Great to see where my articles go!
Today it was fun to find an email from Bert Langdon, CFP and find out that my article was published on the front page of the Raymond James Financial Services newsletter this month.
I met Bert and his wife at Jack Canfield's Breakthrough to Success Workshop in Scottsdale last summer.
I can't insert the PDF newsletter so I'll include the text here so you can also benefit from this information about sleep deprivation.
Is Your Work Causing Sleep Deprivation?
7 Possible Ways
Do you feel drowsy during the day or evening?
Is tiredness affecting your daily activities on a regular basis?
Do you fall asleep often when you sit down to relax?
Are you irritable with others around you?
If you answer yes to a couple of these, most likely you are sleep deprived.
LONG WORK HOURS
Staying at work way beyond the normal eight hours is the biggest determinant of how much sleep Americans get in a typical day. Overtime is a common occurrence in many industries. In the culture of many organizations, to work just eight hours could actually be considered skipping out early. Mathias Basner, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine studied 47,731 Americans. He found that those who worked longer hours found time for other activities by shortening their sleep hours.
INSOMNIA CAUSED BY WORRY
When you have concerns on your mind about work, it can be difficult to sleep at night. In order to combat this sleeplessness, many people have an alcoholic drink or take sleeping medicines to fall asleep. The problem with these is that you have lighter sleep and don't have the REM phase of sleep that is so restorative to the brain.
SHIFT WORK
When you are working at times when you normally would be sleeping, you disrupt your circadian rhythm. This rhythm is the cycle your body repeats day after day. Shift work sleep disorder has effects very similar to jet lag. Shift work affects people in various industries: medicine, production lines, technology, telephone service reps, transportation. We also need light in our days to produce the melatonin needed for quality sleep. Having to sleep in the daytime when you are on a night shift deprives you of sunlight.
LONG COMMUTE
Travel time, including time sitting in traffic, can take up a large portion of your day. It could be considered one of the hidden costs to living out in the suburbs. To make up for the loss of those hours, it's tempting to shorten sleep time. Fatigue caused by the lack of sleep can make the commute dangerous as well as stressful. Sleep-deprived drivers cause more than 100,000 automobile crashes a year (National Sleep Foundation).
LOGGING INTO YOUR OFFICE COMPUTER FROM HOME
What a wonderful technological advancement to be able to log into your work computer from home! Or is it? When does work stop and leisure begin? Working on your sofa with your laptop while trying to participate in family time is not effective for either activity. And how tempting it is to continue work in the quiet of the night to catch up on what you didn't feel complete from your day! To transition from working at the computer to falling asleep can be difficult also, resulting in an even later start to sleep.
UNHEALTHY EATING
Working long hours and not taking breaks during the day can lead to too much time between food intake and poor food choices. Late business dinners or dinners with clients can mean a very full stomach when heading to bed. This can have an adverse effect on the quality of your sleep.
LACK OF EXERCISE
Exercise is often forgotten with not enough time or energy left over after work demands are met. And exercising too late in the evening can also make it difficult to get to sleep. Getting up early enough in the morning to exercise can be a real challenge when you do not have enough sleep during the night.
If some of these factors are influencing your sleep, you may want to look for solutions that can help you move toward taking better care of yourself. Over a period of time, the effects on you from sleep deprivation build up and can cause a multitude of physical, mental, and emotional problems.
If you have employees, be aware that these challenges to their sleep and other self-care can be very detrimental to their productivity and attendance on the job.
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label productivity. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Provide Million-Dollar Service to Build Million-Dollar Clientele
In this competitive business world, client retention is extremely vital to building a Million Dollar business. Learn how to make each and every client feel unique and appreciated with personal attention, perks and an inviting environment.
Why is it that people are willing to pay outrageously high bills at restaurants, spas, and luxury hotels and then complain about paying fees for their doctor, lawyer, or financial advisor?
They're paying for the experience, not just for the product or service. When they feel like celebrities, they don't mind the expense. With so many choices of providers, it's the ones who take that extra step to pamper the client that are the preferred choice. This can be true of prospects in all income levels. And we all
know that clients who may not initially be able to invest huge amounts of money may very well continue to increase their portfolio, as they are able to. With their loyalty to you, you are in position for a long-term client who values your services.
