About Lisa Monis - creator of Work Smart Work Savvy

I have updated my About Me page in the Meet the Team section and thought I'd share it with you...

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 and initially working as a National Account Manager for a Leicester based distribution company,  I moved into a career at a large multinational organisation as an Operations Manager / Team Leader and then transferred into Change Management. 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/

The most important things in your life

worksmartworksavvy.blogspot.co.uk

When was the last time you asked yourself, what are the most important things in my life?  What would your answer be?  My family, my friends, my health and the health of those I love, being happy, having positive relationships, having a purpose, your values and dreams, having security?  There might be one or two prize processions or items of great sentimental value in the list as well but often, the most important things in our life aren't things.

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters."  Audrey Hepburn

So this leads me onto my next question....what are the things you spend most of your time on?  Our lives can get very full up of tasks, jobs and activities that can steal us away from what's important to us.  But it doesn't have to be like this.  The very first part of my new training course, 4 savvy steps to getting more done without working more hours looks at this very thing.

The course aims to...

identify what’s important to you in your life, look at your working habits both good and not so good and give you the tools to be able to use your time smartly, to get what needs to be done done and to have more time for doing what you want to be doing, in a sustainable manner.

I have put together a lovely list of Q&As about the course so have a peep here and sign up.  Invest in yourself and what's important to you.

NEWSFLASH - The first Work Smart Work Savvy Premium Course is here

I am completely beyond excited to be able to tell you about 

the very first

Work Smart Work Savvy Premium Course 

which is now here.

I will be telling you a bit more about this course over the next few days but for those impatient bunnies amongst you who can't abide waiting till then...hop over the www.worksmartworksavvy.co.uk right now to find out more and to sign up.

For the last 10 years I have been providing 1:1 support for employees feeling the pressures and stresses of working life as well as developing and delivering a suite of stress awareness and resilience building training courses to employees across Wiltshire.  

Along the way I've picked up some gems of tools and tips which would just be plain selfish to keep to myself.  And where's the fun in doing that anyway?  So I've packed as many of those tips and techniques as possible into this on-line course to share with you.

Hop along to www.worksmartworksavvy.co.uk and find out a bit more.

Summer Break

Hannah Fox's Diary - What a week

I can’t believe it, it’s only been a week since I had that really big meeting with the Kitchen Appliance Company and they've already delayed the dates we’d agreed. Aaaaargh! I felt so positive after the meeting yet already they’re back to their old ways.

What’s more, I'm worried it’s going to impact on the Kitchen Yard who are being very patient but I'm sure they’ll start thinking I'm incapable and not on top of things. Not that they've said anything to hint at this....yet...I fear it’s only a matter of time!

So much for getting everything sorted before my holiday. I have a plan to have everything tied up and sorted ready for a really neat handover to Louise. Now what is she going to think of me? This week is just not going to plan.

The new assistant Clipboard Clip had promised is on hold as well now. Clive announced that no new staff will be taken on in our department until “contracts are on a more solid footing”. I swear he looked over my way as he made the announcement. If only I could tie the Kitchen Appliance Company down to stick to the dates we agreed. I'm really going to have to up my game here but I just don’t know what more I can do.

We ate later this evening after the kids had gone to bed and I spoke to Darren about the recruitment ban. He said they were in the same situation at his work across all departments. He was really good listening to me, asking questions and helping me see that this is a business decision not a personal attack on me. He pointed out that I’d been working really hard building up relationships with all my accounts, had received some great feedback and never shied away from tricky conversations with the Kitchen Appliance Company. I was really touched as it proved that Darren had been listening to me over the last few weeks and really does care about what’s happening to me. He asked me “what would you say to me if I came home from work with this story?”. I had to admit that I would have said a similar thing to him.

Work
I think I really need a break from work and this holiday can't come round fast enough.  Although 

Family 
Really looking forwards to lots of family time over the holidays.

Social 
It's been another work focused week so this has gone on a real back burner.

Well-being
I'm still working at writing down at least one good thing that happened in the day.  I can't confess to doing it everyday but I've done more days than I haven't done.  They are lovely to read back through.  

Hannah Fox is a character.  She is based on our years of experience working for a national mental health charity supporting people facing stress in the workplace.  The names and characters are not based on any one person and all similarities are purely incidental.  However, hopefully we can all see a little bit of ourselves in Hannah.

Point to Ponder

Often we can be more hard on ourselves than we would be of others. When you’re in a tricky situation, try to take a step back and ask yourself the question, “What advice would I give to a friend if they were in this situation?”.

Midweek Motivation - 22nd July 2015

Coffee Date Interview 20 - Viv Heydon

Name: Viv Heydon

Job Title: Information Executive

1. What drives you crazy at work?
People who try to impress with management speak and b&!!sh#t, and defensive people. And people with teflon shoulders....

2. What are the 3 “nevers” in your life?
I try never to run any significant distance, 

I have said in the past I'll never be persuaded to go skiing, and 

I could never be a vegetarian through choice!

3. What eats up most of your time at work?
Talking, and it's usually not work related!

4. What’s the biggest compliment you’ve had a work?
I was nominated by colleagues for our work values recognition programme for some work I'd done for them. It was a really lovely feeling.

5. What was the worst job you ever had and what did it teach you?
I'm really lucky in that I've not really had a terrible job that I really hated. However, just after starting one job, the rest of the team left and I was left floundering and it was a bit miserable for a while. I suppose it taught me that nobody else looks out for you and bad times are usually only (hopefully) transient.

6. What do you do to try and create worklife balance?
I'm lucky as I can leave my work in the office and usually don't have to give it another thought until the next working day!

c. LisaMonis2015

7. What are the 3 “always” in your life? 
I need 4! 

Always make time for my family, 

eat good food, 

listen to the music I like even though others might see it as cheesy or boring, and 

read some of my book every day.

8. What’s your top tip for staying on top of things and getting stuff done?
Make lists and write stuff on the calendar! I would be an utter mess without lists.

9. Early Bird or Night Owl?
Neither really, but I'm slightly better at staying up late than I am at getting up early.

10. Tom or Jerry?
Tom — he's just endearingly daft and treated appallingly!

11. Pudding or Cheese and Biscuits?
Totally and utterly impossible question. I can never choose one or the other, so usually both!

12. Coffee or Tea?
Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon.