Kevin O'Bryan

Category: Motivation

  • Who are you without your job?

    Who are you without your job?

    I recently read an article titled 5 things you must do to treat yourself with kindness after a layoff. It detailed things to consider for self-care during period right after losing your job. But one of the tips struck me as something that is worth consideration well before we find ourselves in that position.

    The fourth recommendation was ‘Figure out who you are without your former job’ and I immediately identified it as something that we all must do while we are employed. Why wait until we’ve been laid off to have a clear understanding of who we are without a job?

    Boundaries

    For one, having this understanding will help you to set clear boundaries that will guide you while doing your job. Things such as your core principles, do’s and don’ts as well as non-negotiables all help to solidify our sense of identity outside of work but play a part in your decision making during work.

    In the article, it was noted that many people have “their sense of self wrapped up in what they do”, imagine then being able to clearly define your identity without the trappings of what you do, and instead focus on how you do it as well as who you are?

    The first step to unravel this identity crisis is to visit and establish the boundaries that you have set for your own wellbeing. Those self-preserving standards are the first sign of what makes you, you and provide a gauge of what holds you intact.
    job
    The thought that I could be somebody else underneath all of what I currently believe I am, is exciting. Because, that means that everything I ever told myself about the things that limit me and the justifications for those limitations, are completely false. Sometimes we get sucked into believing that all that we are is the value that we bring to our jobs, when the bigger picture and world beyond that wall says so much more.

    Discover what makes you special

    Whether you believe so or not, you bring something unique to every position and role you work in. Now may be the time for you to take stock of those skills, talents, or idiosyncrasies which make you an asset in your role. They may be the key to your future next steps, whatever those are. In evaluating my own gifts and what I bring to the table, I realized that in one of my former roles, the skillsets that I brought to the table allowed me to bring something unique to the job that could not be easily replicated if my replacement were to be hired, simply based on my job description.

    I brought that to the table and that is what I provided to the role, not the other way around. Too often we work in jobs over long (or even short) periods and think that the work in all its sameness has moulded us when in fact it’s our own dynamism that makes it liveable and allows us to add value. So we are not just filling a slot, we bring something to the table that in many ways cannot be copied.

    Outside of the daily job

    job

    Figuring out your identity outside of a job is a perfect opportunity to consider what the possibilities and next steps could be for your life, both professionally and otherwise.

    When you consider things liked – what else could I do? What would I be doing if not this?

    It all comes down to the basics of who you believe you are and what you feel you have to give to the world. It may mean grabbing opportunities that lead you into a completely new direction outside of that box that you were living in.

    Many people have discovered certain skills and talents in the process of doing their job and suddenly something that has laid dormant, provided new energy for something else.

    I don’t know who you are but I hope you find out and nurture that person in all the ways that they matter.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Subscribe to the blog here  and share your content suggestions here.

  • Surviving Work from Home

    Surviving Work from Home

    It’s been just over 2 years since my employer decided to permanently make a portion of the staff work remotely on a permanent basis. And while this was prompted by the pandemic, this seemingly revolutionary act in the context of most Jamaican corporate entities has benefits that I am sure the organisation continues to enjoy.

    And even while some companies have reversed their remote work policies, for those of us who are still operating within this new paradigm, it can still take some learning and adapting to get it right.

    Discipline

    Discipline is an important factor when it comes to being productive while working remotely and keeping distractions at a minimum.

    There are a few strategies I use to stay productive and keep distractions at bay while remaining as productive and efficient as possible.

    Disclaimer
    Before I get into sharing these strategies, I should note that some of the links within this article are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

    Dedicate Space

    An enabling physical environment is important when working from home as it is where you will end up spending the majority of your time while working. Whatever your home space looks like, find a section that is dedicated just for work and where possible, aim for some separation.

    work

    There are numerous benefits to doing this including the promotion of work life balance and reduced distractions. And while a dedicated workspace is possibly a luxury for some persons just mentally preparing a space can be beneficial. In creating this space, ensure proper seating, and lighting, such as this nifty LED Desk Lamp that attaches to your desk.

    Isolate meeting times for deep work

    I block out periods on my calendar to get deep work  done. Persons tend not to schedule meetings when you are already in a meeting. High priority meetings will always happen regardless, however this is particularly useful for those inexplicable meetings that could’ve probably been a well written email.

    work

    In the hustle and bustle of getting things done we tend to forget that some of the most meaningful things we accomplish are through the time we spend doing deep work. That sweet spot where you are able to get important work done, without distraction or answering someone’s call for a brainstorm session. These periods are necessary if you are going to produce your best and it is possible to make them part of your most productive hours.

    Prioritize deliverables dependent on others

    If I have to contribute to an activity that will be executed by someone else, I give that priority so that the overall project doesn’t get side-lined. While this applies beyond just the work-from-home scenario, it comes into sharper relief when you have to determine what to do with every minute of your work time and successfully execute to achieve your goals.

    For example, I work with a number of creatives such as graphic designers and videographers and typically, I ensure that whatever guidance they need to get their deliverables done, I work to provide that for them to ensure that the project rolls on. In this way, it’s as if you are getting more done at the same time, because while they are completing their tasks, you can do much more.

    Set and defend boundaries

    Aggressively defend your boundaries to ensure that extraneous requests don’t sabotage your daily work goals. This can be extremely difficult if, similar to my own experience, you are a point person in a subject area. There are multiple calls, emails and meeting requests, every single one of them an emergency, however it is up to you to determine which needs to be treated as a priority.