What can you do to provide the platinum service that your clients deserve?
Let's look at five ways that you can distinguish yourself from other businesses.
1. Provide an inviting environment in your office.
Can you think of anything you could do to give your clients an energizing, nurturing experience when they visit your office?
Think of various offices that you have visited for any type of appointment. What do your remember about them? Did you notice up to date decorating? Comfortable furniture? Interesting, non-commercial art and no clutter? Really look at your office environment with the point of view of a client and see how it looks. You may need to have a designer come in and give your office a makeover.
2. Having interesting reading material available shows that you care about your clients and value their time. Appealing and healthy refreshments such as protein bars, nuts, and interesting nonalcoholic drinks can make the office visit memorable.
Provide customized service.
3. Really get to know your clients, asking questions that will determine what they're trying to achieve and why. Not just questions on a form, but in-depth life questions. Having an understanding of your clients' priorities and goals for their finances allows you to give them truly customized advice. Give clear explanation of why you are suggesting one approach over another.
4. Some tangible perk such as a CD on a relevant investing topic sent every quarter shows that you are thinking about them and they'll appreciate receiving more than just their monthly statement from you. This mailing is especially important for personal contact if your services are not offered through an office. Birthday acknowledgments are a great personal touch.
5. Keep communication open.
When you sense any uneasiness in communication with a client, acknowledge the tension and find out what the source of the dissatisfaction is. It can very well be that what seemed like a problem in one area may actually be from frustration about a broader issue. When the concern is out in the open, it is much easier to resolve the problem. Actually acknowledging that you notice the concern and exploring it gives the client so much more confidence in your dedication to serving their needs.
What's it worth to you to have Million Dollar clients?
Having clients who value you not only for your expertise, but for your genuine interest in them can position you to make a significant difference in their lives. And the effect of the legacy they leave can make the world a better place for everyone.
Why is it that people are willing to pay outrageously high bills at restaurants, spas, and luxury hotels and then complain about paying fees for their doctor, lawyer, or financial advisor?
They're paying for the experience, not just for the product or service. When they feel like celebrities, they don't mind the expense. With so many choices of providers, it's the ones who take that extra step to pamper the client that are the preferred choice. This can be true of prospects in all income levels. And we all
know that clients who may not initially be able to invest huge amounts of money may very well continue to increase their portfolio, as they are able to. With their loyalty to you, you are in position for a long-term client who values your services.
What can you do to provide the platinum service that your clients deserve?
Let's look at five ways that you can distinguish yourself from other businesses.
1. Provide an inviting environment in your office.
Can you think of anything you could do to give your clients an energizing, nurturing experience when they visit your office?
Think of various offices that you have visited for any type of appointment. What do your remember about them? Did you notice up to date decorating? Comfortable furniture? Interesting, non-commercial art and no clutter? Really look at your office environment with the point of view of a client and see how it looks. You may need to have a designer come in and give your office a makeover.
2. Having interesting reading material available shows that you care about your clients and value their time. Appealing and healthy refreshments such as protein bars, nuts, and interesting nonalcoholic drinks can make the office visit memorable.
Provide customized service.
3. Really get to know your clients, asking questions that will determine what they're trying to achieve and why. Not just questions on a form, but in-depth life questions. Having an understanding of your clients' priorities and goals for their finances allows you to give them truly customized advice. Give clear explanation of why you are suggesting one approach over another.
4. Some tangible perk such as a CD on a relevant investing topic sent every quarter shows that you are thinking about them and they'll appreciate receiving more than just their monthly statement from you. This mailing is especially important for personal contact if your services are not offered through an office. Birthday acknowledgments are a great personal touch.
5. Keep communication open.
When you sense any uneasiness in communication with a client, acknowledge the tension and find out what the source of the dissatisfaction is. It can very well be that what seemed like a problem in one area may actually be from frustration about a broader issue. When the concern is out in the open, it is much easier to resolve the problem. Actually acknowledging that you notice the concern and exploring it gives the client so much more confidence in your dedication to serving their needs.
What's it worth to you to have Million Dollar clients?
