A note from Marta Colon, Chief Attitude Officer of Buenagente.
Whether we are in quarantine or not, this is a great moment to begin practicing “micro-steps” as they help us build healthier living and working styles. Why do we have to focus on the big things and what we don’t have? We should start at the smaller ones – what we have, what we can achieve, and what we can control. This way, we can get the best of ourselves. Some of these “micro-steps” that we can start to put in practice in our professional and personal lives include:
Sleep: Determine what time you’d like to go to bed (maybe set the alarm to remind you) and turn off your cellphone to disconnect yourself from distractions.
Eat better: Be conscious and take a seat when you eat meals. When we eat standing up, we feel more productive, but it leads us to eat more.
Move around: Try to take a walk or have meetings on the move while practicing social distancing. Moving around enhances our creativity, clears our mind, improves blood circulation, burns calories, and maximizes productivity.
Focus: Let’s put away our cellphones if they make us lose focus. Pay attention to who you talk with and stay present while doing things. If people interrupt you, tell them to give you 10, 20, or even 30 minutes as it empowers them to find a solution to their situation while they wait for you to finish what you were doing.
Take time to improve your relationships: Take a look at how much time you spend on social media or playing mobile games. The time you spend on this can be quality time we can bring into our family, work, and friendships.
Activate your brain: Read, learn something new, explore new topics of interest, or take an online course about something you’ve always been interested in but never had the time to learn. Now is the time to keep our brain active.
Be more productive: Set specific times on your calendar to have meetings, keeping them virtual, with defined agendas and limited time. Separate a time to answer emails and other messages. Reserve a few moments to work on that which requires absolute concentration, like presentations or reports. Finally, emphasize time for ourselves and our families. Remember to focus on your daily priorities and know when to “close the shop.”
Recognize that it’s almost impossible to finish our to-do list, as it always keeps growing! Taking the time to recharge will help us feel more prepared to maximize our time and opportunities for the next day.
*This originally appeared in Buenagente’s weekly newsletter.