How can we Focus?

Can you relate with me when I say that there are a lot of things to do?  That it’s hard to identify which one to do first if it’s Urgent, Important, ASAP or Critical?


Does your calendar look like this?

Yes, this is my calendar and I was not happy to see this!  There are moments like this when I needed to take each meeting and to squeeze them all in — is this healthy?  My answer is “NO”.

Why? It’s hard to focus — it’s like, there is no time to breath and think of what to do first.  Because instead of planning ahead, there is another meeting coming up that you need to attend.  Then action items piles up and not to mention your emails and other adhoc tasks.  This is just so NOT GOOD!

So what do we do?
Okie — let me tell you this — WORK WILL NEVER GO AWAY — let me repeat that — WORK WILL NEVER GO AWAY! We need to accept that fact!

Number two, we are not robots who doesn’t get tired of working LOOONG hours.  But what if everything just needs to be done ASAP, URGENT, IMPORTANT?? We prioritize and when we do, we focus.

I would like to share what’s helping me Focus:

1. My To-Do List – This is really helpful for me.  I am the type of person who is really having a hard time to focus — when I am in the middle of something and then suddenly a file is not saving too fast — my mind will wander and open another email to respond to.  Then i will not notice that I was not able to finish what I was actually doing.  My To-Do List solved the problem — when I was in a middle of something and my mind wandered — I write it down — that way I can:
        (1) Focus on my original task
        (2) Remember that I have another action item on my plate.

2. I take DND (Do Not Disturb) Status in Skype seriously – In one of the discussion that I attended about Truly Human, there were discussions about the Mind Dimension and its related to Focus.  To be able to focus, we should remove distractions and I bet you will agree 100% that pings are a super distraction.   It’s either you will:
     (1) respond – then you are distracted or
     (2) will ignore but will eventually will not be able to remember the ping — if you noticed, when you ignore a ping — it will (for a time) stop blinking. 

This can be a two way sword — people might think that you don’t want to be reached out to — this is Wrong.  If it’s really important / urgent, then people will either approach you, or even text or call you.  Accenture People finds ways — we are good at it.

3. I schedule focus time – In my opinion, attending back to back meetings does not equate to productivity.  Yes you may be productive because there’s a lot going on but were there problems solved? or items closed? more often that not, another meeting needs to be set to eventually close an item.  Anyways, I schedule “FT” Focus Time.  This is blocking my calendar to do an important task so that it will not be blocked by another meeting.   Or even blocking a short breather time.  One of my best practice is scheduling meetings for 45 minutes instead of an hour.  One, it helps me maximize the meeting time that I have and make sure it’s productive, two, I have 15 minutes more to focus and start another meeting (if unavoidable).

4. 60 – 15 approach – This is when I work for 60 minutes and then breath for the next 15 minutes.  How do I do it, i use my phone alarm and it really worked on my focus.

5. I talk to my team and laugh – Really most of the time, when I need to focus — i need some time to talk and laugh (this is me and we can all have different approaches and I am such a talkative person).

These are the things that helped me Focus.  This is not something that may be applicable to all but maybe can also help you.  Different folks, different strokes so what works with me may not work for others but I am welcome to hear best practices so that I can also apply them.  That in itself is Collaboration!

How about you? How do you focus?


Xoxo

Where to get the best Inspiration?

Monday again! YES!!! Who said this?

Well in my super old post (Why I liked Mondays) i mentioned there the reason behind this chosen behavior and now I would like to share an interesting thing that i have sighted. 

Normally, in movies or real life office situations, for offices and desks we usually see a lot of pictures on the desk. It can he seen posted on the table or you would have photo frames lines up there just across your line of site.

I am guilty of this, there was a time when i had a white board in front of my desk and i used to pin my family picture there.  Why? I guess you know the answer right! I want to be inspired!  Well now it's gone because i don't have a whiteboard anymore and we need to have a clean desk policy.