    Boundaries can look like: choosing not to participate in meetings set during your designated lunch hour, streamlining how you structure your day and how other people use up your time or simply saying no to requests that fall outside of your purview.

    Some of your colleagues will not be deferential to your effort to establish and maintain boundaries in the beginning, however communicating these in a respectful way, consistently, will bear some positive fruit.

    Be conscious of prolonged isolation

    One of the best parts of working remotely is being able to work within your own space, with your own rules and at your personal comfort level. For the introverted, working from home is a dream because the talkative co-workers are absent, so less interruptions and just more productive time.

    work

    However too much of a good thing can be bad and long periods of isolation can also affect your mental health. The ease of simply working through a computer screen, hopping from meeting to meeting and communicating via whatsapp and email, makes becoming isolated very easy.

    Therefore be deliberate about getting a change of scenery every few days even if it means just changing rooms or location. And while work-from-home is convenient, consider a hybrid approach by splitting time in the office. Sometimes it feels good to be in a room full of my colleagues, while working and nowadays I’m actually able to enjoy the company sometimes.

    Make it work

    We all have different working styles that become even clearer once we are left to craft our own daily routines while working from home. Ultimately what it comes down to is finding what works best for your needs. This could mean working in sprints throughout the day and taking regular breaks, to keep your interest or maybe your style is doing long stretches of work, uninterrupted. For some persons, they prefer to work from coffee shops, in public and surprisingly, that also works. Whatever is your preference, make it work as there is no specific way to work remotely.

    These are just some of the ways I’m ensuring that remote work remains doable for me.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Subscribe to the blog here  and share your content suggestions here.

    Kevin

  • Why People who fail are super Heroes!

    Why People who fail are super Heroes!

    We are taught to hate and fear FAILURE. It is so ingrained in our psyche to a certain degree that often times our futures and destiny are tied to our performance in major exams and other tests of skill. Just don’t fail!

    I remember the pressure placed on me when I sat the common entrance in primary school, not quite as dramatic as what followed for the next generation that sat the GSAT exam but its results were pivotal enough. This catalytic examination would help to determine if the first decade of my parent’s efforts to raise and educate me was a bust or in the event that I passed, augured well for my future.

    Sadly, on the day those results became public, many students had red eyes, weary from crying because they either didn’t hear their names announced or they were sent to schools which were considered an equivalent to failure.

    So entrenched is our ideas around failure and the avoidance of it, that the announcement of any list touting which high school in Jamaica is ‘the best’ can cause a melt down across social media, as was recently the case when this report  by the Jamaica Education Transformation Commission was released.

    Any association with it in our society and even across different cultures, basically assigns you a Scarlett letter that tells the world that you are to be avoided and rejected.

    The Results

    This rejection of failure, though noble has had some unintended consequences for an entire generation of people, some of whom have mastered the idea that they must go through life celebrating (rightfully so their wins) and behave as if they have never failed. Or worse still, act as if failure is impossible, making them infallible.

    These people are our relatives, our lovers, our co-workers, bosses and cut across every possible line of individual you interact with on a daily basis.

    I have had a difficult time dealing with colleagues who because of their rejection of the possibility that their ideas can fail or have failed, absolutely refuse to accept feedback in a meaningful and constructive way. Then there are others so gun-shy about appearing to, or actually failing, they rather cycle through ideas and concepts without doing something because they are looking for the big hit, sans failures.

    It is an impossible race to a bottomless pit dealing with individuals like this who think that failure defines them forever or worse yet, that they are perfect and beyond failure.

    Failure is an option

    We don’t usually set out to fail when we start something new or with any endeavour we undertake. Reality is, failure can cost us a lot, both in tangible and even intangible ways that over time can take a toll.

    But what if we flip the script maybe, failure should be one of the options that we pre-bake into our endeavours to sign post our journey; that jolt of reality to both re-direct and re-energise us on our journey to success.

    The famous line from Game of Thrones comes to mind: “Chaos is a Ladder” and for many of us Failure is the ladder because it often pushes beyond wherever we were, to usually better circumstances or new horizons.

    There are a number of reasons why I consider failure essential to eventual success and simply a crucial part of life, that try as we might, shouldn’t be feared.

    Failure signifies movement

    Anyone who is failing at something is also actively attempting to accomplish something and hopefully they will fail, learn, try again, maybe fail again and start over or have success based on what they have learned and applied.

    Failure is never the end

    Failures are deeply personal however they can serve such a powerful purpose for others. The cautionary tale has done so much for persons who while never experiencing them, have been able to make better decisions from the misadventures of others. Failing at something is never wasted, even if you are not the one to benefit from it.

    Your failure is as great as its inverse success

    I always take comfort in knowing that as bad as a moment of failure or rejection is, the opposite will be just as overwhelming but without the dread.

    Failure is part of the progress

    I say ‘the progress’ because there is no rule that states to have progress you must fail, though it could be argued. However within any effort that seeks to gain a state of perfection, there will be a bar of failure that must be overcome. The feeling of never being ‘just right’ has to be satisfied. Working through that feeling, toward the eventual goal will therefore encounter and overcome failures.

    fail

    Final word

    It has taken me years to work through and overcome the hold that failure has had on my psyche. Not the failure itself but the dread, embarrassment and feeling of uselessness. But interestingly enough, it was a big failure that taught me how to work through and overcome the helplessness.

