Teams365 Blog - Potentials Realized

#TEAMS365 #1804 – 10 Benefits of Journaling and Weekly Journaling Prompt 27

12/8/2018

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt is “If I could choose one resource to add for our current challenge, what would it be”? Consider the elements which would help you, individually or as a team, move forward.

If you haven’t joined us for other Weekly Journaling prompts, be sure to check out the Journaling Prompts from the last six months here.

Why Journal?
“Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.” – Robin S. Sharma[1]
Here are 10 reasons why journaling can be a valuable process:

A place to capture your ideas
Clarifying your thinking through writing
Reflective pause
Prioritization
Connecting one dot to another
Slowing down the pace
Reframing issues
Thinking things through via a variety of different perspectives
Summary of what’s going on
A clearing space to get ideas out of your head into a place you can review at a later date

Think about what benefits journaling would have for you.

Enjoy your writing!
Jennifer

[1] https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/benefits-of-journaling/, accessed 11.15.18

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Coming December 14, 2018 – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner . Pre-order a copy today
Join us for a year-end virtual planning retreat!

#TEAMS365 #1803 FLASHBACKFRIDAY: What do You want to Tackle?

12/7/2018

This week's #FlashbackFriday takes us back to Teams365 Blog Post #1432. Read it here or below:

"This week's weekend quote comes from Winston Churchill who wrote "Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it". Is there a project you have been wanting to complete for a while but haven't found the time? Would an extra hour a day move that project forward?

This past month I participated in NANOWRIMO for the third year. It's National Writing Month and by getting up early (a little more than an hour earlier than my usual) I was able to get on paper a new book for virtual team leaders and team members. While many hours of editing lay ahead, to know that it's there to be molded is a great feeling, and one that will let me rest this holiday season. I've come to appreciate the "focused push" I create for myself in a limited time window, so that important projects get attention, and don't swamp every day. Last year's NANOWRIMO project was my latest book, Effective Virtual Conversations. So stay tuned in later 2018 for the new, new book!"

Flashforward to end of 2018...what's interesting is that I've just wrapped up NANOWRIMO for the 4th year in a row. While the manuscript from last year is still in draft form, it spurred on two other publications this year -
The Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner AND
The PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner

I have been enjoying taking professionals of all kinds through 4 hour virtual retreats, supporting them in creating a pause of plan, tackle important projects and consider how they want to track it going forward. Join us for an upcoming PlanDoTrack Retreat and learn more about them here.

What project would you like to move forward? When might be a good time to do a focused push on this?"

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Coming December 15, 2018 – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner
Join us for a year-end virtual planning retreat!

#TEAMS365 #1801 - Productivity Hack #2

12/5/2018

Welcome back to the 2nd of 19 posts entitled 19 Productivity Hacks
Yesterday’s Productivity Hack #1 was to have a clear vision. Going hand in hand with this is knowing where you are getting your results. Since launching the Coaching Business builder workbook and planner in August, I’ve been hosting a series of month end reflection and planning sessions in a one-hour format. They are turning out to be a popular and focused way to create a pause real-time OR on-demand in a tight process. Learn more about these programs here (and join me for the end of December month end reflection session).

Productivity Hack #2 is about knowing clear of where you are getting your results.

This week it could be useful to do some stock taking of your year. Consider these questions:

What were your key successes this year?
What key learning did you undertake?
What were key relationships which helped you to do your work?
What accomplishments do you want to note?
What helped you with your work?
What metrics do you want to note?

Today I would invite you to grab a pen and notebook and take stock of your ideas. If you prefer to use a device, go ahead, AND note that things are retained differently when done by pen, rather than digitally. Put your reflections in a safe space so you can refer back to them at a future date.

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton – Potentials Realized
Author of multiple books including Effective Virtual Conversations (2017), Coaching Business Builder (2018) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013)
Follow along with the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series over at Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
Coming December 14, 2018 – PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner - Pre-order a copy today on Amazon
Join us for a year-end virtual planning retreat!

#TEAMS365 #1797 - Weekly Journaling Prompt 26

12/1/2018

Welcome to December! As we step into December and also the new year, we’ll be covering a range of productivity tips.

This week’s journaling prompt is “Our most effective team ritual/practice is…” If you are a solopreneur you can think about this in terms of your extended team (any VAs – Virtual Assistants, Graphic Designers, Finance professionals etc) you work with.

I hope that you'll grab a pen and some paper and take note of your replies to these questions.

Enjoy your reflections!

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
Join Jennifer for a year-end virtual planning retreat in the PlanDoTrack Series!
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
YouTube – Teams365 Leadership Channel
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326
Pre-order your copy of the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner for Virtual and Remote Professionals on Amazon

#TEAMS365 #1790 Weekly Journaling Prompt 25

11/24/2018

This week’s Weekly Journaling prompt gets you to think about the question “What will wild success look like?”
As you think about the next month, or the next year, what do you want to create? What will wild success look like?
If you had no barriers, what could you achieve?
Writing in an aspirational way about what we envision can be a powerful process. Don’t self-censure. Allow yourself the ability to dream big, and then let it go.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago in a speaking engagement, part of vision work is about letting things go. It’s about dreaming big, letting it go and trusting that what needs to happen will.
What WILL (not can) wild success look like for you?

