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water, games, outdoors, heat, summer, activity
Beat the Heat with Cooling Outdoor Activities
 Beat the Heat with Cooling Outdoor Activities 960 720 Emilie
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With today being the first day of summer, and the temperature reaching the mid 90s, you might be picturing a summer in which you barely leave your air conditioned house. But just because it’s hot out doesn’t mean that you can’t get some exercise outside. Hot temperatures open up a door for activities that wouldn’t be half as fun otherwise! So grab a water bottle and some water proof sunscreen, and head outside for these great activities!

1. Water Gun Fight. Water gun fights are great because they let you cool down even though you’re running around in the heat! Grab your water guns and even some water balloons. Try forming teams and have an ongoing summer competition amongst members of your family.

2. Visit some waterfalls. Take a hike at Van Campens Glen. It’s a shady trail, and only 1.6 miles round trip, so you won’t mind hiking it even on a hot day. Plus, the hike reaches a small waterfall and gorge, perfect for cooling you down! Or, go to Buttermilk Falls, which stands as the highest waterfall in NJ at 200 feet. There is also a pond at the end, and the best part is the hike can be as short or as long as you want it! There are stairs going to the waterfall right next to the parking lot so that you don’t have to hike at all, or you can choose hiking routes that are 5 miles, 6.4 miles or 7.5 miles long.

3. Play flashlight tag or play with fireflies. On these warm days, sometimes it’s best to get outside when the sun has set. Try some nighttime games once the temperature has cooled down by playing flashlight tag or chasing after fireflies! What better way is there to welcome in the summer?

4. Give your dog/car a bath. Grab some water and suds and give your pooch or vehicle a much needed bath. It’s just a matter of time before you have as much water on you as your dog or car does! You’ll walk away feeling productive, but also cooled down. Or if you don’t want to give your dog a bath, try getting a small kiddie pool and play with Fido in the pool!

5. Rent a canoe or kayak. Try renting a boat at the one of many jersey canoe and kayak rentals, such as Mick’s Canoe Rental where you can kayak on the rivers of Wharton State Forest, or the Princeton Canoe and Kayak Rental which provides you access to Carnegie Lake. These rental places provide you both the boats as well as places to actually use them!

6. Play Marco Polo even if you don’t have a pool! As long as you have a yard and a water gun, you can play Marco Polo. The person playing Marco can use a water gun, and instead of tagging people, they simply need to squirt others with the water gun. Soon everyone will be wet and having fun!

7. Make a giant DIY Slip N’ Slide. The DIY Slip N’ Slide by The Relaxed Home School uses some simple, easy to get items like a plastic roll and pool noodles in order to create an amazing slip and slide! This will give you a higher powered, much larger slip and slide than one you would buy at the store, and without breaking the bank!

8. Tie Dye some t-shirts. Grab the tie dye and get creative with t-shirts or bandanas for your whole family. It’s sure to be a fun activity, and you can hose each other down afterwards to get any dye off of you. Better yet, make some smoothies or lemonade to drink as you make your shirts.

 

happy, how to, good day, fresh start, happiness
How to Make Every Day a Good Day
 How to Make Every Day a Good Day 800 667 Emilie
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We all wonder how to make each day as positive as possible. The internet is littered with articles about the best morning rituals and daily activities- from meditation, to tea drinking, to exercising- we tend to hear the same suggestions that will supposedly revolutionize our lives. The problem with these methods is that it gives us a to-do list, which when completed, should bring us happiness. This premise relies on certain assumptions: that drinking tea will make us healthier or more relaxed, and that meditation will make us more introspective and in tune with ourselves. However, assuming that these methods are the proper methods for each unique person is a drastic leap.

Instead, we need to be looking at the end goals, which will allow us to create a custom plan for ourselves. For instance, do not necessarily spend months meditating every day with the goal of becoming more in tune with your self and your surroundings. Instead, understand your goal and experiment with methods for reaching it. Perhaps the way you are best able to be in tune with yourself and others is through writing, or painting, or hiking. We must realize that we are all different, and thus reach the same end through different means.

This point is made well by Peter Drucker in his Harvard Business Review article, Managing Oneself. Although Drucker applies these ideas in a business sense, versus applying these ideas for personal growth, the point remains the same. He mentions how we all learn differently, work differently, have different values/focuses, etc. He says that many people are not aware of their natural tendencies, but think that they are. You can read the entirety of his article here at hbr.org.

Drucker suggests that in order to truly understand your personal tendencies, the most effective solution is to keep a journal, or use some other self reflective method over time. By noting the way various scenarios effect you, you will be able to look back with more objectivity than subjective feelings within the moment. You will get to see if drinking tea really made you more relaxed, instead of simply thinking I really feel this green tea relaxing me. The same idea can be applied to the pursuit of happiness. Focus on the goals you would like to achieve (like relaxation) and try methods for yourself. Keep a journal and eventually, you will learn what is actually the best method for you to personally use.

Overall, while we strive for each of these goals, we must remember that there is no “one size fits all.” Reading lists about ways to improve family communications or life purpose will certainly give you ideas on how to find those things, but they are not the only methods, and they very likely may not be methods that work for you.

