Year: 2015

Setting boundaries – How far do you let others go? (Part 2)

Last time, I’ve taken through the basics of determining and setting your boundaries. Here are some practical tips for setting boundaries in the office:

  • Do you need to do all these tasks? Often, you may be doing tasks for your colleagues or are working on tasks that can be cancelled or delayed. Start pushing back and don’t take on more favours. Ask whether another 1-hour-long meeting is really necessary or whether a phone call won’t suffice. If your team is already above capacity, does this new project need to be implemented now or can it be postponed by 4 months?

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Setting boundaries – How far do you let others go? (Part 1)

Everybody is talking about work-life balance. Like there’s an equal balance between the two. But how easy is it to set boundaries and actually live them?

Working in the Middle East, where the work week is Sunday to Thursday, I’ve often worked on Fridays, too. It was frustrating and took a toll on my family life. Until I’ve set up limits and started living by them. What a difference they’ve made to my life!

How can you improve your life by setting boundaries?

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Mindful – Welcome to the here and now

How often are you answering emails while watching a film? How often are you in a meeting while thinking about the outstanding deadline? How often are you calling to a friend while driving? These days, multitasking is normal. We’re doing 2, 3 or even more things at once. And yet, we’re not dedicating our focus on them.

Mindfulness is a great way to fully live in the moment. It’s a deliberate choice to experience that particular moment. Mindfulness allows you to take it all in: What’s happening with your body, mind and emotions. And it’s all without a judgement. You just live in the here and now. How often are you practising mindfulness?

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Stay fit

The older I get, the more I enjoy working out and seeing the positive changes staying fit has on my body and mind. There are so many benefits of being physically active: Reduced stress levels, increased overall health, more energy and keeping weight in balance. Plus, I’ve been lucky to participate in some really cool and fun races.

I admit, at first, it was an effort. But it’s so worth it! What can you do to get and stay fit? Here are 10 tips to an active and fit you:

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Beat stress!

Running or even long walks are part of my routing to blow off some steam. It’s a brilliant way to simultaneously catch up on webcasts. Recently, Authentic Living shared that 80% of Americans are stressed. On a daily basis! I was shocked.

Not having enough time to meet tight deadlines, dealing with ridiculous workloads and the never ending email traffic are typical workday stressors. Being stressed at work is stressful! Add stress outside of work to the mix. Being stuck in traffic, coordinating social engagements, finding the missing tax documents. NAPO found that Americans are losing 1 full year of their life looking for misplaced items.

Here are 7 tips to prevent this horrible feeling of being stressed all the time: 

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Ramadan Kareem

Depending on the moon, Ramadan is set to start next Thursday. Ramadan Kareem! Until a few years ago, I didn’t know much about thia holy month of the Islamic calendar. Sure, I worked with Muslims in the UK. They fasted during daylight. Fasting is one of the 5 pillars or religious duties of Islam. I’m only realising now how challenging fasting in a non-Muslim country must be. Unlike in the Middle East, everyone still eats and drinks in the office, there’re no reduced working hours and we had about 18 hours of day light (= fasting time). Not an easy undertaking.

Ramadan is the most important month for Muslims. In simple terms (and without starting a religious debate), Ramadan is probably as important as Christmas for Christians and Diwali for Hindus. With the expected start next week, it’s high time to get ready for it:

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Own the Weekend!

The weekend is barely over and I’m already writing about the next weekend. Am I nuts? No, though some of my friends may question it at times. Rather than waiting for Thursday night, then debating how to spend the weekend and wasting valuable time, start thinking about it now. To me, it’s also a great motivator which carries me through the week. Are you also looking forward to some of your weekend activities?

When’s that opening of the long awaited restaurant again? Is there an artisan market which you meant to visit for weeks going on? What about this nagging home improvement list that you’ve been putting off? Do you need to complete a proposal for your business?

Follow these easy steps and you’re ready to own the weekend:

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