“Tuesday Tips” is a new blog project from The Event Team that will share our advice on all things professional and personal. We want to share our industry expertise, and we want you to get to know the team, so each week we’ll feature a new set of tips for your reading pleasure! Feel free to comment of make suggestions for new “Tuesday Tips.” We love to hear from you!
Today’s Tuesday Tip comes from our VP of Sales & Marketing Bill Yahres. Bill is in charge of all association & convention business, so he is constantly managing large groups under tight deadlines. Although he spends a lot of time reeling in the business, he’s not all work and no play. He is the joke-ster of our crew, always cracking jokes and making sure we take a break in our busy day for laughs. We asked Bill to share with us…

How to Achieve a Work/Life Balance:
There is much written about achieving balance in our lives, and I’ve certainly read my share of articles and books on the subject.  I’ve extracted a few of my favorites to get you started and point you in the right direction in navigating towards a more balanced life both personally and professionally.

While you can’t control all of the factors that impact your work/life balance, there are some things you can control. Acting on these tips will help you achieve better work/life balance, and make you more productive at work!

Ask your employer for support
Many organizations have policies in place to help employees achieve better work/life balance. Most businesses recognize that workers who are healthier and more balanced are better for the organization’s productivity and long-term success – and that work/life imbalance hurts business.

If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, first try asking your employer for their support.

• Start by determining what you need to achieve work/life balance. (Many personal coaches use an exercise called the “Life Balance Wheel” to help identify what areas in your life may need some focus and attention.  A sample of this may be found at the following URL, give it a try! http://web.me.com/alexmezey/LifeClarityCoaching/Life_Balance_Wheel.html

• Research the policies and practices your employer has in place (such as flexible work hours, telecommuting and job sharing.  This is practiced in our office and has been extremely effective for many of our employees.
• Look at the situation from your employer’s point of view; be ready to outline a clear plan, how it will impact the workplace and how that impact will be addressed.

Even without formally making changes to your working conditions, there are a number of ways you can improve your work/life balance.

At Work
Schedule brief breaks for yourself throughout the day. Your productivity and effectiveness will increase if you take even a ten-minute break every two hours and overall, you will get more accomplished.

At the end of each day, set your priorities for the following day. Be realistic about what you can achieve in the time you have available.  This is one I practice consistently and highly recommend!

Only respond to email once or twice a day. Then, shut off your email program to avoid being distracted as messages come in. Many will disagree on this one but there is a happy medium.  Try turning off your automatic send/reply and retrieve incoming mail only when necessary, for example anticipating an important or expected message, etc.

Make a distinction between work and the rest of your life. Protect your private time by turning off electronic communications. Don’t be available 24/7.  Don’t worry – the world will continue to turn without you for a few hours.

Address concerns about deadlines and deliverables early. As soon as you see that a deadline is unrealistic, communicate your concerns to your employer and/or your clients – don’t wait until the deadline passes.

Take all of your allotted vacation time. Taking vacation allows you to come back to work refreshed and more productive.  Did somebody say Cabo?

Play Together.  The Event Team schedules two multi-day retreats every year, and several local outings to keep us sane and balanced.  There is no match for fun and laughter and this remains a large part of our company culture and success.  

At Home
Make healthy food choices. Healthy eating will gives you and your family more energy. Experiment. Maybe try a raw food diet or a cleansing for a few weeks.  I’ve always adopted the idea that if it grows or swims it’s probably a good choice.  Try to avoid the boxes, cans and bags of empty calories!

Exercise. Begin every day working up a good sweat even if it’s only for 20 minutes at a time, you’ll feel more energized and refreshed.

Create a buffer between work and home. After work, take a brief walk, play tennis, go for a run, or listen to some music before beginning the evening’s routine.

Decide what chores can be shared or let go. Determine which household chores are critical and which can be done by someone else. Let the rest go.

Create and implement a household budget. Start by setting aside some money from each pay check for the future.

Pursue a hobby. Either with friends or family or for some quality time on your own.  Isn’t there something you’ve always wanted to do?

In Your Community
Make choices. Social, community and volunteer obligations pull us in many directions. Choose the ones that are most fulfilling and learn to say ‘no’ to the rest. Remember, giving is healing and good for your soul, what organization touches your heart?

Manage expectations. Be clear at the outset about how much time or support you can contribute to community organizations or your children’s school events.

For more tips and advice, contact Bill at byahres@eventteam.com

“Tuesday Tips” is a new blog project from The Event Team that will share our advice on all things professional and personal. We want to share our industry expertise, and we want you to get to know the team, so each week we’ll feature a new set of tips for your reading pleasure! Feel free to comment of make suggestions for new “Tuesday Tips.” We love to hear from you!

