New GPS Career Foundations Teleclass – Registration Open

HOLD THE DATES! Career GPS Foundations — Teleclass Program Coming Soon!

Registration Now Open!  Catch the ‘early bird’ pricing.   

Course starts October 28th for 7 consecutive Wednesday pm sessions

Wondering what’s next for you in your career but feeling unsure how to proceed? How to know which way to go? How to get ‘there’ once you set your sights on where ‘there’ is? Navigating changes in your career can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming – whether you are a career-changer; a career-starter or somewhere in between. Things have changed and may look different from the last time you went out to get a job or professional start.

How do you navigate this new landscape? You need a GPS!

Registration Now Open! The Big Cheese Coaching Career Foundations GPS Program (7 Teleclasses):

If you need a leg up in getting started in your career exploration process then this will be a great program for you. Whether you are ready to make a change now, soon, or at some point in the future – it’s important to learn the essential foundational ‘must-do’s and the ‘don’t do’s too.

Key Details:

• The timing is seven Wednesday nights at 7:15pm – 8:30 (sometimes to 8:45 for Qs if there’s interest)
• This is a teleclass format — with materials to support the learning provided
• If you miss a class we will provide recordings (for registrants only)
• Participants will have the option of whether or not to interact/and disclose their name to others…completely up to you (although interaction highly welcome)
• Participants will also have access to one-on-one coaching support at a significantly reduced rate to further support their needs (optional add on)

CONTENT: Here are some of the themes that we will cover over the course of the 7 weeks

• The five phases of career development / discover where you are and where you need to focus on
• Inside-out discovery: learn about your values and use them to guide your choices and decision-making
• Strengths-based career making: lost your confidence? Not sure what you have to offer? Learn different ways to reconnect with your strengths/accomplishments and bring this to light….not just for yourself but also in the narratives you bring to others
• Boost your confidence authentically
• Visioning and planning and common derailers when looking for the ‘perfect job/career’
• Test drive your ideas
• Resumes that work
• Networking: the good, bad, ugly — learn how to do it right/when to do it/and how not to do it
• Career navigation mojo – how to stay resilient when the job exploration/career vision is hitting road blocks

Interested? It’s always good to have a starting plan where-ever you are in the continuum of your career. Here’s to your career wellbeing. Are you game?  I am!  Scroll down and hit the REGISTRATION button to learn more.

Eileen Chadnick, PCC, ACPC, ABC

(Haven’t met yet? Check out my bios here)

5 Ways to Slow Down Time This Summer

This post was first published on my website blog.

This past spring, I was invited to speak at a library on the topic of  “Time Management”.  I accepted the invitation with the caveat that what I would really be talking about is “self management” — i.e. managing ourselves within our time. There really is no such thing as ‘managing time’. We can, however, manage ourselves differently so that we experience time differently.

Like most people, I get how fast time goes these days and I often wish I could get more of it. You know – more time to get more things done;  to do more of the things I enjoy; to have more time for less ‘doing’ and more thinking time…..and so on. Since I can’t get more time, I try to find ways to slow it down. Or rather,  to slow down my experience and perception of time fleeting so quickly.

Ahh yes, the speed of life.  Do you feel this way too?

With summer here when the ‘living is (supposed to be) easy’….I thought it would be fitting to offer a few ideas on how to ‘slow down’ time so you can get the most out of this lovely (albeit short) season. And to be authentic, I won’t proclaim to have mastered these strategies nor will I ever likely fully do so. The idea is to live in these strategies and do your best each day to be aware and to catch yourself in the moment. That’s working towards ‘mastery’. So here you go – try these out.

5 Ways to Slow Down Time This Summer (or any season):

1) Focus Time

Multitasking and distractions are big thieves of  time. And we let these thieves into our lives – daily.  We juggle  activities; answer emails at every ting; invite or allow distractions of all kinds to intrude. Not only do these habits make your valuable time less productive (yes, less), it also zaps your energy because multitasking spends way more brain energy then focused thinking.

Conversely focus brings the gift of fueling ourselves. Focus fuels our brain capacity and creativity; energizes us and keeps us sharp. And with the right kind of focus activity, it can put us in a state of flow — a delicious state that leads to more engagement, well-being and happiness and a feeling of time ‘well-spent’.  And while time in flow can fly by (we get lost in time) this is usually a good, energizing  ‘time-goes-’fast’ experience vs. a depleting fast.  And you can likely get more done. Those flow states usually involve using your top strengths. You can read more about strengths and flow in a past blog post here.