What i will share is simply inspiring.. We normally see pictures and frames at office desks right.. If you have a corner roon then most probably it's placed in your wall mounted cabinets or rolling bins.  This one is pretty interesting because he doesn't have a desk or a corner office but he has his dashboard! 

For some drivers i see their pictures in their wallets or their screen shields but this is an incredible site for inspiration. Frames in his dashboard and I was simply amazed by this effort.

It was my first time to see such act of inspiration and i know that for Kuya Driver, wherever his steering wheel will take him, he knows that he is doing his job for his family. 

How about you? Where do you get your inspiration? 

Xoxo

Welcome Monday!!

Does this calendar look familiar to you?
Maybe for some this is just a simple domino of meetings. Some might have a more jampacked calendar and more nightly calls but what if your calendar looks like this?? 

Well this is my normal work week and sometimes it gets more jampacked as the need arises -- but I always look at it as a stationary that is full of stories (sometimes mysteries).

I don't look at it as another dreaded work week that I don't want to go to work anymore!  This is part of my life and I know that the week will pass smoothly and I will have a great weekend!! Yes, its just Monday and I am already thinking about weekend.. This is one way that makes me feel engaged.  That somewhere after the tunnel there is light and I can enjoy my self with the people that I love.

Maybe you can also do the same?? So that you won't dread Mondays and any other work week for that matter!! 

Happy working everyone!! 

Xoxo

Happy Friday: What do you choose today?

Wow! It's already Friday and the week is about to end.  It's one of those weeks that I was very pre occupied about work and other things that the week just passed by quickly.

Good thing, the plans I made for this week happened and I am very excited now for weekend.  How about you? How was your week? Was it tiring? Awesome? Routinary? Or same old, same old? 

Whatever our week looked like, at the end of the week is always a weekend, so we always have to choose to be happy on a weekend! We don't want to burden ourselves by bringing along work on a weekend! This is a big No-No for me and I hope you do too! 

For me its always important to choose happiness! It will not only lighten our day, we can also influence others yo be happy!! Right!!

Xoxo

Welcoming Monday!

Do you dread Mondays?
Sometimes I do because it's back to work (or school) again and I still want to extend my weekend! 

However, Mondays will always come every week and whether we like it or not, Mondays will always be there! 

Good thing for me, I learned how to find inspiration from Mondays!  As I was busy doing my To Do List and as I was about to slash some of the things that I have done.. I saw this! 

Such as inspiration right??? 
Just when I was so pre occupied about work and about finishing my tasks, an angel would always remind me to take it slow! An angel from work which makes working fun! 

How about you? What's your inspiration at work? Have you found your angel?

International Women's Day

Every year, this day (March 8) is dedicated to all the women out there who continuously living the dream! 

In my existence, I am thankful to be surrounded by powerful women who have helped me journey through this wonderful life.  This blog post can be as long as the encyclopedia if I elaborate all the women who have inspired me along the way, thus I am highlighting the ones who really had a great impact! 

In my Career: 

Ms Irva Cruz and Ms She Quito

- they were the first to believe! It was 2005 when I applied for an HR Assistant role in Accenture, where Pivot Table was an alian word to me, where MS Outlook is something new to me.  They believed in my potential, gave me the opportunity to grow my career in the HR world! My gratitude cannot pay them all, that's why I am paying it forward!

Dot Velasco 

- my forever HR "darling" boss.  I may not have a direct working relationship with her, but her mere presence made all the difference! She gave me the inspiration to mature gracefully!

Mamy Marly Pascual 

- my lead, who, despite my "emotional state" was always there to lift me up and motivate me to do more! She gave her full support and that support gave me the confidence to move forward! 

Pia Castillo 

- together with Gelo Lacanlale, equipped me with strategic and out of the box thinking.  To ask "why" five times and make sure I can get to the bottom of an issue.  To be able to exude confidence when talking to top executives.  They made me believe that everything is just possible if you just learn from mistakes and perfect your craft.