    In the valley of a major failing, where my life appeared to lay in ruins before me, and I was overcome with regret and shame, I was able to begin the rebuilding process. With determination and the new found realization that I was on the other side of my worst fear, nothing could stop me.

    I entered the next phase of my life with a renewed sense of purpose and achieved my greatest success, up to that point, even surprising myself. To do that, I had to do things I had never done before and take on new habits and prove to myself that I could do it.

    Of course, other failures happened in my life, but for the most part I could sometimes predict them based on my own self-limiting behaviour. I never gave up though, and you shouldn’t either.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Subscribe to the blog here  and share your content suggestions here.

    Kevin

  • My 2022 Reading List: For the Joy of Reading

    My 2022 Reading List: For the Joy of Reading

    In 2019, what I will call the before times, I was very hopeful and aspirational and I put together a list of must read books for that year . On the surface, the list looked and sounded good.  I anticipated it would’ve been even easier to get done and complete the reading.

    Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way and I didn’t complete the reading list. And while I was able to read some additional titles, I just never felt right about not finishing those books. This year I am creating another list, which in addition to my book club selections should make for a rounded reading curriculum.

    This time, I’ve decided to be more direct with my choices and I’ll be choosing books that I am not only eager to read but also following my tried and tested method to ensure that I keep my reading habit, consistent: a mix of genres and formats. In addition, I am reading books I already own. This I hope will keep me interested, motivated and most importantly, reading even when I probably feel like I should be doing anything but. And I’m inviting you to read along with me for the entire year!!

    As a side bar, I do hope you love my book selections and will be inspired enough to choose a fave or two from the list. Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

    January 

    My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

    I love reading books based in Modern Africa. The colourful and vibrant cultures of the continent can’t help but seep through the pages of books set in Nigeria, Ghana or beyond. This is a book club selection that I felt was serendipitous because I remember reading a preview of this book when it was first released. So I’m looking forward to diving in. This is the only book on my list that I don’t own and will instead be borrowing. Get your copy here.

    February 

    King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild

    I had previously planned to read this book in 2019 but never worked up the courage to start it, so I intend to make this my February read and truly get into this horrific retelling of the exploits of the King of Belgium in Africa. Get your copy here .

    March 

    Discerner of Hearts by Olive Senior

    Olive Senior is one of my ALL-TIME favourite Jamaican authors. Her storytelling reminds me of early mornings in the country, with an enamel cup of mint tea with a lot of sugar. The way she captures experiences, relationships and moments is exquisite. Get your copy here.

    April 

    Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business) by Tabitha Brown

    I’ve been following Tabitha Brown ever since she debuted on Tik tok in 2020 and I’ve been a fan throughout her rise. I’m looking forward to  reading more about her journey and how she’s been able to build her life, so deliberately while exercising so much faith and patience. Get your copy here.

    May

    The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead

    Ever since I read The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, I’ve wanted to read something else he’s done. The great thing about his work is that he jumps across multiple genres, which for me, because you never know what to expect. One thing that remains certain, his talent is unmatched. Get your copy here .

    June 

    Motherland by Wandeka Gayle

    I purchased this short story collection by Wandeka Gayle based solely on the fact that we went to college together years ago and I have been privy to her journey for years. Seeing this collection actualized was a joy to behold and I cannot wait to dive in. I should also mention that June is #ReadCaribbeanMonth so wanted to ensure that a book by Caribbean writer was the focus. Get your copy here.

    July

    Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson

    I’m a fan of apocalyptic stories and I’ve the work of some of the best, so I admit the title caught me but what made this even better, is the fact that Stephen King himself described this book as “Terrific page-turning fun.” That’s an endorsement I can live with. Get your copy here .

    August

    Psyche by H.G. de Lisser

    For the uninitiated, H.G. de Lisser was a Jamaican journalist and author who died in 1944. He left a number of novels and forever immortalized the tale of Annie Palmer, that we have turned into Jamaican folklore, with his book, The White Witch of Rose Hall.

    I’m not sure his books are still in circulation because sadly, they never made them into the school curriculum across the Caribbean (or if they did, they are no longer used). I got my copy of Psyche at Bookland in New Kingston.

    September 

    The Pesthouse by Jim Crace

    I was on a book haul a few years ago and this book literally called to me and based solely on the description of the story, I decided that I will give it a try. Hoping for the best! Get your copy here.

    October

    Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

    Any book by Malcolm Gladwell is an easy decision for me and I was intrigued by the premise of this title specifically because I am an introvert who finds it a bit difficult to let strangers in. I’m looking forward to the insights. Get your copy here.

    November Book

    11/22/63 by Stephen King

    There’s a funny story about this book. It was released in 2011 and I pre-ordered a hard cover copy and have owned it ever since but for the life of me, I never got around to reading it. I have read many Stephen King books over the years, but this one has been sitting, until now. Also, I decided to make it the November read because of the title. Get your copy here.

    December Book

    Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston

    With a year filled with so many varied stories, I felt it was apt to read the account of the life of the last slave shipped to the USA. I had mentally planned to purchase this book some years ago and then it was gifted to me by surprise, so I know I have to read it. Get your copy here.

    Of course, there will be other books in between, some are bonus titles that I need to complete and others that might just pop up. I am bravely making allocation for those and also inviting you all to join me on this journey. Here’s hoping you discover titles that you are interested in reading as well.

