Mindset

3 Ways to Keep Your Mindset Strong Through the Fall and Winter

This is a sponsored post. Opinions, as always, are my own.

With winter around the corner and Covid-19 restrictions increasing in many places, if you want to feel as productive and calm as possible this season, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep your mindset strong. In fact, I consider mindset Productivity Table Stake number one. If you can hold onto a positive outlook, you can more easily maintain your commitment to the intentions you have set for yourself. If you lose positivity, you may find yourself spiraling in a negative direction.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your mindset strong even though the weather and the crisis we find ourselves in might be pulling you down.

Fight the effects of low light

According to the Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH), severe Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects up to 15% of people, with 2-3% suffering severe symptoms. You might know it as the “Winter Blues”. SAD can cause depression, lethargy, and anhedonia (the inability to feel pleasure). It also contributes to weight gain as we look for alternative sources of serotonin to boost our mood…which may explain the search for sourdough in the absence of sunlight. It’s more common in adults than kids, though starts to wane after age 50 (yay!), and it affects women a whopping 9 times more than men.

I’ve been looking for strategies to counter the effects since my 20’s and since my number one plan of travelling to a sunny spot is foiled this year, I am committing to something that has helped me immensely over the past few years: light therapy. My exploration of light therapy actually began in late 1994. I returned to Toronto after almost a year of travel around the world, predominantly in sun-filled locations like Hawaii, Australia, South-East Asia, and India. November in Toronto is traditionally gloomy and grey. The leaves have fallen and there is not yet snow on the ground to brighten up the landscape, nor the sparkly lights of the coming festive season. Downtown especially, the ground blends with the stone buildings which soar upwards to mix with the bland sky. Finding myself in a new job (which admittedly was not right for me), I found my energy depleting and began looking for strategies to help. I tried relaxation therapy, which felt quite good but did not really bring back my mojo, and then stumbled upon a University of Toronto study for light therapy.

I brought home a rather large light fixture and for two weeks, every morning at 6:30 am, before heading downtown to the office, I sat in my dark dining room under a wide fluorescent bulb dosing on full-spectrum light for half an hour. It was uncomfortably bright given the contrast in the room and you couldn’t really do anything else but sit there.

Fast forward to today, and not only has light therapy has now been proven as a successful remedy to counter SAD and the Winter Blues, but it is also much easier to integrate into your life. Please note though that it is a therapy and as such you will want to discuss it with your health professional. There are conditions that do not benefit from dosing in extra light such as bipolar disorder and skin or eye sensitivities. The Mayo Clinic has a helpful article on considerations.

For several years I have used light therapy lamps from Verilux. My current model is a slim, LED, full-spectrum light that doses 10,000 lux in half an hour if you’re sitting within 24 inches of the lamp. It fits in about the size of a postcard and now that the lamp is an LED, it packs flat and is sturdy enough to travel well so you easily take it with you.

Place the light to the side and sit within 24 inches of the light. You are not meant to look directly into the light. Controls offer the ability to dim the light to a more comfortable intensity and color, but be aware you may need to spend longer time bathing to have the same results. Experiment with the settings to find the most comfortable practice for you. The dimmer the light, the longer you might need it to be on. A timer has been included in the latest model to help you manage your dosing.

I used to want to crawl into bed around 6:30 pm every night when I got home from work. The lamp made such a difference to my energy level that I was able to travel to the gym for an evening yoga class.

In addition to a light lamp, I encourage fitting in daylight walks and seeking out brighter places to sit when indoors. Poorly lit basement offices may indeed be bringing you down.

