Tag: self-improvement | Page 16

Just Busy Enough

Thursday, September 26th, 2013|

“How is everything?” friends and colleagues ask. If your answer is–like mine is often–” I’m super busy!” we hope it is for the right reasons. Perhaps we should be aiming for “Just busy enough, thanks!”

Lots of projects

It’s nice to be wanted and appreciated for your skills and innovative ideas. Having a lot of projects to choose from is a great reason to be busy, as long as all of those projects are ones you want to do for clients who are professional and trustworthy. Choose your clients wisely.

Balancing work and life

When you’re working, you’re working hard and working efficiently, but you are also spending time on your hobbies, doing things that you are passionate about, and with friends and family. Busy during working hours is definitely the right kind of busy–as long as working hours aren’t 24/7.

Focus

Goal-oriented, once you have started a project, you work at it until it’s finished and then take a break. You probably experience a high degree of job satisfaction because you can check things off your list and relax when you’re done. And then you have time to relax, reflect and recharge.

There are times when we all get too busy, though, and it seems like a never-ending cycle. How can you get out of that loop?

Set a schedule–Separate working hours and personal hours and stick to your plan. You will soon teach yourself to work more efficiently within those limitations.

Be honest with yourself and your clients about how much you can take on—More work is great for the pocketbook, but if you are reaching your effective limit, negotiate for a start date a couple of weeks away. If your client really wants you, they can probably wait a reasonable time.

Turn off your notifications–Often overwhelming levels of busyness are a factor of how many times we are interrupted. We all need to remember we don’t need to check our email every 3 minutes or even answer the phone right away. Get to the end of that block of time and then check and see if anything was urgent.

“Just busy enough” is much better than not busy enough, but if you hear yourself complaining about how busy you are, it might be time to evaluate the reasons why. I really am “super busy” but it’s all with projects and clients I am passionate about, as well as volunteer responsibilities. I take regularly scheduled breaks and never work on Saturdays, no matter what. And I carry my hobby with me so I can relax when I find I finished something earlier than I expected. Just busy enough, thanks!

What do you do to make sure you are just busy enough? Give us your tips in the comments!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Don’t Let the Fall Catch You Crying

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013|

The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone. Our eggs have fallen over once again and–hard to believe after the recent weather in Los Angeles–it’s actually chilly, at least in the mornings.

Fall is here and with it can come a burst of energy reminiscent of the start of a new school year or a bout of anticipatory seasonal depression. Are you sad when summer comes to an end? Let’s take a look at why you might be feeling a bit low now that autumn has arrived and what you might be able to do about it:

Your Accomplishments

Maybe you didn’t write the Great American Novel or find a cure for cancer this summer, but you definitely accomplished something. Pat yourself on the back for what you did, even if it was more along the lines of refreshing and reviving your creativity for the fall.

Your Plans

You might have to give up swimming for the year, but It’s a new season for some great outdoor activities and now that it’s not so hot, they might be even more enjoyable. Take a hike in the mountains, go to the zoo, play in some autumn leaves and take some pictures. Get inspired.

Your Future

If you are on a job search, you might have gotten stuck in a rut over the summer or lost some momentum–many people do. Let the fresh fall air remind you of new school years of the past and try some new job search ideas. Go to some fall networking events and add some new people to your circle of colleagues. Take a class and meet some new people in your field. Find a new mentor or mentor someone else.

Your Goals

Rather than feeling like the end of the year is approaching and you are behind on your list, fall is a great time of year to revamp your goals. Do you still want the same things? What do you think you can get done by the holidays? Break down some of your long-term goals into smaller pieces and start in on those. You can get there.

Even in beautiful Southern California, it can get cool enough for a cozy sweater and a cup of hot chocolate. I’m going to enjoy this fall. How about you?

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

Check out our curated newsletter, Artisan Creative Weekly

Note: There is some controversy about whether an egg can only be balanced on the Spring and Fall Equinoxes. This blog does not take a position on that point. And you’re welcome for the ear worm.

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Improving Your Non-Verbal Communication

Thursday, September 19th, 2013|

We hope you are doing focused preparation for every job interview–researching out about the company, planning your stories, thinking of interesting questions to ask the hiring manager and roleplaying some typical job interview questions with a friend. Make sure to also prepare your non-verbal communication–it can be more significant than anything you say.

According to UCLA Psychology Professor and communications expert Albert Mehrabi, words only account for 7% of the communication in human interactions when communicating about feelings and attitudes. Seven percent.

How can you use that to improve your job interview performance?

Of course, not everything you will talk about in an interview involves feelings or attitudes, but since emotions are running high and you are telling stories about yourself, we think this kind of communication qualifies for the 7% rule. So:

Breathe deeply and consciously while you are waiting to be called in to the interview. This will help your tone of voice be as full and confident as possible. Another good reason to arrive a few minutes early.
Practice your delivery as well as the content of your stories with a trusted friend. Ask for feedback about your tone and body language as well as the story itself.
Make good eye contact with the hiring manager, both while you are listening and while you are talking–it makes you seem as engaged as you (hopefully) are.
Match your non-verbal communication styles with your your words. The more congruence, the better you will be trusted.
Let pauses happen in the conversation. Jumping in with more words than necessary can dilute your message.