These days, there’s so much to juggle with the loads of work and life but there’s plenty of opportunity to rein in the gratuitous multitasking and distractions and ramp up a bit more of focus time in your day. Maybe it’s taking 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to write that report or think about a plan or start to flesh out a creative idea. Try it out this summer and see if you experience a shift in how you feel about time.  And you can read more about this in an excerpt from my book, Ease, here.

2) Get Present

While this idea is related to focus, it deserves its own mention. How often do we allow our minds to be someplace other than where we actually are and are meant to be. Perhaps you are at a meeting but thinking about something else (the work that beckons? or concern about another matter). Or away from work (family time, friends, etc) but your supposedly ‘off’ time gets robbed as you worry or think about something else. Did you miss your son’s winning pitch at the baseball game because you were on your smart phone dealing with work?

Reality can certainly pull us away at times but if you can catch yourself in a reactive (and unnecessary) moment of ‘inattention’ and shift to a state of attention you will overcome an insidious robber of our time. From tuned out to tuned in — you will likely be rewarded with more moments that you truly wouldn’t want to miss this summer.

3) Reality Test Your To Do List

I’m often guilty of putting too many things on my to-do list and when I do that I know this can trigger the perception of  ‘not enough time’  which is an energy drain to say the least.

Keep that ‘not enough time‘ gremlin at bay and take a harder look at your own expectations of what can get done in any given period of time. Learn to right-size your daily (and weekly, monthly) goals and to-do’s. This will also invite you to learn to say ‘no’ more often. More about this and more in my book, Ease.

4) Leave Margins

Using time wisely doesn’t imply you should pack in activities to the fullest of your day’s capacity. In fact, the opposite is what many of us need. Leave margins to ‘get there’, ‘do that’, or deal with contingencies (traffic, etc) — or just to think and recharge your batteries. This will give you more spaciousness and a feeling of enough time vs. not enough.  And paradoxically, you will probably get more done and do it better as a result.

To do this well, learn to master  your schedule better: deliberately leave some  ‘white space’ around the edges (and in other places) ; make space for breaks  to recharge (even tiny ones help) — even when it is ‘crazy busy’.

5) Choose Joy Over Angst

Well, nothing robs us of quality time more than negativity (worry, frustration, angst). A day in a funk is a day wasted. Sure, stuff concerns us, challenges us, gets us down – but focusing only on the negativity will guarantee to feed into the ‘scarcity of time’ experience.

Instead, learn to master the art of positivity – and make room for it especially during times of duress. This will not only broaden your capacity to deal with the tough issues and even boost your ability to generate more positive outcomes  — it will also give you back ownership of your time.  By having the choice of how you want to be at any given moment, you ‘own the moment’.

Own the Moment! Embrace it or waste it.

Hmmmm…..

SO HOW DO YOU DO ALL THIS?  “Sos” for you….

Well, for starters, check out my book, Ease – Manage Overwhelm in Times of ‘Crazy Busy’. It is filled with concrete tips, ideas and tools to support you in these and other strategies to help you take charge of your time, your effectiveness, your mood and mojo.

AND COMING REAL SOON: EASE TALKS!

I’ve been talking about these and other related themes in workshops, presentations and even the media and now I’m offering an opportunity for a deeper dive with you that will be really accessible; ‘ease-y’ to participate and filled with loads of practical tips, strategies and inspiration!

This first offering of Ease Talks is a series of tele-based seminars that will will help you deal with ‘times of crazy busy’ with more resilience, success and even personal mojo! We’ll dive into the themes from my book, Ease, as well as learn a bunch of new stuff (beyond the book).  Whether you’ve read Ease or plan to – this will take you on a ‘deeper dive’ and you’ll find your time very well spent coming away with more ‘tools’ and inspiration for your personal and professional well-being.

Notably, I will definitely be including content on how to hone the Positivity Habit…one of my favorite areas! It’s worth noting that positivity is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ – it has been scientifically proven to bolster our chances for success and well-being on so many levels (mental, emotional and physical).

Scheduled to start late August (with the first call on me – complimentary) and more of the details coming soon. In the meantime,  you can read more about the program here.

Hope to ‘see’ you there!

For now, I’m wishing you a happy start to the summer. May your time be plentiful, well-spent and filled with joy, well-being and lots of ease along the way.

Tiny is the New Big

This article was first published on my website blog.

 

Tiny is now the new big — when it comes to goals. Are your goals small enough to make a big enough difference?

