I don't know if you feel this way about the end of March, but I always find the end of March feels like a real anti-climax.
It's possibly a hang-over from my years in Fundraising when everything seemed to go from "Hero to Zero" as the calendar clicked over from March 31st to April 1st. Or it might be that I always have in my head that the Weather at the end of March going into April is going go be warmer and dryer than it actually is. Or, may be it's the realisation that a quarter of the calendar year has already gone? I'm not sure exactly what it is that has me in a rut but I regularly am
What gets me out of that rut?
Plans
I have learnt to love using this period as a check in on my plans - mainly that I actually have some!!
And those areas I check include:
Holidays and Breaks - make sure you have planned and booked out in your calendar the annual leave and breaks you are going to take. Plan for them, take them, benefit from them
Things you DON'T want to repeat from last year - remember when you limped into Christmas because you forgot that November and December are TOTALLY flat out (every year) and you swore blind you were going to change things for this year? Plan those changes in NOW
The BIG thing you know you want to do - plan it in now. Find an hour every week to work on it. You'll be amazed what you can achieve when you take an incremental approach to big things that would otherwise seem too big to tackle well
The JOY thing - what is the thing you know brings you joy, but that you keep squeezing out of your calendar to put other stuff in? Plan it in now and lock it in. This is your battery-recharging time
People
Who are the people you want to invest your time, energy and effort with this year?
Who do you need to build working relationships with?
Who do you want to build professional network relationships with?
Who inspires you and do you want to have opportunities to meet / work with?
Who do you want to develop "squad" relationships with?
Who in your family and friends do you want to hold time and space for?
In an ever-evolving world, we need to be intentional about the people we work to build relationships with. In a "socials-heavy" space, it can be easy to get caught up in an algorithm-driven echo chamber. And you can be demoralised as well as energised if caught in the wrong space
Progress
What do you want to progress this year? As an individual, in your team, in your organisation?
Do you need help or support or extra resource to do so?
What kind of help?
What is the best way of securing that help?
We're finding in a lot of our work, that the finding of "a solution" is regularly trumping the finding of "the solution" as common practise. Taking the time to identify what you've got and what you need rather than just that you need something, is time well spent
Priorities
Where do you know you need to exercise boundaries and expectations?
Where do you know you need to support others to do the same?
Where does the "pinch" come?
How can you help each other keep accountable to sticking to the choices you've intentionally made?
Possibilities (for us to work together)
If, in the consideration of these areas, you realise you may need to work on:
Team or Workplace Culture Management Skill & Confidence
Colleague Wellbeing; or
You'd like some Coaching Support
we would love to be part of your Plans. your People your Progress and your Priorities this year. You can arrange a call, or email us to find out more
We'd love to hear from you!
Claire & Lisa x