Goodbye Monday Blues
By Kris Powers | July 14th 2022
It’s been a nice, relaxing weekend, but Sunday is coming to a close and in the back of your mind you’re already dreading going back to work Monday. It seems like it’s the same old cycle – what seems like a never-ending workweek and then the all-to-quick weekend.
There are small steps you can take to combat those Monday blues. If you’re able to finish small tasks Friday, you won’t have to worry about those on Monday. Before you leave your desk on Friday, make note of the things you’d like to tackle come Monday morning. Straighten your work area so that you will walk into an organized office on Monday. Try not to schedule any meetings for Monday morning to allow yourself a smooth transition into the work week.
Handling Test Stress
By Guest Blogger | June 1st 2022
Most students experience some stress and perhaps a bit of anxiety when a big test is coming up. Feeling a little on edge is often a good thing because it drives many students to dedicate more time to studying.
But problems can occur when you experience extreme test stress that interferes with your quality of life in one or both of the following ways:
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You struggle to concentrate and have trouble studying for big tests. The days and hours leading up to an important test are wasted in anxiety, fear, and overthinking.
How to Improve Focus
By Kris Powers | March 23rd 2022
On a really tight schedule? Or maybe you work from home and there are constant distractions? You have a deadline for work due Friday, you blinked and now it’s Wednesday! Life can creep up on you, but if you can improve your focus, you can meet those deadlines. Below are a few suggestions that work wonders for beating distractions.
Instead of medication try meditation! Naturally prepare your mind for focus. Meditation can include deep breathing exercising throughout the day, or a more formal break in the middle of work for a quick refresh.
Designated work areas are critical in maximizing your focus. Get into your space and allow for some private work time. The clean and comfortable environment will help you focus and complete your tasks.
Taking a 10-minute break in between long periods of work helps to clear your mind. When you come back you can have a fresh view of what you are working on.
You Know What’s Missing? Watercooler Talk
By Kris Powers | July 23rd 2021
The pandemic forever altered the world of work. Companies who successfully made the transition to remote work are re-evaluating the need to bring employees back into the workplace. Whether for health concerns, to meet the demands of employees, or to reduce costs, remote work is here to stay.
A survey of 278 executives by McKinsey & Company in August 2020 found that on average, companies planned to reduce office space by 30 percent. Shifting to flexible workspaces and bringing fewer workers into the offices each day will allow companies to reduce overhead costs. But at what expense?
What Motivates You? The Two Main Types of Motivation
By Kris Powers | May 11th 2021
“Motivation is the incentive or reward behind why a person is compelled to act a certain way.” Evan Tarver
We often look at motivation through the lens of whether we have it or not. But have you ever considered what truly drives you? Or, more specifically, looked at the motivation behind motivation?
In this blog we will cover the two main types of motivation – Extrinsic and Intrinsic – which represent the external and internal rewards that fuel us. We also include tips and tricks to increase your motivation by helping you to identify and tap into what drives you.
Extrinsic Motivation
17 Ways to Find Motivation When You Need it Most
By Kris Powers | January 7th 2021
I’ll be honest; there are days when I lack motivation to do the things that need doing - whether it be self care, work, or things around the house. To jump-start my motivation on those days, I’ve come up with some life hacks to help me “fake it ‘til I make it”.
Creating your own personal life hacks toolkit will help you build the resilience to move forward and find motivation when you need it most.
Here are 17 tips I use to tap into my motivation when I’m feeling less than inspired:
Rethink Your To-Do List
By Kris Powers | December 12th 2020
Many of us are feeling fragmented right about now. Regular holiday season stress on top of pandemic anxiety has created a cocktail for disaster. Are you having trouble focusing? Seeing an uptick in mistakes or feeling as if you are doing sub-stellar work? Do you end each day wondering where the time went, or feel that you are simply going through the motions?
If you are anything like me, your mind is a racing screenplay of the dozens of things we feel we need to accomplish. At the start of the pandemic, I had big plans for tackling long overdue projects at home while working remotely (I’ve not been overly successful on that front). The holidays have brought their own set of challenges while I try to figure out how to celebrate without our out-of-town family joining us this year.
Embracing the "Good Enough"
By Kris Powers | September 29th 2020
My father was a perfectionist and was frequently heard saying, “if you are going to do it, do it right”.
As a teenager and young adult, while I may not have always given 100% to everything I did, I did try to do things as right as I could. While raising my children, I often counseled them that a job well done felt a whole lot better than a half-hearted attempt at something.
But you know what? As someone who suffers from OCD, this can take on a whole new meaning. Doing it “right” can mean striving for an unreachable level of perfectionism and subsequent feelings of disappointment when things aren’t “perfect”. So many lists, always wondering if I had really done my best, left me feeling frustrated and tired.
Confetti & Chaos
By Kris Powers | June 12th 2020
Like many, there has been a lot of change in my life lately. Prior to Covid-19, there were big changes in my household, changes in a loved one’s health, changes within my place of employment. Covid-19 and sheltering in place added their own unique stressors. For someone who thrives on structure, all these changes, happening at the same time, have been incredibly exhausting.
I live a very structured, organized life. It is how I hold onto my sanity amid the chaos around me. I’m a list maker, and I keep things tidy so that I (almost) always know where things are. In the midst of all of this change, things have slid a bit. My organization has gotten choppy, as I simply cannot keep up with all the things that need to be done. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still make my lists. Lots of lists. My yearly planner and desktop are full of sticky notes and scraps of paper serving as visual reminders of the confetti of my current life.
Motivation, Self-Control and Productivity: Quick Tips to Improve Yourself
By Kris Powers | September 12th 2018
Who doesn’t want to learn how to improve themselves with tips on motivation, self-control, and productivity? Learning how to better manage yourself and your time is key to living a fulfilling life.