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Beginning 2018 Strong with a Simple Exercise

Beginning 2018 Strong with a Simple Exercise

by | Jan 4, 2018 | Life, World of Work

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, another year has come to an end, and a new year has begun. For many of us the past year may not have fulfilled all the hopes we started it with. For many it may have been the ‘fantastic’ year our well wishers wished us to have. And for some it may have been bittersweet – a little bit of the good and a little bit of the not-so-good. But it has been only a few days since this new year has begun and each of us must try to   begin it strong. Maybe you couldn’t achieve all the goals you had in mind for 2017. By Beginning 2018 Strong, you can set yourself   up for a great start to the year!

Wherever you are right now, you can do this simple exercise which will not take you more than fifteen minutes to complete. At the end of this exercise, believe us, you will feel a lot lighter. You will also feel at peace with yourself and with the year that has passed and find yourself looking forward to the new year with renewed enthusiasm. To get started, find yourself a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed, and a pen and a paper. You can also use your phone if you don’t have a pen or a paper.

Here are the ten things that you should proceed to put down –

  1. The goals/ thoughts/ objectives you had in mind when you started 2017
  2. Your achievements for the year/ the best thing that happened to you in 2017
  3. What you wanted to, but couldn’t accomplish for the year
  4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy you are with your profession/ professional life (10 being the highest)
  5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy you are with your work – life balance (10 being the highest)
  6. Things that you wish hadn’t happened
  7. Things that you wish had happened differently
  8. The single most important thing for 2018
  9. The most important people in your life
  10. Everything   you are grateful for

What now?

When you have put down all of these, you will notice that a lot of the worries or concerns that you had have evaporated. What changed? Nothing. You just took time out to communicate with yourself, to check on yourself. You just indulged in a small act of immense self-love. When you put all of this down, you will have in writing everything that you loved and did not like about the year. You will also find answers to a lot of questions that you may have had for yourself. Notice that these answers did not come from reading a blog post on the internet or from a trusted friend, but from yourself.

Feeling the power of gratitude, of knowing that there are things and people you are grateful for, is in itself an answer to many problems we may have faced. Knowing who the most important people are in our lives, and making them priorities is not something all of us do at a conscious level. Making these small changes in your life lend you immense strength. Asking yourself how happy you are with your professional and your personal life are both questions all of us mostly evade, when we know we aren’t too happy. However, it is only acknowledgement of how we feel that will lead us to change our circumstances for the better.

New years   and birthdays are milestones in time. These two occasions are typically the times when we tend to look back and retrospect. Accepting how you feel, affirming your sense of self, and feeling strong from within about what’s coming up is the only way that one should focus on treating these milestones. True, not everything, or maybe hardly anything may have gone as you planned. When that’s how its been, remember that true strength and power lies in resilience. In getting up with rejuvenated passion, no matter what.

Here is wishing you a very happy and peaceful new year!

P.S. – Let kindness be your motto!

Why Mental Health Should Be Your Primary Resolution for 2018

Why Mental Health Should Be Your Primary Resolution for 2018

by | Jan 2, 2018 | Life, World of Work

Come the new year, we find ourselves assessing how the past year was, and how we can be better this year. How we can do more this year – in terms of work, interpersonal relationships, and other things that matter to us. We commit to being better, more productive.  To make the most out of our work, to spending more time with our family, also fall into our list of resolutions. We promise ourselves to be healthier this year – to eat healthy and work out regularly. This year though, leave all these resolutions behind to focus on one single resolution, which is indeed the most important thing – your mental health. Why? Because being at a peak state of mind enables us in the best possible way – to deliver our best not only at work, but also in other aspects of our life.

Here are five simple ways for you to begin practicing your new year resolution.

  1. Acknowledge the need for mental health

    This is the very basic step towards practicing mental health care. Many of us feel ashamed to think that we may need to think about mental health as a separate aspect of health care. Getting rid of this stigma and acknowledging that not just you, but every one needs to focus on mental health is the first step. Remind yourself that you can either ignore this and wonder where you are going wrong, or acknowledge and start discovering your true potential.

  2. Take care of yourself

    Invest in yourself. Invest in self- care. Do the small things that make you happy, for yourself. Create your rituals and spread them through the day. For example, make it a point to meditate for at least ten minutes – first thing in the morning. Wake up early so you can read the news and have a cup of tea at leisure. Meet people who make you happy. Don’t be afraid to move away from people who make you sad or anxious. Understand that you are precious and people who you choose to give your time to, must understand this.

