Have you given up already?

If you are reading this, chances are you either want to create intentions for this year or you’ve already given up on the 2021 intentions you made and want to give yourself a second chance.

Even research shows up to 80-percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.

I hear you..

know that planning and projecting for the year ahead can feel a little challenging.

There is still so much ahead of us that is yet to be defined!

However, if we don’t have clear intentions, focused attention and a plan of action, we could be lowering our chances to get to where we want to be in our career paths.

And that leads to a big, important question:

What do you want your professional career to be this year?

Sometimes, the resolutions we create can be ego-driven, fear-based, or simply inauthentic. We start them with phrases like “I should”or ”I must.” But I invite you to ask yourself this:

What do you want?
What do you really want, need and desire in your professional career this year?
What do you want to manifest and attract?

Year after year, many of us experience the disappointment (and sometimes shame) of unfulfilled resolutions. But today, I want to provide you with a new strategy that could help your 2021 resolutions stick for good.

Are you following me?

We can call this process: “Getting Real!”

The first step is to not start with resolutions or goals.

Goals become a reality when you set your intentions and act them in existence.

Let’s start with intentions first.

Intentions:

Begin by connecting with your truest wants and desires.

Think about what you really want to attract and manifest in your career and life this year. Think from the mind. Then, think from the heart.

Visualize:

Visualize yourself in the present moment, living out your intentions.

Emotions:

Now think about the emotions and feelings you want to experience this year. Take the time to identify and connect with the feelings you’re longing or wishing for.

Behaviors:

Think about the behaviors you want to move away from. Identify those that are not in alignment with your intentions that you’d like to observe. Then identify the behaviors you’ll need to cultivate instead so you can manifest your desires.

Planning:

We know that an intention without a plan is just “wishful thinking.” Let’s commit to specific actions that will help generate a positive impact towards the result we want. Make emphasis on making them specific and time defined.

Scheduling:

Once you are clear about the specific actions you need take in order to honor your intentions, you want to make sure that you are plugging these actions on your calendar.

Accountability:

The final piece of this process is implementing regular accountability and creating some kind of support structure for this. You can hire a coach, join a mastermind group, or create a success/accountability partnership with a friend.

Lastly, and most importantly, stay flexible. Last year taught us that one of the most important traits we can cultivate is the ability to stay flexible and resourceful.

So, keep your intentions close to your mind and heart. Be willing to explore different actions and strategies to help you actualize your intentions.

Knowing and living your intentions can help you develop the resilience to pursue your career goals, escape from your comfort zone and face the fears to live life purposefully and authentically.

Wishing you health and an intention-driven 2021!

Let’s do this!

Your friend and coach,

Ivanna Casado

It was already too late.

IT WAS ALREADY TOO LATE

When I started working with my first Executive Coach it was already too late to learn how to stay in my existing role at the moment.

I had already learned all the tricks on how to bypass my emotions, values and intuition.

“Avoiding Myself” to meet somebody else’s demands, needs and metrics of success had already become a major area of “expertise” for me.

Am I alone here?

I am sure I am not!

And here is the thing, when you do this….you are setting yourself up for absolute failure.

Trying to please everyone is like embarking yourself in a journey that will never end and you won’t always win.

But by also putting other’s people needs first AT ALL TIMES, somehow that translates to your inability to validate your existence as a human being. Your needs, emotions, and your expectations all count and are real despite your lack of validation.

We can blame the entire world for being the victims of burnout and exhaustion but the reality is that you are doing this to yourself and by yourself.

I can call or label this “Pattern” in many ways but the one word that comes to mind that best describes the end result of all this is: “Self-Betrayal” .

Why Self-Betrayal?

Self-betrayal because you are simply denying, neglecting and escaping all the internal messages that are sent your way to take care of yourself and honor your authentic-self.

So, if you are reading this and feeling…OMG…this is me!

Don’t worry! you are not alone.

This is a very common conversation that I have with my clients in session.

So, here are a few things you can practice to start reversing this “People Pleasing” habit/pattern.