    What are some of the books you’re planning to read this year?

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Subscribe to the blog here  and share your content suggestions here.

    Kevin

  • Stay Ready so you Never have to get Ready!

    Stay Ready so you Never have to get Ready!

    This is the final in my New Year refresh series and as I continue, I’m at the point where after all the decluttering, I’m now ready for the ‘fix up’ after the ‘clean up’. It’s February so there’s still time to make those moves and get your 2021 plans underway.

    ready

    Just think, in this very moment you are sitting on a goldmine, even as all seems desperate and scarcity appears all that is in our future (probably a bit overly dramatic after the year we’ve had).

    The gold is in everything that you know, everything that you have ever experienced and everything that you take for granted about yourself. All of this knowledge and perspective is a gift that should be shared with the world.

    And now with the way the world is set up it is a bit easier for us to share that knowledge, with the pent up need so many people have to learn new things and the ease of access created by communications technology.

    But if you’re wondering about the how, I have a few insights. You have most if not all the resources you need to be able to make a significant change.

    Start with what you know

    You know something that is very valuable to someone else and you may not even know it. Whether it is something that you spent years of your life studying in school, a hobby or simply something that you have always been deeply interested in stop taking it for granted. You never know what it is that other people don’t know and there is so much.  One of the good things the pandemic has done is opened the appetites of all of us to learn something new.

    Your knowledge and insight into a particular area may be just what someone else desires to learn about right now and all that’s missing is your willingness to connect and share. Maybe it’s your interest in cooking or marketing or even crafting. Believe that there are people who want to learn what you know and will be willing to engage.

    Never stop learning

    After assessing what you actually know, is there anything else that you could brush up on? Learning never ends so there’s nothing to lose in either learning new skills or refreshing those that you already know. Internet connectivity has democratized learning for many of us, who can now simply enroll into free courses online.

    It’s now easier than ever to acquire news skills and apply them to your life immediately, even if you already believe you are an expert in a particular area. I’ve been fortunate to access a number of marketing and communications related courses over the past year that have proven to be career enhancing. They both reinforced stuff I already knew, while teaching new concepts that are benefitting me now.

    Whatever your interest, it is almost certain that there is a resource that exists to help you refine and increase our knowledge such as Coursera and Udemy.

    Find your Tribe

    Yes, there are communities of people who share your interests and now with this invention called the internet, it is easier than ever to connect with these like minds. Regardless of your interests, you can find thriving even niche, online communities that can help to nurture and help you to engage with persons from across the globe. It can be as simple as searching through hashtags on Twitter to find your tribe or discovering the perfect groups on Facebook or LinkedIn. Either way, adding your voice to ongoing conversations will not only help you to share your perspective, but learn from others.

    via GIPHY

    If the online space is not your ideal landing strip to discover your tribe, then maybe a service club or even a professional organisation such as Toastmasters would be ideal options. If all else fails then begin the process of building your own community, create meaning and purpose around what you are interested in. An immediate inspiration is my friend who decided to start a book club with other friends who wanted to work on their reading habit, a few years down the road and it is now a thriving community of earnest readers.

    Get you some headshots

    Now for the pièce de résistance, the look and feel that will add the perfect finishing touch. Get you some headshots! If you have never had any taken, now is the perfect time to have some taken, because opportunities may be coming your way and you will need to be ready.

    Over the past year, I have either organised or been part of several forums where a headshot is absolutely necessary and having one is the best way to be ready. Why you may ask?

    Well, the growing need for persons, like you, to share their expertise and knowledge in multiple virtual spaces, means that pretty soon you may be asked to share your headshot for one of those forums.

    You should never be asked for a headshot and all you have to share is a selfie from either the passenger or driver seat (no shade).

    You can follow this video for some tips on taking headshots on your own using a good cell phone but if you want, there are photographers available who will be more than happy to take them for you at a cost. They will act as a snapshot of your personality even before people are introduced to you and they can saw so much about your brand values and the overall energy that you are sending out into the world.

    Be Prepared

    The successes we will experience this year will be based on the preparations we make beginning today. Arthur Ashe  said “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” Get ready to benefit from the opportunities that will come your way this year, just because of who you are and what you already know.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Subscribe to the blog here  and share your content suggestions here.

  • Digital Declutter: How to cleanup your email inbox for good!

    Digital Declutter: How to cleanup your email inbox for good!

     We are at the start of a new year and it’s as good a time as any to declutter different areas of our lives. For the month of January, I will be sharing a few insights on how we can all refresh our outlooks and spaces. I will begin this process with a digital decluttering exercise for email.

     

    cleanup mail

    Do you dread opening your primary email app because of the amount of unread messages that are there? Have you simply turned off your notifications because you’ve lost control of all the messages that have flooded your inbox and you never got around to checking them?

                                 

    Don’t despair there’s hope and with simple proactive steps you can get your email lives under control. It is overwhelming enough dealing with work emails, so it is understandable if your personal email inbox is a mess.

    I got smart about email management a few years ago when after having my Gmail account for just over 13 years (early adopter) I realized that I was almost out of space. This surprised me for a number of reasons as one of the primary draws for Gmail back in the day was the fact that their storage was almost infinite (jokes).

    email cleanup

    One advantage I’ve had is that every time gmail added a new feature, I did my best to understand what it was, how it worked and how it could impact how I used the service. So if I realized that it worked against my typical email behaviour, I would just ignore it.

