• Going to the gym
• Shopping for groceries so you have healthy food options at home and work
• Taking your dog for a walk
• Allowing time to cook a healthy dinner at home (this means you can’t leave work at 8pm and swing by the local fast food restaurant to get dinner for your family!)
• Leaving the office before all the salons close to get a desperately needed mani/pedi
• Taking a long shower
• Shopping for a birthday gift for a friend or family member
• Calling your mom or dad
• Enjoying a 30-, 60-, or 90-minute massage
• Sipping a glass of wine – at home – slowly – with your spouse, friend, or alone (not downing a drink – at happy hour – in a loud bar – while listening to your co-workers complain)
• Cleaning up your home — so you don’t have to spend all weekend cleaning!
• Watching a movie in the evening
• Getting a full eight hours of sleep

Imagine how much more productive (and happy!) you’ll be if you schedule the above items throughout the week — you’ll have more free time than you know what to do with on the weekend!  Maybe you can even enjoy a weekend with nothing on the calendar — sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Chalk all of these “cubical expericenes” up to great responses when you interview for your next job (which, if you’re experiencing one of more of the scenarios described above, may be fairly soon!)  You will inevitable be asked to “describe a difficult situation with a co-worker and what did you do to resolve it”.  The interviewer might also inquire about your multi-tasking skills and how you prioritize a large work load.  How are your negotiating skills?  Customer service skills?  Project management skills?

When you’ve had an 8 hour day that feels more like 18 hours, know that the silver lining of a frustrating work situation is that it helps you grow, gives you an opportunity to manage your anger, helps you develop a list of what you are (and are not!) looking for in a boss, colleagues, and an organization, and gives you a great real-life example to potential interview questions that may wisk you away from your current work situation.

Until your next interview, feel free to blog about your bad day at the office here at No Stress Work!

6:30am:  I should really stop for coffee on my way to the office so I have energy to start the day.

7:00am:  Arrive at office … open inbox … wow 37 emails overnight!?!  I’ll start responding…maybe I’ll finish at 5:30pm today.

9:00am:  Co-workers popping in to say good morning … ohhhh who brought donuts!?!  Don’t mind if I do…

10:00am:  All-staff meeting … everyone is trying to impress the boss with the status of their projects … this will take a while … I wonder if anyone notices me playing BrickBreaker on my phone?

12:30pm:  Where to for lunch ladies!?!

2:00pm:  Meeting with a client – this has doubled my to-do list for today – that’s okay I’m sure I can finish my enhanced to-do list by 6pm.

3:00pm:  Sales call – vendor wants to discuss my payroll needs … I wonder if they can tell that I’m opening mail while I listen … thank goodness for multi-tasking!

4:00pm:  Time to get to work —boss just called me into his office … quick meeting and a quick follow up project for the boss that should only require a few phone calls …

5:00pm:  Time to start work!  Where’s my to do list?  Wow — my three action items for the day have turned into eight action items … let me start on the easiest ones … I wonder if anyone has candy at their desk…

6:00pm:  I was supposed to be halfway through my post-work gym routine by now …. oh well I’ll start tomorrow ….

6:30pm:  I am half-way through my to-do list … I will reschedule these other four items for later in the week … let me pull up my calendar to see when I can fit in the time …

7:00pm:  Okay I officially need to leave the office … it’s been 12 hours … I will just leave this mess of papers here and figure it out in the morning … I’m sure if I get up early I can complete my entire to-do list tomorrow!!!

How does this happen!?!  Stay tuned for upcoming blogs to ensure you make a significant daily dent in your to-do list … still fit in your workout … AND get home to enjoy dinner and a full evening with your family!

On one hand, you typically spend more time (at least while you’re AWAKE) with your colleagues at the office than you do with your family.  You work together, have lunch together, attend professional development seminars together, and get chewed out by the boss together.  It’s no wonder that, when it comes time to invite people to your annual Super Bowl party, your list is comprised of “friends” you know from work.  Not only do you know your colleagues well, but after dedicating 40 (let’s be honest … 60) hours to your job and trying to ensure quality family time in the evening and on the weekends, there’s little time left to make (new) friends OUTSIDE of work!

On the other hand, you are at the office to do your job, not to “make friends”.  Consider some of the awkward positions you could be placed in if you allow your relationships to become more personal than business:  you could report to your “friend” making you feel more relaxed at work and not trying as hard; your “friend” could report to you making it more difficult to deliver negative feedback and allowing other colleagues to question any positive appraisals you bestow on that person due to your friendship; and finally, if you are in a leadership position (or … even worse … human resources), you will likely be in a role where you know sensitive information you cannot share with your “friend”.  What if the confidential information is ABOUT your “friend” — and your “friend” wants you to share what you know?!?  Now that’s an awkward position!

I have found that I cherish a few of the relationships I have with “friends” in the office, but I have to know where to draw the line.  I have made it very clear with them that my job comes before them, and that their job should come before me (after all, isn’t that what a REAL FRIEND would want!?!)  After we agreed to this critical boundary, it allowed us to enjoy one another’s company, which provides a breath of fresh air during a tough day in the office.