For instance, improving physical health does not mean 30 minutes of cardio a day and weights 3 times a week. It does not mean interval training or intense workouts to try to get that “beach bod.” What it does mean is altering your exercise regime and diet in a way that makes you feel physically in-tune with yourself. If you are always out of breath, try some cardio. If you are always stiff, try some yoga. Focus on diets and exercises which target ways in which you can feel better, not the latest fitness craze.

Similarly, improving mental health does not mean doing de-stressing exercises or creating goal lists for yourself. It may mean this, but not necessarily. If you have been feeling restless recently, try engaging yourself in a new, more challenging job or project. If you feel worn out, try seeking a more positive, rejuvenating environment to spend part of your day in.

No matter what part of your life you are trying to improve, remember to keep that journal. Write down how each activity makes you feel. Down the road you can see if any effects were truly there, and how long lasting they were. And more than anything, remember not to force anything which isn’t working for you. Meditation doesn’t have to make you feel relaxed, Interval Training doesn’t have to make you feel physically healthier. Each one of us is different, so remember to start focusing on the results, and not just the trends.

Photo Courtesy Yann (talk) - Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7866365
weekend, jersey, drive in movie, strawberry picking, hiking, tubing, deleware river, princeton festival
5 Things to do in Jersey this Weekend
 5 Things to do in Jersey this Weekend 960 640 Emilie
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With the weather getting warmer, we can’t wait to get outside in our spare time. So we decided to bring you our top 5 favorite things to do this weekend in NJ that will get you fresh air in the outdoors.

1. Go tubing on the Deleware. With the warm weather expected this weekend, why not go tubing on the Deleware River? Just like a giant “Lazy River,” tubing is a fun way to cool down on a hot day (it’s going to be 87 degrees this Sunday)! On the Deleware you’ll hit a few small rapids, just enough to make you speed up through a few sections of the river. However, it’s still very gentle, and the small rapids are easily avoidable. Both double and single tubes are available, as well as different length trips. You can go tubing with River Country Tubing, located on the PA side of the river, or Deleware River Tubing located on the Jersey side. Whichever group you tube with, you can stop for icecream, hotdogs and snacks at The Famous River Hot Dog Man, located on the side of the river and accessible only from the river.

2. Take a hike. Jersey has so many great hikes, and many of us have hiked so few of them! Perhaps my personal favorite jersey hike is Pinwheel Vista, which offers a lookout from Wawayanda Mountain. It’s cool because you get to see so many different things on the same hike. You will start on a boardwalk through a marshy area, cross a suspension bridge, go through cow fields, cross a train track, and eventually, hike up the actual mountain. The difficulty ranges greatly, with a lot of the hike being a casual stroll. But once you hit the mountain, it will rise steeply and quickly. However, it’s still very doable for those who don’t regularly hike. This is a well traveled hiking trail (with everyone from casual day hikers to AT thru hikers) so it’s a good one to do before high schools let out for the summer and the summer hiking season gets really busy. Length: 7.3 miles. Parking: N41 14.084 W74 28.852. If you aren’t interested in Pinwheel Vista, try a hike at the Delaware Water Gap, Hacklebarney Park, or a range of other nearby trails.

3. Go to a Drive-In Movie. While not technically in Jersey, Becky’s Drive In sits right on the edge of Pennsylvania. One of the few drive-ins left in the area, Becky’s has multiple screens and each ticket will allow you to stay through multiple movies. This weekend, screen 1 will be showing Finding Dory and Alice Through the Looking Glass, and screen 2 will be showing Central Intelligence followed by the Conjuring 2.

4. Strawberry Harvest Festival. This is the last weekend for Alstede Farm‘s Strawberry Harvest Festival! Both Saturday and Sunday, Alstede will open at 11 AM and close at 5 AM. Here you can pick your own strawberries or buy some of the farm’s fresh made treats: including strawberry shortcake, pies, fudge and icecream. There will also be pony rides, hay rides, a moon bounce and more!

5. Princeton Festival. Head over to the Princeton Festival in central Jersey. This weekend you can listen to the opera performance by Peter Grimes, or listen to the organ recital by Kristiaan Seynhave. After attending the performances, walk around the beautiful town and Princeton Campus, go shopping, or grab some icecream at The Bent Spoon.

 

 

physical, activity, exercise, motivation
Why Your Exercise Motivation is Low: And How to Fix It
 Why Your Exercise Motivation is Low: And How to Fix It 960 685 Emilie
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Exercising more is one of those things that we all know we should do, but is difficult for many of us to follow through on. Even though we may want to exercise, finding the motivation to actually do it can be a challenge. But the key to motivation starts by first understanding the reasons behind your lack of motivation. By understanding exactly why it’s difficult for you to get moving each day, you will soon be able to hit the gym with far more ease. The best part? Not one of these methods gives you a time duration or number of reps you must hit each day.

