Beth Beutler's Blog, page 6

A Better Idea for Phone Notifications

My husband and I were at a local craft brewery* when he noticed a couple at the end of the bar.

He later told me that the man was on his phone most of the time, while the woman looked as if she felt like a third wheel.

Keith thought that behavior was rude–and yet it is so typical.  I too am guilty of looking at my phone at times when I shouldn’t. To be fair, sometimes we do look at our phones while together, with the understanding that we both want to. But in this case, it appeared that time meant for engagement between two people was superseded by the phone conversation the man was having.

Perhaps it was important. Perhaps it was work related. And perhaps not. I’ll never know.  But I’d venture to guess that 80% or more of the times when we immediately drop what we are doing to look at the incoming notification on our phones, it is not necessary to react that quickly.

Next time you get a notification on your phone, use it as a reminder to breathe instead of taking immediate action. Take a glance if you must (after all, emergencies do happen) but if you’re with someone, and you see it’s not an emergency, deal with the text/call later and focus on the “real life” experience. You’ll survive, and so will the person who called or sent you a text.

*If you drink, please do so very responsibly.

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A Workplace Scavenger Hunt: March Freebies, Features and Fun

It’s time for our monthly Freebies, Features and Fun page!

This month’s goodies include a free download of a workplace scavenger hunt that will make it easy for you to have a little fun at work. I would love to see a picture of you and your team looking around for these items!

This month’s Refresh bundle is on the theme of Integrity. There’s a free sample available at the page, but the full bundle is emailed to you directly every month when you become a member.

Will March stay true to the adage, “Come in like a lion, go out like a lamb?” We’ll see…truthfully, I wouldn’t mind one more pretty snow storm here in upstate SC before spring and pollen comes our way. But it’s not looking like that will happen. How about where you live?

Thanks for reading!

Beth

PS: to access past freebies, click here.

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60 Non-tech, Non-electric, Non-powered Things Every Workplace Should Have on Hand

We’ve gotten to the point where we feel we couldn’t function well without our technology, but what about those non-tech, non-powered things that we depend on or enjoy?  Some time ago I asked people on Facebook to give me suggestions for such items. Between their thoughts and mine, here are 60 that are worth having at work.  What would you add to the list?

Artwork
Bandages
Batteries
Bible
Books/manuals
Can opener
Cash/coins
Chocolates
Cleaning products
Desk organizers
Dog
Duct Tape
Envelopes (various sizes)
Erasers
Dry erase markers/eraser
Flashlight
File folders
First Aid kit
Food
Fresh cut flowers
Garbage can
Hand sanitizer
Highlighters
Hole Punch
Index cards
Keys
Kitchen utensils (various)
Landline phone
Labels or labeler
Letter opener
Nap Room
Notepads
Oxygen
Paid maternity leave
Paper
Paperclips
Paper cutter
Paper plates/cups
Paper towels/napkins
Pens
Pencils
Pencil sharpener
People
Plants
Ruler/yardstick
Scissors
Stamps
Stapler
Staple Remover
Sticky notes
Sticky hooks/strips
Tissues
Toilet paper
Truthfulness
Typewriter
Utility knife
Water
Whiskey, Scotch or Gin
Whiteboard/dry erase board
Wrapping paper/gift bags

How many of these items can you find at your workplace? Maybe you could do a scavenger hunt with your colleagues and have some fun!

 

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7 Ways to Relate to Your Customer (Guest Post)

Finding new and innovative ways to connect with your customer is a challenge every business owner faces. With so many moving parts and the ups and downs that come along with business, maintaining a consistently positive customer experiences takes time and effort. One way to relate to your customer, despite the size of your business or industry you’re in, is through personalization.

Most products we use as a consumer aim to cater directly to our interests. The same should go for your small business. What is your customer’s biggest pain point? Or, what interests them the most? Simple shifts in your business can help you better relate and address your customers’ needs in every aspect of the customer experience. Valpak provides 7 helpful ways to personalize your business in their infographic below. Use these actionable tips to make the shift towards a personalized customer experience.

Our thanks to Valpak.com for allowing use of this graphic.

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Five Enriching Words for Professionals

Occasionally I hear an interesting, unfamiliar word that can enrich the vocabulary of a professional.  Here are a few for you to enjoy! (Click on the word to read more about it.)

