Monday 29 September 2014

Lists are the tools of the successful. It's official!

Lists are the tools of the successful.   It's official!

Richard Branson who has just announced he is giving unlimited holiday to his staff, cites making lists as one of his top 10 tips .  The unlimited holiday is an interesting one and one we may well explore further another time. 

But for now, back to lists...

Branson in fact lists lists as number 6 on his list!




If you have read my profile in the Meet the Team section of this blog you will know I'm a list fan; straight forward lists, spider diagrams, circular lists, lists with columns, fancy lists

Maybe I got the list vibe from my mum.  I remember as a child before we packed to go on our summer camping holiday, Mum getting the  "summer hols list" out. It was hand written on squared paper with tick columns for each year, I guess the reasoning being that some items would always be needed. The list had grown organically with some extra additions scribbled on the bottom and other bits crossed off.  There were even some taped on overlays, although can't remember why.  All in all it was quite a comprehensive list and served us well to ensure we had everything we intended to take and needed.


When I first met my husband, he'd laugh and role his eyes when I would announce "stop, we need a list" and get out a pen. With time he started to get on board with the whole list-mania, possibly just for a quiet easy life...but between you and me, I think he's a list convert now.


OK so here's my Top 6 Benefits of List Writing


1. Lists Keep You Focused

Writing down a list of actions to be done in order to complete a task can help provide a systematic logical approach to our actions.  Helping to keep our eye on the ball, our focus on the end goal and avoid the danger of us getting side tracked. 

2. Lists Help Create Headspace

"I have so much to do I don't know where to start!"  Sound familiar?  Writing a list of the things taking up the space in our heads often helps take the pressure off us as we don't have to try and remember everything  any more.  Call it a de-cluttering of our mind if you please.

3. Lists Relieve Stress and Anxiety

Ticking off, highlighting, scribbling through, crossing out work as we complete it feels great and proves to ourselves that we're getting things done and moving forwards.  We can look back and see how much we've done and see that we're being productive giving us a real sense of achievement and in turn most likely increasing our self esteem. We can do it!

4. Lists Commits It To Memory

Many people believe that the act of writing it down or typing it helps us to remember it.  Therefore we may be able to make progress even when the list isn't in front of us.

5. Lists Organise Our Thoughts

I think this one particularly rings true if we have a tough or tricky decision to make or task to start.  We have thoughts running around our heads making very little sense but by starting to formulate these thoughts into words to be written down, our list becomes a step by step guide of bite size chunks to getting the job done or a pros and cons list for those tricky decisions.

6. Lists Make It Real

The physical act of writing something down brings it out of our head and moves it on from being a thought into something real and tangible.  We can no longer push it to the back of our mind and try and ignore it.  Now it is real and out there it is demanding our real action and real action means moving us closer to our goal.

So there you have it, my top 6. I'm quite old fashioned in that will always reach for pen and paper when making a list and then cross items off, generally with two strikes through...not sure why...but it certainly feels very final...as if I'm saying "yes it's definitely done".  Others of you  may favour typing your lists, maybe on a smart phone or tablet or using one of the many scheduling, reminder apps available.  The thing is to find what works for you.

And just in case you're wondering, yes I did write a list of things I wanted to include in this post before writing it...and yes I've struck them all off!

So how do you do it?  What works for you in the world of list writing?


Friday 26 September 2014

Lisa Monis


I am...
Lisa Monis and I’m a mental wellbeing trainer, writer and creator of Work Smart Work Savvy.

I write for...

l plate jugglers who are frantically trying to keep everything spinning and safe

l busy working parents who are trying to be everything to everyone

l all of us who know we shouldn’t but nevertheless find ourselves neglecting our own mental wellbeing

l stressed and exhausted workers who are trying with all their might to hide it and carry on regardless



My mission...
I believe it doesn’t have to be this way and I’m on a mission to help you reclaim your energy, find your work life balance and make time for what’s important to you. I have a heap of tools and techniques to help you get back on the track you want to be on, make time for yourself and find your voice at work.

A few other things you might like to know...
I have two lively and funny daughters who I love to the moon and back and a whole lot more. I'm an avid list maker, much to my husband's amusement, but lists are my saving grace, especially if they're written in a beautiful notebook with a gorgeous pen.

I like wearing scarves, Marmite on toast, baking, mugs of tea (strong with a generous slosh of milk if you’re asking), bedtime stories with my girls, the colour of stormy skies, sewing and crocheting, a glass of red wine with my husband, pretty things, bracelets, old crockery, bike rides, tulips, music, ballet, laughing, picnics on the beach...in fact, picnics non stop.

How I got to where I am today workwise...
Following university I moved into a career at a large multinational organisation as an Operations Manager and then moving into Change Management as a Project Manager. It was here through the work I did as chair of the staff charity fundraising committee that I realised my heart lay in wanting to try and help others. So a complete career change, more training and gaining qualifications in Training Delivery and Information, Advice and Guidance and moving into the world of adult mental health followed with the national mental health Richmond Fellowship.
I was originally recruited to set up and develop the Richmond Fellowship Employment Advice Service in West Wiltshire, a new geographical area for the charity before taking the lead in setting up the IAPT contract, firstly as part of a national pilot scheme and then to deliver the service in Swindon in partnership with Lift Psychology. 

Providing impartial 1:1 support for employees and advice for employers I met and worked with many people feeling the pressures and stresses of working life. I also developed and delivered a suite of stress awareness and resilience building training courses to employees and employers in the Wiltshire area.

Unfortunately due to budget cuts the service was ended in late 2014 and I was made redundant from a job I’d loved doing for the last 10 years. I still feel there is a need for this type of support, it is something I care a great deal about and believe that through my years of experience working in the voluntary sector in the fields of health, mental wellbeing and employment support, I've picked up some gems of tools and tips which I’m ready and willing to share.

And that is why I created Work Smart Work Savvy.

Lisa

Press Coverage:
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/yoursay/blogs/9793127.Stress_training_success_for_Richmond_Fellowship_Work_Life/
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/yoursay/blogs/9669681.Free_training_session_highlights_managing_workplace_stress/
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