1. Gender Differences. Research has shown that males tend to report greater exercise motivation than females. After devising various motivating reasons for exercising, it was shown that this gender difference results for primarily two reasons. Although males and females find similar motivation for reasons like improving body image, males find greater motivation to exercise with the goal of 1) improving their sex life, and 2) having more energy to do chores around the house.

How to Fix it: Identify multiple reasons you want to be in shape. In order to close this gender gap, try trading some chore roles with your SO, so that both of you are engaged in more physically demanding chores that might encourage you to exercise. Additionally, both genders can try writing out different reasons for exercising: improving quality of life, decrease risk of disease, controlling weight, lowering blood pressure, sleeping better, improving your sex life, having fun with family and friends, feeling relaxed, feeling happier, etc: and identify which are the most important to you. Finding several important motivating factors makes it easier to self-motivate than simply exercising because your doctor told you to or because you want to fit into that bikini. It is easy to lose motivation over one goal, but more difficult over several strong and varying goals.

2. You’re only intrinsically motivated. When it comes to exercise, most of us are fueled by intrinsic motivation. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. However, while this intrinsic motivation encourages us to exercise for several important reasons, it decreases the amount we care about exercising the second our intrinsic motivation goes away.

How to fix it: Increase your extrinsic motivation. There are several ways to do this, the most obvious may be setting external goals. Take out that pedometer or Fitbit and challenge your friends. Or agree to take that new kickboxing class with someone. By doing these activities with friends, you are more likely to follow through. If you like exercising on your own, use personal motivators: for instance, make yourself run to Starbucks for your next coffee run (using a latte or frappe as a reward). There are now Craft Beer Races: 5ks which reward you with craft beer and live music once your run is complete. Whatever motivates you, use it as a goal for yourself! Any goal that rewards you for exercising will act as external motivation. Another way to increase your external motivation is by focusing on the disease diminishing effects of exercise. This is an incredibly important aspect of exercise, but we often forget about it, focusing instead on our physical appearance or ability to feel happier post-exercise.

3. Your exercises are focused on weight loss/shape. A lot of us fall into this trap. When we exercise, we focus on exercises that focus on our physical weight or shape so that we feel better about our physical appearance. But research shows that although exercise normally increases positive body image, this is hindered when our exercise is focused on physical appearance. This can make it more and more difficult to exercise the next time around.

How to fix it: Change your focus. Even if your main goal is to alter your body weight/shape, stop focusing on this in your workouts. It will make it more and more difficult to workout each subsequent time, and overall, you will achieve the appearance benefits you want more quickly by being regularly active than sticking to a specific, unenjoyable workout schedule. Instead, choose exercises that you enjoy and get your blood pumping. There are plenty of more enjoyable activities you can pursue that help your cardio or strength, without focusing on a certain number of reps.

4. You’re not working out hard enough. This is probably the opposite of what anyone will tell you when you’re trying to get the motivation to workout more. They will tell you to start small, and that any activity is better than none. And this is absolutely true! Perhaps counter-intuitively, however, motivation for your following workout session will be higher if you worked out more intensely last time. Perhaps this is because vigorous activity leads to more enjoyment benefits than lighter exercise: such as release of endorphins.

How to fix it: Focus on fun. I’m not about to tell you to have a really hard workout every day with tons of burpees and push-ups. In fact, that’s the exact opposite of what sounds enjoyable or motivating. Instead, I will tell you to focus on what activities are fun, because the more you are enjoying yourself, the harder you are going to workout. Go play tennis or some ultimate frisbee with a friend. Go outside and play with your dog, or have a water gun fight with your kids. Just the other day our Director of Technology, Brian, put his Fitbit on his young son, and he proceeded to rack up over 20,000 steps that day! If you’ve ever seen a child outside playing, you will see them run around, then stop when they’re tired, and then get right back to running. Start focusing on fun instead of how long you “have” to be doing the activity for. You will break a sweat in no time and end up being more active. Choose activities you want to do or learn, not a 30 minute block of time you have to be active.

5. You’re choosing the wrong exercise program or activity. A lot of trendy exercise programs aren’t sustainable. This is because people participate in them because they’re simply the latest craze, not because they actually enjoy the activity. When choosing a new activity or program, several key factors have been found to be motivating: that the activity is 1. Interactive, 2. Challenging, 3. Competitive, and 4. Social.

How to fix it: Find an activity that is interactive, challenging, competitive and social. This is certainly a long and difficult list to meet. However, it is not impossible. Challenging does not necessarily mean physically demanding, it could simply mean that the activity encompasses difficult skills to master. These other attributes: interactive, competitive and social, are best met through different games. Try getting a few new heart-pumping games for your wii fit, or join a nearby casual sports league. If these don’t appeal to you, just grab some friends or family to play a game at a nearby park. Any activity that has a competitive aspect built in (no matter how casually competitive) it will make the activity more fun and engaging.

6. You’re comparing yourself in the wrong way. Comparing yourself to others or valuing innate athletic talent is a surefire method to decrease your motivation. We already know the negative emotional effects of comparing yourself to others, but it also drastically harms your motivation. This is because the more we compare ourselves to others, the more we look at athletic ability as innate (thinking someone is just naturally faster or stronger than you). But in reality, we can greatly improve our athletic ability if we are motivated to do so.