My favorite thing about Dr. Mehrabi’s system is knowing that if I stumble over a word or tell a story better in one interview than another, as long as my non-verbal communication is successful, I will be, too–a great comfort when I walk out of the office hoping to get an offer.

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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For Creativity: Sound or Silence

Tuesday, September 10th, 2013|

A constant flow of creative energy is a goal devoutly to be wished. We don’t always manage to be as creative–or as productive–as we would like, but a small change to our working environment might make a big difference.

Ambient Sound and Creativity

A recent study showed that about 70 decibels of noise literally triggers the part of your brain responsible for creativity. 50 decibels was found to be too soft and 85 decibels too loud. Here is a chart of common sounds and how many decibels they are.

The noise level in that coffeeshop you like is about right, but so is your livingroom TV or radio, a vacuum cleaner or the white noise you hear riding in a car going 25mph.

If you don’t want to go to the coffeeshop, but want the non-caffeine-related benefits, you can even have the noise of a coffeeshop at home via this app!

Silence and Creativity

At the other end of the spectrum is a more difficult thing to find: silence. Many creativity experts feel that silence is the only true route to creative thinking.

Many creatives of the past had an opinion: Thomas Merton – “In silence you will discover the Great Artist from whom you emerged; you will sense the pulse of creative energy through your being so that you slowly grow to recognize that creating is your birth-right;” Shaksespeare called silence “the perfectest herald of joy.”

If you live in a city, a day of silence can be hard to come by and you, like our coffeeshop denizen above, may need to go somewhere other than your everyday workspace to find it.

If you find yourself stuck or struggling to be creative, why not try the unfamiliar? Whether you turn on that coffeeshop app or some music or even go out for some ambient noise, it could make all the difference in what you accomplish.

Or if your typical day is full of sound and fury, try turning everything off for a while. Go outside and let the only sound you hear be the grass growing. Either way, a change in your environment might mean a change in your mood and your energy and may very well-knit up the raveled sleeve of care into a lovely finished project.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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5 Tips for Your First Day

Thursday, September 5th, 2013|

Students of all ages have gone back to school in the last couple of weeks, their backpacks full of new pencils, blank paper, and uncracked textbooks and their stomachs full of butterflies.

Sound familiar?

Your first day on a new job is similar to the first day of school. You will have a new teacher training you on company policies; you will meet new people that will be your companions for what may be the rest of your career; you will make first impressions that may be hard to throw off later and so will your colleagues. Here are some tips for making sure your first day of work is only the first of many great ones:

Get Some Sleep–The night before might be tough, but try to get some extra rest in the week or so before you start your new job. The more sleep you get the week before, the less that last sleepless night with affect your transition.
Eat–Have a good breakfast. You might have a hard time taking a lunch break on your first day so fuel up. And bring a sack lunch just in case all you can find is a few minutes between meetings. There’s no way to predict the schedule.
Take Notes–There is just no way you will remember everything you hear today, especially names.
Ask Questions–It’s true: there is no such thing as a stupid question the first day of a new job. But you can feel stupid walking into a broom closet instead of the restroom.
Help Out–You may not have any responsibilities on your first day other than getting your bearings, but if you find yourself with nothing to do, offer your assistance. You might make a friend and you will definitely make someone’s day.

It takes 90 days or so to really know your way around a new job and feel comfortable. Don’t put pressure on yourself to know how everything works the first day, week or even month. It will happen if you listen actively, participate enthusiastically, and take care of yourself. Sounds like good advice for a student, too!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Announcing The Artisan Creative Weekly

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013|

We are publishing a newsletter!

Artisan Creative invites you to subscribe to the Artisan Creative Weekly. We will be publishing links to stories about leadership, creativity, talent, job search, time management, design, marketing and entrepreneurship. Once a month, we will publish a newsletter on a particular theme.

We are finding inspiration all over the internet and we want to share it all with you. We also welcome your feedback. Let us know what you think of the Artisan Creative Weekly and what you would like to see more (or less) of.

At this time of new beginnings, we have one of our own. Hope you like it!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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Labor Day or Thinking Day

Friday, August 30th, 2013|

As so many of the people around me are starting a new school year, the importance of having a clean start, with clear goals and benchmarks comes to mind. I, like the students around me, love an empty notebook, new pens, and a three-day weekend to take a breath before making a proper beginning.

Most articles we read about time management concentrate on being more productive–getting more done in the shortest possible time. And I’m a big fan of what I call “ninja” multitasking–finding ways to do things faster and more accurately, both to benefit myself (more free time) and my clients (better work), brings me great satisfaction.