Comments welcome!  Please share the most akward position you’ve been in due to having a “friend” at work and what you did to (hopefully) solve the issue!

Travelling to new cities.  Hotels with nice lobbies and king size beds.  Fancy meals.  Room service at the touch of a button.  Site seeing.  Enjoying drinks at an early happy hour … and with dinner … and a couple more later that night.  Music.  Dancing.  Staying up late.

This may sound like the beginning of your “to do list” if you wake up in the morning and realize you’ve won the lottery … but no – this list refers to PROFESSIONAL DELEVLOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES complimentary of your place of business!

First off – if you’re lucky enough to have a company (or a successful self-owned business) that is willing to send you to a continued learning seminar, conference, or other opportunity, APPRECIATE IT!  Consider this as part of your compensation; not only does your trip cost a lot of money (flight, hotel, cabs, and food IN ADDITION to the actual cost of conference registration), but it likely boosts your own personal resume or results in a certification or credits of some sort.

Secondly, make sure the end result of your trip results in a benefit(s) to your organization since they have decided to invest in you!  Here are three tips for ensuring a R.O.I. for your professional development opportunity while still having some fun:

1. Review the detailed agenda for the conference ahead of time and highlight classes that would truly be a benefit to your organization.  Ensure you attend these, and ask for literature to take back to your office with you to share the (information) wealth.  If there is a repetitive session or a break, use this time to return to your hotel for a quick nap or to catch up on email.
2. Buddy up – if you attend the conference with a friend (or you can make a new friend at the welcome reception/on the first day), divide and conquer critical sessions and meet later for lunch to enlighten each other.  This is a win-win for you both, as you can cover twice the material an individual would be able to.  A side benefit is that you won’t run yourself tired trying to catch 15 minutes of 4 different sessions during a single time block!  After all, you are supposed to walk away from this “rejuvenated” and “motivated”, not tired and in need of a post-trip vacation!
3. Choose your time to treat yourself.  This is important because, if you indulged at every opportunity, the conference you’re attending would likely serve you into a food coma and pour one too many drinks for a 24-hour period.  Honestly – there is no need for the abundance of large meals every couple of hours, brownies available at every break, unlimited caffeine sources, and more happy hours than  is humanly possible to attend.  FREE FOOD AND DRINKS are not your focus.  Focus on learning, and save up for one or two treats a day.  Bonus – you will enjoy your glass of wine or chocolate mouse after dinner more if you have not been filling up on cookies, pigs in a blanket, and veggies soaked in ranch dip all day!

Hopefully these tips will help you learn more AND enjoy yourself a little bit the next time you travel for work to develop professionally and network with your peers.  Additional recommendations and comments are welcome!

In the economy today, it may be difficult to ask your boss for a raise … even if it’s well-deserved.  Even if you do have the opportunity to pitch a salary increase to your boss, and even if your boss sincerely wants to reward you with that raise, he or she may not be able to justify it with all the other budget cuts companies are making right now.

If you are well-deserving and want to approach your boss about a reward, consider the following three perks you can negotiate if money is not an option (well, at least this year):

1. Vacation time:  perhaps you receive the standard two weeks of vacation time per calendar year.  Propose an increase to 12 days or even three weeks to reward you for your hard work this past year.
2. Core hours:  increase your flexibility by negotiating “core hours” at the office – the bracket of time when you’re expected to be in the office (e.g., 10am – 3pm) but with flexibility around what time you arrive and when you go home.  Just ensure you continue to perform in order to maintain this benefit!
3. Title change:  even if there’s no room to boost your paycheck next year, perhaps your boss can alter your title to reflect some of the higher-level duties you have assumed.  Not only will this help you negotiate your raise next year, but if by chance you change jobs in the future, this will help boost your resume.

Best of luck to you all, and please leave a comment with your best negotiating “win” (related to money or otherwise!)

What is one simple thing you can do each day at the office to help you sleep better at night?

Before you leave the office, spend 5-10 minutes to “O&P” (organize & prioritize)!

At the end of the day, it’s usually a little quieter and allows you a few minutes to spend time on O&P.  If not (read:  if you have an office where leaving at 5pm is considered EARLY, and there are usually people in the office from 7am – 10pm taking a tour through work-a-holism), shut your door and turn off your phone for 5-10 minutes.  It’s all you need … especially if you don’t get interrupted.

3-5 minutes:  Assess all of the information you received today (e.g., email requests, voice mails, and hard-copy requests placed in your inbox or mailbox).  Add to your to do list if you must (highlight those that are truly a priority … meaning you want to schedule them within the next week versus you want to do them ’someday’ when you have time), but make sure you “D or D” (delegate or delete) anything you can.  If you do this everyday, you will have an extensive, ongoing list (but you won’t forget anything!)

2 – 5 minutes:  Review your calendar for the next day, and make note of what time you have available (i.e., outside of meetings or other time-bound activities).  Taking “free time” and “task priorities” into consideration, make a SHORT list for the following day of the items you want to address on your list that day.  Put as FEW items as possible … this will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed in your one hour of “free time” between a staff meeting and the board meeting.