Having clients who value you not only for your expertise, but for your genuine interest in them can position you to make a significant difference in their lives. And the effect of the legacy they leave can make the world a better place for everyone.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Avoid Alzheimer's With Abundant Exercise
It takes more than crossword puzzles to keep a healthy brain!
COMBINE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXERCISE
We've all heard that mental exercises exercising memory and problem solving can help to keep our brains healthy and vibrant.
What researchers have found out is that physical exercise not only is good for the heart and general circulation, but also contributes significantly to keeping the brain young.
As professional service providers dealing with challenges involving people as well as data, we need that brain power to perform our work effectively.
HUMAN STUDIES CAME AFTER STUDIES WITH RODENTS
After earlier studies on rodents showing that those animals that spent a lot of time running in exercise wheels had better brains than the sedentary rodents, studies were begun on humans.
LESS BRAIN-TISSUE SHRINKAGE
Scientist measured maximal oxygen uptake (a gauge of aerobic fitness) in 55 subjects during walking and treadmill tests. They used subjects with fitness levels from sedentary to those in peak-performance fitness. The physically fit subjects had less age-related brain-tissue shrinkage than the inactive subjects.
MRI AIDS IN RESEARCH
With the help of MRI's (magnetic resonance imaging), the researchers saw that the tissues affected in the brain that are crucial to memory, learning, and carrying out ideas in the mind were very different in the various subjects. (frontal, temporal, and parietal regions)
DECLINE CAN START IN MIDDLE AGE
These abilities are the ones that start to decline as early as middle age, particularly in new situations. Studies have shown that increased physical activity in middle age can help to prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of senile dementia, in which there is a marked decline in brain function and memory.
Researchers found that combining strength training with aerobic exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes had the greatest impact on cognitive function. (University of Illinois)
SCHOOL CHILDREN NOT GETTING ENOUGH EXERCISE
What concerns me is how the brains of the computer and video game generation will be affected by the lack of physical exercise. It is estimated that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not doing vigorous physical activity regularly. Less than one fourth of children are getting at least half an hour of any type of daily physical activity in school. School children spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games.
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY
Increasing exercise for all ages would be a great benefit for all of us. Healthy brains increase productivity and full engagement in whatever we are doing. Combining physical activity with memory exercises gives the best results for a healthy brain.
NEXT STEPS
What are you doing now to improve the blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain?
Deciding on what type of exercise you would enjoy and DOING it on a regular basis will determine your short and long term thinking skills.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Perfectionism - Not So Perfect
If you find yourself being super critical of yourself, you are probably a perfectionist.
You may even be proud of the fact that you are a perfectionist.
Is perfectionism a good thing? Let’s take a look at some of the imperfect parts of perfectionism.
Being a perfectionist is one of the biggest causes of procrastination. If you find yourself putting off starting a job, notice what your expectations are of yourself. If you feel as though you have to figure out the perfect way for completion, you will probably delay the start for quite awhile. Be honest with yourself about what you’re really doing with your time and energy. Why are you setting the standard so high that you can’t even start?
Being a perfectionist makes it difficult to be authentic with yourself and others. If nothing but perfect is OK with you, how can you be transparent with others about something that you consider to be less than perfect? No one and nothing is absolutely perfect. Being OK with something not complete or not perfect in yourself and others allow much more connection in your life.
Being a perfectionist can make it difficult to be around you. Not only are perfectionists hard on themselves, they can be hypercritical of others around them. With focus on even the tiniest details and intolerance of anything that has any flaws, how could anyone be comfortable submitting work or being observed by you? Mistakes are just a part of being human. It’s time to cut yourself and others some slack.
Being a perfectionist doesn’t allow you to have the practice it takes to actually get closer to perfection! It is only with practice and more practice that we can improve on our previous performances. When there is so much hesitation to get started, the practice just doesn’t happen often enough. Decisions always have some degree of uncertainty and to be a good leader it requires getting comfortable enough with those unknowns to take action.
Being a perfectionist can cause you to make everything of equal importance. There are some situations that cannot tolerate even the slightest degree of error. There are many other decisions in life that really don’t have a huge impact on anyone’s safety and can benefit from the forward motion of a decision made and carried through with correcting in the process.