    Disclaimer, most of my specific email decluttering tips are applicable to gmail users, which may actually not matter much seeing that when gmail entered the market in 2005, most other providers gradually started to emulate its functionalities and even layout.

    And for those of you who might ask, why not just buy additional email storage space if I run out? Well if you are a power user and that’s something you want to do, go ahead. But as for me and my house, we declutter and use what we have, for free!

     

    Check notifications

    This first tip has nothing to do with your inbox at all and is one of the more proactive steps you can take in dealing with email clutter. When you join any new social network or app, first thing you should do is check the notifications settings. Most services allow you to determine the type and frequency of correspondence they send you.

    For example, Facebook allows you to send push notifications to their app or on the website itself for most things. Otherwise you can choose to only receive emails for specific things relating to your account. This also applies to other platforms like Twitter, so you can basically set it up so that you only receive important emails from these platforms that have to do with your account security and nothing else. This is convenient and prevents some of that unnecessary email clutter to begin with.

     

    Remove Email Categories

    In 2013 google introduced the promotions tab to gmail as part of a set of automatic categories that would organise incoming email into different segments/tabs. It was their attempt to help us all make our email inboxes feel a bit lighter. The automatically generated promotions and social tabs have since become a standard part of any new gmail account created and typically siphons off emails from social networks or subscription emails from mass mailers etc.

    As soon as the feature was introduced I ditched it by going into my inbox settings and removing it. I have done the same for every other gmail account I have created since. See how to remove them here.

    Why?

    Because, if important emails come in and go into these tabs, I’ll probably not take the time to click and sort through them. Secondly, I prefer to see and know what I am getting in my email all in one place. So instead of going through, basically three different inboxes, created with the use of these tabs, I simply check one. A lot less work and a more streamlined way of dealing with message organisation.

    Ditch the tabs!

    Unsubscribe from unwanted emails

    A few years ago I started to receive random emails from companies I never subscribed to. For a while it weirded me out because I honestly thought someone was deliberately adding me to different company email lists (probably). As I painstakingly unsubscribed from every new company welcoming me to their service, I also started to take a closer look at the other subscriptions that I had actually signed up for.

    When it came time to clear space I realized that while these emails may not count for much in terms of storage space, they were still clutter that added up, overtime.

    So I started looking at the pattern of company emails I was receiving to get a better sense of the volume of messages and it was shocking!

    During peak shopping seasons for example, there were companies who would send me up to two emails per day for two weeks straight.

    It was ridiculous, so those subscriptions had to go!

    I started to take an even closer look at email behaviour from companies I wanted to receive emails from and adjusted my subscriptions where possible or unsubscribed completely. Some company emails allow you to select the frequency at which you receive them such as once monthly or every now and then.

    Unsubscribe to your heart’s content and stop some of those incessant and probably unread messages. The reality is, we are constantly changing and sometimes, the need you had for subscribing to some of these services has passed and let’s be real, as much as you would want to, you are not going to go back and read through all those past emails.

    The ‘unsubscribe link’ can usually be found at the bottom of most emails you receive from companies and is a pretty standard feature. In fact, if you are regularly receiving emails from a company that does not contain an unsubscribe link, that should be cause for concern.

    Delete old messages and conversations

    This tip is a follow on to the previous about your subscriptions and also takes it a step further with how to deal with other messages.

    So you have identified emails that you want to unsubscribe from and you have gone ahead and unsubscribed, now is your chance to remove all that old stuff. A quick and easy way to get rid of these messages is to temporarily create a filter. The email filters are a neat way to choose what happens to emails when they come into your inbox and allows you to choose the specific parameters which can be either an email address, a name or specific words and/or phrases.

    Once you choose the identifier and you create the filter you then choose what happens to messages that match the criteria. Gmail provides a number of options (shown below) that you can choose which include, forwarding the messages, labelling it, sending it to categories, or deleting it.

    email cleanup

    See how to create an email filter in gmail here.

    In this case, the option would be to delete the messages. However there is an additional option that allows you to apply the filter to matching conversations that are already within your inbox. In one fell swoop, you will instantly remove years of subscription emails, instead of painstakingly going through and deleting in batches of 100 which is the maximum you would be able to manually select on the gmail desktop using search.

    When you are done, delete the filter then go into your trash and permanently remove the messages.

    An additional pro tip, make this an annual thing by routinely removing these subscription emails at the end of each year.

    Removing other Messages and Conversations

    Now using the process I just outlined you can go ahead and remove entire histories from your email inbox. So emails from those old relationships, friendships or pesky work related items that you may have sent to yourself or had sent to your email, just because? Create filters by name or email, and remove them all!

    email cleanup

    I briefly relived some very painful moments when I went through long past emails and removed entire conversations, but it was the right thing to do.

    It was also surprising the amount of space decade old chain messages took up in my mailbox.

    To get rid of these, create a filter that picks up on emails based on their size that will bring up all messages that contain attachments over a certain size and delete them instantly to free up space.

     

    Delete old sent messages

    Here’s a revelation: We are usually the ones who create the junk that we carry around. The baggage and the waste that we hang on to, was indeed, of our own making. So what can we do?

    Purge!

    Go through your sent messages and remove those emails with attachments that you sent. The sent message search box in gmail is marvelous and allows you to search emails for different periods or one set by you. In addition you can search specifically for emails with attachments and also the type of attachments.