Reduce known stressors – Hold onto peace of mind with protection from identity theft

Woman using smart phone in cafe. hand holding smart phone white screen — Image: Telus

With so much to worry about already, it’s important to act where we can. Statscan says 42% of Canadians report at least one cyber-security incident since the start of the pandemic¹, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tallies the financial impact of fraud year-to-date in Canada to be over $67 million.²Canadians are not only spending more time online, they are doing a wider variety of things there. In June 2020, the Canadian government urged Canadians to take action to be more secure. According to new research, while about 90% of Canadians think internet safety is an issue, only 18% are doing something about it.³

Telus Online Security has partnered with Norton Lifelock to bring Canadians a suite of new tools to help prevent cybersecurity issues, in a multi-layered approach. Tools include device protection, the provisioning of a virtual private network (VPN) which lets you drive on your own highway so-to-speak making sure transactions are safe even if you’re on public wi-fi. Identity theft protection is what caught my eye as I recently found fraud on my credit card. Not only is your credit monitored, but additional support is also available from a Restoration Agent to help you problem-solve if you do get attacked. They can help you and even take over phone calls to sort out the mess freeing up your time to do other things.

Dark Web Notification alerting me to a potential data exposure

There are a variety of levels of service from $6 per month (for device protection) through $30 per month for greater protections and a larger number of devices (pricing as at November 2020). It is important to note that this service does not guarantee protection, rather it offers multiple tools to mitigate the very real threats. It is one simple step you can take to reduce worry and preserve mindset.

Use colour to boost your energy, and the energy of those around you

Have you noticed different colours affect your mood? Science shows that colour can affect performance in a variety of ways:

Taking a test after seeing red can improve accuracy, while blue boosts creativity.⁴
Pills of warm colours had a stimulating effect. Cool colours had a relaxing influence.⁵

Tip 1 – Bring colour into your environment

I painted my wall pink last year and it gives me a lift every time I see it. It seems to be a hit with others as well since March when all my segments and presentations went virtual. I’ve even got clients because of it. Bathe in your favourite colour.

Theo, one of my two polydactyls loves posing! I think this is the third set 0f tv segments he’s appeared in. Paint colour: Peony by Benjamin Moore

Tip 2 – Bring colour into your wardrobe

I realized over ten years ago that when I wore bold colours that suited me, they seemed to have a positive effect on the people around me. This coincided with the start of regular television appearances. Take a look at a tv audience sometime and you’ll notice the producers will invite people with solid, bold colours to fill the frame for they are compelling on camera.

The powerful side effect of wearing distinct colours that suit you is that it makes you memorable. See how beautifully a client of mine, ghostwriter, and mental health speaker Cindy Tschosik, does it in her richly coloured magenta top. Cindy is getting loads of compliments on her bold purple wall.

Ghostwriter and Mental Health speaker, Cindy Tschosik rocking a magenta top in front of her bold purple wall.

And your accessories…

Fellow speaker, Emily Nichols, indulging me as I tripped out on finding glasses to match my coat!

One day last year I stumbled upon a store from Australian-based Dresden Vision in Toronto, one of a handful of physical stores in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Don’t worry, they have International shopping online. The colourful window display instantly made me curious. I went in and bought four pairs on the spot. Why? They make very affordable frames (from $59 for simple prescription lenses) and arms variety of colours…which can be mixed and matched! I was over-the-top excited. Prices are kept down because they offer one widely flattering style of frame in four sizes. With 16 standard colours plus occasional limited and blended colour editions, you can coordinate with any outfit. They also have the lens cutting machine and an optician right in the store making same day availability a possibility. No hiding behind white lab coats and sending glasses away.

Frame and arm colours currently offered by Dresden Vision.

Parents, these glasses are incredibly sturdy and come with a lifetime warranty making them an excellent solution for kids. Note – I have quite a small head and wear the XS frames for my glasses and a S frame for my sunglasses.

Dresden Vision kindly provided me with a few more colours and frames to play with. So appreciated because it seems these days I need a pair in every room!

SOURCES

Statistics Canada, “Canadians spend more money and time online during pandemic and over two-fifths report a cyber incident,”
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/201014/dq201014a-eng.htm
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
Angus Reid report commissioned by TELUS
Colour and performance
Mehta R, Zhu RJ. Blue or red? Exploring the effect of color on cognitive task performances. Science. 2009 Feb 27;323(5918):1226-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1169144. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID: 19197022.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19197022/
Effect of colour of drugs
de Craen AJ, Roos PJ, de Vries AL, Kleijnen J. Effect of colour of drugs: systematic review of perceived effect of drugs and of their effectiveness. BMJ. 1996;313(7072):1624-1626. doi:10.1136/bmj.313.7072.1624
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2359128/

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If you or someone you know is struggling to feel calm and productive working from home, please check out the free resources and online program I created for you here.
I also have a few spots open for private group coaching for individuals and leaders. I invite you to book a call with me to find out more.