Recently, I’ve been talking a lot about goals — with friends, with my clients and in my own personal reflection.  Not surprising since the early part of the year is typical timing to reflect on goals and new beginnings.  But something has changed. Whereas I used to ask “Are you thinking big enough?” I’m now asking “Are your goals small enough?”

Huh? What? Yes, you heard me right.  Each day, I find I’m reminded of the HUGE value of setting TINY goals.  In fact, I’m now so BIG on TINY that I might even have to change my company name from Big Cheese Coaching to Tiny or Little Cheese Coaching.

Not really. But just saying so to make a point.

Quick story: one of my long-standing goals has been to clean my office. I mean really clean it out. Make the shelves and all the other spaces actually workable instead of storing old, irrelevant ‘stuff’. Embarrassing to say (and I won’t tell you how long-standing this goal has been), this is actually a BIG goal for me because I’ve let it go too long.  My clean-up now feels so daunting and every time I think about it – something far more important (or interesting) takes precedence. So the shelves get heavier with stuff that doesn’t need to be there and the desk – where’s my desk? Oh yes, under that pile.  This has been a great source of frustration and my procrastination has kept me stuck, stuck, stuck.

Until one day recently when I changed the goal.  Instead of saying “I have to clean my office,” I changed my goal to “I want to clean that tiny corner of my office today.”

Guess what happened?  I cleaned that tiny corner in my office! It was fairly effortless yet it made a MASSIVE difference to me. I felt a HUGE gust of relief (clean space can do that). I’m now ready to set my sights on my next TINY space.

Lesson learned? Right-size your goal. I’m not saying all goals need to be tiny. What I’m saying is that there is huge merit in including tiny goals in your life.  Sure – big goals have a place and can be energizing too – but even in those there may be nuggets of opportunities for tiny goals along the way.

Think about your own goals?  Do you have enough tiny goals in the mix? Are you focusing only on the big ones? Getting stuck? Bogged down by the ‘bigness’ of them? Can you break your big goal down into multiple smaller goals?

It’s time for TINY to step it up and take the spotlight.  

Here are 5 Reasons Tiny Goals Can Make a Big Impact:

1) Tiny goals are easier to start with. Setting tiny goals can help bust or mitigate the procrastination factor.Tackling a large project is easier to start if you focus on one small part of it. Similarly, getting started on working towards a goal like getting in shape is a heck of a lot easier if you set realistic, smaller goals to start with – and then build on from there.  So rather than going for “Ironman triathlon” before you’ve even donned your first pair of running shoes, how about something like building up towards your first 5k or 10K?

2) Tiny goals can be part of a larger goal. We’ve all heard of the expression ‘chunk it down’. By chunking down a large goal into smaller goals, the challenge becomes more attainable and it is easier to focus on one part (milestone) at a time.  Got any massive reports to write or projects to complete? Can you create smaller goals to map out the journey to completion?

3) Tiny goals give you the experience of success and “action momentum”. The adage “success generates success” isn’t just a nice saying, it really is true. When you successfully take steps and achieve some results you are more likely to feel motivated to take further steps and will experience “action momentum” which helps you to continue taking positive steps towards your goal

4) Tiny goals allow you to celebrate which bolsters positivity.  We now know that positivity has been scientifically proven to broaden your mind and increase your potential for success over time. People who practice positivity are more apt to reach and achieve bigger goals. Why not use tiny goals as positivity bolsters to help you spiral upwards towards greater success?

5)  Tiny goals can help you develop a habit of setting goals, achieving goals and celebrating goals – which can make you happier.  Pursuing goals is fundamental to experiencing a meaningful life. Often people don’t even realize when it’s time to refresh goals or create new ones  for where they are in their work and life. Learning to set meaningful goals regularly and to right-size them can contribute to a happier, healthier, more satisfying life.

Now isn’t that a worthy goal in itself?

Want to learn more strategies for experiencing more ease in reaching your work and life goals? Check out my new book, Ease – Manage Overwhelm in Times of “Crazy Busy”.  I include several tools related to the ideas outlined above such as chunking down goals; focusing on what you CAN do; as well as creating mindsets and organizing habits to help you succeed in times of ‘crazy busy’.  Snag a copy of Ease here or any online book store!

 

The Missing New Year’s Resolution

This is the time of year when people are most likely to set goals. Get in shape, eat better, budget smarter, work wiser, and live better.

How about you? Are you declaring goals that will help you step up your game in 2014 to be a better version of yourself?