Today’s Tuesday Tip comes from our Director of Sales & Marketing Lindsay White. Lindsay just celebrated her 4 year anniversary with The Event Team. In that time, Lindsay has worked in almost every facet of the company, starting in Operations, then moving to Sales, and more recently focusing on Marketing. Her main focus is on helping the Sales Team run efficiently and look good while they’re at it. So we asked her to give us some tips on…

How To Make Your Team Shine

1. Prioritize: No job is created equal. If you are in a position where other people on your team rely on you for projects, then you need to be best friends with a calendar. As I type this blog, I can see 4 calendars in my peripheral vision, and yes, they each have a distinct purpose. I’m not saying you have to have 4 calendars, but I am saying you need to constantly ask yourself the question “Who needs what done and when?” I think one of the rudest things you can do in a business environment is not respect someone’s time. Another trick on prioritizing: anytime someone gives you a deadline, write it in your calendar as a day or two earlier than it actually is. It keeps the procrastination bug away and allows time to troubleshoot any last-minute problems.

2. Streamline: Here’s a new question you must always ask yourself: “Is there an easier way to do this?” When I moved over to the Sales department, I immediately noticed that the way we share information with each other on our server could be drastically improved. So we found new ways to maintain shared information that make it much easier for the sales team to quickly find what they need. Years later, we’re still constantly streamlining our information-sharing systems. For example, we implemented quick-reference pricing binders that are updated every time one of our preferred vendors sends us new rates. We also just invested in an updated CRM program that will drastically improve the way we gather and share information.

3. Focus on your Brand: One thing I love about our Sales Team is that we are truly a team. We don’t compete against each other, we tackle projects together, and we meet on a weekly basis to discuss ways to improve as a unit. An ever-present topic at these meetings is our brand. What is our message? What do we want to be known for? How do we want others to perceive us? These discussions have brought about some great changes in the last few months, including a brand “facelift” that will be officially revealed in 2012 (our company’s 20^th anniversary). We believe that our people and the quality of our service places us high above the competition, so it is my job to make that come across in every proposal, advertisement, event invitation, etc. This is where I get to be creative, and I love it!

4. We Want Your Eyeballs: Ok, so that sounded gross as I typed it, but it’s true. Developing your brand is only one side of the marketing coin. The flip side is promotion. You have to get out there and get in front of as many pairs of eyeballs as possible. Make sure your sales team is active in your local industry, sitting on boards & committees, and attending those schmoozy networking events. Learn everything you can about social media on an ongoing basis and implement what works for your company. (Don’t forget to like us on FB!) Same goes for web optimization, online marketing and advertising. The bad news is there are so many ways to promote your company and brand that it is very time-consuming and overwhelming to figure out the best approach. But the good news is there are so many ways to promote your company that you will never run out of things to try.

5. Be Kind and Authentic: Our brand is our people. And our people are the nicest, friendliest, most helpful people you will ever meet. They don’t act this way because they want your business. They don’t “act” this way at all, because they are not acting. We hire good people! I can’t stress the importance of genuine kindness enough. Whether it’s with your own co-workers or an important client, break out that golden rule and let it choose every word that comes out of your mouth.

“Tuesday Tips” is a new blog project from The Event Team that will share our advice on all things professional and personal. We want to share our industry expertise, and we want you to get to know the team, so each week we’ll feature a new set of tips for your reading pleasure! Feel free to comment of make suggestions for new “Tuesday Tips.” We love to hear from you!

This week’s tip comes from Jenny Donadio, the newest addition to The Event Team family. Her position as Executive Assistant requires her to keep the office running smoothly and assist the Sales and Marketing departments with important time-sensitive projects. Being the Executive Assistant means staying one step ahead of the game, which can be challenging since there is no slowing down in our office.  So we asked Jenny to give us:

3 Ways to Keep Your Office Running Smoothly:
1. Make lists – Whether your office be one person or 100 people, making lists is a great way to stay organized and successful in the work place. Prioritize your day with each task that needs to be completed. When complete, cross it off your list. It might be a small goal, but you have accomplished it! When you feel a sense of satisfaction with your daily task lists, possibly make quarterly task lists as well. Setting these goals will provide a sense of accomplishment as well as pride in your work and company.

2. Communicate – With each employee having their own goals and daily tasks, it is difficult to know what needs to be completed to keep the office running as a whole machine. Check in with your boss(es) daily and keep them updated on your daily tasks. Weekly and/or monthly meetings are also a great opportunity to understand how each individual is contributing to the department, and where you can step in to help out or streamline a project.

3. Keep a clean & organized office – Employees may spend more time in their office than they do at home. Why would you want to keep a messy desk? Create file folders, binders, a yearly calendar, etc. to keep all the office information stored in an organized fashion. Your organizational goal should be that if for some reason you are out of the office, any other colleague would be able to easily “sub in” for a day and continue to assist the department and office with any daily tasks that need to be completed.