Heather Henderson

Too often we're focused on what's happening in the here and now. We don't see beyond our 2-year plan, we get caught up in the instant gratification and panic when things aren't happening fast enough. We worry that it will never happen and are left feeling defeated. Cultivating patience is key to achieving our goals, it allows us to pursuit our career objectives with grace and ease. The next time you feel behind, or like you're rushing your life... STOP and remember to enjoy each and every moment. Life is short, it's important to remember that it's not just about achieving your dreams. It's also about enjoying the journey of becoming the version of you who does.

I love my self-care rituals. It all starts with checking in with myself to see what I need in the moment. Do I need to hydrate, ground, breathe, move or cultivate gratitude? If I'm looking for a complete reset, I will choose one thing from each category. Then I set aside 7-15 minutes of uninterrupted digital-free time. I try to incorporate these micro-breaks one to three times a day. It sounds simple, but the impact can be life changing.

Struggling and can't figure out why? Find someone who is already crushing it and consider replicating their strategy. How? You could ask them or you could watch and map it back yourself. Another option is to find a mentor or a coach to guide you. Asking for help doesn't make you helpless, it makes you wise. Wise enough to know that sharing your journey with others is the only path to truly achieving your goals while preserving your mental health.

I live by the 80-20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle. It's the notion that 80% of your results come from 20% of your actions. Figure out what your 20% is and watch your impact soar! This can be use in all areas of your life and will change the way you prioritize forever.

Acknowledging stress is important but it has to be done right. When you simply acknowledge it without taking action it can actually have the opposite affect, leaving people feeling pander to not understood. Remember, simply acknowledging the issue is not enough, you must work to fix it. I'd recommend having some sort of go-forward plan ready. A great way to do this is by having one-on-one conversations before any team syncs. Gather how each member of your team is feeling and creating a strategy with the information you gathered.

Allow team members to set their own schedules when able. I was on a multi-time zone team a couple years ago. The manager asked us to provide our "desired hours", they took this and aggregated the data. Come to find out that those in the earlier timezone preferred working later and had no issues flexing their scheduled to accommodate Pacific time. In the end, there wasn't really an issue as that particular team's preferences meshed well. The next team I joined had standard overlapping working hours, where the entire team was online at the same time for four hours a day. This provided ease in scheduling meetings and ability to collaborate for a set number of hours a day. Both worked out great and fostered a balance work environment.