This month many people are taking time off. Renewal is an important part of high performance. It is usually not possible to keep moving at full speed. Many professionals aren’t always able to get the holiday time off they want to renew, but here are some additional ways you may be able to renew at work:

• Explore summer working hours. Is there a way your workday hours can start a bit earlier or later?
• Explore a compressed work week. Is there a way to compress your work hours into 4 days instead of 6, or wrap up early on a Friday by spending an extra hour or so at work Monday through Thursday?
• Take advantage of longer days to explore your community
• Focus on completing a summer project at work. This may be one that helps you grow into new areas, synthesizes things you have learned, or leaves a legacy for your work.
• Make a summer list of things you wish you could do
• Schedule one day weekend trips away
• Move workouts outdoors into the early morning or evening

​Many workplaces do shift to a summer schedule over July and August. Inquire what’s possible and do consider taking advantage of it.

What are the different ways you want to renew?

Best,
Jennifer

Welcome to the month of July! This month is about simplification, and reconnecting to renewal and well being. As we know from high performance research, great teams and leaders need renewal in order to go hard.

With this in mind, this month’s posts are going to focus on items such as:

• Digital Detox
• Work-life
• Focus
• Simplification
• Habits
• Creativity

This month I work from my northern office. I crave these six or seven weeks a year where I get to work really remote. I practice many of the topics we are going to touch on today – from simplification, to digital detox. While I work most days, I’m off the line by 1 or 2 in the afternoon, creating space and a pause to reconnect with my creative passions, and renewing after a busy year. The digital detox is the part I enjoy the most - checking email strategically throughout the week. The most challenging part of it is managing other's expectations. I've found that clearly communicating to clients my "offline" summer availability has made it a realistic way of working - and many of them opt to pick up the phone rather than shoot off multiple emails.

What do you do at this time of year to renew?

Enjoy!
​Jennifer

The final mid-year check in post for the month is all about downshifting and renewal. It can be hard to switch off during the summer months, and yet it is imperative. We need time to renew and recharge. Teams today can’t function 100% of the time at full force. We know from the field of high performance sport, that athletes need phases to renew after a big race. What are you doing to renew in the next few months?
​
For many businesses the next month or two involves a lot of time when people are offline for summer holidays. It may be an opportune time for downshifting and renewal.

In order to get the most out of your time off, consider these questions:

• What do I need to do to wrap up before I go on holidays?
• Who will be covering for me, when I am gone? How do I communicate this (internally/externally)? What do I need to make sure I have for them?
• What do I do to ensure coverage so I can go offline during my time off?

As you focus on your time off ask yourself:

• What is important to do during my time off?
• Who do I want to connect with?
• What, if anything, do I want to check off my summer project or bucket list?
• What’s a non-negotiable around my holiday time?

​Enjoy the reflection!
Jennifer

​Today’s blog post gets us thinking about values. Values serve as anchors or a compass, leading the way or anchoring us when we need to make decisions, prioritize and focus.
​
In an uncertain context, being clear about our behaviors as a team is critical. As we go to explore our values, we may first want to consider what our values are individually. To do this, we might explore the following questions:

• What is important to me?
• What are the things I will take a stand for?
• What’s absolutely essential to have in my work/life?
• What makes me angry/happy/at ease?

 
All of these questions will usually point to a value which is important.
​
Underneath the words of a value are the behaviors. What do the values look like in action? If I were to take my phone into the workplace and record behaviors, what would I see?

As a team, and especially a remote team, having a focus on values can help during periods of uncertainty. Even though the context may change, hopefully our values are not changing in the arena.

As a team, this week consider what your top 3 operating values are this year. What are you committed to, no matter what? Behaviorally, what do these values look like in action?

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 an digital format. Print it out and take it with you for some inspiration and writing on the go! Available at the Potentials Realized Store.

One of the areas I commonly hear about from leaders and other professionals is the impact of interruptions and other distractions in their work flow. As research has shown, it can take upwards of twenty or more minutes to refocus when you have been interrupted. What boundaries do you want to create in your work this fall?
As you consider what boundaries are appropriate, consider these questions:

• What’s important in your work right now?
• What’s important with your team’s work right now? Your bosses?
• With this in mind, what are the boundaries need to help you focus and run at full capacity?
• What do you need to defer – shift to a later date?
• What do you need to delegate?
• What items/tasks/projects do you need to say NO to?
• What negotiation might this entail?
• What habits will help you stay focused?
• What else?

Here are some great articles which give you more tips for setting boundaries at work, and why that’s important:

The Inc article by Dana Dionta and Dan Guerra,  “How Successful People Set Boundaries at Work” - https://www.inc.com/dana-gionta-dan-guerra/how-to-manage-boundaries-at-work.html
 
Check out Erin Bucklann’s article over at DailyWorth, “How to Set Work-Life Boundaries at Your New Job” - https://www.dailyworth.com/posts/2251-how-to-set-work-life-boundaries-at-your-new-job

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 Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner & Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

It’s Sunday and time to shift our reading attention to video. This week I am pleased to take us back to a few of the past videos I have created around getting back to work which brings to life blog post #613: Creating Healthy Routines.