Become aware of your emotions.
Don’t judge them.
Allow them to be.
Be curious about them.
Label the emotions.
Do self-inquiry as of why you are experiencing these emotions.
Identify the values/emotions and needs that are on the line.
What are these emotions trying to tell you?
Create an intention to honor your inner-self.
Validate the needs and wants of others and at the same time consider yours as well.
Define your boundaries.

This sounds easy and I know it’s not.

You can start with one or two from this list

Remember, one step in front of the other is always progress!

Be gentle and take it easy.

Awareness, intention and attitude are all elements of living an authentic life.

And guess what? You can start today!

Your friend and coach,

Ivanna.

To learn more about how to work with me CLICK HERE to schedule a complimentary call.

What Does Mindfulness Have to Do With Attention Management?

Yoga. Meditation. Breathwork.

Sounds like a relaxing Saturday afternoon, eh?

That’s what most people think of when mindfulness comes to mind.

While these activities are all mindful, the common factor is being present and aware at any given moment.

Mindfulness refers to paying attention on purpose to what you’re doing while you’re doing it, with kind attention.

One thing most people don’t know is that mindfulness has a direct impact on attention management. Let’s take a deeper look at some questions I often hear from new clients.
What is attention management?
An important question to start with.

Attention management is fundamental to burnout prevention and efficiency. In simple terms, it means identifying priorities, eliminating distractions, and focusing on a single task at a time to optimize productivity and performance. Monitoring and constantly regulating your attention will enable you to work faster and not harder.

In this digital age, it’s never been so easy to get sidetracked, but a few extra windows open in Google and Facebook aren’t worth the hit to your productivity.

According to the University of Southern California, most workers check email for 23 percent of the workday. When two of the University professionals conducted a study by preventing 13 office workers from checking their email for a workweek, while having them wear heart monitors and keeping tabs on their computer time, they found that the participants’ stress went down.

They concluded that the members single-tasked and were more productive than when they checked their email periodically throughout the day, proving the value of attention management.

How cool is that?

How does attention management relate to mindfulness?
If we’re going to talk about attention management, it’s important to understand how it connects to mindfulness.

Mindfulness refers to the full awareness of your state of mind and surroundings. You need mindfulness to train yourself to manage your attention more effectively to increase your overall performance at work.

When you’re focused and conscious of your actions, you’re less likely to multitask and more likely to concentrate. That means:

Better decision-making.
Assertive results.
Reduced stress and anxiety.

How is attention management different from time management?
Simple. You cannot have effective time management skills if you don’t have effective attention management skills. Attention management comes first. You can’t manage or regulate your time if you don’t know how to manage distractions and your attention.

Our minds wander 47 percent of our day. (Crazy, huh?)

If you can’t regulate your attention from past or future-oriented thinking, you won’t be able to regulate your time, either. At the end of the day, that can make you “busy” vs. “effective.”

Recap
Mindfulness is a key component of attention management. It helps you train the muscle of attention so that you’re more than 47 percent in charge of your day. Otherwise, you risk not finishing your to-do list since you multitasked.

If you want to stand out and master your energy and time, you need to learn the tools to be more mindful and to stand out at work.

That’s one of my best tips for attention management.

As an executive, teaching you and your team to practice attention management can improve how fast, well, and happy you work. Implement this system, and get ready to see your team thrive. I’m excited to hear how it works for you.

Unsure where to start in attention management training? Sign up for the Mind Mastery™️ newsletter today for my free, five-step guide to to Mind Mastery.

Autopilot/Mindless at Work vs. Mindful at Work

AUTOPILOT/MINDLESS AT WORK vs. MINDFUL AT WORK

Did you know that, according to the most recent Harvard study, most people are distracted 47% of the time they’re awake?

Ouch!

If I’ve learned anything as an executive coach, it’s that nothing affects productivity and an organization’s bottom line faster than distractions and multitasking. (Organizational Multitasking Costs Global Businesses $450 Billion Each Year*). One way to maintain focus is to work with attention and intention. That’s where mindfulness comes into play.

So, what’s the difference between being on autopilot or mindless at work vs. being mindful at work? I’m glad you asked!.

Autopilot/Mindless at Work vs. Mindful at Work:

Mindfulness means knowing what you’re doing while you are doing it and with kind attention. My clients often approach me looking for ways to be more mindful at work–not just because they want to accomplish more, but also because they want to be more present and in tune with their team.