Ann Abesamis 

- my ultimate inspiration for poise and beauty!  She believed that everyone can just snap at any moment and that's fine.  She inspired me to be calm but firm, to be gentle yet strong.  She listened even if I was not uttering any word, she was sensitive with my needs and yet still expected high performance.  Lastly, she made me realize that I should be thankful if I recieved flowers on Valentines Day. 

Eunice Vaflor 

- she gave me the opportunity to think about what's important to me.  What motivates me to do more at work and who believed that I am also a human being who gets hurt! She made my work life so much light and fun.

Mimi Perez

- together with Alex Gasmena, gave me the opportunity to lead a team and to do what I believed needed for my team.  She believed that I can be more than I can ever imagine in my career.  She also valued what's important to me.  She made me realize that being strong is not a bad thing because it can help move mountains. 

Myra Arenas

- my current lead who is very gentle yet strong! My inspiration for work life balance and all about life.  My mentor for simplicity and elegance! Wish I can be like her when Im at the same age! ^_^

In my social life: 

Ochen, Tin, Athena, Kc

- My ultimate best friends! More than a decade of friendship and I am craving for more lunches, dinner, baby showers, birthdays, meriendas and a whole lot of kwentuhan and tawanan! They, who knew my love life and still accepted my decision.  They, who knew what I was thinking and what I wanted to say.  An extended family that I will be forever thankful! 

Leah Tanyag

- my forever work bff! This friendship that started years ago and is going to a decade now! She knew my deepest secrets and is very frank in telling me to "stop flirting".  She, despite our differences, still joins me in the pantry for a morning coffee, for our monthly frappe and for our endless shopping.  She is a sister from another mother.  She listens and take action. She who believes in me.  We may not always see each other (even if we are at the same building) but I always make sure we keep in touch! 

Kc Frayco 

- she is also my sister from another mother.  The person whom I never imagined to be close to my heart! We shared a lot of stories and pulled each other up to be inspired.  A friendship that came from my HR Academy days which I will be forever greatful. 

Rina "ba-Rins" Mendoza

- she never left me! In those times when I needed comfort and I needed emotional and psychological support she never left me.  With that I will forever be greatful! Even if we are miles apart, in my heart she is just one message away!  More than a decade of friendship is something worth keeping! 

Liza Ortile

- my pretty sis who is a another great inspiration to me.  I thank her for sharing her life with me and I value the trust that she has given. If all else fails, I know that there will always be hope because she made me believe there is! 

Beth Tangonan 

- my forever inspiration for all the praticality in the world.  I am stingy as I am now but I still learn a lot from her.  A perfect mom and entrepreneur, a good listener and a perfect friend that I can always rely on!

Ate Ytche

- she will be my forever inspiration may it be at work or at play! My favorite ate od them all, who understood everything that I went through.  She gave me the perspective in living the life that I dreamt of.  Made me feel I am always welcome in their home and accepts my flaws and misses! She inspired me to pray more and that prayers are really powerful.

In my Life:

Mama Inday

- she gave me the chance to explore life even if she knows I don't have wings! She is not the sweetest mother but you will feel that she wants you to learn on your own.  She was strict to me and yet gave me matching shirts and underpants.   She will move mountains if someone did something bad to me.  She made me realize that it's normal to have high expectations for family and made me feel that loyalty is important.  She always said that "it is better to give than to recieve".  She taught me how to be patient and kind, to be loving and respectful. She gave me the inspiration to be the best person that I can be! 

Mama Lena

- my (literally) second mother. She openly accepted me to be part of their family.  She is frank and yet caring and gave me the true meaning of loving your family.  She knows everything about her family and it made me inspired even more. She is always willing to help -- because helping is just her middle name and she can't do without it.  She is loved and respected by many! 

---------------

Again, to all the women out there who inspired me to do greater things, from the bottom of my heart, "Thank You"!.