How to fix it: Work towards your own goals. Focus on improving upon your personal goals. Set a step count each day, and slowly try to increase it. Work towards exercising within your optimal heart rate zone. Work to increase the time, intensity, accuracy or skill level of your workout. Whatever you do, stop comparing your own workouts or your physical appearance to others. Remember that everyone has a different athletic background, and other people have played more sports or spent more time on cardio or weights than you. Start looking at being active as a skill to achieve instead of something some people have and some people don’t. The more you work at it, the better you will become.

So get out there and start sweating! Remember to stop focusing on how long your workout is or the number of reps you’ve accomplished, and start focusing on the fun of the activity. From setting goals and rewards for yourself, to being aware of your reasons for being active, these suggestions are sure to get you more and more active with each day!

Lowenstein, J.A.S., K. Wright, A. Taylor, and N. J. Moberly. "An Investigation into the Effects of Different Types of Exercise on the Maintenance of Approach Motivation Levels." Mental Health and Physical Activity 9 (2015): n. pag. Web.
Homan, Kristin J., and Tracy L. Tylka. "Appearance-based Exercise Motivation Moderates the Relationship between Exercise Frequency and Positive Body Image." Body Image 11.2 (2014): n. pag. Web
Al Kubaisy, Waqar, Mariam Mohamad, Zaliha Ismail, and Nik Nairan Abdullah. "Gender Differences: Motivations for Performing Physical Exercise among Adults in Shah Alam." Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences202 (2015): n. pag. Web.
Moreno, Juan A., David Gonzalez-Cutre, Alvaro Sicilia, and Christopher M. Spray. "Motivation in the Exercise Setting: Integrating Constructs from the Approach–avoidance Achievement Goal Framework and Self-determination Theory." Psychology of Sport and Exercise 11.6 (2010): n. pag. Web.
Breland, Hazel L., Hon K. Yuen, Laura K. Vogtle, Katy Holthaus, Diane L. Kamen, and David Sword. "The Process Associated with Motivation of a Home-based Wii Fit Exercise Program among Sedentary African American Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus." Disability and Health Journal 6.1 (2013): n. pag. Web.
brain teaser, trivia, power of the brain, morning
5 Brainteasers to Get Your Brain Moving this Morning
 5 Brainteasers to Get Your Brain Moving this Morning 960 678 Emilie
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Here at United Eventures, we love our brain teasers! We use brain teasers and trivia in all types of events, from our Trivia Nights where trivia is the main focus, to our Geotrekking where you can find brain teasers or trivia at various checkpoints. So whether you are looking to improve your brain teaser skills for your next United Eventure, or you’re simply looking for a way to exercise your brain in the morning, we found 5 great brain teasers just for you!

 

Under The Radar
Thanks Henry D

Spell radar

Spell the word RADAR.
Start on any R.
Advance in any direction, forwards or backwards.
Follow the lines from letter to letter.
You can not skip letters.
Question:
How many different ways can you spell RADAR?

Which number replaces the question mark ?

Non Verbal Reasoning Brain Teaser

Brain Teaser to test Spatial visualization ability

How many blocks do you see ? #riddle #riddles:

Answers

Try not to peak!

  1. RADAR problem: 80 Ways. Can’t get to 80? Hint, you can reuse the same A and R twice per word. Try finding the total from one corner, and then multiply by four.
  2. Number question mark problem: 9. The sum of every square is 22.
  3. Letter question mark problem: O. The letters at the front of the alphabet correspond with those in the back- A corresponding with with Z, B with Y, C with X.
  4. Folding cube problem: D.
  5. Block problem: 9 blocks.
Brain teaser 1 Courtesy: http://www.pedagonet.com/brain/SpellRadar1.html
Brain teaser 2 Courtesy: http://funthingstodowhenbored.com/riddle/brain-teasers-solver-4th-square-by-looking-on-others
Brain teasers 3&4 Courtesy: http://www.funwithpuzzles.com/2015/06/non-verbal-reasoning-test-with-answers.html
Brain teaser 5 Courtesy: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/305400418459642631/

 

feng shui, workplace, work, desk, productivity, positive energy
10 Ways to Increase Productivity through Feng Shui-ing Your Workplace
 10 Ways to Increase Productivity through Feng Shui-ing Your Workplace 960 640 Emilie
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We all know that having a clean, tidy desk can make us feel more organized and productive. But often the days get busy and it’s hard to prioritize the cleanliness of our work spaces. However, with these simple tips, we provide you some easy ways to increase your productivity and positivity by easy changes to your workplace environment. Each tip revolves around the practice of feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice which utilizes the rearrangement of objects in specific locations in order to maximize a positive flow of energy. By following feng shui principles, it can create a warmer, more productive place for us to do our job in. The best part? These changes alter the very flow of your workplace, so even when it gets a little messy, you will still have a better place to work in.

