Potentials Realized - Teams365 Blog

#TEAMS365 #2092 – Week in Review: Remote and Virtual Work Systems, Boundaries, and Distractions

9/22/2019

This week we have continued our focus on remote work pitfalls and the usual weekly columns of Effective Virtual Conversation tips, Weekly Journaling Prompts and Team Building Tips.

If you’ve missed a couple of posts, here is what I covered this week:

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2091 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 68

9/21/2019

It is Saturday which means that it is time for another weekly journaling prompt. If you are new to this, check out the past posts I have shared. I hope that you will build in 10-15 minutes this weekend to grab your journal and take some notes.

This week’s prompt gets you to think about, and journal on the question, “My favorite place is…”.

Where do you love to be?
What’s so special about it?
What does it provide for you?
What’s so special about this place?
What is possible for you in this place?
When you are not there, what do you have to remind yourself of?
What can you do to spend more time there in the future?
What could you incorporate more of from this place, into your regular everyday experience?

Enjoy your reflections,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2090 – Flashback Friday: Minimize Distractions with Remote Work

9/20/2019

This week’s #FlashbackFriday post takes us back to 2016 and a post I think is still very relevant – minimizing distractions in the remote space.

Let’s revisit Teams365 post 797: Four Ways to Minimize Distractions with Remote Work.

Over the last week we have been focused on remote work. Today's post looks at four ways to minimize distractions when working remote. They are:

1. Clear space for where you are going to work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds back into the wall when we are done or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 min this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it.

What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get out thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN.

4. Sometimes we get distracted because we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many tips to time management that we've covered (check out all our time management tips here), months ago I wrote about the Pomodoro approach where you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off. Other time management gurus recommend a 10-minute break every 50 minutes. What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

Let us know which tips you try out and what you find useful!

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources. 

#TEAMS365 #2089 – TEAM BUILDING TIP 254

9/19/2019

This week’s Thursday Team Building Tip gets you to consider the question “What needs to be collapsed?”. Just like this photo there are sometimes things that need to be demolished or face implosion before they are ready.

An alternative view on this is what needs to be condensed or abbreviated?

Think about current projects and initiatives as you consider these two questions.

A reminder of this month's Effective Virtual Conversations call which focused on creating more impactful meetings. Time spent does not always equal impact. Check out this month's 20 minute call for more tips on meeting management.

Enjoy your conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2088 – Remote Working Myth – I do it all alone!

9/18/2019

This week’s remote working myth explores the myth of “I do it all alone”. The work of a remote worker can feel isolating and like we are in a vacuum. In fact, collaboration needs to be at a higher level for remote workers. We often need to be more proactive in reaching out to meet our colleagues and seek out knowledge about where things are overlap in our work. This knowledge is critical for scaling our work as remote workers.

Here’s a quick exercise to try:

Think about the current projects you are working on. What tasks do you need to collaborate on with others? Where could collaboration benefit the project?

Make a list of all the people you would like to get to know better, in service to the projects you have on the go. Earmark time every week to meet with one or two people.

Another more team-oriented way to figure out how you don’t need to do it alone is to dedicate 5-10 minutes of a team meeting into finding the common links between projects. This can be supplemented by what you are including in Slack or in other areas.

Who do you want to reach out to today?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2087 – Remote Working Myth – Boundaries Aren’t Important

9/17/2019

This month we are exploring a number of remote working myths including “Out of sight equals out of mind” as well as other remote work pitfalls.

Today’s post explores the myth that “Boundaries aren’t important” and that remote work is always flexible.

One of the main challenges of remote work is that we are usually pulled in a number of different directions by people who can’t see what we are working on. Not knowing the context can provide a lack of clarity around priorities and workflow. At the same time, we may also want to accommodate all requests and say yes, rather than discerning what is a priority.

On another level, boundaries can become blurred in our home/work life, especially if we are working from home and have not set up a dedicated area for work – be sure to check out my post from last month about “setting yourself up for success in the remote space” and making sure you have what you need.