Continue to live and inspire because it will do a lot for our future generations!! 

Xoxo

Oh there you are Tuesday! Bye Monday!

When I was still studying, my classmates often tells me how they hate Mondays.

When I was working, my officemate often tells me how they hate Mondays.

From the post here -->
Maybe the problem is really not the day but the situation that is related to the day?

Sometimes we tend to relate Mondays to a bad situation or events that makes it hard for Mondays to make a good impression.

My solution: 
Put a different perspective to what was known to be a negative thing!

Like Mondays -- we often drag ourselves to work or school every Mondays, becuase we want to extend our weekend.

What if we look at great things and think of happy thoughts associated with Mondays? I think it's going to be a great idea so that Monday's can viewed as something that we will all look forward to:

~ You get to meet your officemates again! Talk about your latest weekend trip or your weekend shopping!
~ You get to have your allowance (for students)!
~ You get start the week to plan for your next weekend get away
~ You get to start a new task to show "high performance delivered"
~ You get to see your office / school crush again

Well this list is to help you get started on how to make your Mondays a day to look forward to! Note that it will always depend on your interests and what makes you happy!

At the end of the day - Monday will always be there no matter how much we want to avoid it.  The more that we dread Mondays, the more we are drowning ourselves into hating the day!

Why don't we embrace Mondays - anyways, if we do not count the hours it will pass by swiftly.  But not too quick - we might forget about Friday, Saturday and Sunday then it will be Monday again! Haha!

Again, it's not about Mondays that we should be worried about.
It's how we associate Mondays to a negative situation that will give us a wrinked face!

Xoxo

After a long vacation – I am reunited with my True Love!

Two years ago, I left my work in Accenture to come and join my husband in Malaysia.  I was a plain housewife for 2 months; I had no laptop and notebook in my hands; just pots, pans and dust bins to prepare everything for the two of us.  

I was busy with the entire house hold and I enjoyed it a lot.  With that experience I learned to appreciate how hard it is to be a housewife.  I can imagine how doubly hard it would be to have kids running around.

After two months, I was lucky to be called by EPS Ventures to become a Recruitment and Business Development Consultant and everything else was history.  I met new friends and experienced how it is to deal with foreign nationals.  One thing for sure that struck me was that they were very straight forward and does not focus on the mistake but to the solution (just my two cents).

I go to the office before 9am and strictly go back by 5:30pm. Literally an 8 hour job and all work related things stayed in the office.  When I hit our condo, it’s all about self, family, friends and a whole lot of fun.  This is the main reason that I called my stay in Malaysia my LONG Vacation.

If you have been reading my entries, you would know that the reason I came to Malaysia was to follow my husband.  Priorities change overtime, if you “have been there done that” then you will know what I mean.   Although we are enjoying our stay in MY, my husband and I have both agreed that we will not stay long in Malaysia; we will just test waters and experience how it is to be alone in a foreign land. Therefore, when I got the opportunity to work back here in the Philippines, I immediately grabbed it.

The opportunity was introduced by my good friend, Anna.  She introduced me to Ms. Myra and everything went smoothly.   Even if I was a rehire, I still underwent the same Recruitment Process that all new joiners should pass and it felt like I was in my early twenties again.  I had to complete two sets of interviews, pre-employment requirements submission, pre-employment medical examination, new joiner orientation and the works.  I felt new even if I was reunited with my first love.

My realizations:

Accenture is still Accenture, it is the same company that I loved and respected but a lot has changed in terms of process improvement and I am very pleased to have experienced it as a new joiner.  

To sight a few: 

A lot of improvements have taken place and I cannot elaborate all of them.  The best way to appreciate them is to experience these improvements for yourself.  I consider myself lucky to have experienced it and to again say that Accenture is a great place to work.

Xoxo

Monday oh Monday! What are your To Dos?

You had a blast from your weekend getaway and you are still in the midst of figuring out what you want do or should do on the first day of the work week.

