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Cadence - Life & Work in Motion
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Good ideas come to you in the margins.
If you don't schedule down time, you will kill your creativity.
Your next great idea is waiting for you to take a day off.
~ Donald Miller
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Hi Reader
Whoo, I don't know about you, but I'm eager for the work year to end.
Things have been full, full, full on this year, including new products and podcast themes AND 15 seconds of fame on LinkedIn.
It's time to get the last bits done, before I switch off the laptop and turn up the twinkly lights.
According to research, December can be the most stressful work month of the year for a host of reasons. It's important to find ways to slow things down instead of ramping them up. Otherwise, it also has an impact on how well we start our new year.
So, in this edition I'm sharing some ideas to help you navigate these last few weeks of 2024 in one piece. See me as your friendly Christmas elf, championing some 'elf-care. 🎄😉🎄
Also ... I'm thinking about doing a special January webinar about flexible working practices and the 4-day work week. Interested? Hit reply.
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Three Resources
1 - Refresh Your Mind
Are you feeling grinchy, foggy and frazzled? Mental fatigue is real, and it’s a burnout culprit. At this busy time of year, when sleep, nutrition, and bandwidth take a hit, your brain needs extra care.
This ToDoist video offers smart strategies to help recharge your mental energy.
2 - Flexibility Matters, Especially for Women
A US Upwork research report reveals that rigid return-to-office (RTO) policies negatively impact women. And in the UK, 29% of mothers with young children are economically inactive (due to inflexible working and soaring childcare costs), and caregiving, health issues or burnout sideline many others.
This Fortune article highlights that work can no longer done in isolation. Companies embracing flexibility are using different metrics to measure performance. The good news? This includes qualities like creativity, collaboration, innovation and adaptability — the human-focused and relationship-oriented measures that really matter, imho.
3 - Festive Focus
Winter distractions like colds, cold weather, and Christmas lists can wreak havoc with getting work done. UK research shows that 1 in 3 people struggle with productivity in December. If staying on task feels impossible, these excellent strategies can motivate you (and your team) to wrap up work before you need to start wrapping presents.
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Two Thoughts
December can be a wonderful month but it can also be the most stressy, both at work and home. Not all of what causes this stress is within our control, but here are two small things that can help us manage the bits that are.
1 - Clear Your Desk, Clear Your Mind
A quick physical declutter and digital tidy-up before year-end will do wonders for your December stress levels and your January motivation. Ditch the dust bunnies now and thank your past self later.
2 - Done by C-Day
We typically cruise into Crimbo with a bloated ToDo list of work tasks we'll never realistically get done, hyping our stress to the max. Make a pragmatic, practical “must-do” list before C-Day, and tackle it one small step at a time. Postpone non-urgent tasks and head into the holidays without feeling like a headless chicken.
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One Action
Elf-Care Time
The festive frenzy can be fun, but sometimes too frenetic. To avoid overwhelm:
Dedicate 15-30 minutes daily just for you.
To take a break, take a breath, or take a walk.
A small daily act of self-care helps keep you grounded during holiday shenanigans. Your January self will also be grateful for the time you’ve gifted yourself.
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Other Stuff
Creating Cadence Podcast
This season of the Creating Cadence Podcast explored sustainable business, the triple bottom line, and how cadence, wellbeing, intentional productivity, and purpose-driven practices can contribute to a more sustainable future of work.
The final two episodes looked at the Future of Work.
Interviews are back in January with a FAB line-up of guests who'll be sharing more about their journey into sustainable business. Stay tuned!
2025 Talks, Workshops & Coaching
Want to build more sustainable working practices in 2025 that help you avoid burnout and boost your focus and productivity?
1) For a January start, I’m offering 15% off Creating Cadence talks, workshops and coaching if you book by December 15.
2) AND I'm thinking about doing a webinar in January about flexible working practices and the 4-day work week.
Interested? Don’t be shy, hit reply.
So that's it from me until 2025 (which is really only 19 sleeps away).
Whether you prefer to celebrate together, spend time alone, or your festive season is a blend of both, I hope you get to have a restful time.
Be safe, have fun, and keep moving forwards with courage, curiosity and cadence.
See you on the flip side!
Mich x
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You can find me and my work at these places.
The Cadence newsletter is part of the Creating Cadence brand. © Bondesio C&C
9-10 Cross Street, Preston, Lancashire PR1 3LT
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