Hatmada  is a Hebrew word for perseverance, this can remind us to press on through the inevitable challenges that can face us at work. What task do you need to persevere through today?

Makrothumia, similar in meaning, this Greek word is translated as long-suffering, or the patient restraint of anger. When you breathe and avoid reacting in anger, you are exercising makrothumia.  What person or situation at work do you need to apply some makrothumia to?

Kotsu Kotsu is a Japanese word referring to something being rhythmic, or having a beat.  By establishing routines and procedures, you can create a working rhythm for your professional life.  Consider today what routine you could tweak that would help your work life be more rhythmic.

Hygge – is a Danish word that describes something as cozy, charming or special. Finding moments of hygge in your day can replenish you.  Does your workspace create “hygge”?  Can you create a moment of hygge for someone else?

Ubuntu  is a Nguni Bantu word referring to humanity toward others. Our professional life gives us ample opportunity to be human with one another…exercising compassion and courtesy while also being willing to admit mistakes.  Do you try to put on a facade at work? Maybe it’s time for your coworkers to get to know the real you a bit more.

I hope these unique words add a different perspective to your work life today!

Note: the sharing of these words does not imply that I promote all philosophies that may be connected with them, or the full content of the website links I provide. I am simply sharing words with rich meaning. This post is also not meant to be an in-depth word study. Please allow for some poetic license. Thank you!

Photo by Raphael Schaller on Unsplash

 

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My Readers Rock! (Here’s some fun for February.)

Why? Because most of those who joined Breath of Hope (it’s free) back in May 2018 when I started over with this list, are STILL with me months later.  The open rate for the weekly email typically runs between 40-50%, well over the industry average of 18.6.  THANK YOU!

“Regular” blog posts will begin again next week but I hope you enjoyed the month of giving. At the start of each new month, I plan to have a page on the website that serves as an additional mini “newsletter” of sorts.

So, I’ve upgraded monthly F&F (now F&F&F page) page to include some tips and fun holidays as well as links to freebies and helpful featured resources.  So going forward it will be Freebies, Features, and Fun.

I hope this will be helpful in your quest to excel and exhale!

Anytime you are ready to go to the next level with HOPE Unlimited, there are membership options starting at FREE all the way up to $690.  We offer more than Virtual Assistance, we also offer strategies and encouragement too. We’re are a source of what you need to thrive and stay in a great frame of mind for work.

Check out the freebies, features and fun here and have a great February!

 

 

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The Month of Giving Ends – Sort Of! – 10 Freebies for You

All month I’ve been pointing out freebies and affordable resources available to you through HOPE Unlimited. As we’ve reached the last Sunday of the month, I want to provide you a recap list for your convenience, in case you missed out on anything!  AND, there will a fresh, new Freebies & Features page on February 1st that I’ll talk about in next week’s post.  So essentially, the “month of giving” extends a little more next week.

Here’s a recap of all the freebies mentioned in January – a Top 10 list if you will.

Freebies and Features Page: January’s F&F page is up here. Get your free downloads and other info!  I currently provide a monthly freebies & features page to help you easily access resources to help you excel and exhale.
Archive Page:  Miss the freebie from last month (or months prior)? No worries. This page is a collection of freebies past and present and will continue to grow.
Refresh – Helping You Take Breaks that Work. I’m concerned for professionals (myself included sometimes) that don’t take a real, meaningful break or two during their workday. These fun exercises (that can be cut to fit into a planner) will help you do that.  The full January bundle is FREE as an introduction to this service. Click here for more info.
Today’s Name of God – this is our Hope in Action project for 2019. The goal is to discover and share 365 names/characteristics of God. The project is non-denominational. It’s ideal for anyone who feels that God is a foundation to their personal value system and who would appreciate the near-daily inspiration.  Posts began on January 1st on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and there are other ways to see the names, too. Click for the details.
Updated membership options (including a FREE one!) HOPE Unlimited has moved toward a variety of membership options to serve overwhelmed professionals whether or not they are interested in Virtual Assistance. Get all the details (and join the Breath of Hope level free!) here.
Our free Facebook (a closed, but inviting) group always welcomes new members. We interact over work-life questions of the day, tips, humor, etc.  Join us here.
The HOPE playlist on Spotify. This is a collection of songs that I like and that others have suggested, all tying into the theme of HOPE. There’s a wide variety here.
The @helpingpros Instagram page. On a regular basis, I post tips, photos, and stories to encourage you in your professional life, like the one mentioned above.
Unlock the Doors to a Peaceful Work Day – a free mini-course with five keys to putting together a less stressful workday.
Free strategy session: I offer a free 30-minute strategy session to anyone who would like some ideas to reduce their stress at work and/or information about the various services we offer to help you do just that!  Pick a time slot here! 