Let me ask you this:

Are you constantly distracted thinking about something else other than what you’re doing at the moment?
Are you truly present and intentional at work?

Those are important differentiators of being mindless vs. mindful at work. Understanding the difference is a great way to adjust your mindset so that you can be the most authentic leader you can be.

Mindless at Work:

Working on autopilot means doing tasks that you don’t recall having done. Think: not fully present, attentive, or intentional about that task. Basically, it’s when you have other things on your mind (keyword: distractions).

Autopilot or mindlessness looks like:

Thinking about how your second meeting is going to go when you’re still in the first one.
Getting in an elevator full of people while talking loudly on the phone.
Leading an important meeting while writing an email or scrolling through your social media.

Mindful at Work:

Being mindful at work means showing up daily with purpose, acting with integrity, and moving down your to-do list with intention and attention. In other words, everything you do is a conscious choice.

Instead of reacting to the impulse of stress, a mindful executive assertively responds to it. That means that if you’re close to surpassing a deadline, you become present, aware, and quick to find a solution that’s in integrity with your goal. It’s a great mindset to have.

The benefits of mindfulness at work are:

Authentic and meaningful relationships.
Emotional and mental agility.
Improved productivity and efficiency.
Higher profits (as a result).

How can you start incorporating mindfulness at work?

Mindfulness is the key to working smarter, not harder. I teach all the steps to do so in the Mind Mastery™ for Executives Program (used by many corporations, including HSCB and NYL).

Here are some mindfulness at work tips that have helped my clients improve efficiency. I hope you find them handy!

Tip #1: Focus on a task at a time.

According to the American Psychological Association, multitasking can make you 40 percent less productive. That’s because your focus changes when you concentrate on two things at once, so you must remind yourself where you left off, and you lose mental energy in the process.

DO prioritize your tasks, and work without distractions for better results.

Tip #2: Perform mindfulness exercises at work.

If a 15-minute meditation isn’t an option, practice self-awareness one to five seconds throughout the day. It can be as straightforward as inhaling, noticing your surroundings (the colors, patterns, and sounds), and releasing your breath.

DO let yourself be present in the moment.

Recap

The difference between being on autopilot or mindless at work vs. being mindful at work is the awareness it takes. Mindless tasks are done without notice, whereas mindful tasks are done with attention and intention.

Practicing mindfulness has changed the game for many of my clients, and I’m hopeful it can help you, too. When you work with intention and encourage single-tasking to prevent overwhelm, you set yourself up for success while leading a good example. What more can you ask for?

Want more tips on how to implement mindfulness in the workplace? Sign up for my Mind Mastery™ newsletter today for instant access to the free Mindful Weekly Calendar.

*Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-organizational-multitasking-costs-global-businesses-450-billion-each-year-221154011.html

Why I work with an executive coach

WHY I WORK WITH AN EXECUTIVE COACH

Being an executive, you probably have an “always on” and a “be the BEST at all times” kind of mindset – I sure did! But how do you stay in a successful mindset when life gets overwhelming and you’ve lost your drive and connection to your purpose at work?

As an executive I was full of passion and drive to be successful, and fully committed to working towards excellency every day – this focus helped me in my career to reach top executive status!

But when was given a big new project to generate revenue for a startup company, I was also taking care of my newborn baby, and helping my teenage daughter cope with her teen’s years . So, I started to struggle to perform at my best; I didn’t have the energy in me, I was losing the connection I had with my job, and my commitment levels just weren’t there anymore.

It was at that moment I realized that I needed help!

Why?

First, because I didn’t want to lose what I had already worked so hard to build. And second, because I didn’t like not performing at the high level I had the potential for.

That’s when I decided to hire an executive coach, and I’m so glad I did!

Working with a coach showed me how I was experiencing symptoms of burnout which directly affected my priority levels, boundaries, alignment to my core values, and honestly…self-love.

They also helped me with self-awareness; showing me how to see my behaviors and actions that would hold me back (blind spots), and then gave me the proper tools I needed to help reconnect with myself and main motivators again – YAY!

Now, it wasn’t always easy – working with a coach means work! But the results were 2000% worth it!