    You would be surprised how many emails with large attachments you have sent that are clogging your inbox right now. Go through it and remove all that junk.

    Setup auto forwards

    Finally, another way to reduce and even prevent unnecessary email is by using filters to forward messages to other email accounts. I have a primary email account but I also have other email accounts that I use. There are times when based on commitments such as clubs or other activities I participate in, there’s need for large quantities of emails to be sent.

    For example, as a Toastmaster I have played various roles which often times require the use of high volumes of emails that are regularly sent. I use my main email for membership purposes but sometimes this address is also shared with local and regional Toastmasters teams.

    Instead of attempting to go through the confusion of notifying all these teams of the new email, I simply create a filter and have all emails coming from the team forwarded to a designated Toastmasters gmail account that I created separately. In addition, I also create a rule to delete all forwarded emails from my main inbox.

    Visit here to see how to automatically forward gmail messages to another account.

    Final word

    I hope this information will assist you in decluttering your email and digital life. Let me know if you find any of this useful!

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

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  • Taking Care of What Matters

    Taking Care of What Matters

    It’s taken me a while to write this blog. Since my last post in March of this year, I have drafted several others, which I never got around to publishing. The timing has just never felt right based on everything that was happening.

    And though I know that COVID and everything that the pandemic has wrought is a completely valid excuse, I’m also keeping myself accountable where it matters.

    Early on I realized that there was an underlying and unspoken anxiety that accompanied this pandemic and affected most of us, regardless of whether we actually contracted the virus or not.

    It was just the tension around all the uncertainty that the pandemic brought with it and especially the upheaval it’s caused to the lives of so many people. Being expected to function, like normal and perform at the highest level at work and in life, is not as easy as it seems.

    Awakening

    My own eye opener came just about 7 months after the beginning of this whole thing, when I started to feel generally unwell. No, I hadn’t contracted COVID but all that pent up anxiety and the lethargy it set off within me, finally caught up.

    self care

    For some people, they have been coping by exercise and generally making an effort to be more active. That however, has not been my coping strategy and instead I simply threw myself into work and tried to be as occupied as possible.

    While I remained aware of the underlying anxiety, I never fully owned up to the ripple effects it was causing in other areas of my life which mushroomed over time.

    So when I finally decided to visit my doctor and I received a blood pressure reading that was too high for comfort, I knew that something had to give. The visit also forced me to acknowledge that I had not been sleeping as well as I should. The result of all this was a cascade of small maladies that pretty much meant that I was doing myself a disservice, the opposite of self-care.

    Getting There

    I’m already taking corrective measures which includes taking proactive steps to get better quality sleep, I’ve altered my eating habits, started an exercise routine in the gym and I now make deliberate efforts to actually relax more.

    That said, I have also started to take stock of some of the other aspects of my life that I can control. There are a few things that I have become much more intolerant of during this time.

    Protecting my Peace

    Now more than ever I am fully invested in protecting my peace from people, places, emotions and things that could possibly heighten my stress levels or otherwise make me uncomfortable.

    I’m a bit more sensitive to people in my life who selfishly try to fill my well with their issues while never considering or even seeking to find out about the load I may be carrying. I am a limited resource and therefore, I will not allow others to use me up.

    Self-care is as much about eating well and relaxing as it is about ensuring that the energy that I surround myself with is just right.

    Reading has always been escapism for me, but now even more so because my mind seems to always be ON. Slowly plodding my way through books has been a respite and though sometimes television time steals some of that time, I’m recalibrating the balance needed.

    Patience all around

    Probably the greatest lesson I’ve absorbed this year, is the importance and value of being patient and gentle with myself, more tolerant even. With the world just doing its best to survive in this very weird and troubling time, it does not work in my favour to torture myself about my perceived shortcomings.

    self care

    I did a few online courses and they were helpful but this idea that I needed to use this moment to become something else, betrayed the fact that just by doing my job and so much more, during a difficult time, is in itself an accomplishment.

    I’m happy to be on the mend but the important thing about this shift is that it feels like it’s the big one that I will actually stick with.

    Pray me up.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

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  • Corporate work life: How to Thrive and Survive

    Corporate work life: How to Thrive and Survive

    Corporate Russian Roulette

    There are days when I go to work and before 10 am, I am fully ready to hand in my resignation and just say ‘Screw it All!’

    Yes, this is real life.

    It’s the life some of us live.

    We are not supposed to verbalise these feelings, in fact, you’re not supposed to talk about how much you hate certain aspects of corporate work life until you become one of those stories of people who have quit and hopefully able to brag that you’re ‘living your best life’

    So, what do you do instead?

    You remain, grateful, continue to do your best work, take care of your mental health and survive. There are a slew of things that we can all do to ensure that we survive and make the most of what working in a large organisation has to offer.

    After all, it’s not all doom and gloom and in fairness, the good days far outweigh the dark clouds of a bad day.

    There are some strategies that I have learned to employ to help me make the best of every moment and keep focused on being productive, accountable, alive and thriving.

    Walk with me.

     Reading is a gift that will keep on giving

                     

    If you are a reader, know that it is a gift that will serve you well in the corporate world, why? Because many people, working at whatever level of the corporate ladder, simply refuse to contend with anything that requires reading. They simply consider it bothersome and you see the results of this in email arguments that take place daily in companies everywhere. Now, with everyone else not reading, being able to spot details is something that adds value, because with less people reading, it means, more folks missing nuance and important details.