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
Join Jennifer for a year-end virtual planning retreat in the PlanDoTrack Series!
Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder
YouTube – Teams365 Leadership Channel
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1776 – Weekly Journaling prompt 23

11/10/2018

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt brings us to #23 in the series. It’s the prompt, “What are three things you are grateful for?”.
This question comes from the positive psychology movement that found that people who asked themselves this question were happier.
Action for Happiness goes into a great description of some of the research and other supports, such as apps, that can support you with this gratitude practice. Check out their post here.
It’s a great time of the year to start developing the practice of thinking about, and also speaking to, what we are grateful for, letting those around us know what we are thankful for.
This week, build in some time to reflect regularly about the three things you are grateful for each day. You don’t have to do it every day, just a few times a week.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1762 – Weekly journaling prompt 21

10/27/2018

This week’s journaling prompt is “our greatest opportunity is….”. Focusing on the positive and the opportunities is not always a key focus in organizations today. We are often quick to focus in on what doesn’t work. By focusing on what’s possible or opportunities, it has been shown that we activate a different part of the brain, “opening up” possibilities.
Given that we are now months into the weekly journaling prompts, it can be very useful to revisit and review what you have written already.
As you review your blog posts, what do you notice?
What are some of the core themes across posts?
What are some of the common elements or threads you are noticing?
If you haven’t been following along with the weekly journaling prompts, perhaps today is the day to start writing and capturing your ideas.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1754 – Weekend Journaling Prompt 20

10/20/2018

This week’s Journaling prompt gets you to reflect and write on the statement of “I am most looking forward to…”

Building in time each week to reflect ad write in an unstructured way helps to focus, clarify and sometimes even ease the mind.

The Huffington Post published an article last year by Thai Nguyen entitled “Ten surprising benefits you’ll get from keeping a journal” highlighting some of the benefits of journaling ranging from support to goals, mindfulness, emotional intelligence and others such as. Read the article here.

What do you see as the benefits from writing a journal?

For more than a decade as I lived and worked throughout Central and South America, working for the UN and several grassroots development organizations, I kept a regular daily journal. Journaling has always been an amazing tool for me to:

Capture ideas and events
Clarify thoughts and explore options
Identify themes in my work and life I may not have connected before
Help to identify and focus on priorities

If you have missed any of the past Saturday journaling prompts, view them here.

Enjoy your weekend,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1729: Plan a Virtual Co-Working Session

9/25/2018

As we move into fall, it can be very useful for teams to continue to put attention around getting things done WHILE Connecting. A favorite activity I continue to facilitate is GET IT DONE afternoons, which really become Virtual Co-Working Sessions. They are a derivative of the virtual retreats I have been offering for teams, business owners and leaders since 2007.
Virtual co-working sessions may range from one-hour sprints, to four-hour blocks to full day sessions.
Three considerations to making a virtual co-working session work include the following:

A platform where you can all meet, see each other and converse for periods of time.

Streaming is often best, however, others may appreciate the ability to take their work on the road and call in at time.

Focus – collectively and individually. Consider these questions
What’s bringing you together today?
What’s the focus – is it to do something collectively or individually?
What outcomes do you want?
How do you want to break it down – meeting every hour for check ins? Meeting more frequently?
Scheduled Checkpoints - A way to share and keep the momentum going throughout the day. I have found that virtual group and team sessions have been the seeds for some amazing new ideas and cross-pollination. Be sure to build in blocks where people are not only checking in around what they are doing, but also consider the value of building in some time for sharing of learning or insights.

Looking for inspiration on what you might do in a virtual co-working session? Consider these ideas – they are all real programs I have facilitated over the years:

One-hour virtual sprints for planning on the team or individual level
30-minute brainstorming/innovation sessions geared to create new product and or service ideas
Four-hour Get it Done sessions where groups of solopreneurs connect virtually to take focused action once a month on things on their list. Check ins are once an hour.
Four to eight-hour Virtual Retreats, where each hour has a dedicated focus and theme to explore and/take action on. For example, an hour dedicated to creating a business plan, an hour to marketing approaches, an hour for project work).

Looking for a facilitator to host your next virtual co-working session? Contact me to learn more about this service I offer.

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

#TEAMS365 #1726 - Weekly Journaling prompt #16

9/22/2018

It’s Saturday and time for another journaling prompt. In this week’s prompt I thought it would be important to get you to think about themes. The prompt is “This month’s theme is….”.

As you think about what has played out for you in the month of September, what do you notice about the theme that’s emerged?

Here are some additional questions for you to consider as you go to think about September an the fall:
As I take a 30,000 foot view of the month, what are the common issues which have emerged?
What’s connecting with my experiences from earlier this year?
What are the threads that are showing up?
What is the theme I want to hold for the fall?

Be well!

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Effective Virtual Conversations | Coaching Team Leaders
We provide team and leadership development support through coaching, consulting and training services
Author of several books including the 2018 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017)
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326