Although I may sound different (because I love Mondays!) many people does not enjoy the day! They have their own reasons and I do not intend to fight with it.

Anyways, as I was browsing through and doing some research of my own, I came along with this simple photo.

from http://officerats.net/archive/to_do_list-or-what-i-shouldnt-be-doing/ 

It was funny but then it struck me! This is really happening!
Just a couple of weeks ago, our daily news paper here in Malaysia "The Star" published in their front page that in the survey that they completed, in an 8 hour work day, only 4 hours is productive.  

True or not, it is our own responsibility to find out.

An article was also published whether Employers can allow their employees to surf Facebook and other social network at the office.

At the end of the day, whether you have surfed any social networking sites or not, it is the productivity that counts! On another thought, we (as employees) should also be cautious in using company property and time.  It's only 8 hours a day and then after that we have all the time to use for our personal things!

Just my thoughts!

Do not forget to Subscribe to hear more from me! :)

Xoxo 
 

My simple office attire!

It was an ordinary office day for me when suddenly one of my colleagues told me that we are living in 5 minutes to attend a client meeting.

I was like "What?" how come just now, I was not able to prepare!
I mean I was wearing an inappropriate office attire for a client meeting.

I stopped for a while and think of the things that I have with me to make me look professional.

Just so you can relate, this is what I was wearing when I arrived at the office.


Actually this attire is very me!  I am not such a fan of polo shirt, skirt anymore since I want to be a little bit more casual but still has the office attire look.


This one is black top, black slacks, grey short sleeves cardigan and red flats. :)


When my colleague told me the news about the client meeting, I immediately thought of the wardrobe that I may have in handy in my bin.

Luckily, I have 2 pair of shoes (I like to keep one or two in handy for such event), I also I have my blazer (also reserving it for a candidate or client meeting) and then just that day my friend returned my scarf!  

Yahoo now that my attire is complete, I just have to fix my hair, put a little bit of lipstick and then I am off to my client meeting!

Nice right?!! Yes! It was fun! Fun to have the girl scout spirit in me.






 


Now this is what happened to me! Ready to hit the conference room and meet with the clients!

 Just sharing! how things in my bin got in handy in times of needs!

Xoxo

 

Reminder about work!

Today is Sunday and tomorrow is Monday "again", what else to do but work?
Why is it that it is always about work?  What is with work that will make all of us happy?


Oh well, I remember two years ago.. I received a letter from myself!


-------------
Dear KL, 


How does it feel to be working? 


1. Monday, you should be preparing the things that you need to do for the week.
2. Tuesday, you will start the day with the pending items you missed on Monday.
3. Wednesday, you will be reviewing your targets, look at your to do list and evaluate what have you done so far since it's the middle of the workweek.
4. Thursday, you are attending meetings, discussions and whatnot.
5. Friday morning, you are catching up on your emails because of the meetings you had.
6. Friday afternoon, seems like there are still a number of unresolved emails and you are planning to stay a bit in the office to have a worry free weekend.


Do you want to hear these things?
blah blah blah blah! 

I would like to remind you that work is not your life.  This is JUST a part of your life that keeps you busy and helps you earn money!


Please do not forget that there are a lot MORE IMPORTANT things than work, like your SELF, FAMILY, FRIENDS, HEALTH and GOD!

With Love, KL

---------------------

This was two years ago!  I am glad that I listened to myself before.  Right now I am very happy and contented with what I have achieved.  


There will be a time where we will say that career is far more important that anything else but as we go on with life (get married and settle) at the end of the day we will realize what matters most to us.

Labor Day!

Photo in Accenture at 2009

Essentially, Labor day is a public holiday (in more than 80 countries) where Labor unions and organizations hold mass protests and rallies in major cities.  

Since I am not in any way involved in any protests or demonstrations, Labor day for me is a day for all of us (employees, employers, entrepreneurs & businessmen) to rest and stay at home! :D

Kidding aside, Labor day for me is a realization that even the wealthiest men in the world needs to kick-ass and work smart to earn a living and survive.  We all do and working is not as simple as completing your tasks and answering phone calls, it consists of a lot of working smart and making something out of it.

