June 2021: Time to Reset?

I don't even know where to begin. We are in the midst of such strange, disorienting times -- that somehow still feel better than this time did in 2020. I spent some time looking over my journal from a year ago during this Memorial Day Weekend, and was painfully reminded of George Floyd's murder, the protests and controversies that boiled over as a result, the profound fear and conflict bubbling out of COVID, and the... trauma of the presidential election. Wow.

I'm thankful to be vaccinated, and truly grateful for the work I get to do, that has remained surprisingly steady throughout such an unsteady time. Yet I am also aware of so many unknowns hovering over us: will the level of vaccinations in our country effectively stem the tide of infections that we witnessed in this last year? will schools get to open so that parents can truly go back to work? will the vaccines prevent the spread of the variants? will the businesses who have suffered this past year get to recover? will employment levels return to where they were pre-pandemic? how will children do long-term after such an isolating year? [heck, ALL of us?!] do I want to return to the office? These are just some of the questions I hear from clients, friends, podcasts, you name it.

I certainly cannot answer any of these questions, but I want to pass along a few resources and recommendations that I believe can help to sit with these questions and quandaries. Thanks for reading.

🗣 8 pandemic-related interview questions you should be ready to answer. While this article is designed to prepare a job-seeker for the new frontier of job interviews post-pandemic, I would almost recommend them as journal prompts for your own reflection! My favorite was #6: What do you do differently now? Just to answer that question personally: I find that multiple 1:1 video calls each day, while personally fulfilling in that I love connecting with clients in a productive and genuine way, are cumulatively taxing. I have had to "up my self-care game" in getting more rest, and committing daily to practices at the start of my day that center me

🤷🏽‍♀️ 10 Questions for a Successful Summer. Speaking of journal prompts, this one got my mind spinning in a lot of [productive] directions this past weekend, and I'm still sitting on a couple of them.  While this podcast is very... how do I put it... "female forward" (?) in its presentation, I think the questions apply to anyone, and invited me to really think creatively about what I want to do this summer. The first question is worth your attention: What defines success for you this summer?

🖥 Digital Tips. I spend an unexpected amount of time with clients assisting them in figuring out issues around productivity: how do I get a handle on emails? how do I remain focused when I'm getting constantly pulled away by hair-on-fire situations? how do I keep track of and manage so many projects? how do I effectively supervise others when I also have so much of my own work to do? While all of that is much longer conversation, here are two recommendations that I used this past month:

• 32 incredibly useful things you didn’t know Google Sheets could do. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for hacks. But this has some goodies! Current favorite: freezing rows. So helpful.
• The Case For Inbox Infinity. I like this one. Granted, I'm a major naysayer of Inbox Zero, so perhaps I like this because of its confirmation bias. But give it a go and see what you think. My favorite line: "For now, we’re stuck with email. You have to use it. But it does not have to use you." Music to my ears.

🧗🏽‍♂️ Life's Work: An Interview with Alex Honnold. If you saw the film "Free Solo," you will know why I like this article. Rather than read leadership books, I tend to like to read interviews, memoirs, and biographies about the lives of intriguing people to glean leadership insights. This one has some good tidbits about preparation, stewardship, how to remain focused, and how to keep motivated.

😵‍💫 How To Leverage The 7 Types Of Rest To Be Your Happiest, Most Productive Self. I've saved the best for last. This is an EXCELLENT article. Please, please read it. Then forward it to your people. Then print it out and read it in a park with a pen in your hand, or at least away from your desk. It is a REALLY good way to think about rest and self-care. As we move ahead in this post-pandemic landscape, we have to take our self-care to another level. This article provides a good inventory for assessing yourself and what you need. I showed it to a client who is a social worker and he read it, paused, then looked at me and said, This is a really good article. This backs up the latest research. But it is also engaging and readable. 

❝ ❞ Favorite quote these days. This was shared to me by a client. Thanks Deborah! 

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift.”

Thanks again for reading this. Please feel free to pass it along to others. And ➡➡➡ please note the resource list I've posted directly to the right of this post for free and handy resources that will make your work life that much easier. And you can email me with questions, feedback or a request to meet for a free half-hour of coaching to assess what you need at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Ciao for now.