Istock

Nothing wrong with that. I’m not going to bash goals and resolutions setting here. Taking responsibility and setting meaningful, achievable goals to help better ourselves is a good thing. Of course, how we pursue our goals is what matters most. But I’ll leave that for another post, another time. Right now, I want to talk about an essential item that I think is likely missing from most people’s lists.

Boost your daily positivity habit.

I bet dollars for donuts (well, let’s make that apples) that developing a robust positivity habit is not on your list.

But it should be.

Read the rest of the article on my Huffington Post blog entry here.

 

 

Note: Republished from my Big Cheese Coaching blog

It is once again  time for my annual tradition of sharing 12 Questions to help you complete the year past and reflect on the year ahead.

This is my favorite time of the year for reflecting. To be your best, it is imperative to have a foundation of personal awareness. Journaling is a great way to reflect in a purposeful way; to become more mindful, and to instill more awareness and intentionality in your life.

For this year’s iteration of the 12 Questions, I’ve kept some of the tried and true questions from previous years (mostly for the ‘year past’ reflection) and added some brand new questions for the year ahead. These newer questions are inspired from themes in my recently launched book, Ease – Manage Overwhelm in Times of “Crazy Busy”.

On a personal note, this has been a huge year for me with lots of change and growth. I’m excited to capture and celebrate some of the most salient highlights. And I have so much in the queue for the year ahead that I can’t wait to write about that too. “Writing it down” is another essential tool offered in my book to pre-empt the feeling of ‘mind full’. Getting all these thoughts and ideas down in writing will help me clarify and tune-in to my goals and commitments for the year ahead.

How about you?

I hope you take some time in the weeks ahead to reflect on your year past and the year ahead. Please enjoy these questions and if you think others would enjoy them too, please do that ‘social share’ thing (buttons at the bottom of the post).

THE YEAR PAST:

 1) What went well? Identify the goals you accomplished or advanced towards; and anything else that went well and is worth acknowledging.

 2) In what ways did you grow and evolve in the ‘evolution of you’? How were you tested or challenged, and how did you grow as a result? What new skills, knowledge, ideas and have made you better or different from the beginning of the year?

 3) What were your favorite moments of the year past? Savouring positive experiences gives you the opportunity to replay the positive moments which is a proven strategy to boost your “positivity muscle” leading to more optimism, resilience and mojo – all essential ingredients to personal and professional wellbeing. Go ahead – indulge and enjoy them again.  

4) What do you need to clean-out or let go of right now from the year past to be ready to start fresh in the New Year? Consider both your physical space (your office, your home) as well as your emotional and mental mindsets.

5) What and who are you most grateful for right now? Consider the people in your life; the circumstances; the gifts; make this a juicy list! Practising gratitude helps fast-track you towards greater happiness, health and well-being.

 6) If there was a theme for the past year for you, what would it be? i.e. “This was the year of ____.”

THE YEAR AHEAD

  7) What do you want for the year ahead? What goals are you embracing and willing to commit to?  Are these goals actionable and part of a plan? Or just wishful thinking? Make them count; make them meaningful; and make them happen!

8) In what areas do you need to get better organized to avoid the ‘mind full’ syndrome so you can bring your best self to your goals? Consider your daily tasks as well as longer term priorities? How will you make sure you get your vast amount of ‘to do’s out of your head but maintain a top-of-mind awareness of key priorities?  How will you manage your crazy schedule? What boundaries and structures will you put in place to manage your time more effectively and meaningfully? Chapter 1 of Ease provides a ton of tips in these areas.

  9 ) How will you tame the multitasking beast and add more focus and flow to your days?  Sure, life is busy and there’s a lot to juggle. But science tells us that our brains aren’t built for certain kinds of multitasking. In fact, we are depleting our energy and compromising our best ‘brain-ability’. Our brains need some time for focus and flow. Give it some and you will be rewarded with a greater sense of ease, energy and ‘brain-ability’ to tackle the loads more effectively.

 10) What inner critics need to be acknowledged and then invited to take a back seat this year in order for you to tap into your more essential self that will empower you to flourish? We all have parts of ourselves that limit our greatness – if we allow them to. We can’t quiet our inner critics if we don’t notice them. What voices need to be noticed and quieted this year? What empowering voices from within yourself will you listen to more intently – e.g. your voice of trust? Wisdom? Experience? Courage? In Ease, I offer guidance on how to get to know your inner critics and how to park them in favour of other more empowering forces from within.