1. Orient your desk so that it faces the door. This helps for two reasons. First, it means that you will face people as they enter your office, making you feel more grounded and in control. This is why it is referred to as the “command position.” Second, it will mean that any client or coworker who enters your office will see your face as they enter, making them feel more comfortable. You do not need to be perfectly in front of the door, but you should be looking at it, from the opposite wall.

2. Keep nature prevalent in your office. This can include a small aquarium, plants, or wind chimes; all of which embrace one of the five elements as according to feng shui. Experiment with putting things on different walls/corners of your office, because various placements may have a better flow than others.

3. Be aware of pointed or irregular objects. Feng shui seeks to increase positive energy called chi. The opposite of chi, called sha chi, increases the flow of negative energy. Sha chi is present through irregular and pointed objects, especially when these irregular shapes are in places that infringe on your workspace. For instance, make sure pointed edges of your desks and tables aren’t pointed towards you or clients as they enter. Be aware of how branches outside your window or shadows from buildings outside interfere with your indoor space. Try rearranging what’s inside your workspace to make sure such shadows and outdoor objects interrupt your workplace in less intrusive ways.

4. Increase circular, softer edges. In opposition to sha chi’s relation to straight lines and pointed edges, you can find chi through softer shapes, like circular and soft edges. These shapes are meant to increase flow and circulation, instead of abruptly disrupting flow.

5. Use mirrors. A lot of the time we can’t remove sharp edges in our workplace. We work around a lot of things with sharp edges: desks, computers, filing cabinets. Sharp angles and long straight lines tend to increase the “speed” at which chi travels around the room, making it feel more negative. In order to reduce the speed and make chi travel more slowly, utilize mirrors in your workplace to make it travel more gently.

6. Embrace sense of smell. Smell is a far more powerful tool than we think. In fact, we hardly ever remember how much smell can do! Smell can help with memory, and importantly here, it can help with clarity. Specifically, feng shui believes that citrusy and peppermint based smells with help increase mental clarity in the workplace. You can use candles, fragrant sprays or incense to help put these smells in your office.

7. Learn the importance of color and cardinal directions. In accordance to feng shui, each of the five elements (fire, water, earth, wood, and metal) are associated to different colors and cardinal directions, each of which are attached to certain meaning. Depending on what you want your space to emphasize, you can choose to pay extra attention to these cardinal directions and colors. But remember, feng shui is built around balance. The best workplace will find a balance of all of these elements.

  1. Wood– Creation and Growth- East- Green
  2. Fire– Power- South- Red
  3. Earth- Agriculture- Center- Yellow
  4. Metal– Money- West- Grey and White
  5. Water– Communication- North- Black

8. Remove objects of your “past life.” Are there pictures on your desk with friends you don’t see anymore? Are there awards on your wall from activities you are no longer involved in? Remove these pieces of your past life and embrace pictures and reminders of what currently is bringing you joy in life. By surrounding your office with memories from the past, this creates stagnant energy instead of creating a positive, moving flow of energy which could be embraced by what you currently find exciting and moving.

9. Keep as little on your desk as possible. According to feng shui, energy in your workspace is the most positive when you only keep what you absolutely need on it. That means your computer, phone, pencil holder, maybe a stapler and only the few pieces of paper you need. Imagine how fresh the energy in your office would feel if you only pulled out a file as you needed to use it, and then it went right back in a filing cabinet. Keep your coffee and laptop handy, but keep everything else hidden away until you absolutely need it. And then, remember to put it back away after.

10. Clear out that clutter. Okay, I know I said these are suggestions that help despite clutter, and they do! However, your flow of energy is never going to be as positive as possible as long as you have clutter around. Spend one day filing away anything that is an older project which you are not currently working on. Keeping around these old projects in your line of vision is the ultimate way to feel stagnant energy. By organizing and decluttering, it keeps the energy around you light and fresh.

So there it is! By keeping the energy around you warm and light, it will help not only your productivity, but also your positivity. And the best part is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do it. Feng shui principles can easily be embraced with spending very little money, or no money at all. It’s all about rearranging and understanding flow. So good luck with your new and improved workspaces!

Samborn, Hope V. "Go With the Flow: Tapping into Positive Energy in Office Decor through Feng Shui Principles." American Bar Association Journal 87.10 (2001): 76-77. Web.
Bonaiuto, Marino, Elena Bilotta, and Angela Stolfa. "'Feng Shui' and Environmental Psychology: A Critical Comparison." Journal of Architectural and Planning Research 27.1 (2010): 23-24. Web.
Leffler, David. "BEING SOLO: How to Feng Shui Your Law Office." GPSolo 27.5 (2010): 58-59. Web.
meetings, workplace, efficiency, productivity
How to Make Your Meetings More Effective
 How to Make Your Meetings More Effective 960 319 Emilie
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No one gets excited for meetings. Each one marks a time on your calendar that you are forced to delay all other work, postponing what you’ve been working on to update others about your progress. Anyone who has ever run a meeting knows the challenges: to keep people focused, to keep people engaged, to cover everything you need to without letting the meeting get too lengthy. But at the end of the day, meetings are important. They allow us to flush out bad ideas, brainstorm new, innovative ideas, and organize everyone so they feel like they are on the same page. But how do we ensure that each meeting is a successful one? How do we keep people engaged, while still being productive? Luckily for you, we have searched articles and research papers to bring to you the best advice to make your next meeting a great one.

