Energize your day with the ENERGIZER newsletter!
SMALL—FAST—and WRITTEN WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES.
Update From Eileen
Remember those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer?” I can still find the hazy and crazy but not lazy?? Not a chance. The new book must be finished. The clients need attention. The newsletter must be written. My neighbor needs assistance. The garden needs weeding. The web site needs updating. The proposals are due in two weeks. My Sweet William wants hugs. My sister deserves an ear. Conference calls stack up on the calendar. Already I’ve been gone 16 days out of the first 21 in June. Yikes! The longest day of the year and there’s a multiplier effect taking over my “to do” list. Could I make the day last any longer?
And on and on and on.
Are you with me? Bet you are. I don’t think I am alone in the yada-yada voice that seems to create a rapid-fire stream of projects and obligations. Every day, from around the globe, news clippings drop into my inbox about countries and people attempting to get a handle on this issue of work/life “balance”. Ironically, I am headed back to Vancouver in July for the second conference in six weeks in which my keynote topic is work/life integration. With a salute to summer, this Energizer edition explores this topic. You’ll find research, actions, readings, and hopefully-some ideas to help you create a summer season that does have laziness in it.
Yes, laziness. I don’t mean the lazy as in “slothful, sluggish, droopy and a disinclination to work.” Instead, think of the lazy river by that old mill stream. It moves slowly, winding along each riverbank, gurgling under lily pads and making hardly a ripple when touched by a dragonfly. Its placid surface reflects the clouds and parts for the flick of a fish’s tail. Its very slowness allows the river to be present in each moment of its journey. It doesn’t hurry along to find what new scenery awaits. It doesn’t crash into rocks or force branches into whirlpools. It accepts what is before it, one scene at a time, and then moves on.
Ummm. Could I try to emulate the river? Could I take whatever or whomever is before me and just pay careful attention until it is time to move on? My natural style is swift. My frontier of growth might just be to cultivate slow. Forget multitasking. Just do one thing at a time. The rest will come downstream. This kind of lazy might also cancel out the “crazy” of summer.
Writing one letter at a time. wishing you a lazy summer.
CareerBuilder’s Annual Father’s Day Survey Shows Increase in Working Dads Seeking More Time at Home
“More than one-third of working dads report they currently spend less than two hours with their children after work and one- half have missed at least one significant event in their children’s lives due to work in the last year,” states Richard Castellini, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at CareerBuilder.com and father of two.
Long days at the office and heavy workloads that need to be addressed outside of normal work hours have left one-in-four working dads dissatisfied with their work/life balance. Thirty-six percent of working dads report they bring work home at least one day a week and 30 percent say they often or always work weekends.
To better manage personal and professional calendars, working dads say they have taken advantage of work style adjustments such as flexible schedules, telecommuting, and attending their children’s events during the workday. Ninety percent report these adjustments have not negatively impacted their career progress.
Thoughtful Thinking
“We spend most of our time and energy in a kind of horizontal thinking. We move along the surface of things.(but) there are times when we stop. We sit still. We lose ourselves in a pile of leaves or its memory. We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.”
—James Carroll, novelist.
Building A New Business Case For Work/Life Balance
According to a study involving 10 leading Canadian firms and 1,400 respondents, retention rates are based heavily on the ability of associates to work fewer hours, work flexible schedules, and feel supported when it comes to personal issues. Firms that ignore work/life balance issues are in danger of losing millions of dollars per year with the loss of just one associate costing an average of $315,000. Firms must first realize the importance of retention and then take steps to provide flexibility and support to their employees. The study determined that associates are basically offered the same salary and advancement opportunities no matter the firm, so firms offering attractive work/life balances are more appealing and therefore better able to retain staff and reduce total cost of attrition.
Must Read Books
Creating a Charmed Life: Sensible Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know by Victoria Moran (1999, Harper San Francisco, ISBN 0062515802).
A lovely little book that I had forgotten about and came across on my book shelf. And it’s NOT just for women. It’s such a simple, easy read but filled with practical ideas and profound truths. I love her notion of practicing selective complication. What matters most to us also complicates our life. Be selective in what you choose.
For the Time Being by Annie Dillard (1999, Vintage Books, ISBN 0375703470).
Annie is one of those rare writers whose powers of observation will have you traveling the lazy river of life in search of discovering wonder and profound truths amid simple things like clouds or the terra-cotta figures that followed a Chinese emperor to his tomb. You’ll have to become “lazy” to read this book. I found Annie on my “to read” bookshelf and am floating along with her.
Turn it Off: How to Unplug from Anytime-Anywhere Office Without Disconnecting Your Career by Gil Gordon (2001, Three Rivers Press, ISBN 0609806971).
In our 24-7, high connectivity world, how do you regain control over very real demands? Gil is a mobile office technology expert who shares a 100/60/0 model for balancing time and work, helping you figure out when you’ll be on 100%, part time, or not at all. VERY helpful.
Tips For Delegating Work
(1) Determine what work is best suited for your time and talent. I started to rewrite our web site. Sure, I CAN do it. But then again, so can Kendall Summerhawk—a brilliant maker of web wisdom. I hired her. It frees me up to take care of clients and develop my programs. She offers a third-party perspective. Just what the doctor ordered.
(2) Perfect isn’t perfect. Just because something isn’t done “your way”, it doesn’t mean it’s a wrong way. What could you give away and let others learn in the process?
(3) Just how many meetings do you REALLY need to attend? Summaries of meetings work just fine.
Wit And Wisdom
A bicycle can’t stand alone because it is two-tired.
Every calendar’s days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted. ‘Taint yours…and it ‘taint mine
A new neighbor asked the little girl next door if she had any brothers and sisters. She replied, “No, I’m the lonely child.”
Welcome To The McDargh Clan
Eastern Municipal Water District
Canadian Payroll Association
U.S. Senate Administrators (third time—different group)
TGI Friday’s
Women’s Food Forum
Overview and Contact Information
Is life leading you instead of you leading a life?
Is work working you instead of you doing the work?
You’re not alone! It’s the challenge of our times.
From business leaders to rank-and-file workers, the competitive 24/7 world of heart-stopping change has left many feeling in need of new tools to answer these questions:
- How do I engage more of my talent and that of the folks around me in meaningful work?
- Why is it that resiliency is a word I think of only with rubber bands?
- Why does it seem that we compete more with each other than the competition?
It’s tough when the rate and pace of work leaves you feeling disconnected, unheard, and certainly not aligned to produce results that matter in the long run.
Then there’s the issue of joy. Flat out joy. You don’t want “work” to become exclusive of play. Leave your spirit and heart at the door, and it’s hard to be creative and productive. You want to be connected with people who respect you and vice versa. You want to do good work— no, make that GREAT work– in the bargain. You want to spend your time in a place that lets your spirit soar and your talent shine. My joy is in helping individuals and organizations rediscover the joy of living and the joy of satisfying work.
If you want results that go well beyond the bottom line—contact us. Since 1980, we’ve been engaging the human spirits of individuals and organizations. Now—it’s your turn.
Call 949-496-8640 or send email eileen@eileenmcdargh.com
McDargh Communications
(949) 496-8640
Eileen@EileenMcDargh.com
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