Be Kind to Yourself in Your New Year Reflections

The end of a year and certainly a decade (whether technically it is the end or not, it is perceived to be, and that is what matters) for many of us is a time to reflect and set intentions for the upcoming year.

My wish for you is that you be kind to yourself in this process and to stay in a place of noticing rather than judging.

If you’re like me some of the important things you intended to accomplish this year did not happen. Here’s an example: I am still in the midst of writing a book that has been an active project for the past couple of years. Three things have affected the pace of its genesis.

1. Respecting capacity

I have significantly reduced the amount of time I spend working. As an entrepreneur faced with messages that growth is imperative and I must hustle, I’ve instead worked hard to replace FOMO – the fear of missing out, with JOMO – the joy of missing out. Honestly, I now say, “Chuck hustle!”. Use a stronger word if it moves you.

As some of you know, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years ago. Strange and telling symptoms showed up two years prior to that, leaving me in pain and robbing me of sleep. MS is a strange disease that shows up differently in each person. I have made significant changes in the past few years to not only help me live with the disease when it rears its ugly head but to proactively keep myself as healthy as I can. This may help explain my increased focus on wellness and the development of Productivity Table Stakes™. I am my own guinea pig, testing strategies and sharing what I’ve learned.

I credit living well with MS to fiercely protecting sleep, exercising every day, aiming for rich nutrients per bite and doing my best to avoid stress. All these efforts take consistent efforts of time, energy and attention, the most easily controlled parts of STEAM Resources™ (Space, Time, Energy, Attention, Money). The bottom line is that to keep being of value and giving to others, I have to honour my capacity and make sure I don’t run out of STEAM.

Permission granted to honour my capacity.

2. Measuring the right things

As I was writing part two of the book, I realized I needed more research on the concepts I wanted to share. New information is always being created so I knew at some point I would have to cut off my reading and come back to writing. What I noticed though, is that while I measured the words I wrote and counted them as real results, I wasn’t taking stock of the vast literature I’d been reading. That counts, too, and will make the book a richer read. Reframing has helped. I’ve also listened to other authors share their process (Tim Ferris and Susan Cain have a fabulous podcast episode on this and speaking, as well. Link below.). Tim does all his research and then sits down to write. Perhaps that would have been smoother, but you don’t know what you don’t know.

Permission granted to take the time it needs to craft a useful book that will serve readers for the long term.

3. Investing in what’s truly important

As I’ve been learning in my research around Connection, one of the Productivity Table Stakes. Humans are hard-wired for connection. The amount though varies per person, right my lovely introverts? Humans are alike in so many ways, but as we dig a bit deeper, we have incredible differences that deserve respect.

I left my marriage over three years ago largely for lack of connection. My ex is a loving father and man of integrity but our connection styles never meshed. Living on my own, I found myself feeling lonely last year. After returning from a trip to India in which I was surrounded by family, it was evident to me that I need to have more meaningful, regular connections with people who matter to me.

My kids (and my beloved pets) stay with their dad, a decision which some viewed negatively rather than understanding it is what works best for our family so I live alone. As a solopreneur, when not with clients my work life is also spent alone. While this allows me the peace I need to hold onto my creative energy and avoid the taxes of navigating a busy city, I realized I had to make a more consistent effort to be with people and enjoy valuable social connections.

And, so I did. I reprioritized nurturing relationships this year. I invited people more. I said yes to time with people just to interact rather than achieve a goal. I participated more fully with my speaking network. Social media was and continues to be part of my life as it helps to build and maintain these connections (although has its rabbit hole risks, so I discovered it was important to set some time limits!) Perhaps most significantly, I was blessed to have swiped right at the end of May and met my loving partner, Jacques.

When I left my marriage, I knew I wanted what I call a “Chapter Two” to include a strong, loving relationship with someone I celebrate and who celebrates me for who I am, not some version they hope I will be. I have been revelling in being in love and being loved for the past seven months.

