Mental blocks, MOM, and more!

One day late, but Thursday is also not a bad day for some light and insightful reading, right?

This week, I'm back with another interesting edition of the newsletter - Happiness At Work - packed with fresh insights, intriguing stories, and practical tips to brighten up your work life.

Let's dive into the world of workplace happiness and keep our journey of joy and discovery rolling!

Who's suffering through Mental Blocks?

A mental block is like hitting a wall in your mind that stops you from getting things done. It can leave you feeling stuck, unable to complete a task or even keep a clear train of thought.

These blocks can pop up for various reasons, like being mentally exhausted, not getting enough sleep, poor nutrition, side effects from medication, procrastination, a messy workspace, impostor syndrome, perfectionism, or just a negative outlook.

You can spot a mental block by noticing if certain thoughts or behaviors keep you from focusing and feeling confident. People in creative fields or marketing often face these blocks, but anyone can experience them. Recognizing when you’re stuck can help prevent burnout and keep your work life happier and more productive.

By understanding why mental blocks happen and how to spot them, you can build better habits and create a more positive work environment, boosting your happiness at work.

1. Break down the project

Tackle big projects by breaking them into smaller, manageable tasks. Starting with the easiest ones can help you build momentum and stay on track.

2. Declutter your workspace

A tidy desk leads to a clear mind and better productivity. Keeping your workspace organized helps you find what you need quickly and stay in the zone.

3. Take a break

Step away from your work to reset your mind and spark new ideas. Try doing something unrelated or take a nap to let your subconscious work through the block.

4. Get an outside perspective

Talk to others, read, or do some research to get fresh ideas. Different viewpoints can offer new solutions to your mental block.

5. Control your inner chatter

Notice and address negative thoughts like fear or perfectionism. Exercising, meditating, and journaling can help you manage these thoughts better.

6. Improve your skills

If feeling unprepared is causing your mental block, spend time learning and practicing. As you get better, your confidence and performance will improve.

7. Reduce stress

A daily schedule can cut down on decision fatigue and stress. Keeping your work and workspace organized also helps you stay calm and focused.

8. Compartmentalize your work

Break your tasks into chunks and set early deadlines to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Use project management tools to keep everything organized.

9. Use your fear positively

Prepare for both good and bad outcomes to manage your fear. Knowing what could go wrong helps you handle it better during planning.

10. Rest

Getting enough sleep is key for staying sharp and healthy. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to keep mental blocks at bay.

MOM - when was the last time you went to a meeting with a notebook?

When I started in advertising, the first few times I was sent back by my brand head just because I wasn't carrying a notebook. The message was loud and clear -- no matter which team you belong to, you come for a meeting, you get a book and a pen, take notes.

Even after so many years, note-taking remains the first step I take towards preparing myself for any new meeting or discussion.

What is MOM and Why is it so important?

Put simply, meeting minutes are notes about what happened during a discussion or get-together. Think of them as a story that begins when the meeting starts and ends when the meeting finishes.

By documenting the discussions, decisions, and deadlines, you can create a clear path forward — eliminating confusion, misunderstandings, and inefficiencies. 

Why MOM?

• Provide an official record: Meeting minutes serve as a reliable record of what was discussed and agreed upon during a meeting. This may be relied upon for reference, evaluation, and clarification over time.
• Accountability: Establish responsibility by recording who has been assigned which tasks, deadlines, and objectives.
• Share information: For those unable to attend the meeting, meeting minutes are a useful solution for catching up on missed discussions. Simply share the document by email or tag them in the project space.
• Track progress: In regular meetings, minutes can operate as a benchmark to track progress, allowing participants to review previous decisions, check that milestones were achieved, and follow up on action items.
• Justify decisions: Over time, it can be challenging to remember why decisions were made. Minutes can help to remind stakeholders about key considerations at the time. This can be particularly helpful in future audits or business queries.

MOM example?

Let me share a simple example of minutes and how they can be used in a real-life situation. We're building a new website of Cozy Goods on Shopify and we have had a bunch of meetings for the same.

Title: Website Makeover for Cozy Goods

Attendees: Cozy Goods team, consultant

What did we discuss?

• Finalized the website hosting platform
• Decided the theme for the website 
• Decided the blog titles and other content from an SEO point of view
• Divide the products into categories - originals by Cozy Goods and others.

• Decided timelines
• Discussed the photo shoot for the new products

Action items

• 10 blogs by the end of the week - 10th August
• Find a photographer - 9th August
• Order packaging for 5 products - find 5 vendors - fix 1

Simple, right?

Let's chat

Every week I give a dope recommendation. This week's recommendation is a quick break while you manage everything and do great things. Can't we all use some pick-me-up? well, now you have an AI bot to do it. I tried it and it wasn't bad. It told me something that did pick me up.

Oh, also, under Keep It hygge's sub brand - we have come up with a fun sensory box. Fun products and hygge vibes. You can check it out here

That's it from this time. This newsletter aims to initiate conversations about #happinessatwork as it's the future of work. I also believe in bringing new interesting topics and dope recommendations for you.

Keep It Hygge ideates and executes Happiness-at-work initiatives at various organizations. Get in touch with us. If you are looking for some unique, creative, and humane ideas and programs to increase the happiness quotient of your organization, hit us up!

If you like what you read, so share it with your colleagues, bosses, interns, clients, etc. See you next week.

Till then, Keep It Hygge!

Cheers,

AJ