 11) How will you boost your positivity ratio?  Research in the science of positivity has proven that those who practice robust positivity habits enjoy greater success and tend to be more apt to stretch higher and reach more of  their goals. They also experience greater well-being physically, mentally and emotionally. How much positivity makes the difference? The ideal ratio is a minimum of 3 positive thoughts to one negative thought. Scaling back negativity is one way to achieve that and ramping up authentic positive micro moments is another. Chapter 6 in Ease provides many tips to help you ramp up your positivity habit. What will you commit to practicing in the year ahead?

12) How will you ensure you get enough quality sleep this year? Lack of quality sleep has become a problem for too many people. Ample zzzs are imperative for our brains and bodies to operate most effectively. Lack of sleep combined with excessive stress, poor mood is a recipe for poor performance and ‘bye bye thinking capacity – hello brain freeze’. It’s time to wake up to the issue of not enough sleep! In Ease, I offer some tips to help you get a grip on sleeplessness. What will you commit to this year to get the sleep you need to flourish?

  BONUS Q:  If the year ahead is to have a personal theme for you, what would that be and what word or phrase best embodies this theme? i.e. “This will be the year of ____” This is one of my favorite questions.  This year my theme continues to be “Ease”: To live and work with greater ease. I’ll still work hard and give it my all – and then some. But I will use the tools shared in my new book, Ease, to do so with much less frazzle and struggle. How about you? What’s your theme?

And do you have your word?

Wishing you an abundance of well-being, positivity and ease in the weeks ahead as you complete the year and more of the same for the shiny new year ahead!

Eileen

News Release: New book (Ease) — Manage Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy

News Release:

(Note: republished from my Big Cheese Coaching blog)

 

Are times of ‘crazy busy’ now the new normal? According to Eileen Chadnick, a leadership and work-life coach and author of a new book, Ease, the season of rush is now year-round. Demands of work and life continue to accelerate to unprecedented levels.  In Ease, Chadnick offers strategies to manage overwhelm in times of “crazy busy”.

 

 

“Overwhelm has become an equal-opportunity issue. Leaders of all levels and employees across the board are confronted with unprecedented levels of demands at work and in life. To successfully navigate the challenges of the day, we need to ramp up skills – not just the technical skills of work but also mental, personal, and emotional skills,” says Chadnick.

 

“With the right practices, one can develop new habits and more productive approaches to manage the loads, rein in the stress, and experience greater personal and professional well-being.”

 

Ease: Manage Overwhelm in Times of “Crazy Busy”:

 

In Ease, Chadnick deconstructs overwhelm from a mind-brain-body perspective and provides a toolkit of ideas that are deceptively simple yet draw from the wisdom of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and the science of positivity. Three major areas addressed are:

 

1)      Mind Full: Organize and focus with the brain in mind

 

2)      Mindful: Develop conscious and empowering mindsets

 

3)      Mood matters: Leverage the positivity advantage

 

“Ease offers strategies that are straightforward and not at all difficult or complex. While some are even embarrassingly simple they are compelling reminders of what we may already know but often forget to apply in moments of stress and overload,” says Chadnick.

 

Despite the simplicity, Chadnick’s guidance provides an overlay of neuroscience with some basic brain-friendly principles giving rigor to the approaches.  With each ‘tool’, Chadnick shares stories from her own life as well from a decade of coaching clients. Bringing a light-hearted tone to her narratives, Chadnick shares how making potato knishes helped defrost a brain freeze; how keeners can better manage the ‘paradox of choice at the buffet of life’;  how we can all benefit from injecting more micro moments of positivity in our daily lives – and much more.

 

Readers will:

 

• Learn to organize the burdensome loads and pre-empt the ‘Mind Full” syndrome.
• Work with more “brain in mind” savvy and become more ‘mindful’
• Develop more empowering thinking.
• Leverage the positivity advantage and become more resilient, creative and resourceful.
• Experience more ease and well-being in work and life

 

“Ease is about more than getting things done. Ease will help you reclaim your spark even in times of great challenge and crazy busy,“ says Chadnick.

 

About Ease:  Ease is available in most major online retailers in North America and comes in soft cover, hard cover and an e-book. See www.Easerx.com for more information on how to get Ease; and to read advance testimonials.

 

About the Author: Eileen Chadnick, PCC, ACPC, ABC is a certified coach and principal of Big Cheese Coaching in Toronto. She coaches leaders and organizations towards achieving greater personal, professional and organizational well-being.  She draws from emotional intelligence, the science of positivity and neuroscience. She has more than 20 years experience in diverse careers including professional coaching, communications and fitness.  See here for a more detailed bio.

