silk and sonder

Breath of Hope: COVID-19, Planner Journal and Texting Courtesy

Hello friends,

Consuming: The COVID-19 Crisis has been consuming much of our time and energy for the last month. I’m sure none of us would have guessed, when March began, how things would change. In an attempt to spread some normalcy, I’m still going to share several random things that crossed my mind, path and desk in the past 30 days or so. Some will be related to the crisis, some not. And you’ll now notice a code at the end of each item–this reveals how that point corresponds to the four soft skills keystones of HOPE Unlimited which are:

  • H – Habits and values
  • O – Organization and time management
  • P – People skills and emotional intelligence
  • E – Engagement and communication

Now onto what’s crossed my mind, path and desk over the past month (be sure to click on the video version too!)

Free WFH* webinar: On March 26, I had the privilege of conducting a free mini-webinar for LEADx called Home Office Setup Tips: Maximize Productivity, Minimize Distractions.   We discussed unique ways to assess our resources, activate optimization techniques, and align with our inspiration while working at home. The replay link is available for a limited time here. (O)

A gift: sadly, many people are experiencing a change with their job status at this time, whether it’s reduction in hours, layoffs, temporary furloughs, or even, increased work (depending on the industry.)  I’ve gone through job losses a few times in my career, and it’s never easy.  I even wrote an article called “The GIFT of a Job Loss” a few years back which I am considering re-tooling for the benefit of many going through such a transition.  But if you need some encouragement now, the four key points are that a job change or loss forces us to evaluate our:

  • G – Gifts and Skills
  • I – Identity
  • F – Focus
  • T – Time

Doing so can ultimately be a gift in our life.

Great app: I use Textra as my messaging app. It has lots of features including the ability to schedule texts to be sent at a later time.  As a morning person, I often get these messages ready at a time when it would feel rude to hit “send.” This, among other features, makes it a great app! (E)

Challenging:  Speaking of text messaging—I love text messaging but it can be challenging. Whose responsibility is it to communicate/handle communications during reasonable hours – the sender or receiver? How do you handle “reply all” in group texts? You may have to determine with each group what is acceptable or what can be modified. Courtesy should play an important role in how you handle communications. Let me know what you think and I may share it in a future Breath of Hope. (E)

Emotional Intelligence: What’s your EQ during a crisis?  An element of emotional intelligence is to be aware of, control and express your emotions appropriately. During this worldwide COVID-19 crisis, you will experience a range of emotions. It’s important to acknowledge and understand them.  We think we should “stay strong” for other people, and yes, being a source of encouragement is a wonderful role to play. But if we don’t take time to acknowledge and admit our true feelings day-to-day, we can cause more stress to ourselves and deplete our own health and immunity. Be sure to allow yourself time to process your feelings, especially during this time. (P)

Top Golf: Before the shutdowns, Keith and I started going to Top Golf Greenville. We love it and miss it! It’s fun, accessible for people of all skills, and the atmosphere is relaxing and refreshing. I look forward to going back to continue to build a habit of staying active in a variety of ways. (H)

Recommendation: In March, I started using the Silk and Sonder planner/journal. I truly enjoyed it and plan to continue for a couple more months. I love the mix of exercises and prompts with a workable layout for some daily/weekly planning. It complements my electronic system well and allows me to be creative. You can save 25% on your own S&S planner/journal subscription (and bless me, too!) with this link.  (H)

VLOG: here’s a video message to complement this post!

 

I hope you are holding on with hope during this critical time. If you need someone to connect with while in isolation, contact me to say hello, or interact on social media. You can find the social media channels I interact on or send me an email via my contact page.

Until next time,
Beth

*Work From Home

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