Increase Information Availability. A recent study by the Journal of Business Research showed that meetings can actually be a key way to increase empowerment within employees. However, it relies on one key factor. Specifically, empowering meetings rely on information availability. The easier it is for employees to easily access the information they need, the more productive the meeting will be. Additionally, it will allow employees to feel like they achieved more throughout the meeting, causing them to feel more empowered and positive about the next meeting.

Reduce Status Updating and Increase Problem Solving. A recent study analyzing stand up meetings collected interviews and empirical data from over 70 meetings, and analyzed the most positive and negative contributing factors for each meeting. It showed that employees feel more positively about meetings when they focus on information sharing and problem solving/discussion. However, they felt negatively about meetings that focused around status updating, and were long in duration. Aim to keep a schedule of what you need to discuss each meeting, and work to stick to this schedule in as short a time as possible. Additionally, establishing a way in which your employees can update superiors through quick technological means will allow for less time in each meeting to be spent on status updating, and more time to be allowed for problem solving.

Take a Walk. Here at United Eventures, we love the Ted Talk by Nilofer Merchant, which you can find on our About Us page. Merchant talks about the sedentary lifestyle that so many of us live in the modern age. She mentions a time when she was asked to meet with someone as he walked his dog. She has applied this idea to create “walking meetings” which means that less and less of her meetings are done in an office. Not only has she felt like she is being more active, but also that a walking meeting allows people to be less entrenched in their views, and has actually led people to talk in a more collaborative, agreeable manner. Although this cannot be used for all meetings, it is a great idea for catch-up or brainstorming meetings. Try carrying a notepad or voice recorder to catch important information and new ideas.

Optimize Your Virtual Meetings. Virtual meetings have been used extensively for many useful reasons. However, when applied improperly, virtual meetings can be frustrating, increase confusion, or waste time. A recent study demonstrated three main components to a successful virtual meeting. 1) Look at your worker’s perception of productivity. Do your workers feel like the virtual meetings are increasing productivity? Believe it or not, this perception is actually just as important as the actual productivity during the meeting itself. 2) Create clear behavioral steps for how your employees should use the technology and act during virtual meetings. Behavioral steps should outline a company’s policies and guidelines of how people should behave within virtual meetings. Currently, far less ownership exists within virtual meetings as compared to on-site meetings, and this will work to close that gap. 3) Focus on your company’s virtual maturity. The more exposure and experience your company has to virtual meetings, the more successful each one will be (which makes sense). Companies that are equipped to have external virtual meetings will be far more successful with their internal ones. A general rule of thumb is if you don’t feel comfortable using your technology or organization methods for an external virtual meeting, you should not be using these tactics and technology for your internal meetings. Overall, the implementation of virtual meetings may show an immediate increase in productivity, decreased travel time, etc. but this will eventually level off. Virtual maturity means that you must work to transition your virtual meetings past the replacement stage (in which you are simply using these types of meetings in place of on-site meetings) and transitioning to an integration stage. Remember that virtual meetings are different from on-site ones, and your company should be developing techniques and policies that work specifically for virtual meetings. Using virtual meetings simply because people are in different locations is not virtual maturity. Instead, utilize tools that transition virtual meetings into something that allows for effective collaboration.

Lindeblad, Peter A., Yuliya Voytenko, Oksana Mont, and Peter Arnfalk. "Advancing Sustainable Solutions: An Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Research Agenda." Journal of Cleaner Production 123 (2016): n. pag. Web.

Allen, Joseph A., Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock, and Stephanie J. Sands. "Meetings as a Positive Boost? How and When Meeting Satisfaction Impacts Employee Empowerment." Journal of Business Research (2016): n. pag. Web.

Stray, Viktoria, Dag I.K. Sjøberg, and Tore Dybå. "The Daily Stand-up Meeting: A Grounded Theory Study." Journal of Systems and Software114 (2016): n. pag. Web.
work-life, balance, family, happiness, career
Finally Attainable? Research Shows How to Achieve a Work-Life Balance
 Finally Attainable? Research Shows How to Achieve a Work-Life Balance 960 640 Emilie
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The ever unattainable work-life balance: we all search for it, but finding it is a different story. The more that happens in our lives: becoming married, having children, receiving promotions, the more we worry we will be unable to balance all that is on our plate. But, believe it or not, research demonstrates no correlation between marital status, presence of children, or even age of children on typical perceived work-life balance. With this in mind, we can know that even with a busy family life, we can still attain harmony: we just have to know how.