I recently came across an article on LinkedIn by eBay CEO John Donahoe called “To Beat the Chaos, Take a Thinking Day” and it really struck home. Donahoe takes a day of uninterrupted time every three months to focus on what’s important, to “recalibrate and adjust my goals, my priorities, and my calendar.” Sounds like a good idea.

There are inevitably times when we feel constantly behind, every day filled up with urgent projects and deadlines, so full that working hours run into family time. Add volunteer responsibilities, and it’s not hard to feel overwhelmed.

So on the upcoming long weekend, I will be taking a look at my routine (again), deciding what to carve time out for this fall and what to let go. And I will set some new goals for my new year. I never could adjust to not starting over in September anyway.

We would love to hear about your goals for the new school year, whatever they may be. Tell us about them in the comments!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Leadership: They Will Do What You Do

Tuesday, August 27th, 2013|

Any parent knows: children learn from what we do much more than from what we say. The same can certainly be said for members of a team under your leadership. You can tell them how you would like them to collaborate, what you want from them in terms of respect for others, or the best way to manage their time, but if you are not modeling the behavior, all that will fall on deaf ears.

Your team is not trying to be difficult or get in the way of your vision, they are listening to the nonverbal instructions you are giving them. So it’s up to you to give them the right ones:

Ask for feedback–If you are willing to listen to the insights of your team, they will be willing to listen to yours. If you have hired the right people, they will have valuable information and suggestions to streamline a process or improve a product.

Mentor–Develop the talent on your team. Teach them what you know and let them grow. Encourage them to mentor newer team members as well. Developing individual relationships on a team can lead to greater success with brainstorming projects.

Be specific–Especially if you have very particular expectations, be clear about what they are and how they could be exceeded. Generalities often result in average outcomes.

Be human–There will be times when someone on your team has work/life balance issues for a while or an emergency. Sometimes that person will be you.

You don’t have to be perfect to be a good leader–you just have to be paying attention. Just like all those people following are.

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative

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Think Like an Entrepreneur

Thursday, August 22nd, 2013|

Some of us are working for ourselves and some for others, but we are all using our skills to gain independence in our personal lives and striving for the freedom to do what we love, even if it is in support of someone else’s company.

In years past, entrepreneurs were more likely to “live to work.” Their own success was defined by the success of their companies, their profit margins, their organization’s annual growth. Those are valid measures of success, certainly, but today’s entrepreneurs–and entrepreneurial thinkers–are “working to live.”

How can we think more entrepreneurially in a full-time job?

Innovate–Tell your manager your ideas about new ways to solve problems. Make an appointment with her and use a professional approach and even a manager who is resistant to change might give your ideas a try.
Network–Set a goal to meet a certain number of new people in your field or industry every month or every quarter. Even if you are not looking for new clients, you are definitely looking for new connections.
Ask Why–Choose your moment wisely, but do question why things are done the way the have always been done. And don’t settle for “tradition.”
Be Fearless–Let your enthusiasm show and it will spread to others in your organization, just like it would to freelance clients. If you love what you do, show it.
Bounce Back–You will be criticized at times, especially if you are taking chances. Take something positive from every criticism and continue learning. Smile.
Take Charge–Once you have been in a role for six months, it’s time to make it into the perfect role for you. Evaluate what you want to do more of and what you would like to discard from your job description. Sit down with your manager and see if you can make any of those changes work for the company. The happier you are, the better you will fit and the longer you will stay–that’s the benefit to the company. Turnover is expensive.

The greatest benefit of entrepreneurial thinking is the feeling of empowerment you get from being more in control of your work and personal life. You can get that feeling no matter where you work.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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Reflections: Being Inspiring

Thursday, August 15th, 2013|

As creatives, we know that inspiration sometimes strikes when we need it and sometimes it stays away. There are days when we can’t write down our ideas as fast as they come to us and days when we sit staring at the screen, the sketchbook, the canvas, wondering if we will ever have another original thought.

Whether it is getting out into nature, listening to music, exercising, or practicing a hobby for a while, most of us have techniques we use to refresh our well of creativity. But today’s topic is being inspiring, not being inspired. So let’s turn it around a bit. When a co-worker or a collaborator is in need of some inspiration, try some of these techniques to help them out of a rut:

Ask questions–Explaining what the challenge is may help your colleague find a way around it. Take the opportunity to brainstorm about it together.
Use positive language–Friends need someone to listen when they need to vent, but the language we use about a creative block can help it to break up or build it into a seemingly impregnable wall. Help your friend make a list of what’s good about the project so far and stop judging herself for not having solved everything yet.
Be enthusiastic–Genuine delight is contagious. Be generous with it.
Try your strategies on them–Take your struggling friend for a walk outside. Share an inspiring playlist or inspirational quote. Send them a link to an amazing photo or painting.

Help a friend experiencing a creative block and you can be the difference between a good day and a bad one. Pablo Picasso said: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.” Be the inspiration; don’t just wait for it to hit.

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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