HOPE is a place for you to receive practical ideas and encouragement. I hope you’ll hang around for a long time to come!

PS: Don’t forget this deal–ends on the 31st!

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MORE Freebies…and a Limited Time Offer

I hope you’ve been enjoying this “month of giving” to kick off the new year. Today I want to share three more freebies with you:

Unlock the Doors to a Peaceful Work Day – a free mini-course with five keys to putting together a less stressful workday.
HOPE Unlimited’s Instagram page:  @helpingpros provides strategies and encouragement through photos, graphics, videos and IG stories specifically for helping you excel and exhale at work.
Free strategy session: I offer a free 30-minute strategy session to anyone who would like some ideas to reduce their stress at work and/or information about the various services we offer to help you do just that!  Pick a time slot here! 

I’ve been sharing about Refresh, a new membership where I help you “take a break that works.”  You can click here for all the details, but the essence is that I provide simple worksheets (that can easily fit in planners) that help you take a few meaningful moments in your busy day.  Normally, this membership is $5 a month, which gets you the full packet emailed from me.

But for a limited time, to celebrate the launch of this program, you can become a Refresh member for ONLY $3.50 a month…permanently.

After Jan 31, the price goes back up to $5 a month and I’m not planning to offer it at this introductory price again (at least not anytime soon.)  As long as your account stays current, you’ll receive the full Refresh bundle (with 10 or more activity sheets per month) via a direct email from us (not a third party mailing list) at the beginning of each month (but you always have the right to cancel.)

I hope you’ll join me as a member of HOPE Unlimited this year!

Beth

 

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How to Refresh Yourself – And Why (and More Freebies)

As an overwhelmed professional, you need times of refreshment. You may be disciplined about taking some time off each week (i.e. on weekends, or a scheduled day off.)

But what about DURING your work day?

I’m not suggesting you take your focus off work for a lengthy amount of time — that wouldn’t be fair to your employer (or yourself, if you are self-employed.)

But I do think that moments of refreshment can re-energize you and help you dive back into the task at hand.

For example, I’m writing this while at a favorite co-working spot, after having taken a brisk walk on a windy day in our city. I stopped to listen to a musician strumming and singing by the Clemson tree, a remnant of the holiday season. (See the #30secondsofhope video of the musician on our Instagram page.)  But that 20 minutes or so revitalized me before coming back and writing this blog post.

So how about you? What moments of refreshment do you add to your day?

To help you along, and to continue our theme on freebies and affordable resources, here are three more for you to consider.

The HOPE playlist on Spotify. This is a collection of songs that I like and that others have suggested, all tying into the theme of HOPE. There’s a wide variety here.
The @helpingpros Instagram page. On a regular basis, I post tips, photos, and stories to encourage you in your professional life, like the one mentioned above.
Refresh – each month, I offer a new packet of activities that can fit in a planner or be carried easily to work to help you take a meaningful, but short, break. A free sampler is offered, but the monthly membership — at only $5 a month — gets the full packet sent to you via email from me.

I mentioned six other freebies/resources here and here. Check them out as you build your toolbox of resources for the new year!

 

 

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Three More Freebies for You

Last week I introduced three freebies/affordables to help you excel & exhale in the new year. I’ll continue to introduce you to three a week all throughout January, so here we go! (Miss the ones from last week? Just click here to catch up!)

A new consolidated freebies page.  Miss the freebie from last month (or months prior)? No worries. This page is a collection of freebies past and present and will continue to grow.  Tell your friends!

Updated membership options (including a FREE one!) HOPE Unlimited has moved toward a variety of membership options to serve overwhelmed professionals whether or not they are interested in Virtual Assistance. Get all the details (and join the Breath of Hope level free!) here.

Our free Facebook (a closed, but inviting) group always welcomes new members. We interact over work-life questions of the day, tips, humor, etc.  Join us here.

Thanks for being part of the Hope community! Here’s to a refreshing, productive 2019.

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