 

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NOTE TO EDITORS:

 

Preview copies of Ease are available. Photos available (author photo, Ease book, etc.)

 

GET IN TOUCH:

 

Eileen Chadnick (416) 631-7437

 

Eileen@bigcheesecoaching.com 

 

Twitter@Chadnick

www.Facebook.com/bigcheesecoaching

3 Ways to Get Ease. Literally. My book is here!

Note: This was first published on my Big Cheese Coaching blog

I just received my first hard copies of my new book, Ease , last week! I’ve had many people share with me they were looking forward to reading Ease so here I am with the good news:

It’s Ready. Come and Get It! (please and if you like 🙂

This is so very exciting for me. See the pic below of me signing my first book for Terry Fallis* who has so generously provided some publishing savvy tips and guidance to me — and took the time to read Ease and offered some advance praise.

Terry Fallis shows Eileen the tricks of the trade*Terry Fallis shows me the ropes – how to properly sign a book! Terry is the award-winning author of The Best Laid Plans and cofounder of Thornley Fallis Communications.

Ease is now available to order from several major online book retailers. In the weeks and months ahead, Ease will be available at thousands of online retailers globally. Right now, many of the major retailers are posting it. See links below.

There are three formats: hard copy (my favorite); soft cover and e-book. Currently not all online sites are posting the e-book just yet (but more will in the weeks ahead).

If you go to a site directly, rather than searching for ‘Ease’ type in “Eileen Chadnick” and it will take you to the Ease page if it’s posted. Better yet, check out these links below and they will take you directly to the Ease page. Note: pricing varies so look for the best deal!

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

i-Universe

Books-a-Million (Bam)

There are and will be more availability in the weeks ahead. Do check out my book website ‘buy’ page for more details on retailers and delivery timing (especially if buying Ease as a holiday gift).

Would love to hear your feedback! Please share and help spread the word.

Here’s to a TGIM work life with abundance and Ease.

Eileen

Update on Ease (my book)

Note: this was first published on my Big Cheese Coaching blog

 

UPDATE ON EASE – Pre-launch News:

The T’s are crossed. The i’s are dotted. The book is now in the stages of design, production and….drum roll please: closer to launch.

For those of you subscribing to my newsletter, you have heard me talk about a book I’ve been working on for quite some time. Much of the past months (year) have been about writing, editing, etc. Well it’s time for a shout-out:

COMING SOON!

(Book Design Concept by H2 Marketing Central)

The front cover concept above is not yet 100% final because we may be tweaking the words on the bottom and I’ll have more to share as we finalize the back cover too.  But it’s pretty close.  And a huge shout-out of thanks to H2 Marketing Central who designed this cover concept. Looks good eh?!

In the meantime, I’ve been receiving some stellar advance praise — I can’t wait to share with you (stay tuned for an upcoming post on this).  And more good news: Ease has also been awarded an ‘Editor’s Choice” from an independent panel associated with the publishing company I am working with. This is a thumbs up on the editorial quality — I’ve gone the self publishing route so this is a very important stamp of approval by a panel of industry editors. Well – that puts me at ‘ease’ to say the least!

Gotcha curious? Make sure you come back and visit soon….I’ll be sharing more news about the launch of Ease in the weeks ahead as we get closer to take off.

So what’s Ease all about? If you haven’t heard me speak of this before read on for a little description….

——

EASE

Do you ever find yourself asking, “Where did the day go? Where did the week go? Where did the years go?” Do you look at the stuff you have to do and ask, “How the heck will I get all this done? How will I survive this week, month, year? Where did all the fun go?”

Do you sometimes feel bogged down and overwhelmed by it all? We live in times of unprecedented busyness. Having too much to do in work and life seems to be the new normal these days.

Ease offers strategies to manage overwhelm in times of ‘crazy busy’.
The heart Ease is a toolkit that you can customize for your own personal and professional well-being.

Ease offers hundreds of deceptively simple ideas and tips backed up by the rigours of neuroscience, emotional intelligence and the science of positivity. You can pick your spots with simple ways to make work and life flow with more ease, productivity and fulfillment.

More than just getting things done – Ease will help you reclaim your spark even in times of “crazy busy”. 

