10 Tips for Balancing Work & Family Life
Read this article in the May issue of Treasure Coast Parenting to learn tips you can use in your own life to gain more balance.
http://www.tcparenting.com/0511%20-%20May%20Webzine/index.html
Strengthen Your Leadership
Everyone can be a leader, regardless of title. You just need to be willing to step up. Many leaders are self-created, not born or designated, by their organizations. In this link to my blog post at Manpower’s site, you’ll learn some noteworthy behaviors that can help you be a strong leader regardless of your position within the organization.
Nine Ways to Move up the Career Ladder at Work
http://www.fabulosamentelatina.com/success/work/index.html
Can We Really Have it All?
Prevent Burnout
Help for Managing your Full Plate
Your burgeoning work load—not to mention the rest of your life—means you have a very full plate. But managing the mountains on your full plate just got easier! You have all the utensils on hand to more effectively handle those competing demands and conflicting priorities!
Read more….
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=195973563775485
Anticipate Summer Childcare Needs
Sure, it’s only the beginning of spring, but if you haven’t started making plans for summer care for your children, vacation plans, and revised work schedules you may already be too late for some options. Camp programs that are perceived as the best fill up fast. Hot vacation spots quickly become booked and sold out.
Decide what type of childcare or camp you will need to for your children. Younger children, of course, need more care and supervision, whereas, older kids want more activities and trips. Some children are old enough to spend time alone (but do you really want your children unsupervised every day for large periods of time?) Perhaps, you can arrange with a neighbor or friend to be available for your children and keep an eye on things.
Depending on their ages, a job at a camp, with a landscaper or other seasonal help may be perfect to keep them busy. Your children would have the opportunity to earn money and you can breathe a sigh of relief because you know where they are, what they’re doing and whom they’re doing it with.
Parents who are home often welcome a mother’s helper (usually a 10-12 year old who is not quite old enough in most cases to babysit on their own). Local businesses may offer internships or apprentice programs to help young teens learn about business. In some cases, your employer may permit and welcome some extra help during the summer.
Summer camp programs are a viable option for your children. There are several million children ranging from age 3 through 16 enrolled in summer camp each year. The programs are either a day camp or an overnight schedule. Camp programs are available for just about every interest and length of time. Consider your child’s interests and you may be able to find a camp that offers programs specifically in his/her interest area. In addition, in some areas there are summer enrichment programs offered either independently or through the local school system. You may be able to use the summer as an opportunity to have your child catch up in a subject he/she is falling behind or take extra classes in an area of interest.
If you are interested in hiring a babysitter or nanny to watch your children during the summer, determine what your needs and requirement are first. Seek out candidates through agencies, advertisements and referrals. Interview each candidate and check references. When you’ve selected the person you want to hire, train her (or him) yourself. Be sure your caretaker understands your wants and needs and can adequately supervise your children. Discuss your rules and restrictions and be sure your caretaker understands them. Decide whether or not you will permit your caretaker to drive with your children in the car, where he/she is allowed to take your children, where your children may play in the neighborhood, and, if swimming will be permitted.
You must be confident in the care you arrange for your children so that you can concentrate at work without constant worry or interruption with their phone calls. You cannot wait until last minute to plan for the summer.
Spring Cleaning
It’s time for spring cleaning. While you’re doing that, see what clutter you can remove from your life so that you can create more space for the things that bring you joy and success.
Read my latest article in March’s Treasure Coast Parenting magazine, “Spring Clean the Clutter from Every Facet of Your Life” on page 34-35 (http://www.tcparenting.com/0311%20-%20March%20Webzine/index.html)
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Coping with “To-Do” Overload
Research continues to show that we considerably perform better and faster when tasks are done sequentially rather than all at once, as in multitasking. Brain function diminishes as we work on projects simultaneously or switch between several different tasks.
Here are some quick tips to better cope with your overloaded to-do list:
- When mistakes matter, avoid multitasking!
- When you must multitask, choose what you want to execute quickly and (possibly) mindlessly rather than be able to absorb or concentrate on it.
- When you want to learn something new, focus on that one item.
- Pair different kinds of tasks rather than tasks that are relatively the same because same types use the same part of the brain and can easily lead to overwhelm or mistakes.
- Match tasks with different modalities, such as listening to music with no lyrics while reading instead of music with lyrics because the brain gets confused with too many words to process at once.
- Focus on each task’s relative importance. For example, rather than just playing a video game, pay attention to specific aspects of the game and then evaluate how well your performance improves in that area.
- Make at least one task routine. As you repeat a task, you increase your competence and confidence at completing it. If you repeat a set of skills over and over in exactly the same way, you are likely to get noticeably better.
Results tend to be worse when you multitask but in some cases, they’re especially compromised.
If the Job Fits…
If you’ve been unemployed, under-employed or just plain dissatisfied with your job, don’t let the feeling of desparation cloud your judgment or impair you from making a wise career decision.
Pay is by far not the only factor in landing a new position! As the economy begins to recover and companies start hiring, those that feel fortunate to have a new job opportunity may ignore the warning signs that the job doesn’t fit their needs.
Don’t let this be you! Before accepting a new position that seems like a dream job, dig deeper to learn more about the company to help you fully assess the fit. Be sure you understand the job. Know yourself as far as your strengths, interests, needs, etc.
Often, by turning down a job offer, you allow yourself the space for the right position to come along. It’s more difficult to leave a new job once you’ve begun working with the company.