    Email follow-ups are key

    Sometime ago I wrote about email etiquette for the workplace here and it was an opportunity for me to delve into email habits that can serve us well.

    If it’s one thing James Comey’s book –  taught me, it was the importance of contemporaneous notes following meetings. What Comey did was brilliant. As a practice, he would routinely prepare memos following meetings to ensure a record of whatever the exchange was, existed. If you are familiar with his story, you know how well those memos served him, when it became necessary to sharing his story.

    In the corporate world, it’s no different, just a bit less intense. What I have found to work is preparing an email immediately following any meeting and sharing it with all participants, documenting the specific discussions and action points. I refuse to call this email meeting minutes, as I have learned that ‘meeting minutes’ – imbued with all the formality and need to record every small detail – often takes at least two days to be prepared and dispatched. This is the heights of inefficiency and is simply a time waster.

    The key thing about this practice is that it prevents others from changing the narrative of the meeting to fit what they need. Plus it keeps you and everybody else in the meeting accountable and ensures that everyone is on the same page. Reality is, some of your co-workers don’t respond well to tasks that aren’t written down, even if you’ve met about it.

    Observe patterns of behaviour

    We all have that co-worker who is so caught up doing their ‘work’ and they have no clue what is going on around them. Don’t be that guy.

    Make it your business to know how every move adds up, or not.

    While this is not a call for you to become the village voice for your place of work, it does you no good if you are unaware of what is happening in your company. Observing the corporate culture is key to helping you order your own steps.

    Then there is the just being aware of how your fellow employees relate to you and each other. It helps if you are able to mentally profile your team members in order to better navigate the working relationship. Not only does it prevent crossed wires, but in general it allows you to focus on being productive and getting the job done.

    This is why unpredictability upsets the apple cart so much. When people either take things personally or people get too personal with what they say and how they say it, it throws the workplace into chaos.

    The more you know.

    Choose your Battles

    It takes a certain level of mental fortitude to withstand the temptation of email warriors in the workplace who are always ready to tempt you into a back and forth. Worse still, are the potentially messy phone calls that can devolve into an argument.

    I remember the first and last time I got angry enough to shout at and hang up the phone on a colleague, primarily because I felt that the person in question was being extremely rude and disrespectful. The fact that I had to apologise, wholeheartedly afterwards, annoyed me to the core. It was a waste of time getting into a tiff, over work, in the first place. I vowed to never again get so that angry that I felt the need to lose my cool and behave like that.

    Restraint is the name of the game and I have learned that the long game is the best game when it comes to certain work relationships.

    It may be cute to recount your behaviour on Twitter, but in real life, it isn’t cute or quite as fulfilling.

    Smile, wave, breath, vent as needed and carry on, because you never know who wants you to lose your cool and jump off a cliff.

    When you do have to fight, use all the tools the corporate world provides: Well worded emails and no BS telephone conversations that can call out colleagues while still keeping it 100% respectful.

    Never share your childhood nickname with your co workers

    Learn from my mistake.

    A term of endearment needn’t be scandalized by people you work with.

    So caught up was in a moment of vulnerability (read food… I was eating food) during one of those team building gatherings, to get us to open up to each other.

    I was relaxed, enjoying my meal and ready to endear myself to my team members by sharing something they didn’t know. Never occurred to me that, them not knowing was the gift, but alas.

    I revealed my childhood nickname.

    Who would’ve thought that the revelation would come back to haunt me? I felt a dread previously unknown, when co-workers started parroting this name as if it was appropriate or their place.

    How dare you so casually throw a name about that was my dearly beloved, Great Grandma’s favourite name to call me by?

    You don’t know the history, you don’t know what it means? But you think it’s cool?

    Ha.

    It get’s worse

    To add insult to injury, a particular individual, who I wasn’t fond of decided that it was their prerogative to drop my nickname in at the most inappropriate and unnecessary times, At WORK.

    A term of endearment needn’t be scandalized by people you work with. It’s one thing if my co-worker, who I’m close with, uses it. I’m good with that. What pisses me is the assumed kinship some people have by referring to me by a name that’s not for their use.

    So, aside from my own sensitivity to being called by anything but my given name, it is clear that some ‘co-workers’ have no boundaries.

    Take my advice and don’t give them a chance to ‘Run wid it’.

    What are some of things that you are doing to make it in this Corporate Life? Let me know in the comments.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Kevin

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  • How to add more time to your days

    How to add more time to your days

    Musician and actor, Henry Rollins famously sang the following lyrics, in his song Shine:

    “No such thing as spare time, no such thing as free time, no such thing as down time. All you got is life time… Go!”

    The past couple of months have brought time and how I value it into much sharper focus and in every aspect of my life I see the role it plays.

    Case in point, I recently started intermittent fasting as a means of controlling my weight and to overhaul the way I eat.

    For the uninitiated, intermittent fasting is NOT a diet, more than anything it is a way of managing how much time you spend consuming, digesting and converting food to energy.

    There are different ratios that can be used when doing this type of fast, with the most popular being the 8 to 16 hour ratio. This means that you spend 16 hours fasting, and 8 eating. I generally follow a more strict eating window, with a ratio of 6 to 18 hours, which I have found manageable and effective.

    Reclaiming my time

    Due to the fasting, I have become so much more conscious of the amount of time I spend eating, and exactly what I am eating during that time. In fact one of the biggest benefits of intermittent fasting has been the amount of time I’ve been able to save as part of the process.