Consider the different boundaries that are important in your work, this might include:

Boundaries between different tasks and projects you are working on
Boundaries between the different teams you are part of
Boundaries between your working hours and non-working hours
Boundaries between when you are ON and OFF
Boundaries between priorities
Boundaries between your work and home space

What do you notice as you explore these boundaries? What conversations do you want to have?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2086 – Effective Virtual Conversations Tip 111: Systems

9/16/2019

This week’s Effective Virtual Conversations Tip gets you to think about “What systems will help you be more effective?”. Whether you are running remote team meetings, or hosting webinars, systems operate in the background. It’s the systems that we have in place that help us replicate and scale our work, as well as duplicate it and ensure that people are having a similar experience across locations.

There are a number of systems which you will want to keep in mind as it relates to virtual conversations:

Recording – where do you keep your recordings, how do you itemize them?
Platform – log in, passwords, etc.
Participant or team systems – who is who, how to contact, other details
Program systems and materials

Of course, there may be other items such as:

Administrative items
Financial systems – budgets, expenses
Communication systems

Think about the systems which are going to help you scale your work. What’s important to note? What is important to take action on?

Enjoy the start to your week.

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2085 – Weekly Round Up

9/15/2019

Happy Sunday! This week we’ve explored a number of key topics of interest to those who are both working remote and also in-person. If you haven’t read this week’s daily posts, be sure to check out:

Saturday’s Weekly Journaling Prompt # 64 : Read it here
Friday’s Flashback Friday post around habits: read it here
Thursday’s Team Building Tip #253 - Read it here
Wednesday’s post on the remote work myth that “out of sight equals out of mind”. Read it here
Tuesday’s post of Remote Work Pitfalls. Read it here.
Monday’s post around the art of Questioning in Effective Virtual Conversations. Read it here.

Given that it’s mid-month, it’s a great opportunity to take a look at your goals for the month and see how you are coming with them. What are you tracking? What are you noticing? What do you want to focus more on?

A reminder to also check out last Monday's Effective Virtual Conversations call on more effective meetings. Check out this 20 minute video for some quick tips you can implement right away in your next team meeting.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Jennifer

PS - In today's #90DaysPlanDoTrack Instagram Post I included several prompts for you to consider as you do your mid-month planning - be sure to complete your week in Review and the Monthly Daily Trackers in your PlanDoTrack or Coaching Business Builder workbooks.

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2084 – Weekly Journaling Prompt 67

9/14/2019

This week’s writing prompt gets you to reflect on, and write about, what you want to say a resounding “HECK, YES!” to?

Perhaps you are thinking about an upcoming decision you need to make. If you are looking to weigh the pros, and cons, how about overlaying the question – What can you say a "HECK YES!" to?

Enjoy your reflection!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.

#TEAMS365 #2083 – Flashback Friday – Habits

9/13/2019

This week’s Flashback Friday gets you to think about your habits. I thought I’d reach back to an earlier post from the 2018 Kickoff where I included several questions to consider. Given our recent focus on back to work, I thought It would be useful to revisit these again.

Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 #1466:

Today we turn our attention to creating habits and practices that will support you in what you want to achieve this year. Habits and practices are things we do automatically, sometimes unconsciously, because they have come so ingrained. There are many schools of thought that create a link between habits and success. That habits lead to success.

Take a look back at your first four days of prompts for the 2018 Kickstart, and with this in mind:
1. What will help you be successful this year?
2. What are the consistent behaviors and actions you want to or need to undertake to move you towards your goals?
3. What could amplify or magnify those goals?
4. What's missing that could make a difference?
5. What small shifts would make a new ripple?
6. What does consistency mean for you around habits?
7. What could get in the way?
8. What is going to remind you about your commitment to your goals?
9. What do you notice about how your mindset is influencing your habits?
10. What is becoming automatic for you OR what needs to become automatic for you in your successful pursuit towards your goal?

I hope that you are continuing to enjoy the 2018 Kickstart prompts.

You can read the original post here.

Enjoy the focus!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Leadership | Teamwork | Business Success
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), PlanDoTrack (2019) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Join the conversation at the Conversation Sparker Zone - our online community where you can explore virtual and team issues, coaching, productivity and business development.
Pick up a copy of Volume 1 of the Weekly Journaling Prompts in a digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.
For those looking for tips, tools and ideas about remote work and support for your remote teams, be sure to check out these tags and resources.