That’s it!  This O&P method takes VERY LITTLE TIME, but saves you LOTS OF TIME the following day because you know exactly what you’re setting out to accomplish.  Also, since you have scheduled only tasks that you have available time for, you know you can check everything off your list that day (ahhh, the great sense of accomplishment!)  Additionally, since you have scheduled to work on the highest priority items, you can be sure that you’re taking care of the right (i.e., most visible) business while ensuring that those “some day” projects are not forgotten (they can stay on your list – un-highlighted – for a while!)

End result?  LESS STRESS.  We hope taking 5-10 minutes at the end of your day to O&P allows you to be more productive, have more job satisfaction, feel LESS STRESSED, and enhance your work-life balance!

Imaging walking into your office in the morning … a calm start to your “9-5″ with a simple list of calls to return from the day before … marked with notes from your dedicated and detailed assistant regarding how urgent a call was, if it was someone important (to you), or if it was a call you can ignore/delete.  “What would I do without you!?!  You’re the best assistant … you help me monitor and organize my phone calls allowing me to be more productive … I am so lucky!”

REALITY CHECK!  The economy is slow and most organizations budgets won’t allow you to hire your own administrative assistant. How can one get the benefit of a personal assistant without the additional cost?  You already have one.  Meet …. your alter ego.

Option #1:  don’t answer your calls (land line OR cell phone) unless you recognize the number and you need or want to accept the call.  For example, take calls from your boss, your significant other, and your parents/children.  Do NOT take calls from numbers you don’t recognize (i.e., are not important enough to you to store in your “contacts” list!)  This will save you loads of time from being distracted from the task at hand by answering random phone calls that should have been directed else where, were not urgent, or were generic telemarketing.  Choose one time each day to check your voicemail and create a “call back list” for the following day (you can ignore calls you don’t need to return … or, to give you a sense of accomplishment, write the person’s name/number and cross it off immediately.  “CHECK!”)  Note the sense of urgency/importance related to the calls you plan to return.

Option #2:  if you happen to answer a call from someone unknown, BE GENERIC!  Don’t answer by saying:  “Hello, this is (name)”!  Rather, answer by saying “Good morning/afternoon, how may I help you?”  When the person on the other end asks for you, ask them who’s calling (to determine if this message needs to be added to your “call back list” or not) and let them know that while s/he (you) are not in right now, a return call will be placed at (your) earliest convenience.

Please respond with your comments to let us know how YOU are working out as YOUR OWN personal assistant.  Good luck!

Has your supervisor ever given you negative feedback that seems a bit … ironic?

He arrives at work just in time for lunch, but complains that you’re consistently tardy.

She books every “working lunch” at the most expensive restaurant, and accuses you of being careless with the budget.

He misspells words in every email, but claims you don’t pay attention to detail.

She instructs you to be more independent, then chastises you for not keeping her in the loop on every detail.

It stands to reason that you may have a few choice words in mind when reacting to such input from your “mentor”.  How do you respond to this ironic feedback without calling your boss out in front of the entire office?  How do you address the irony while remaining on your supervisor’s good side?  Below is one method for addressing such an office quandary:

Turn the tables and ask your supervisor how they handle this very same challenge.  No need to insult him or her – but offer up some “360 degree feedback” aimed at helping your boss develop his or her own skills while also stroking the old ego.

For example:  “In my experience as a member of your team, I have noticed that you often book meetings at expensive locations which helps to impress our clients.  Can you share with me how you cut back in other areas to allow for this indulgence while still keeping the overall budget in mind?”

Has your boss ever delivered ironic feedback to you?  Please comment on this blog to share your story!

I am in the middle of a ten-day vacation (I did not travel anywhere, but have guests in town, time off work, and feel great!)  I thought I would share some of the observations I’ve had in my first break from the so-called rat race of 2009.

1. I am not supposed to be exhausted.  Allowing myself a full eight hours of sleep for multiple nights in a row really improves the other 16 hours I am awake and trying to function!
2. It is hard to avoid checking email and taking work calls … for the first 1-2 days off … but the need to do so fades with time.  I think this is why an extended vacation (more than Saturday – Sunday each week) is needed:  the weekend doesn’t allow you the optimum time to truly let go and enjoy yourself away from work.
3. You don’t need to plan every hour of a vacation.  When my family announced they were coming to town, I immediately logged into Outlook so I could start booking site seeing, restaurant reservations, wine tastings, visits with friends, etc.  Not only did the unbearable summer heat turn my family off to a “go-go-go” type of “vacation”, but they reminded me that my Outlook calendar is for the office … not for vacation … and all we need to enjoy our time together is … each other!
4. You don’t have to travel to be on vacation.  There is so much benefit to hanging around home in your pajamas until noon; spending time playing board games and cooking with your family; and visiting friends for a full day (not just a quick work venting session over two drinks at happy hour).  Use the money you saved from plane tickets to book a spa day, indulge at a fancy restaurant, or cook at home and splurge on a fancy bottle of wine you wouldn’t normally consider purchasing.

I hope everyone is enjoying their time this week, whether at work or on vacation, and more work-life balance blogs inspired by real office events will return next week!