Being a perfectionist and working long hours doesn’t always reflect well on your abilities. Why are you needing to work longer and harder than everyone else? Are you not as intelligent? Is your productivity less than it could be? Are you focusing so hard on the details that you are getting buried in them? While you may have thought that it looked good that you were so “dedicated” to your work, you may actually look just a bit desperate!
It’s time to look at your situation honestly and notice what your patterns are. Think about what kind of standards you have and if they are really serving anyone. Perfectionism has not created many happy and success people. In many cases it has made people isolated, unsuccessful and miserable.
When you can ease up on the stringent demand for detailed perfection, you will notice more of your energy and creativity coming alive. With that passion comes the kind of significant impact you can have on those around you and the work you accomplish.
What could you accomplish if you freed up more of your creative passion? Check out the resources at http://www.exuberantproductivity.com that can help you achieve a healthy bottom line plus quality time. Contact Suzanne Holman, MAEd, the Exuberant Productivity Coach at suzanne@suzanneholman.com .
You may even be proud of the fact that you are a perfectionist.
Is perfectionism a good thing? Let’s take a look at some of the imperfect parts of perfectionism.
Being a perfectionist is one of the biggest causes of procrastination. If you find yourself putting off starting a job, notice what your expectations are of yourself. If you feel as though you have to figure out the perfect way for completion, you will probably delay the start for quite awhile. Be honest with yourself about what you’re really doing with your time and energy. Why are you setting the standard so high that you can’t even start?
Being a perfectionist makes it difficult to be authentic with yourself and others. If nothing but perfect is OK with you, how can you be transparent with others about something that you consider to be less than perfect? No one and nothing is absolutely perfect. Being OK with something not complete or not perfect in yourself and others allow much more connection in your life.
Being a perfectionist can make it difficult to be around you. Not only are perfectionists hard on themselves, they can be hypercritical of others around them. With focus on even the tiniest details and intolerance of anything that has any flaws, how could anyone be comfortable submitting work or being observed by you? Mistakes are just a part of being human. It’s time to cut yourself and others some slack.
Being a perfectionist doesn’t allow you to have the practice it takes to actually get closer to perfection! It is only with practice and more practice that we can improve on our previous performances. When there is so much hesitation to get started, the practice just doesn’t happen often enough. Decisions always have some degree of uncertainty and to be a good leader it requires getting comfortable enough with those unknowns to take action.
Being a perfectionist can cause you to make everything of equal importance. There are some situations that cannot tolerate even the slightest degree of error. There are many other decisions in life that really don’t have a huge impact on anyone’s safety and can benefit from the forward motion of a decision made and carried through with correcting in the process.
Being a perfectionist and working long hours doesn’t always reflect well on your abilities. Why are you needing to work longer and harder than everyone else? Are you not as intelligent? Is your productivity less than it could be? Are you focusing so hard on the details that you are getting buried in them? While you may have thought that it looked good that you were so “dedicated” to your work, you may actually look just a bit desperate!
It’s time to look at your situation honestly and notice what your patterns are. Think about what kind of standards you have and if they are really serving anyone. Perfectionism has not created many happy and success people. In many cases it has made people isolated, unsuccessful and miserable.
When you can ease up on the stringent demand for detailed perfection, you will notice more of your energy and creativity coming alive. With that passion comes the kind of significant impact you can have on those around you and the work you accomplish.
What could you accomplish if you freed up more of your creative passion? Check out the resources at http://www.exuberantproductivity.com that can help you achieve a healthy bottom line plus quality time. Contact Suzanne Holman, MAEd, the Exuberant Productivity Coach at suzanne@suzanneholman.com .
Friday, June 15, 2007
Men, Minimize Your Stress - 3 Simple Ways
Why are some men so happy and others are so miserable?
Why do some men seem so grateful for the gift of their life and others just take things for granted?
Why do some men go through their lives rolling with the punches and others react to very similar circumstances in very negative ways?
Richard Carlson, author of a number of books, wrote Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff for Men: Simple Ways to Minimize Stress in a Competitive World. This book is filled with short chapters of ideas to bring about a smoother life for men. I’m sharing with you some of the wisdom I found most insightful.
HAVE AN AFFAIR.