  3. Never be sorry for taking care for yourself

    Making yourself your first priority is never something you should feel sorry about, or allow anyone to make you feel sorry about. This is possible only when you whole-heartedly agree to, and believe in this. Keep reminding yourself that you can make other happy, only when you are happy. Remember, to give, you must first have.

  4. If you need help, reach out

    Without a moment’s hesitation, do so. Know that you are surrounded by people who love you, care for you and want to be there for you. All you need to do is reach out, and ask for help. You cannot expect people to know it when you need help, if you don’t really ask. So when you want to speak to someone, reach out. If you feel like what you are feeling right now is overwhelming you, ask for help from someone in a position to offer it to you.

  5. Be an example – help others help themselves

    Speak about how you are practicing mental health care. You realize how important it truly is, when you see how others are also benefiting from it. Tell your friends how staying true to your resolution has been helping you, and tell them about all the little things you have been doing. You never who may benefit from hearing you talk about how making mental health a priority has changed your life. Maybe hearing someone say it is just the push they may have needed to put them on a similar path.

Mindfulness as a gateway to Mental Health

In some of our previous posts, we have explored the concept of mindfulness and how mindfulness is indispensable to having a productive and satisfying work life. Mindfulness is indeed another facet of mental health. Being mindful is a beautiful way of reclaiming, and taking care of your mental health.

What does being “mindful” mean? Very simply put, it means being aware, being present in the moment. Or like our favorite phrase at OBOlinx, it simply means being “Happy in the Now.” In our endless pursuit for success, and achievement of goals in the world of work, we focus more on achieving the end result, rather than on the journey to get closer to our goals. Being mindful means to invest all our focus in the present moment, and not in the future.

Carolyn Gregoire, in her article on “How Mindfulness is Revolutionizing Mental Health Care”, speaks about how mindfulness is an effective way of taking care of your mental health.

We quote from the article,

More than 350 million people globally suffer from depression, and 1 in 13 people around the world have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Overall, the World Health Organization estimates that roughly 450 million people suffer from some form of mental or neurological disorder — and that roughly one in four people will be affected at some point in their lives.

These numbers are staggering. With the rise of mental illness and the increasingly pressing need for effective treatments, there’s never been a more important moment for mindfulness — the ability to cultivate a focused, non-judgmental awareness on the present moment. Research has shown mindfulness and meditation-based programs to hold promise for treating a number of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
As research has mounted in recent years, mindfulness has migrated from spiritual retreat centers to medical facilities. Now, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — the largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to research on the understanding and treatment of mental illness — is getting serious about investigating mindfulness as a complementary treatment for a range of mental health conditions.
Like the Zen master Thich Naht Hanh says so evocatively, “Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. It is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.”

Mental Health Awareness at Work

Centuries of stigma associated with mental health have today brought us to a stage where it takes a huge amount of effort to even acknowledge that one might need a mental health intervention. The culture we are a part of, has never made mental health a priority. And the people who have done it, are perceived as ‘lesser’ individuals. Thus, the stigma continues to be perpetuated. It is a proven and researched fact that at least one person in twenty five has a mental health issue. This problem can be tackled in  a significant manner by creating awareness about it in the world of work. There is an urgent need to build in awareness regarding mental health into organizational cultures.

By creating a work environment where the employees have access to basic mental health resources, should they need it, is a great way of showing support for mental health concerns. When we say resources, we mean very simple, basic resources, which in fact should become a norm. For example, a counselor at a designated desk. If the organisation cannot afford a full-time counselor, you could bring someone on board for 2 or 3 days a week and he/ she could be made available on appointment. Similarly, other easy ways are by creating a resource pool of short  video clips or documents on mental health which could be circulated amongst the employees on email.

Mental Health First!

When we speak about health, we think about the best food for our body, the best gym to go to stay fit, the best healthcare to access in case of an issue. We seldom think of our mental health with the same urgency, or approach. This is a very strange phenomenon given the fact that it is the state of your mental health which becomes a guiding force for everything you do.

Why do we have problems focusing on a task?  Breakdowns and burn outs are very common today, why? Why do we find it so hard to sustain and nurture relationships? Given the pace that the world expects of us, it is not a surprise that we all face these problems, and more. However, by focusing on preserving and nurturing your mental health, and never being afraid or ashamed to reach out for help, we will truly succeed in taking care of ourselves, and others. Write this down on a sticky note and stick at home and in your workplace, so it serves as a gentle reminder – “My Mental Health before Anything Else!”

