jalléCafe

Week 20: Holiday Productivity

I always find the days before vacations or long weekends give me exactly the clarity I need to know what is important to be done immediately. If all short weeks were so productive...

The five best things about the week:

1. Four productive and fun meetings with clients. One meeting particulary reached a better outcome than expected in record-short time! Always feels good when you do that together.
2. I finished my invoicing on time
3. I'm actually ready for a trip that begins later this month because the thought model of my business worked in "pilot test."  We can print the desired materials!
4. Our members seemed to enjoy the Professional Women's Group monthly dinner event (our team's second event)
5. I've identified a person who brings that rare combination of talent, enthusiasm and team spirit.  Now if I could just find the room to hire!

Three things I might have done differently:

1. NOT come home two consecutive nights after 1 a.m. (OK, the nights were fun and coincided with the holiday weekend -- 17 May was Ascension Day here.)
2. Written more. 
3. Made a few more client phone calls, although I did a lot of work on our overall marketing program.

What I learned this week:

Just adopting the attitude of bringing a playful spirit and enjoying the work sometimes makes the work more playful and enjoyable.  I took this attitude toward several meetings.  Reminds me about my role as a leader, too -- to set the pace and perspective.

Visions & first steps

On April 27th, I showed my cleared garden box.  Here are the first plants. 

I spent a lovely Saturday morning at the garden center choosing them.  The whole morning. It always takes longer than I expect.

Had some ideas about what I wanted based on a little past experience with my garden in Michigan: plants that bloom at different times through the summer.  Colors that work together.  Easy care.  Perennials.  I had to update that knowledge with what fits the climate in Switzlerand and the specifically very sunny location of this box. 

I like how the starting point looks.  Perhaps as it grows I'll see something to adjust next year. Now I spend my time protecting the young plants.  Watering.  Picking snails out of the box. (How snails get to this location two floors over the ground I do not understand!)

Yet I realize how far away this little box is from my vision of what I'd really like to do one day:  take a plot in a community garden like these.

That is my real gardening vision you might never guess from this little box. I dream of it when I take jogs along the garden fences.  Still probably years away. 

I am doing what I can now within the time and resources I have for my dreams to gro w both my own business and a garden. Learning to measure life quality in small moments and progress on dreams in months and years.

Week 19: Rain Returns

Clouds rolled through some days this week.  Rain fell with the temperatures.  Much-needed rain for the gardens, as well as for me because a few grey days here and there force me to slow down a bit.

The five best things about the week:

1. The one night I was home by 7 p.m., I had to sit around and read instead of hike up the hills outside. Rest.  Relax in my own space.
2. I better balanced my personal interaction with business.  Every day I managed to talk with, share a meal with, or in some way correspond with a friend.
3. That having been said, I still did a lot of business.  Such as: a new client project where I already see the motivated person growing skills (needs only a little nudge from me, not a remake).  Four business networking meetings from which I will write at least one new project proposal.  Plus the discussions gave me energy & ideas.  Mass mailing new marketing brochure. One evening with a professional communications event.
4. Good steps forward with the Professional Women's Group of Zurich via transitioning the data and web details.  It was a lively Wednesday evening discussion, enhanced by opening a bottle of wine at the end.  We are ready to put some structures in place for efficient operation and to set goals for the next year.  Our target for the new team to be formed and ready to charge ahead is June -- I think we'll get there!  The best part is that I feel the individual leaders pulling together for the journey. It is on some days more work than any of us expected.  And yet each person seems motivated to get through the sometimes challenging first weeks with real belief we can make something happen over time.  I already sense an exceptional team, an exceptional experience ahead.
5. I'm finding new ideas for keeping the flow in my writing while implementing business tasks.  Read in an article from Havard Business Review by Howard Gardner (referred to me by my friend Beth) that included an example of people who take a bit of time for reflective thinking every week.  Will try it myself and let you know how it goes.

The least inspiring part of the week:

1. The days remain a bit long at times, even with fun personal things mixed in.  I fight the "treadmill" mindset around 4 p.m. most afternoons.
2. I did not yet commit to how I will print what could be a very expensive, but useful, story book of my business.  I sense that I need a small breakthrough in thinking about how I will implement it.  Made a prototype and will see what I learn in the next week of interactions.

What I learned: 

• I sense I'm about to break through a little further in my way of approaching my business & my life.  Little breakthrough from one plateau to another.  I am surprised that I do not use the full freedom and flexibility my own business gives me.  Want to test if this is just "habit" or "assumption" or something else.

Favorite Quote about Change

I think this is a pretty good quote to start a Monday with a good spirit:

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. Henri Bergson

Warm thanks to my colleague Kellie, who thought to send this one to me.

Weeks 17 & 18

I'm combining my last two weeks of reflection, as I've needed to combine a lot of other things lately in order to still have a life. 

The five best things about the last 14 days:

1. The weather in Zurich!  Sunny and nearly 80 degrees F every day.  What a lift for the spirit as I walked to and from work every day.
2. I'm getting a little further ahead on marketing planning, which is resulting in better participation in our activities.  (Imagine that!?)  Lots of thanks to Sandra for all of her help with this progress!
3. Had five candid discussions with business contacts about the realities of learning to be yourself and having the confidence to express it.  The conversations seem to inspire and stick with all of us.  I nearly always learn something new, even though I already think a lot about the topic.  Makes me feel I'm doing the right thing.
4. Received three notes from former colleagues with updates about life.  Brings back fond memories.  I'm learning to make the time to reconnect with someone nearly every day.
5. During our second Professional Women's Group of Zurich Executive Committee meeting, I could feel the team's energy and enthusiasm, even facing a lot of work ahead.  It was fun.

Three disappointments (actually, only one that I would note during this period):

• I am still getting quite tired by the end of the week from such long days, even when they include fun activities.

Greatest learning:

Right now, I'm learning to challenge my flexibility in balancing work and life.  I've lately tried jogging in the morning once in a while when the weather is nice.  I still get to the office by 9 a.m. when I do it. Makes my evenings a little more free to be spontaneous.  And I'm trying to get away from a rigid in-the-office schedule.  So far, I feel it refreshes me to have the variety.  Let's see if I can keep it up.