Try mindfulness exercises. Studies have shown that increased mindfulness correlates with a better work-life balance. Mindfulness refers to the ancient Buddhist idea of being present in the moment: paying attention to the sounds, feelings, smells, and sights within the present moment. Whether washing the dishes or taking a shower, mindfulness focuses on the beauty and senses within each moment. Luckily, the internet contains many suggestions for methods to improve your mindfulness. We particularly like the articles and methods from Tiny Buddha and Della Terra Wellness.

Focus on your sleep. It also has been demonstrated that sleep quality mediates the relationship between mindfulness and work-life balance. We all know that sleep is important, and the last thing a busy person wants to be told is to spend more time sleeping. But here is yet another reason why it is so important, so remember to get your 7-8 hours a night! Additionally, pay attention to the quality of your sleep. Nowadays, there is a lot of technology at your fingertips to track how well you are actually sleeping. Take a look at your Fitbit’s sleep data, or try  apps from the Apple Store like SleepCycle or SleepBot.

Talk to Your Partner. Support from your partner is crucial in being able to maintain that work-life balance. Keep the communication open and frequent with your partner. Admit challenges you are having at work or at home. Being honest about the struggles you have in both aspects of your life, as well as any difficulties you have balancing the two, will allow you to more easily handle the challenges of your hectic life.

Turn to your Coworkers. Not only is partner support incredibly important, but so is coworker support. As the only people who truly know what you are going through at work, make sure you are choosing to befriend coworkers who are supportive and caring. As much as you can, try to work alongside coworkers that you can rely on when it comes to work crises, it will make your life less stressful if you don’t have to worry about every crisis that arises.

Be aware of your workplace environment. Whether or not we want to admit it, sometimes the workplace we are in will prevent us from achieving this balance. Research shows that employees have the best work-life balance when they are with a company that has a positive organizational structure. This includes the following factors: 1) allowing employees enough freedom so that they do not feel like they always have to check or receive approval for their actions, 2) motivating employees through reward instead of punishment, 3) consistently being open to many different opinions, and 4) embracing employees as part of the identity of the company.

Let go of control. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the more you try to control both your work and family life, the more it leads to conflict between the two. A recent study from the European Management Journal shows that seemingly positive traits, such as self-direction and achievement, are actually associated with a decrease in work-life balance. When we attempt to keep both our work life and family life perfect, we get stressed out when there are issues in either one. We then perform less well in both parts of our life, resulting in a damaging, cyclical pattern. Instead, we must remember that neither our work life or family life will be perfect. In fact, even if we devoted our time solely to one of these parts of our lives, problems would still arise. It is not until we stop trying to will our control over everything that we will achieve a more harmonious balance between the two.

Panisoara, Georgeta, and Mihaela Serban. "Marital Status and Work-life Balance." Procedia- Social and Behavioral Sciences 38 (2013): n. pag. Web.
Chernyak-Hai, Lily, and Aharon Tziner. "The “I Believe” and the “I Invest” of Work-Family Balance: The Indirect Influences of Personal Values and Work Engagement via Perceived Organizational Climate and Workplace Burnout." Revista De Psicología Del Trabajo Y De Las Organizaciones32.1 (2016): n. pag. Web.
Allen, Tammy D., and Kaitlin M. Kiburz. "Trait Mindfulness and Work–family Balance among Working Parents: The Mediating Effects of Vitality and Sleep Quality." Journal of Vocational Behavior 80.2 (2012): n. pag. Web.
Ferguson, Merideth, Dawn Carlson, Suzanne Zivnuska, and Dwayne Whitten. "Support at Work and Home: The Path to Satisfaction through Balance." Journal of Vocational Behavior 80.2 (2012): n. pag. Web.

 

Ted Talk, Shawn Achor, Happiness, Work, Success
How to Find Happiness in Your Work
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Here at United Eventures, we are all about promoting teamwork and camaraderie, so that going into work each day is something you love to do. We think it’s important for everyone to enjoy the work that they do, and appreciate the successes they have made. For this reason, we wanted to share researcher and bestselling author Shawn Achor’s inspiring Ted Talk with you. Achor discusses a major mistake we make by assuming that we will attain happiness if only we gain the success we are looking for. He says that every time succeed at one goal, we raise that goal so that we once again have to work for success. In this way, if happiness is on the other side of success, we will never reach it.

Achor lists several ways that we can find happiness that helps us achieve success, instead of success helping us achieve happiness:

  1. 3 Gratitudes: Each day, write three new things that you are thankful for.
  2. Journaling: Each day, write about one positive thing that has happened over the last 24 hours.
  3. Exercise
  4. Meditation
  5. Random Acts of Kindness: Write one positive email or text each day saying something kind to someone you know.

Achor offers each of these suggestions so that we can find happiness to improve our work, instead of creating an endless cyclical relationship between success and un-fulfillment. Comment below with your thoughts about Achor’s talk!

 

 

business, collaboration, soft skills, teamwork
6 Soft Skills Every Leader Needs
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We all know the importance of technical skills and experience, but what may be even more important is those “soft skills” that make up the person behind resume. It is easy to underestimate the importance of these personality based skills, but it is these skills that allow for harmonious collaboration amongst team members. Possessing technical abilities is just a small piece of the puzzle, which cannot be employed without the proper soft skills. Below we composed a list of the most effective and useful soft skills that everyone, from new employee to CEO, should learn the value of. Each one reflects a way to turn ideas into actionable steps which will get the most out of your employees.