Yes, have an affair – with life! When you can recognize the miracle of life, you begin to attach great value to those everyday moments that can be so easily overlooked. For some of us, it takes a life-threatening event to shake us to this realization. Don’t wait! Have your affair now!
All the people in your world start to take on more importance, whether you are buying groceries or getting your oil changed. You appreciate little conveniences more.
When your priorities are in order, you can become less demanding of others – and yourself.
IT’S OK NOT TO KNOW THE ANSWER.
It seems to be part of the “job description” of being a man to need to know all the answers and have a response immediately. What pressure that can be!
Blurting out an immediate response without giving yourself time to think about it can create more problems. You may find yourself committing to more than you can handle or giving an inaccurate answer.
Just acknowledging that you don’t have an answer or solution yet, can have great advantages: eases the tension, clears your mind, releases worry, and opens the door for wisdom to surface.
YOU MAY NEED MORE THAN A VACATION.
When everything seems to be closing in on you and your workday never ends, your first thought may be, “I need a vacation!” That’s great, but what happens when you get back to the office?
First of all, just being away has a way of flooding you with extra work to do when you return. It’s great that you gave yourself a break, but here you are again, buried in work.
Maybe it’s time to really look around at the clutter in your schedule. Yes, clutter. Just as we collect papers or knickknacks, we can collect random tasks that we never should have taken on for ourselves. They could very well be completed by someone else, but you just haven’t taken the time to delegate. Or they may be processes that could just as well be pitched.
It’s basically the same process as when we go through stuff to declutter. There are some things we’ll keep. There are some to give away to others. And then there are some that are ready to go in the garbage.
Decluttering your schedule can certainly lower your stress level!
Is it time for you to declutter your schedule for a healthier bottom line? Get some support and great resources at http://www.exuberantproductivity.com/. Contact suzanne@suzanneholman.com for a coach who knows how to increase your exuberant productivity!
Why do some men seem so grateful for the gift of their life and others just take things for granted?
Why do some men go through their lives rolling with the punches and others react to very similar circumstances in very negative ways?
Richard Carlson, author of a number of books, wrote Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff for Men: Simple Ways to Minimize Stress in a Competitive World. This book is filled with short chapters of ideas to bring about a smoother life for men. I’m sharing with you some of the wisdom I found most insightful.
HAVE AN AFFAIR.
Yes, have an affair – with life! When you can recognize the miracle of life, you begin to attach great value to those everyday moments that can be so easily overlooked. For some of us, it takes a life-threatening event to shake us to this realization. Don’t wait! Have your affair now!
All the people in your world start to take on more importance, whether you are buying groceries or getting your oil changed. You appreciate little conveniences more.
When your priorities are in order, you can become less demanding of others – and yourself.
IT’S OK NOT TO KNOW THE ANSWER.
It seems to be part of the “job description” of being a man to need to know all the answers and have a response immediately. What pressure that can be!
Blurting out an immediate response without giving yourself time to think about it can create more problems. You may find yourself committing to more than you can handle or giving an inaccurate answer.
Just acknowledging that you don’t have an answer or solution yet, can have great advantages: eases the tension, clears your mind, releases worry, and opens the door for wisdom to surface.
YOU MAY NEED MORE THAN A VACATION.
When everything seems to be closing in on you and your workday never ends, your first thought may be, “I need a vacation!” That’s great, but what happens when you get back to the office?
First of all, just being away has a way of flooding you with extra work to do when you return. It’s great that you gave yourself a break, but here you are again, buried in work.
Maybe it’s time to really look around at the clutter in your schedule. Yes, clutter. Just as we collect papers or knickknacks, we can collect random tasks that we never should have taken on for ourselves. They could very well be completed by someone else, but you just haven’t taken the time to delegate. Or they may be processes that could just as well be pitched.
It’s basically the same process as when we go through stuff to declutter. There are some things we’ll keep. There are some to give away to others. And then there are some that are ready to go in the garbage.
Decluttering your schedule can certainly lower your stress level!
Is it time for you to declutter your schedule for a healthier bottom line? Get some support and great resources at http://www.exuberantproductivity.com/. Contact suzanne@suzanneholman.com for a coach who knows how to increase your exuberant productivity!
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