Winding Down: Your Holiday Reading List for 2017

by | Dec 21, 2017 | Life, World of Work

This post goes out to all the readers/ nerds/ bookworms out there. It is that time of the year again, time to bring in the tide and the cheer. You have probably been very busy winding up at work, to plan a holiday reading list. But we’ve got you covered there. For a break, and since you’re on break these recommendations have nothing to do with the world of work! All you need to do now, is source these books, make your self a mug of steaming hot chocolate, and settle down under the covers with a read. Sounds like bliss? We agree!

  1. Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng

    What happens when trouble breaks out in an idyllic little town, where the lives of all its residents are perfectly planned and pre-determined? A narrative weaving together tales of two mothers, their children, against the backdrop of a nail-biting mystery involving a custody battle over an adoption. A nail-biting mystery, succinctly described by the talented Celeste Ng. Listed as the Goodread Choice 2017 winner, this drama and thriller will surely keep you on edge! Buy here.

  2. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, Arundhati Roy

    ‘How to tell a shattered story? By slowly becoming everbody. No. By slowly becoming everything.’
    Two decades after her first book, God of Small Things, which won the Booker prize, Arundhati Roy has come out with her second master piece. Riding under the garb of fiction, she invokes the politics of Kashmir, of the saffron brigade, the rights and lives of the ‘third sex’, all woven through a fantastical narrative. This book requires patience, because more than a story it is a condensation of her thoughts about everything through her years of activism. A must read however, because of the courageous account of the India as we know it, or maybe refuse to know it as. Indeed, she tells the shattered story by becoming everybody and everything. Buy here.

  3. Chocolat, Joanne Harris

    While it is very unfair to the other recommendations on this list, if there was just one book you want to pick, we’d recommend this. Also a hit motion picture, Joanne Harris’s Chocolat is a story about love, acceptance, travel, religion, the home and the world, all of this brought together by something almost no one can resist – Chocolate. Just the perfect holiday read, this book will make you laugh and cry and in the need leave you feeling grateful that you read it. We also recommend two of her other books – Blackberry Wine and Three Quarters of an Orange – a delight for your senses. Buy here.

  4. Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom

    This classic is based on a real life story. The narrator documents beautifully, the life and more importantly the ending of the life of his favorite professor. This book captures in rare honesty the motions of life. Through the story of Professor Morrie we learn that there is beauty in everything. There is beauty in life, there is beauty in pain and suffering, for as long as we breathe there will always be something to be grateful for. If you haven’t already read this, this is a great time for you to read it. Nothing like ending the year on a note of gratitude. Buy here.

  5. The Last Interview – Gabriel Garcia Marquez, edited by David Streitfeld

    The Last Interview is a series on famous personalities with transcripts from their prominent interviews, and their last interview. If you are a Marquez fan (even if you aren’t), you will love this read. From discussing his extremely diverse works, magic realism as a trope in his Nobel winning book – A Hundred Years of Solitude, to his belief and disbelief in politics, and how he can never write without a yellow flower at his desk – get insights into the life of one of the world’s most loved writers. Buy here. 

Happy Reading folks!

Have recommendations to add to this list? Comment below!

Apps that will Help Your Productivity

Apps that will Help Your Productivity

by | Dec 19, 2017 | Productivity, World of Work

It is true that the smart phone today might as well be an extension of one of our limbs. Starting from emails, to food delivery, travel and shopping – and just about anything one may be able to imagine, is achievable on a smart phone. While it is indispensable, it is also the primary aggregator of distractions. No matter how busy we are, or how urgent the task at hand is, we still look up from work to check our phones every now and then.

In this post, we actually look at turning this object which is the source of most distractions, into an object which helps you stay focused. How? By recommending the best apps that will help you stay productive.

Productivity is now just an app download away!

  1. Freedom

    At times even if we may prefer to stay away from our phones, our phones don’t seem to get that. With their incessant buzzing with constant notifications for emails, tags, shares, messages and the whole universe of social media vying for our attention – we just can’t seem to cut off. Putting your phone on silent may not be an option because you can’t miss calls. Freedom allows you to choose specific sites or apps you don’t want to receive notifications from, and allows you to set a timer for the same. Sounds like freedom to work? We agree!

  2. Wunderlist

    An especially amazing platform for teams which work from home, Wunderlist is the best to-do list app that there is! You can set tasks for yourself and the app lets you measure your progress. Apart from that, you can also assign tasks to individuals, and collaborate seamlessly with your team on this platform. The app makes visible each persons progress on the assigned tasks, and the results are out there for all to see and keep track of. Not just your regular to-do list, for sure!