I have the perfect formula (that worked for me) for continually being inspired at work - I got them all from Accenture and am still practicing them!

1. Love what you do and recognize the value that you can give - whether you have the hardest task in your team, try to look at the big picture and see how you can help the entire team / organization.  

2. It's but normal to commit mistakes and learn from them - no one is perfect and thus it is okie to make mistakes (but not always) -- honest mistakes for that matter and learn from them.  If a person did not commit any mistake then it means that he / she did not do anything

3. It's okie to ask for help - again, no one is perfect and no on knows everything.  There will always be a time where in one should reach out and ask for help.  Asking help does not lessen our personality but builds our character that we can all learn from one another.

4. Value Stewardship - this is one of my favorite core values in Accenture.  People will always be there to help and once you have gained the knowledge that was passed to you, then when somebody needs your help it is the perfect time to return the favor.  We do not own knowledge, knowledge are meant to be shared.

5. Enjoy! - no matter how long you have been doing your project, no matter how stubborn your co-worker is or how arrogant your boss is; work stops at 5:30pm (well this depends on your working hours) and tomorrow is another day to be inspired and energized.

These are some of the things that I keep in mind to get me going but I know there are a lot more out there!  Having a positive note at work is something that we all should have.  At the end of the day, we are working not for the sake of working but for ourselves and for our families. 

Therefore, I always enjoy the fruits of my labor with a well deserved vacation or time at home! Of course with the help of my very loving husband!

Photo at Universal Studios Singapore

More about my working experiences at My Favorite Day is Monday!

I will always be like A!

It has been 9 months now since I left Accenture and I cannot deny the fact that what I learned from Accenture is still within me (and I guess will always be with me), engraved in my professional self.  Wherever I go and whatever I do, doing things the Accenture way is always what I prefer to do.

I do not need to elaborate how Accenture molded me as a professional person; but here are some of the things that from time to time makes me smile because I will always do these things whether I am in or out of Accenture.

These are just me, whatever I say may be different from what other Accenture people may think.(I haven't started my list yet but I just did one A-thing, which is making sure that we provide disclaimer and manage expectations).


1. I summarize it - I just want to make sure that we are on the same page. After every discussion, I am always itching to summarize.


2. I document it - If I was talking to someone and I know that whatever we discussed is something that has to be done or has to be completed in a certain period of time; I make sure that I document it.  Not just making sure that we are "again" on the same page, so that, at the end of the project, if there is anything that will go wrong, we have paper trail to look back to.


3. I avoid using RED AND BOLD - If i need to emphasize on something in my email, I make sure that I don't use this font.  For me it says that one person is angry and yelling. This is something I was not used to do and am still practicing in not doing it. I know that this is one net etiquette that we need to consider.  Anyways, if I want to say a point, there are a whole lot thousand colors to use out there to make sure that what I am saying is emphasized. 

4. I confirm - If I send emails, I want to know to know that the recipient got my message correctly.  If I do not receive any response, I call and ask them to confirm.  Since they are used to it, I don't need to call, they automatically confirms. :)


5. I make things complicated - If I were asked to create a report I do not rest in just providing the information needed in an excel file.  There has to be a Pivot Table, several tables that shows different cuts of the report.  I want to make sure that the person who will read the report will be able to analyze it in one looking.  No need to move back and forth to each of the tabs, one summary tab is enough to see the big picture.


6. Confidentiality - Whether it is an email, a meeting, a document or a phone discussion; being cautious has always been my twin sister.  I need to make sure that what goes out in writing or in a discussion will be addressed to the correct people.

7. Process - I always tend to look for processes. :D


These are just some of the things that I can think of now but I know there is a whole lot more. Don't know if there is anyone else like me but again, this is just me.