Am I the only one that's a little exhausted after this long winter
that seems to be so reluctant to actually leave and hand the reins over to spring and summer? Before the incessant sunshine of spring cleaning and creativity has to come out in full force, it’s best for all of us to
refresh and recharge. For those feeling a little bit like me, the HubSpot
marketing blog recently posted on how to motivate yourself when you’re
absolutely exhausted. With ten different strategies to get yourself moving and
links to additional articles supporting these strategies, ranging from ‘just
get started’ to ‘talk to a coworker’, it’s a great starting point for finding
your motivation.
If it doesn’t seem to be working, though, it’s important to remember that
burnout is a very real thing, and it’s crucial to dedicate specific time
to ‘time off.’ The Creative
Review posted recently that creative brains need the time and space to
process the ideas and stimulation generated throughout the workday. Silence and
reflection are key components to a healthy balance in life, so be sure to
encourage a healthy work-life balance in addition to true breaks from the ‘connectivity’
that social media and technology provide.
Once we’re recharged, how can we feel less stressed and
less exhausted in the future? One tangible way is to become more
organized. The Chronicle
of Higher Education’s blog Vitae recently posted that organization is a
skill, not a trait, and is made up of a variety of other skills, such as identifying
priorities, breaking down large goals into specific tasks, and effective
communication. These skills can be learned, and providing yourself as
well as your staff with training on time-management and other related topics
can help with stress levels.
In fact, promoting learning within your workplace culture helps
give workers all sorts of tools for success. In a
recent
post on SHIFT’s eLearning Blog, Karla Gutierrez writes about the benefits
of creating a learning-centered work culture and gives you four tangible low-cost
actions your group can take, modeled after one of the current greats: Google. Get information to stick and be useful to your
employees, create an environment where employees feel safe to talk about their
ideas and ask questions, and promote continuous learning. My personal
favorite, though, is learning from celebrated failure. Having the freedom to fail also gives you the power to learn from your mistakes, and as a result is integral to any successful team culture. In my opinion, the freedom to fail is especially important in environments going through major changes, like many libraries these days.
In the spirit of continuous learning and training, the eLearning
Industry’s blog recently featured an article showing how training supports
organizational change and is an essential part of the change management process.
Librarians are implementing and responding to changes in our strategies, structures and systems,
and our organizational culture has to respond accordingly. Training can serve
as a piece of the puzzle that helps guide your employees through the change
journey, increasing your rate of success, encouraging belonging in your staff,
and promoting employee engagement – all of which are powerful wins for your team and your organization as a whole.
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