Kim Bassan, Author at Great Ideas are Born Here https://integrityco.io/author/kim/?molongui_byline=true&mca=https://integrityco.io/author/sarahwestbury/ Asking the right questions. Tue, 16 Mar 2021 04:35:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/integrityco.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-36712-7-light-bulb-clipart.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Kim Bassan, Author at Great Ideas are Born Here https://integrityco.io/author/kim/?molongui_byline=true&mca=https://integrityco.io/author/sarahwestbury/ 32 32 194763870 Why should mindfulness be part of every business strategy? https://integrityco.io/why-should-mindfulness-be-part-of-every-business-strategy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-should-mindfulness-be-part-of-every-business-strategy Wed, 03 Mar 2021 18:48:34 +0000 https://integrityco.io/?p=736 Working in 2021 is fast-paced and high-intensity, regardless of any industry you are in. There is pressure to be successful and make money. Mix in the unstable political climate and most of us employees are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, at least sometimes. There’s a good reason why mindfulness has been a buzzword lately and not […]

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Working in 2021 is fast-paced and high-intensity, regardless of any industry you are in. There is pressure to be successful and make money. Mix in the unstable political climate and most of us employees are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, at least sometimes. There’s a good reason why mindfulness has been a buzzword lately and not just because of the Netflix show. (Highly recommended by the way! Put it on your watchlist if you haven’t already seen it) Mindfulness has been helping people all over the world with many difficulties. From mental health, productivity, concentration, creativity and problem-solving. Mindfulness has been getting a lot of awareness! 

 

Employees who feel overworked and stressed take less initiative, have lower creativity and generally produce a lower quality of work. No matter what industry you are working in, whether that be finance, tech, manufacturing and beyond. Stress levels are going to be part of the process. There is no magic pill that can make this stress go away. 

 

Fortunately, there are alternative outlets that you can implement in your business strategy to mitigate these hard times and provide support to those who do ‘burn out’.

Supporting your employee’s mental health can empower them, prevent burnout and increase their productivity. 

 

So what exactly is mindfulness?

To simplify things, mindfulness is the ability to see things clearly. Free from judgment or criticism. Simply seeing things as-is. 

 

As explained by the American professor and mindfulness guru, Jon:

 “the awareness that arises by paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” — Jon Kabat Zin

 

By cultivating attention in a non-judgment way we can see things more clearly, insights or actions and create an environment that supports our goals and targets. With mindfulness, we set ourselves up for logical action and success. 

 

Mindfulness offers many benefits but the most popular corporate programs are building skills to manage stress, build resilience, and other emotional intelligence skills needed to cope with changes and stressful workdays.

 

Why should you integrate mindfulness as part of your business strategy?

No, it’s not just because Google and other big companies have started a cool work trend. Mindfulness can be used in many ways and you will be sure to see the benefits:



Mindfulness for work culture

A company’s success is defined by its’ employees success. If your company’s values are oriented towards the well-being of your team, you are your business for success. Wellness should be a core principle in your work routine. As a result, your employees will be positive to be engaged with collaboration, happier to come to work and be goal-oriented. Mindfulness empowers the individual and promotes them to think critically in regards to their initiatives.

 

Mindfulness for innovation and creativity

In the competitive industry, a company must also think outside of the box, to think the unthinkable and innovate. Innovation is about improving our life, creating value and new opportunities. By applying mindfulness at your workplace workers can develop abilities to recognize problems, find solutions and identify realistic and creative solutions to improve the business model.

Innovation=Something new + useful

 

Mindfulness for setting SMART goals

With daily meditation, you give your employees the practice of self-reflection. Here, you can thoroughly analyze your past successes and failures. With this knowledge, your company can better plan and tackle any future challenge. 

Mindfulness can teach employees to stop and reflect upon their goals. As the dynamic economy keeps evolving it is important to keep coming back and re-evaluate your goals. Mindfulness can help to clarify your ideas, efforts and help you target your effort towards a productive place. To fulfil your SMART goals and reach your fullest potential!

 

Mindfulness for work-life balance

By promoting mindfulness at work, the entire team can reflect on what matters most. From here, they can prioritize the totality of their lives and avoid burnout.

We spend so much of our time at work and no matter how much we love our jobs there comes a point where we all need to take a break and supercharge our energies, “You only leave once” [YOLO] and you want to make sure that this one time is the best. By providing your team with mindfulness tools your employees will also adopt wellness and mindfulness values outside of the office.

Consequently, be happier in their personal life and then come motivated and empowered to the office! [or to Zoom]

 

mindfulness isn’t just a trend, it is a way of life and as leaders and entrepreneurs, it should be our mission the be mindful founders and find better ways to cope with modern stress. 

 

How to Bring Mindfulness into your Organization

There is no one size fits all or best method. In mindfulness, it’s about taking what aligns with you and what fits your schedule.  

 

Going through a global pandemic has highlighted the necessity of employees’ well-being. As a result, we can predict that in 2021 we will see a rise in well-being values integrated into business strategies. 

 

With ‘mindfulness’ on a rise, there is more in-depth research around this topic. We see more science-based research including brain imaging and studies on the benefits of mindfulness to the modern economy.

 

The positive benefits aren’t late to come and with our evolved technology we see more and more tech resources accessible. There is plenty of information and practice tools out there. Online apps and software are out there for you to explore at your convenience. Mindfulness doesn’t have to be practiced in the form of a 30-minute meditation sequence. 