  3. Doodle

    Working with a large number of clients, or even within a team can sometimes be tough in terms of being able to find common slots for meetings. As a result, who ever the manager is, ends up wasting a lot of time going back and forth and checking with everyone for possible dates – making all the permutations and combinations and finally coming up with a date that works for all. What if there was an app which did this for you? And you end saving all that time. Sounds too good to be true? Well it is true! With Doodle, all you need to do is send the suggestive dates to all concerned, via the app, email or imessage. The participants for the meeting will then vote for the dates that work for them, and Doodle then freezes the date that works best and suggests it as the date for the meeting.

  4. focus@will

    Do you have playlists based on moods, or dependent on the time of the day? For example, a work playlist, a drive playlist, and so on? focus@will, true to its name, is a music app that helps you focus on your work. It goes by the description, ‘neuroscience based music subscription service that helps you increase your attention span by up to 400%’, and indeed describes itself quite accurately. All you need to do is choose how you feel, and what you need, from the options the app offers you, and it will curate a playlist to help you stay focused. Sounds like magic?

  5. Calm

    This beautifully crafted app is your mindfulness fix for everyday. Loaded with guided meditations, the app helps you get back to the now, stay focused and carry on. With series like breaking habits, working on anxiety, 7 days of productivity, 7 days of focus and so on, the app gives you a true sense of the positive effects mindfulness has on our lives. No time to meditate? You can meditate even when you are commuting and using this app will show you how, with their guided meditations ranging from as little as 2 minutes, to as much as 60 minutes. While not all the options are offered free of cost, you will still have access to quite a few of them. Wondering if you should pay and get access to all? All we can say is you won’t be disappointed!

Productivity never seemed easier!
Got any recommendations from your end? Let us know!

Best Reads on Recruitment from 2017

Best Reads on Recruitment from 2017

by | Dec 15, 2017 | Recruitment, World of Work

The world of recruitment is ever so diverse, dynamic and fascinating. Today, there is so much we can learn about recruitment simply by way of reading some very well written blog posts which draw attention to aspects of recruitment we may not have thought about, before. Wondering which posts stand out for 2017, as far as recruitment related topics are concerned? Check out this list of the best 5 reads on recruitment related topics!

  1. Are We Winning the Battle Against Unconscious Hiring Bias

    This fantastic post by Irene McConnell brings into perspective the prevalence of unconscious hiring bias. This  bias has been the elephant in the room for the longest time, with very little having been done to address it. While she begins her article by referring to the Silicon Valley, she proceeds to explain how it is actually a global situation. As many would agree, India of course falls into that category as well. In her article she identifies what we call ‘unconscious bias’, and speaks about ways to get rid of it from our recruitment processes forever.

  2. How to Fire Someone You Actually Care About

    Just the title of the post is enough to get you to read this. All of us who’ve been in positions of responsibility have in all probability had to face the immensely sensitive task of letting a member of the team go. It is even tougher if you have been given the task of firing someone you genuinely wish well for. This post on The Muse is the perfect read to help you gear up towards implementing this very hard decision. Need more prep? Read our posts on The Art of Firing, and 5 Questions for you before you fire someone.

  3. Before Interviewing, Train Hiring Managers on These 5 Things

    A find on hrbartender.com, this post speaks about the much-needed tool kit every hiring manager needs to possess. Making the decision for hiring someone isn’t as simple as simply ticking off a check list. And this article tells us about what hiring managers or recruiters need to be aware of, before starting the interviewing process. The cost and impact of the hiring decisions, and their role in the hiring process are some important factors on the list. Read the full article by clicking here.

  4. 10 Candidates Every Recruiter will Encounter

    Reading this might feel like chicken soup for your soul, if you are a recruiter. Categorized aptly as ‘coffee break content’ on rulerecruitment.com, this blog post is a funny read on the many kinds of candidates that you may have or will encounter as a recruiter. “The Keen Bean”, “The Scrambler”, “The Over-achiever” amongst several others feature in this list. Read this post and find yourself ticking off the kinds you’ve dealt with, and anticipating the other kinds!

  5. How the Work-space Impacts Employee Experience

    All of us would agree that the work-space environment is indeed crucial to the productivity of employees. It is the little things that make all the difference. This post on speaks about what those little things are, and why they are more than just ‘little’ things. Going that extra mile to help your employees stay happy at work, stressing on work life balance  and being flexible are some of the things that this post draws our attention to. Recruiters, are you listening?

Did any of these make it to your favorite list? Have more recommendations for this post? Let us know!