• Learn to better organize the burdensome loads with a “brain in mind” approach.
• Become more mindful and develop conscious, empowering mindsets that will energize and empower you.
• Develop the positivity advantage and become more resilient, creative and resourceful.
• Experience more ease and well-being in work and life

Coming soon! It will be available from book vendors across North America.

Stay tuned for more…..

Eileen Chadnick

Positivity at Work

NOTE: This was originally posted on my Big Cheese Coaching blog:

I’ve been swimming blissfully in the study and application of positivity for quite some time and lately have ramped it up a notch. I have always been hugely interested in and engaged with the science of positivity. I think it’s part of my innate DNA — but also very much a learned skill too.

Recently, I’ve joined a group of global participants in an eight week  learning opportunity: a master class on positivity lead by the Barbara Fredrickson, the pre-eminent expert on the science of positive emotions and author of Positivity and Love 2.0.  This has been an amazing experience (and we’re not yet done).

I’ve also had the opportunity to bring the topic of positivity to several workshops and presentations lately (talking to staff at Sick Kids Hospital, UoT, Administrative Professionals Conference, Red Mountain Resort) and have more on the horizon.  It’s been tremendous fun and the participants seem to have really enjoyed the sessions. Check out the recent testimonials.

I just wrote an article for the Globe and Mail on the positivity advantage  (as part of my “Brain Works” series). It’s been getting a ton of buzz. You can read it here.

I’m learning so much  (from my studies and ‘living it’). Here are just a few tidbits.

1) Positivity matters: It is not just a ‘nice to have’. It is truly an essential ingredient to your success and well-being. There’s over 20 years of hard scientific evidence that links positive emotions with better health, improved brain and cognitive function, greater personal efficacy, a heightened ability to connect and a spark plug to boost your mojo (and much more….but hey, that’s plenty to convince me).

2) It’s in us already – we just need to tap into it with new habits: Positivity isn’t dependent on circumstances. Positive emotions can reside side by side with a range of emotions – even the not-so-positive. We just need to be intentional and learn easy yet authentic ways to tap into our positivity reservoir.

3) We need a steady and diversified diet of positivity: Good nutrition tells us to get a steady and ample diet of fruits and vegetables (and other essential food groups). Likewise, for well-being, we need a steady, ample diet of positive “moments”. Most people go with less than the recommended allotment. It’s not as hard as one may think to get your ‘dose’.  It can be just a thought away – or an intention to be present to moments that might offer you joy, gratitude, inspiration and more.

4) Positivity comes in moments: It’s not about getting to a permanent state. Positivity comes in moments and are fleeting. Still, if we get enough (a minimum of 3 positive thoughts to one negative) we will benefit from all the rewards.

Curious? Want more? Here’s how to tap into this further:

1) Read my latest Globe and Mail article for some high-level ideas and tips.

2) Get ready for Ease, my upcoming book soon to be released. It includes a lot of strategies on how to hone the positivity advantage.

3) Invite me to speak to your people (conference, employees, etc.) Have a look what others have said about my sessions.

4) Engage in coaching – this is my sweet spot and I’d love to help you hone your positivity advantage!

More to come but lots to dive into RIGHT NOW!

Enjoy and may you live with Ease and Well-being.

Eileen

Six Ways To Tame Your Stressed Out Brain

UPDATE (DEC 2013):  if the topic of managing overwhelm is of interest to you – I just launched a new book called, Ease – Manage Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy. You can get it at most online book retailers. Read here for more!

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(Originally posted at http://www.bigcheesecoaching.com)

A slighted shorter version of this article has also been published in the Globe and Mail Careers.

The Scenario:

It is late afternoon and a busy executive, whom we will call Sue, is trying to finish up a project before she leaves to get her daughter from daycare. Simultaneously she is also dealing with several other priorities on her plate. Already running late, she receives an urgent email from her boss advising of a change in direction for a proposal due the next day.  Feeling stressed, Sue feels her anxiety escalate even further. Just when she needs it most, her normally sharp ‘thinking brain’ seems to freeze up. She feels overwhelmed, frustrated and stuck not knowing how to handle the demands piling up.

(Microsoft Image)

Bye Bye Thinking Capacity – Hello Brain Freeze?

Sound familiar? Many people can likely relate to this scenario. It’s normal to feel occasional bouts of overwhelm.   Most people want to do well and to feel good about their work. But when stress levels go into overdrive, judgment, prioritizing and other critical thinking skills can become compromised, further escalating stress and impacting performance – and wellbeing.