    Because I don’t break my fast at the normal ‘breakfast time’ that I used to, I no longer have to bother myself with making breakfast. Once I make a healthy lunch, I’m not stumped at lunch time, trying to figure out what to eat.

    Do you realize how much time you spend trying to choose your food?

    This renewed consciousness of ‘my time’ has actually helped me to become a bit more productive at work as well. Now more than ever, I am deeply interested in ensuring that every hour of my day is spent efficiently and doing what I said I planned to.

    How much do you have?

    time

    Sometimes my ambition for personal improvement seems to outpace the amount of time I have in each day. Let’s consider it all: the gym takes time, reading takes time, the personal project takes time, work seems to be all over the place with its time, watching Netflix is time being used… everything uses up our time, but we are trying to do it all, guilt free.

    There’s no secret way to add hours to the days but if you look closely there are valuable pockets of time in each of our days that can help us to get more done.

    For example, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make time to read for pleasure. The solution that works so far, is allotting two hours before bed to reading and/or when necessary, a few hours before getting ready for work in the mornings.

    It’s a deliberate effort of course, but once you’ve identified that time, you just have to do whatever it takes to get it done.

    Time Sucks Are Everywhere!

    One of the more important things any of us can do is to identify the things that waste our time. What are those ‘time-sucks’ in your life?

    Prime suspect numero uno in my life is my smart phone!

    The typical scenario is: I am doing something, or about to do something, but decide to check my notifications or look at posts on Instagram. The next thing I know, I look up and realize that I had descended down a rabbit hole and got lost for two hours… all that time wasted!

    This can happen with any social media network and the simple, uncomplicated solution is to put your phone down and out of reach. Even better, some social media platforms, namely Instagram, now have activity trackers that allow you to track how much time you spend on average using the app.

    Additionally it helps you to manage your time by setting a daily reminder once you have spent a preset amount of time of your choosing on the app. So I’ve currently set the app to notify me once I have completed an hour of use of instagram for the day.

    There are so many things we can do to save, and take more control of our time. But probably the most important thing we can do is be more aware of the time we do have and fill it with moments that bring us joy.

    What are some of the ways you are saving time? Let me know in the comments.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

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    Kevin

  • Know Thyself

    Know Thyself

    Sometime ago I was at home, having a mind muse when the thought “Know Thyself” popped into my mind. It was like fate inserted that timely reminder into my psyche to get me gathered.

    Of course, as musings go, I tweeted it out and it connected with a number of people.

    It seems we are always being reminded by life to know who we are, for ourselves. It is important and vital.

    Every day we go about our lives and typically we are in constant contact with other members of our communities – work, school, gym, family, etc.

    But what I’ve realized is that people are always trying to decide who we are, based on their perception and just how they experience us each day. It can be tempting to accept and even feel comfortable with these distinctions. Who doesn’t want to be considered ‘Lit’?

    Knowing who you are, fo’ real isn’t just something nice to say, it is a conscious examination of every facet that defines us and our actions.

    I Know Me

    I am an introvert.

    For a time, I felt comfortable saying that I was shy, but shyness didn’t fully account for some aspects of my personality, that went beyond how I felt around people.  It was more all encompassing and definitive.

    Shyness, people can get over, but I was different. I recognised that it took more out of me to attempt to make friends or even get to know people. To this day that’s still an issue, which has decreased over time, but is still evident.

    thyself

    Sadly, many people misconstrue my introversion for other things… dislike, disgust, disdain, aloofness even – when really I may just be too distracted trying to keep my ‘ish’ together.

    Nevertheless, I make no excuses.

    “There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.” ― Tennessee Williams.I know myself and therefore I am unbothered by how people respond to that aspect of my personality; I know, I usually don’t mean people ill will, and therefore I try not to beat myself up about it.

    I’m a communicator, by profession.

    And while I acknowledge the irony of this, being able to compartmentalise aspects of my personality helps.

    The ebullient Communications professional asks all the questions, speaks into the microphone but someone who is also quiet and appreciates alone time.

    Standing my ground

    As I have matured and grown older, it has become easier for me to stand my ground and remain unbothered about other people’s issues with my idiosyncrasies. After almost four decades of refining and being truly honest with myself, it is safe to say, I don’t give a damn.

    But standing my ground also comes at a cost.

    There is the clear and present danger of me being misunderstood and misinterpreted by some folks. Most recently I have learned the value of truly standing in my truth and letting that do the talking.

    That includes accepting certain personal shortcomings and fully understanding that I am imperfect and a work in progress.

    Just Be

    It is because I am so aware of who I am, why I firmly reject labels which seek to oversimplify, and dilute the true essence of who I am.  I am more than what someone can throw at me in a phrase that seeks to define me.

    There is a joy that comes with knowing that you never owe another soul an explanation for who you are and the important choices you make.

    In knowing and fully acknowledging who I am, I have been able to come to terms with so many things that have occurred in my life over the past few years. The good that manifested from hard work and perseverance and the bad that was unearthed when the life decided to show me what was lurking under the surface.

    Probably the best part about knowing who I am is the fact that it makes any decision to change, that much easier. As I outlined in this post in June change is what keeps me driven and excited about life. I’m still learning, growing and changing. Some will like it, some won’t.

    Be inspired, Be informed, Be Glorious!

    Kevin

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