This week we conclude the series of articles on health and well-being, including care (and dedicated time) for ourselves and others as well as optimal steps to maintain resilience. These contain thoughtful yet practical tips and suggestions for you and your colleagues as we navigate these dynamic times. Of particular relevance (and help, I believe) are the 3 articles that look at boundary management and healthy and sustainable home working environments. There is some very recent data and findings from Australian researchers conducting a longitudinal study of the implications of working from home and what that may mean as companies/organizations re-imagine the next normal for where and how we work.
The TED Talks and podcasts speak to the need for and power of connection (now more than ever) as well as how two athletes leverage the power of perspective and adaptive mindsets to facilitate performance and results. Both offer great insights into motivation, determination and resilience.
As always, happy reading and listening!
Articles
The Difference Between Worry, Stress and Anxiety: They’re not all the same, but we do have tips to help you deal with all of them. “You probably experience worry, stress or anxiety at least once on any given day…But in one of these moments, if asked which you were experiencing — worry, stress or anxiety — would you know the difference?”
How to Build Resilient Habits into Your Daily Life. “Life today is complicated. Here are some simple ways to stay energized and motivated.”
Remote Managers Are Having Trust Issues. “Covid-19 has thrust many leaders into remote management…They have been forced to make this transition quickly, and for the most part, without training. While some jobs have proven adaptable, many sectors are not well-suited for the remote environment and many workers have home lives that present overwhelming challenges. As a result, some managers may be finding their roles more difficult than before — and making their subordinates’ lives more stressful as they struggle to adapt.”
Building Work-Life Boundaries in the WFH Era. “While Covid-19 presents us with a crisis, exacerbating the challenge of the permeability of work-family boundaries, it also allows us to think more systematically about how we approach workplace flexibility and remote work. Now is the time to learn more about your own integrator and segmentor tendencies and those of your team. By understanding how everyone works best from home, leaders can turn this unexpected crisis into opportunity as we develop new and better ways of working in the future.”
You Are Not Working From Home. “How to make sure the rise in remote work doesn’t mean the death of work-life balance.”
‘Success Addicts’ Choose Being Special Over Being Happy. “The pursuit of achievement distracts from the deeply ordinary activities and relationships that make life meaningful.”
TED Talks/Podcasts
On Being with Krista Tippett: Living the Questions: How can we balance connection with disconnection? “Krista reflects on ‘Zoomzaustion’ and re-learning the primacy of our bodies. Also, how this helps explain poetry’s rise in our midst, and can make us more whole.”
TED Talks Daily: To overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to others. “When you stop comparing yourself to others, you can accomplish great things, says wheelchair athlete Dean Furness. He shares how, after losing the use of his legs in an accident, he discovered a powerful new mindset focused on redefining his ‘personal average’ and getting better little by little.”
TED 2020: My Secret To Staying Focused Under Pressure. “Athletes train their bodies to run faster, jump higher, throw farther — so why don’t they train their minds, too? Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson talks about the power of ‘neutral thinking,’ which helps him thrive under pressure (both on the field and off) — and shows how you can use this mindset to make the right moves in your own life.”
Blog Posts
Ryan Holiday: Every Situation Has Two Handles. Which One Will You Grab? “How are you going to look at things? Will you choose to be miserable or awed? Will you choose to sit around and wait for things to get back to normal or make the most of every second of every day?…Will you choose to step back and look at all the things you still have and still can do?”
Seth Godin: Waiting and worrying. “If we decided to simply reduce our waiting and worrying allocation by 50%, just imagine how much we could discover, how many skills we could learn, how dramatically attitudes could shift.”
Arts, Music & Culture Corner
The Untold Story of Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell’s Visionary 1980s Tech Incubator. “After bringing us Pong and Chuck E. Cheese’s, the legendary entrepreneur built a startup factory that tackled 21st-century ideas with 1980s tech.”
Spectacular Shortlist Announced for Astronomy Photographer of the Year Competition. “Moved by the beauty of the stars, astrophotographers from around the world submitted their best work to the annual Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.”
Reflection
Morgan Harper Nichols, Joy In The Waiting
I hope today is one of those days
you find joy right here in the waiting.
I hope the uncertainty in this season
does not hinder you from creating.
You are free to paint new things
without knowing what tomorrow will be.
You are free to practice the art of trusting
right here in the wild of waiting.
So much is unknown, and yet,
there is this effortless rhythm called grace,
inviting you to go deeper into living, right here,
before the future things fall in place.