 

Here are our top 3 suggestions to start practicing mindfulness today:

 

  1. Headspace is our top recommendation for guided meditation and mindfulness. A good place to dip your toes in the act of being mindful. (Pssst: there is even a free version to get started)
  2. The Miracle of Mindfulness is our top recommendation for mindfulness book. This is one of the best books written about mindfulness (Even for the beginners out there!)
  3. The Happiness Planner is our top recommendation for those who journal! (Sometimes it feels more real when you write it on paper, journaling is powerful!)



“Mindfulness takes you to the present moment, the only place that life exists. To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

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Top 5 tips to avoid burnout and maximize productivity https://integrityco.io/avoid-the-burnout/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=avoid-the-burnout Fri, 27 Nov 2020 11:30:00 +0000 https://integrityco.io/?p=224

Amid a global pandemic, our Marketing intern and a Yoga teacher, Kim, is sharing with you top tips to avoid burnout. While acknowledging the need to stay productive, this blog offers practical tools to find work life balance!

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Amid a global pandemic, economic evolution, technology progression and life transformation there is no surprise many people are concerned with ‘The Burnout’.

 Study shows that when people are more content with their work, they are more likely to produce better results. integrityCo is well aware of the stress of modern economic demand. While everyone is focused on hustle and productivity, our company promotes a holistic life/work balance.

Working in a company that promotes these values was music to my ears. In addition to being a marketing junkie, I am also a yoga teacher and I make sure that my team stays positive and content. (So while everyone is busy with content marketing, we focus on marketing and life contentment!)

Hi, my name is Kim Bassan and I’m a marketing intern at IntegrityCo. While I was trying to brainstorm trends on artificial intelligence and machine learning I came to the conclusion that our society is facing extreme challenges beyond the computer.

In times where we spend most of our days in front of a screen, touch of humanity and empathy could be a nice break. Today, I will share with you a glimpse of my interests and share my 5 tops tips to finding work/life balance and avoid the burnout.

  1. Take breaks

Your brain needs to rest! It is essential and necessary. Yes, there is pressure to meet quotas and deadlines but your brain demands rest as well. Thinking and focusing for a long period requires energy, and taking a break will keep you focused, allow you to think logically and in return progress towards your goal faster and with a clearer mind. So, if you are one of these people who thinks that taking a break will put you even further behind, think again! (but then take a break)

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

―Lily Tomlin
  1. Get into your body

And I’m saying that not as a biased yoga teacher, rather as a sedentary worker who spends most of the time on the computer. The human species was designed to move, walk and activate our muscles. Slouching at your desk can damage your spine, shoulders, lower back and generally hurt your posture which may extend to your emotional health. 

So, while you’re reading this blog, stand up, shake your legs, give yourself a nice round of shoulders. Drop-in with your body, I promise a physical break can go a long way! 

  1. Allow yourself to have those ‘blah blah’ conversations

I know we all avoid those casual talks because we think they might be useless. Now that most of us work remotely, we don’t get the opportunity to socialize very much. Don’t cringe at the small talk, ask your coworkers questions and allow yourself to drift off work topics from time to time. It is refreshing and you may surprisingly find a common interest with one of your colleagues! 

  1. Diversity and creativity

You might be thinking “Kim, I can barely draw a stick figure, you ask me to be creative?!” And I’m here to answer: 

“Yes, you can teach yourself to be creative!”

Stay inspired by diversifying your resources, start getting ideas from other fields and translating these practices into your work environment. Creativity is not about being Leonardo da Vinci it’s about pushing past the boundaries, letting your mind wander for a few minutes and never, ever doubting yourself. 

For example, I was thinking about what to write for my blog post. I was thinking about writing all kinds of marketing practices which are probably educational and valuable. But, there are so many blogs about SEO, email marketing and many more that I decided to take a different approach and be creative! Bridging between my yoga knowledge and the marketing work world to bring something relevant just as A.I and machine learning are.

If you want to succeed, you have to fuel yourself. You cannot pour from an empty cup. ― My Mantra

  1. Take care of yourself in your off-hours- set the boundary

In a time where personal and workspace boundaries become blurred, it is important to distinguish between work time and home time. 

While working from home means more flexibility, no commuting and other benefits, it faces us with big challenges as well.

Procrastination, productivity, lack of team collaboration and most importantly, where and when do we draw the line between work and home hours?

To create this distinction make sure to communicate your needs with your surroundings.

  • Block time:  set a schedule and stick to it. Make sure to set aside some time for your family as well. 
  • Set the space: shut the door, organize your desktop, whatever works for just make sure there is a physical separation between leisure and work time
  • When the clock hits- you’re done: don’t be tempted to check emails, Slack your team, just stop and dedicate some time for your family, significant other and yourself. 

You need time to sleep, eat, exercise and leisure. Rejuvenate and fuel your system with your loved ones, work will be there tomorrow and every day. Make sure you invest in yourself, it will help you come back stronger and motivated. 

Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.

―Hillary Clinton

While it is nice to wear my yoga pants for work, remote work faces us with new and different challenges. In our hustle-bustle culture economy, we need to actively engage with practices that encourage us to put ourselves on our ‘to-do” list as well. Just as Hilary Clinton said, making a living doesn’t mean you’re fully living! 

Find your tricks and rituals that help you stay away from the BURNOUT zone

Comment below which one of the practices in this blog you liked, and let me know what is your strategy to get work life balance! 

Stay tuned for this part 2 series in which I will provide tangible practices such as breathing and mindfulness techniques that you could try to use while achieving work and life balance.

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