Permission granted to invest in relationships that matter.

I was joking last night at my friends’ annual New Year’s Eve party that we might be served by posting more about the things we intended to accomplish but hadn’t achieved. This year there will definitely be more of those.

As you take stock of the past year and decade, definitely celebrate what are you proud of. For those things that didn’t get done, can you celebrate the choices you made?

What intentions will you set? And perhaps most importantly, what will you give yourself permission for this year?

As always, Tune In before you Lean In.

With love and good wishes for sculpting a rich life.

Thanks for a prompt from my sister this morning, I’ll leave you with this, one of my favourite songs, “Life’s what you make it” from Talk Talk.

Notes:

Tim Ferris’ podcast 357 with Susan Cain, author of Quiet.

I work with individuals and organizations to deliver sustainable performance. Book a Discovery Call to find out more about working together.

How to be Healthy, Happy and Productive at Work

Investing time in getting organized may sound like the last thing you need to add to your “to do” list. However, just as you need to spend money to make money, you need to spend time to make time. And who doesn’t need more of that?

To better organize your office space and boost productivity, simply answer the following questions:

What exactly do you do?

Assess the activities you engage in and determine the office furniture and storage tools required to support them. Your processes may have changed since you first set up the space, or you may have inherited a space that worked for someone else. To be most productive, your office space should be designed so that you are comfortable while you work. If you spend a lot of time writing, make sure you have a space conducive to the task. If you hold in-person meetings, create a comfortable space for guests.

In my work, I often see binders piled in filing cabinets, or papers piled on bookcases. Look in your office for “mismatched” systems that are often difficult, if not impossible, to use. To avoid information pile-up, know how you like to retrieve information and ensure your office storage systems reflect that.

Think about

Furniture: desks, tables, chairs, stands for computer peripherals
Storage pieces: drawers, filing cabinets, bookshelves, desktop file folders, lateral sorters
Functional equipment: white boards, bulletin boards, coat racks, keyboard trays, footrests

What goes where?

Just as with regular real estate, office ‘real estate’ is all about location, location, location. Areas at arm’s length are considered prime space. Desk surfaces should be reserved for projects you are actively working on. Often-used office supplies should be close at hand, ideally in drawers that are part of or near your desk. Drawer organizers are effective at corralling smaller supplies, making them faster to retrieve.

Reference materials and seldom-used supplies can be stored farther away in filing cabinets, on bookshelves or in storage cupboards. Archived items are used least often and can therefore be stored in the most remote locations.

Peripherals such as fax machines, scanners, back-up hard drives, routers and cables should be stored and managed so as not to create a busy environment in your immediate working space. Cable management systems can help create visual order by reducing chaos and functional order by making it easy to identify each item.

What about comfort?

A comfortable space is a productive space. It pays to be aware of proper ergonomics when selecting furniture and storage pieces. Ensuring desk surfaces and keyboards are at an ideal height can improve comfort and avoid repetitive strain injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome and rotator cuff tendinitis are just two examples of injuries which can result from poorly configured workstations. Not only will you suffer a loss in productivity, you could end up with permanent damage.

Chairs are not one-size-fits-all, so if you spend a lot of time sitting, it is worth understanding just how customizable they can be. Look for the ability to adjust chair seat height and back positions, a seat pan that fits your body and arm rests that can be moved to best support you.

To make telephone use more comfortable, consider speakerphones or headsets. Locating printers a few steps away will encourage more mobility in your workday.

Your lighting should also be examined. You will want a mixture of ambient lighting and task lighting for focused work. Natural lighting cannot be over-rated. For every hour of focused work, whether it be writing or on the computer, take five minutes to look out a window. Your eyes will thank you.

Invest some time in getting organized. It’s a worthwhile investment that will pay you back, every day.

PRODUCTIVITY TRUTH: Just as you need to spend money to make money, you need to spend time to make time.

3 Ways to Keep Your Mindset Strong Through the Fall and Winter

Fight the effects of low light

Reduce known stressors – Hold onto peace of mind with protection from identity theft