There was always something about September.
Heading back to school with a knot of nerves in your stomach, new shoes squeaking across the floor, searching for familiar faces in a sea of new haircuts and unstained jumpers.
You were up the night before organising the pens and sharpening the pencils, wondering if your friends will recognise the ‘new you’ you’ve carefully cultivated over the summer. At the very least, will they be impressed with your new pencil case?
Not only a plug for Paperchase, in this blog we’re aiming to capture that ‘back to school’ spirit and apply it to the workplace, because we’re willing to grasp at, frankly, any straw in an attempt to reset and refresh this Autumn.
Think of it as a second attempt at a New Year’s resolution.
Set yourself up for success
As hesitant as we are to fire off another spiel about consumerism disguised as ‘self care’, there is a trick to treating yourself. Whether it’s buying yourself a new power suit (because those shoulders just weren’t padded enough!) or updating your devices, feeling pride in your presentation can have a powerful effect on your confidence and performance at work.
Get your ducks in a row
As we wave goodbye to summer holidays and annual leave it’s likely that despite your best intentions, enthusiasm is waning. Organisation and motivation aren’t what they were at the start of the year and you’re starting to worry that it won’t return.
We know that sometimes the temptation to bury your head in the sand is overwhelming but taking a step back to plan your working week is so worth it.
Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself at the start of the week;
- Which day is usually my busiest? Being aware of the times when you’re likely to be run off your feet can help you to manage your time without getting overwhelmed.
- Which day is usually the quietest? This is the perfect time for admin; replying to emails, checking your calendar, forward planning and updating your socials etc etc…
- When are my meetings this week?
- When can I schedule in some time to recharge my batteries?
Check in with Colleagues
Nobody likes to admit they’re struggling, especially in the workplace. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed, talking to colleagues can be a lifesaver. Not only is it likely that they feel similarly (they are, after all, in the same boat as you), they may be able to help delegate some of your tasks elsewhere or at least provide valuable, informed advice.
A minute (and a prayer) for parents
If you’re a parent and you’ve worked during the summer break, I’m guessing you have a list as long as your arm of tasks to catch up on since school mercifully returned.
Whilst a to-do list can be a godsend and feeling the pressure to jump back into the deep end workwise is understandable, overburdening yourself to prove professional competence only leads to let downs and burn outs.
Create a realistic schedule for yourself and allow yourself time to adjust.
Work/Life balance
Have you ever worked so long into the night that the words on the screen scramble and the headache that started around 9pm still thunders around your skull the next morning?
While you’re correcting the spelling mistakes you can’t believe you missed (wow, is that really how you spelt believe?) listen up. It’s tempting to belive that sleepless nights and working weekends are the key to success, but long term ‘hustle culture’ creates an unsustainable standard to live up to and robs life of its joy.
Instead, we recommend allotting set amounts of time for different tasks and creating a deadline for the day after which all work must stop. You’ll be amazed at how much more proactive and tactical your approach to work becomes with a little more, realistic discipline.
Change your hairstyle
Why? Because your mum can’t stop you from getting frosted tips now!
Get compliant!
Our Data Protection Audit can help to ensure that all functions within your organisation are compliant in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The law requires you to demonstrate compliance, and a yearly audit is the perfect way to display that your organisation puts data protection at the forefront of its practices.
The audit will determine whether your controls, policies and procedures meet the requirements of the law. If there are gaps, the audit will also show how you can remediate them.
To find out how DPAS can help your organisation thrive this Autumn, get in touch! Alternatively, check out our services available.
