Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/407752
3 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Continued on page 7 Tips for managing stress Great techniques to help you slow things down and feel calmer April is the cruelest month? Not in my book. If it weren't for the glori- ous weather, I would nominate Sep- tember as the cruelest month. It's certainly crazy hectic for so many of us. Summer's over and everyone's going to back to work and almost overnight the workload ramps up —can I get that by the end of day? For working parents, the back-to- school frenzy with all its spending, organizing and stress just adds to the madness. At times like this, when we need to focus and be so efficient. our wonderfully active minds will start to do their best to anticipate every po- tential hiccup and problem. If we're not careful, our minds will begin to work against us and we'll be running around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. There will be a franticness to our efforts, and tons of anxiety, while we're not really getting things done. Unless we can slow things down, our minds will actually be working against us. Here is a great way to slow down that active mind, and bring some tranquility so you can begin to be productive again. Take a time-out. When you feel your stress levels rising and your mind is racing, stop what you're doing for a minute. That's right. Stop. Sit in your chair and make sure you're sitting up straight. Plant both your feet firmly on the floor, place your hands on your thighs and close your eyes. Take a slow, deep breath in and exhale s-l-o-w-l-y. Let your inhalations bring you calm and your exhalations take away your anxiety. Repeat four or five times. Then, with your eyes still shut, say the fol- lowing out loud: It's okay. I have choices. I have options. I make the decisions. Open your eyes and see how you feel. Calmer or do you need to try it again? It really is okay to slow things down. I use this technique and find it always makes me feel calmer. I share it with my clients who tell me it makes a noticeable difference in the way they feel. You'll be more ef- fective with a quieter mind and that will more than make up for the time spent in your time-out. If you like that one, here are a few more tips to help you navigate the demands of September (or any other month for that matter), with a little less stress and a lot more calm and grace. 1) Review your choices and options. This can be as simple as taking a look at each item on your to-do list. What would happen if a) you didn't do it, or b) if you did it next week? Can someone else take care of it? C a R E E R C OaC H H E l E n l aT I M E R Toxicity According to Human Resource Management Online, you can assume your company is becoming a toxic place to work if people often communicate passive-aggressively, talking behind people's backs instead of directly with the main person involved. Hiding behind the "not my job" excuse is another bad sign, according to HRMO, and clock- watching is yet another, with all employees out the door by exactly 5 p.m. Grammar bite By George Pearson When a city name is accompanied by the province or state, set off the province or state with a pair of commas: We plan to visit relatives in Flin Flon, Saskatchewan, and Lloydminster, Alberta, next year. The comma after the province is often dropped—incorrectly.