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Take a Break to Make Progress

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Sometimes the best way to make progress is stepping away from whatever we are doing. It may sound counterproductive, so let’s have a look at why this may be true.

Imagine you are working on a project and have made quite some progress, but all of a sudden you get stuck. You run into a problem and, for the life of you, you can’t figure out how to solve it.

Instead of wracking your brain hour after hour, going for a walk, talking with a colleague, getting your daily exercise in, may be far more conducive to finding the solution because you allow your brain to shift and get a fresh perspective.

How often have you struggled with a task and just because you were called away from it you later realized that the solution was staring you in the face, you just didn’t see it? Or you notice something that has escaped you before?

Don’t wait for someone to call you away. Take the initiative!

Take a break. Do something unrelated. Give yourself some time to look at the problem with a fresh set of eyes. I bet you’ll come up with an answer.

Give it a try and see what happens.

Multitasking Kills Your Productivity

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Every time I hear the word “multitasking” I cringe. Why? Because 99% of humans can’t do it. It’s a myth. What we may perceive as or call “multitasking” is in fact the splitting of our attention between tasks. Our brain very quickly moves back and forth between tasks and that is costing energy and brain power. 

The worst part? We tend to make mistakes or overlook important details and have to redo our work or correct our mistakes.

What does this mean in terms of our productivity and efficiency? Instead of being faster and more efficient, we actually need more time. This is particularly significant when we’re working on complex problems or tasks. Once taken out of our train of thought by a notification, a phone call, a quick chat, you name it, we need to find our way back to where we have left off. 

Do you have time to squander? If the answer is no, I invite you to turn off your notifications on your devices, turn off your TV, and turn off your radio when you need to concentrate on a complex task. Your work will be better for it, and you will be done quicker. If you want to read a little more about multitasking, go to my blog: The Myth of Multitasking

Your Most Important Task

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Have you had this experience? You started your day deciding you will finish one specific task, and at the end of the day you didn’t even come close to looking at it, let alone working on it? That’s why it is a good policy to start with the most important task at the beginning of your day.

You are fresh, your brain is in its most active phase, and you get a great sense of accomplishment and boost for the rest of your day.

What is your most important task for today?

2nd Advent Sunday

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Do you have a sweet tooth? I certainly do. That’s why one of my favorite things to do in the Advent Season is baking Christmas cookies. I love the smell of the spices used in Christmas cookies, I love the smell in the house when they are baking in the oven, and I love decorating the cookies. But best of all, I love eating them together with my family, sitting at the living room table, lighting candles in our Advent wreath, brewing a delicious cup of coffee, and indulging in the cookies. Yum.

Baking Christmas cookies-by Silviarita by Pixabay

My first batch of Christmas cookies is already gone. That means, I’m off to new baking “adventures” this afternoon. What are you up to this second Advent Sunday?

Have a wonderful 2nd Advent Sunday.

Gift Giving

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Yesterday I had a conversation with my friend Victoria. Among other things, we talked about getting ready for the Holidays. I guess it’s no surprise that we also talked about gift giving, more specifically, Victoria told me about her gift ideas for her customers. I loved them all. They were a wonderful combination of keeping her customers in mind but also supporting businesses that suffer due to COVID.

When she asked me what I would do for my customers, I hesitated for a second. I wasn’t sure how to tell her that I don’t give gifts for Christmas, neither to my customers nor to my family.

There were a couple of reasons why our family came to this decision some years ago. But the most important one is that, at least the last couple of years, spending time together as a family always means traveling. We’d rather spend the money on airline tickets, special family dinners, trips to New York, you name it. We considered this a far better gift than anything else.

Traveling won’t be possible this year due to the pandemic. As much as this saddens me, I still consider us very lucky. We are still working, and we don’t have to worry about money. Of course, I would much rather have spent Christmas in New Zealand with our son, but compared to other people, this is more an inconvenience than a problem.

That’s why we decided to make a donation this year. Instead of spending money on a trip to see our son, we will donate food to our local food bank, hoping that this donation will make the day a little brighter for someone who is not as fortunate as we are.

Why do I mention this in my blog? Maybe it will persuade you to spend a little less money on gifts and instead consider giving to a charity, a food bank, or maybe a neighbor in need. And if Christmas without gifts is unthinkable for you, consider buying gifts from local stores, supporting them like my friend Victoria does.

Wrapped Christmas Presents by Bruno Germany from Pixabay

Starting Your Day

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

Have you read the quick and easy tip to reduce stress? If you missed it, go back to December 1st and read it. It’s a quickie and won’t take more than three minutes.

Here is another great way to use your deep breathing. Before you start your day try this:

Close your eyes, focus on  your breath, and set an intention for the day, e.g. stay calm, be more patient, focus, […] fill in the blank.

I find it a great way to remind myself of something that I know will help me go through my day. If I have a difficult conversation ahead, I remind myself that I need to listen and not assume. If I have a day packed with things I have to do, I may remind myself to stay calm and keep a clear head. If I have a project to launch, I may remind myself to stay focused. Whatever it may be. More often than not, my “intention” pops into my head when I start to lose track and need that little reminder.

Give it a go. I’m sure it’ll help you manage your daily challenges better as well.

Less Stress With Three Deep Breaths

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

I believe we could all benefit from a little less stress. That’s why I’ll kick off my “Advent Calendar” with a simple but effective tip: take three deep breaths.

It is one of the simplest, but at the same time the most underutilized technique to release stress: deep breathing. Not the shallow kind of breathing that often goes hand-in-hand with stressful situations. There is a huge difference. I mean the kind of breathing that is fundamental in practices like Yoga or martial arts. It’s also taught in public speaking classes to reduce stage fright.

Despite being mentioned so frequently, we tend to forget about deep breathing the moment we need it the most, e.g. when we are stressed, anxious, angry, upset, […] fill in the blank.

That’s why I chose it as a starting point, reminding you that no matter where you are, what you do, or what has happened, you can always stop for a minute and take a couple of deep breaths. They’ll ease the tension in your body, clear your head, give you time to calm down, and respond in a more grounded way.

How to do it:

You can do it sitting or standing or even lying down. But let’s assume for now that we are standing somewhere or sitting somewhere.

If you sit, put your feet on the ground, if you stand, stand with your feet hip-width apart. If closing your eyes helps you focus, do so if it is safe.

Now, slowly inhale and count to five, hold your breath for a second, then exhale and count to five. Repeat for at least three times.

Alternatively, slowly inhale, feeling the air travelling to your lungs, filling your lungs, and allowing your belly to rise. Take a moment, then slowly exhale, feeling the air leave your lungs and your body, allowing your belly to fall.

As long as it is safe, you can place your hands on your belly to feel the rise and fall with each breath. Repeat for at least three times.

Simple, isn’t it? Try it and see what happens.