Here's another short video to watch with a pen or table in hand- Teams365 #1363:Fall planning and reflection. View it here.

Last year's #Flashback Friday which showcased several back to work routines to keep an eye on. Read Teams365 #1357 here.

What's important for you to notice as  you move forward right now?

Enjoy!
​Jennifer

In the next few weeks and month, many of us are getting back to our regular work routines. Whether our children are back to school, or our team at work is back to running at full speed, August and September often signal a “new working year”.

Earlier this month I launched a new business workbook and planner – the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. While it’s geared for coaches, I am working on another edition for virtual and remote professionals in addition to leaders which should be out later this year.

As you step into your new routine this September there are five areas you may want to consider:

1. What are the key activities you need to direct attention around?

What are the core initiatives you need to keep your eyes on? Steven Covey made famous the phrase “big rocks” years ago. The notion is, if you fit these in first, there's more space to do what we now term "work in the margins". What are your "big rocks" this fall?

2. Keeping the home fires rolling.

Having stepped away from city life for a few months this past summer and working out of a much smaller cottage, I recognize the cost and time invested in some of the more mundane, but essential tasks, it requires to keep an almost 3,000 square foot home in order. From groceries, to meal prep, to home maintenance, what are the tasks that are needed to keep things rolling at home while you work at full-tilt? From online grocery ordering, to meals in a box, or one of our favorite – family meal prep at Supperworks – keeping the home fires burning is essential to many of us.

What are the core elements which are important to you?
 
3. Scheduling in time for your own self-care.

Whether it’s working out, or building in time to renew, we only have one body, and keeping it in top condition is essential. What are the key activities you want to leave time for this year?

4. Clearing the clutter.

While some say that a disheveled office is often seen as part of a creative mind, clearing the clutter can be essential for high performance. Can you take some time before September rolls around to do a purge of items, or clearing of an area which has been growing in size?
 
5. Reviewing, or making your plan, for the fall.

Earlier this week I hosted the first of a series of "back to fall" virtual planning workshops, in a condensed 45 minute hack format. i brought in several of the resources and planning tools from my latest book, Coaching Business Builder: Workbook and Planner.

An older project management adage asserts that 10 minutes of planning can save 20 minutes of unfocused effort. What are your plans for fall? Each month? Each week? Are you taking 5-10 minutes daily, or on a regular basis, to make a list of all the important items?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

​Taking time in this last full month of summer for renewal and mindfulness can go a long way. Whether you have an extended long weekend or a full week off, renewal and mindfulness are important.

What renewal opportunities have you taken this summer? Is there an opportunity to fit in one more renewal burst?

The topic of renewal means many different things to different people. In my work as a coach, this is typically an area we explore together. For some clients it might mean – digitally detoxing – intentionally taking time offline to renew. For others it may mean getting out of the city and spending time in the country or more rural areas. For yet others it can include taking time to purge their own resources.

In today’s hyper-connected world, there may be some initial backlash and discomfort from slowing down…until you get a chance to ease into it. This is what I call the “Decompression” phase, something I experience every summer as I shift my office, and work, from Toronto to the beauty, and more laid-back pace, of Muskoka. This year I’ve been very conscious of the layers of decompression which have occurred. Sometimes uncomfortable, I have found myself more focused, relaxed and productive than I have been for years.

What does renewal mean for you?

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 Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) 
Coaches - check out my new Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner. Now available.
Email: info@potentialsrealized.com
(416)996-8326

As I wrap up my fourth week of working remote from my summer office up in Muskoka I think about how working from this location over the last month has been instrumental in slowing things down, resting and renewing. It’s also been key in moving some significant projects ahead , including the launch of a new book and planner which comes out in a few days (the Coaching Business Builder: Workbook and Planner), and spending time on edits for a book for virtual leaders an team members (stay tuned for a 2019 launch on this one!)
 
As we move into the heart of the summer it’s a great time to build in time for family, friends and renewal for yourself. Here’s what I wrote back in Teams365 #157 in June of 2014:

“Renewal is such an important process for us as leaders. Without regular attention to renewal it is very easy to move towards burnout, and depletion (mental, physical).

What do you do to renew? What energizes you and allows you to "turn off" even for a short while.

Digital detoxing is becoming more mainstream, with companies encouraging leaders to "turn off" during holiday time. Many studies over the past few years have shown that upwards of 50% of people don't shut off during holidays and continue to work through their vacation.

As you think about the upcoming summer months (for those in the northern hemisphere), what are your plans for renewal?

Given that the pace of change and information is not slowing down, what can you do to digitally detox this summer as well as renew?
 
Best wishes,
Jennifer

​This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you to think about the question – Renewal means…

For those in the northern hemisphere we are in the heart of summer. For some professionals this may be the one time a year when you can get away from the office, unplug and really renew. I hope that this week you’ll take a few minutes to journal on the statement Renewal means…..
 
Consider what you have done so far this summer (or winter) to renew, as well as take down the pace so you can renew.
 
What do you notice about your energy levels? What do you notice about the quiet of your mind?
 
Enjoy your writing this weekend!
Jennifer