1. Understand values and atmosphere. Every company has its own vibe, ethics, priorities, goals and atmosphere. Often we don’t think about how our priorities, values, etc. align with those of our company. When our feelings unknowingly do not line up with those of our company, it results in tension and frustration when we feel like an outsider within our own place of work. Spend some time devising a list of these key attributes. What values do you prioritize in a workplace? What goals do you believe a company should emphasize? What type of atmosphere should a company have? Casual? Professional? Then devise a list answering the same questions on behalf of your company. Devise a list of ways your employees might answer these questions. By being aware of these differences in point of view between you, your company, and fellow employees, you will more easily understand the frustrations of you and your employees. In order to work on this incongruity, try adapting your company’s goals, priorities or atmosphere to be more accommodating for your employees. If you are an employee yourself, try to find tasks and goals to work on which better mesh with your priorities.

2. Know how to convey your message. Years ago, studies by Albert Mehrabian developed the classic 7%-38%-55% rule.  The rule explains what people actually pay attention to when you talk: concluding that they put 38% importance in the tonality of your comment, 55% in the body language you use, and only 7% in what you are actually saying. It is thus important to remember that what you are saying to people is far less important than the way you are saying it. An employee will actually be left with a more positive experience if you give them constructive criticism with positive tonality and body language, than if you compliment them using a flat affect. Thus, it is important to remember how your comments are actually being interpreted. Work on your tonality and body language when providing constructive criticism, and your employees will be far more receptive and eager to improve.

3. Know what questions and topics to discuss. Whether you are in a meeting or writing an email, know how to pose questions and topics in the most positive way. Each question should be geared towards finding areas of commonality and collaboration amongst your team. For instance, let’s say you are trying to reformulate your company’s webpage. There are multiple ways you could pose this to your team.

Example 1: I’ve decided to change the header of our website to a larger font. Is everyone okay with this?

Example 2: I’m working on ways to improve our website’s homepage. For instance, I think it would be useful to increase the font of our header. What are your thoughts? What other ideas do people have?

Example 3: I’ve decided to change the header of our website to a larger font. What does everyone think about that idea?

The first version, while still attempting to be inclusive, does not truly aim at collaboration. It is posed as a yes/no question, and seeks for a quick resolution. The second version attempts to engage the group, genuinely valuing each person’s suggestion, making the second example better than the first. The third example is less optimal than the second; however, it is still an improvement over the first example. This third version elicits a less lengthy group conversation than the second example. Thus, it still aims for a quick resolution, but is more inclusive than the yes/no question in example one. By learning to optimally phrase questions, avoiding yes/no phrasing, your team will feel more comfortable voicing concerns and questions. This will overall create a more positive and effective workplace, in which your team can more easily reach agreement on new ideas.

4. Self Management. Be efficient with the time you have, set clear and concise goals. Each of us are given the same amount of time in a day, and often it is easy to be overwhelmed with the amount you have to do. When we become exhausted by our amount of work, it is easy to coast through, accomplishing the bare minimum and using time ineffectively. By setting goals for yourself, you will work more productively and feel more rewarded at the end of the day. By transforming your job into goals you set for yourself instead of goals your company sets for you, you will end up feeling more accomplished at the end of each day. Incidentally, taking this initiative will lead to greater success for your company.

5. Be a “Big Thinker.” Stop focusing on small errors, and start focusing on the big picture goals and accomplishments for your company and team. If your project hits a bump in the road, focus on the ways your end goals or timelines have changed, not the error that caused it. If you have an employee that is continuously making errors, work on coaching them through these challenges. By setting an example for your team that it is more important to focus on the big picture than smaller mistakes, it will lead to an increase in professionalism throughout the workplace and change the way people innately react to a seemingly negative situation.

6. Negotiation Skills. Often times when one party begins to negotiate, it results in conflict as the other party resists. The first party feels like they are not being heard, and that no one is trying to accommodate their concerns. When negotiating with employees, try to actually understand and care about what they are saying. Listen to each point they make, getting to the heart of the problem, not just the requests they are making. Make sure your employee knows you want to help, even if you can’t. And remember, that negotiations require compromise on both sides.

Luo, Tracy. "The Negotiation Skills of Workplace Professionals." Morgan McKinley. N.p., 31 Aug. 2015. Web.

Calder, Alan. Selling Information Security to the Board: A Primer. 2nd ed. Cambridgeshire: ITGovernance, n.d. Print.

Ducey, Ariel. Never Good Enough: Health Care Workers and the False Promises of Job Training. Ithaca: Cornell UP, n.d. Print.

Reddy, B. Rathan, and B. Supraja Reddy. "Soft Skills for Professional Excellence (Basic Concepts, Instruments and Cases: 3 Modules) Personality Development (Module - I)." Indian Journal of Industrial Relations 42.1 (2006): n. pag. Web.