Hi friends!
We are in the last week of January.
I'm still excited about the New Year and grateful for the new possibilities it represents. I have this tradition of writing down my New Year's Resolution in my diary, but I decided to do something new this year. Instead of resolutions, I decided to set attainable, feel-good goals that will help me grow into a better self in 2018. I want to share them with you because I hope they will be applicable to your life and give you some inspiration to make 2018 a great year for you as well!
1. Stay on Top of Communications (Especially Emails!)
With our smartphones and tablets at our fingertips, the pressure to respond quickly is becoming an issue in the workplace or in a professional setting.
According to a Boomerang survey:
50% people reply to their email within 2 hours, the most common response time is 2 minutes and more than 70% of people expect a response from a colleague within 4 hours.
Doing your best work doesn't mean you have to disappoint others. I came up with 3 tips to share with you. Hope they will help reduce the pressure so you can focus on moving your priorities forward.
Tip #1 Set Expectations
Let people know when to expect an answer from me when they have requests that take time and consideration. This way, the sender will feel acknowledged and I can stay on track with my priorities.
Tip #2 Figure Out A 'No Mail, No Problem' Window
This is super important if you are your own boss or you prioritize your career. To fully thrive in what you do, it's so important to recharge so you can give your work 100%. That's why I decided to implement a '9pm-9am' No Mail strategy in 2018. This means I will not be sending or replying to emails from 9 pm at night to 9 am the next day.
What's your 'no mail, no problem' window?
Tip #3 Allow Yourself the Freedom to Say 'No'!
I often receive promotional requests that don't seem to be a good fit, especailly the obvious standardized/automated messages. I decided to allow myself and the sender the freedom to let go and not spending time individualize the different reasons it doesn't work, mutually. This way, we both will have space and time to pursue real opportunities.
2. Get Organized
I recently finished reading:
by Marie Kondo.
I decided to gift away things in my home that has fallen into disuse, with a lot of them being gifts that I never took out of the package. I use to be someone who holds on to things because I want to honour that special someone who put time and love into buying a gift for me, but I learned to appreciate that the actual gifts have served their purpose during the exchange. Instead of holding on to the things, I plan to make the gift-giver feel special in return.
Personally, gifting away things that could be appreciated more by someone else has worked great for me. Especially during the cleaning and organizing process, I'm getting creative ideas and solving problems. What's the long-term benefit? There will be less physical things that demand your time, and you have spare energy to put into the projects/activities that are really important to you.
Give it a try!
3. Building Healthy Boundaries
Dealing with the disappointment of not having the support from people who matter most to you (especially family) is hard, especially when the disagreement involves your core believes. Given 'agree to disagree' is not an option-you know they will try to prove you wrong or change your mind, to avoid cortisol surging during family gatherings, I decided to stop discussing topics that cause the friction and keep re-enforcing this hard boundary.
4. Try Something That Scares Me
Let me be very honest. For me to stay active, I need to refresh my fitness routine often. Last year, I re-learned how to skate after a 10-year hiatus and this year I plan to learn how to paddle board.
If you find it's hard to schedule in some gym time, getting outside is a ease the body into moving (I call it taking in some vitamin N, as in nature). I also enjoyed HIIT workout to maximize the return on your time and often you can do it at home with simple equipment.
5. Expand My Recipe Collection
I have so many ideas lined up for 2018! For clients who start working with me, I always remind them it's not about restrictions or dieting, they are about to embrace so many nutritious, tasty options that help their body to do the best work for them.
Would you like to get back into your productive groove and make the most of 2018?
We are starting a free 5 Day Savour Your Best Health Challenge on Feb 1st. I will be sharing and guiding you through 5 of my best nutrition strategies in 5 days.
Sign up here:
What to know more about how it works? Click on the link below.
Hope you have an awesome year from Tahia & the Sweet & Savoury Health Team!
