the qualities/values that you most admire? Do you exhibit these qualities/values or try to in your daily life? Does your work satisfy these values?
  • Keep a ‘purpose’ diary – for one week, whenever you feel most purposeful or energised or passionate, write down what you were doing at the time and why you felt that way. Review your notes after the week is over and you’ll identify exactly what aspects of your work you find most rewarding.

Purpose is built, not found

Contrary to what many people might think, purpose is something that is built or pursued, it’s not just going to get dropped in your lap one day. If you want to find meaning in your work and find your purpose again, reflect on what matters most to you and work on shifting your perspective. If you think about the people you serve and spend your time improving your skills to provide an even better service, your days will be filled with a lot more purpose.

 

How to get your mojo back

15 ways to get your mojo back

Posted on | by Jade Donno

Imagine yourself when you are in the zone. For example, when are you most confident about what you are doing, you’re efficient and effective in doing it, and most importantly, you’re happy and full of energy to get it done? Can you picture these situations clearly?

When you are in this state, the feeling that is driving you is your ‘mojo.’ It might be a different feeling for everybody, but the result remains the same. When you are in the zone and you have your mojo, you will drive yourself forward and ensure your own success.

Now, we all have our good days and bad days, but what many people are experiencing as a direct result of the pandemic, is a severe loss in mojo. As you can imagine, this is a serious issue as we all need our mojo to run our business, lead our teams, serve our clients, and take care of our family and ourselves.

Now you know what your mojo is, the question is, “how can you get it back if you lose it?”

How can you get your mojo back?

  1. Start with one small win – try focusing on doing small things well and you’ll restore your confidence and motivation.
  2. Focus on your mission and values, not your obligations – why are you doing what you do? Link your tasks to what drives you and you’ll find your purpose again.
  3. Surround yourself with positivity and support – stay away from negative thinking, negative people, and negative circumstances (e.g. social media or the news) as much as possible.
  4. Quiet that inner voice – if you judge yourself harshly and doubt yourself often, start to notice when this is happening and shut it down with a positive thought instead.
  5. Ask for help and support if you need it – you don’t have to do everything alone, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or support if you need it. Often, just sharing your burdens can be the biggest boost in getting your mojo back.
  6. Engage in activities that you enjoy – make time for the things that you are most passionate about. They will bring a smile to your face in the immediate and will help build you back up.
  7. Do something you are good at – to regain your self-confidence, do something you are good at. Whether this is supporting your clients or making your children laugh, it will give you the strength and motivation to move on to the next task.
  8. Exercise often – even if you don’t feel like it, engage in some sort of physical activity that you enjoy. Lack of movement will just make you feel sluggish and depleted.
  9. Acknowledge the progress you’ve made – spend some time looking at your accomplishments, you might just realise that you’ve achieved more than you realise.
  10. Reflect on the big picture –  are you doing what you really want to do? If you aren’t, what would you want to do instead? If you are, has your direction or vision changed?
  11. Be curious – a great way to get your mojo back is to stimulate your curiosity and creativity. Learn something new or find a new hobby – it might just reset you and give you a new dose of energy.
  12. Practice gratitude – if you’re feeling down, focus on what you have instead of focusing on what you lack. Think of a couple of things that you are thankful for every day.
  13. Get some sun – a little sun can do a lot for your state of mind and your body, not to mention your energy levels. Open the windows, get outside or take Vitamin D every day.
  14. Help others – focusing on generosity and kindness can really create a strong and positive sense of being. Connect with your family more and find ways you can help others.
  15. Put your needs first – sleep for long enough every night, eat and drink healthily, move your body, and take time to recharge and switch off from work. You might have lost your mojo simply because you are burnt out.