Take heart. It may not be you. It could be your brain. And with just a little neuroscience savvy and a few brain-friendly strategies you can be better equipped to handle those times of ‘crazy busy’,  boost your performance and feel calmer too.

Brain Work 101: The Higher Thinking Brain vs. the Survival Brain.

Blame your stress on the amygdala – the part of the brain that ‘detects and protects’. Formed earliest in our evolution and part of the limbic system, the amygdala is akin to being a ‘survival brain’ with a super sharp ability to scan for and react to any perception of danger. Reacting instantaneously to any hint of threat, it gets us ready for fight or flight. Eliciting what’s known as the “stress response” with the release of adrenaline and cortisol to get our heart pumping and muscles primed for….well that depends on what happens next.

Is that a lion or a crazy deadline? The amygdala doesn’t know or care. Its job is not to discern whether the threat is real or perceived; its job is simply to protect.  When we experience an emotional response related to our work or life (‘oh no, not another crazy deadline or yet another change!), it fires the alarm just as it would if there was a real physical threat.

Unfortunately since survival always trumps reflection this happens at the expense of another essential part of our brain: the prefrontal cortex (PFC) which handles higher thinking skills like critical thinking, discernment, judgment and other cognitive skills. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) works best when under moderate stress and gets suppressed when the amygdala is all fired up.  Paradoxically, we need the skills of the prefrontal cortex to deal effectively with the stressful ‘stuff’ of work and life.

Bring back the calm  

To get a grip in a stressful moment, we need strategies that put the perceived threat back into its respectful cage and deliberately bring our higher thinking abilities (via the PFC) back online.  Here are six brain-friendly strategies to help you “tame your brain” and give your higher thinking brain a better chance at doing its work.

Six Strategies to Tame Your Brain and Give Your Higher Thinking Brain a Better Chance

1) Pause

When in the midst of a stressful moment, take a moment to simply pause.  While it may feel counter-intuitive when rushed with time-sensitive workloads, a short pause provides a time buffer that can weaken the impulse and mitigate falling into the stress response.  Counting to 10 or 20, breathing deeply or taking a short break can provide that reprieve amidst a sense of urgency and chaos.  More importantly, this intentional break can give you that small but critical opening for more productive thinking and putting things in better perspective.

2) Notice and Name it.

In his book “Your Brain at Work, David Rock, President of the Neuroleadership Institute, shares a powerful yet simple strategy for bringing your higher thinking skills (via the prefrontal cortex) back on line. Simply observe and then name your emotional reaction. For instance, you might say to yourself, “I’m feeling very stressed” or “I’m frazzled”.  It’s important to notice then label the experience without feeding into the emotion. While this awareness won’t likely give you full relief this simple cognitive act engages the PFC which can diffuse the strength of the ‘amygdala attack’ — making room for a more reflective approach.  Additionally, engaging the prefrontal cortex can elicit the hormone know as Gaba (gamma-amino butyric acid ) which provides a calming effect when there is too much adrenaline in the body.

3) Organize

Our left hemisphere brains love it when we make plans and get organized. Organizing is a powerful antidote to overwhelm and can provide a calming effect when we feel chaos and fear. Write out a to-do list; revisit your priorities; create an action plan; clean up the clutter on your desk or in a file. Do anything that gives you (and your brain) a greater sense of order amidst all the pressure of a demanding workload.

4) Focus

Our brains crave focus.  But all too often we work against this by trying to multi-task. Our brains, in fact, are not built for multi-tasking attention. Instead, the brain simply toggles from one thinking task to another. This constant switching is a major energy drain and a first class ticket to frazzle. This unfocused waste of attention also compromises productivity, creativity and efficiency.  Instead, work on scheduling more focus time in your day; chunk down your priorities and focus on one task at a time. Pay attention to your habits and notice where you can reign in the multitasking beast.

 5) Visualize

While our left hemisphere of our brain craves order, the right hemisphere can help us access calm with strategies like visualizing, looking at the big picture, and reflecting on meaningful symbols and metaphors.  Try to visualize success in handling a challenge you are facing; create an image in your mind that inspires calm; identify and tune into a metaphor that symbolizes strength. The possibilities are endless. The key is to integrate your whole brain and that includes both left and right hemisphere brain strengths.

6) Connect

Interacting with people you like can boost levels of the Oxytocin hormone which can have a calming effect when stressed.  Avoid the urge to hide or go it alone. Instead seek out others whom you trust and can count on for support.

So – how do you manage work overload?

Here’s to your personal and professional wellbeing.

Eileen Chadnick