Does this sound like you…

You’re committed to your own success and to the success of others.
You want to achieve self-mastery and become the best version of yourself.
Your personal/career intentions and expectations aren’t becoming a reality.
You’ve experienced a series of setbacks and are realizing you can’t do it alone.

Why my clients work with me…

To reduce anxiety and stress (Burnout) that they have been living with for so long
To identify and get clarity on what they really want and where to start.
To help reconnect with their values and motivators, and use as leverage to build positive momentum.
To identify and conquer the internal and external barriers that are preventing them to achieve their personal and professional goals.
To create a system that helps them become accountable to achieve their desired goals
To become accountable for change and provide encouragement through the process.
To create new lifestyle conditions that support the sustainability of their achieved goals.

There are times when saying “ YES” defines the rest of your life. My only regret is not having said YES earlier in my life.

Working with an executive coach gives you a safe space to unpack thoughts and emotions, proper structure, a result-oriented approach, and an accountability partner, but if you are not willing to put in the effort that requires change – it won’t really work.

So if you’re committed to personal and professional growth like me, I challenge you to :

Explore new perspectives of yourself
Reframe your reality
Create new meanings and possibilities.
Help create new behaviors that are consistent and in alignment with your dreams and intentions.

Manifesting your “Wish List” requires that you to get real and start taking steps that will lead you to your dreams and aspirations.

If you need help, I’m here for you!

Just contact me HERE for a free consultation today : https://meetme.so/YOURGO-TOCOACH

Click here to get the best resources to minimize burnout and maximize happiness at work:

https://app.flodesk.com/form/5f0dd894d832e40026fdd149/build

Virtual Communication? The birth of a new skill.

VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION. THE BIRTH OF A NEW SKILL

“Virtual everything” has become the new normal and being able to effectively communicate using new platforms can be a challenge!

Before Covid every time I would do a presentation I would get to use my voice, body language, and energy to transfer a message and an emotion on stage. I had the full orchestra with me and felt confident in my overall communication skills.

Today everybody, myself included, is challenged to deliver that same full symphony experience with only a few instruments ie: virtual communication apps.

The demand for improvement in Virtual Communication is real! My executive clients have been coming to me asking for training on Virtual Executive Presence and Public Speaking Skills specifically for Virtual Communication. And, in order to better serve my clients, I even started working with a new coach to help me articulate and enunciate better for my own virtual workshops and presentations.

Today, I wanted to share with you a few things I’ve learned that can help YOU become intentional about your virtual communication and help you improve right away!

Here are 10 things you can do right now to improve your Virtual Communication Skills:

1. Breath: Practice breathing exercises that will allow you to regulate your breath effectively during your presentation.

2. Lighting: Make sure you have enough light on your face so people can make eye contact and can read your facial expressions.

3. Safety and Connection First: Make sure that you are dedicating time to acknowledge everyone and to create a safe and comfortable space for everyone you are connecting with.

4. Certainty : Unfortunately we are experiencing a high amount of uncertainty. This is your opportunity to stand out. Share your agenda for the call or presentation and allow time for questions or clarification.

5. Inclusiveness and Engagement : Make sure you are incorporating inclusiveness in your meeting and presentation so you can maintain people’s attention and engagement.

6. Your Voice is the New Star: Now your voice is your main instrument. Make sure you are taking the necessary pauses to enunciate every word purposely and intentionally.

7. Remember to use your mouth and facial muscles to deliver the meaning and flavor of every word.

8. Keep the following formula in mind: Why is this presentation/meeting important? What Emotion do you want to transfer? What do you want your audience to learn and remember from this meeting/presentation?

9. Practice gratitude for everyone’s attention and presence.

10. Smile! It is so easy to be worried, concerned and frustrated these days! Make it a point to smile to shift your energy and mental state. We all need a smile these days!

Virtual Communication is here to stay. We are responsible for our own experiences in life.

Make it your mission to elevate your communication skills and executive presence so you can create the culture you want to be part of in your organizations.

We are social beings and this is a new opportunity to learn how to create effective and meaningful relationships at work.

BOOK A FREE SESSION TODAY TO MASTER YOUR VIRTUAL COMMUNICATION AT WORK :

https://go.oncehub.com/ygtc-bookings

7 Steps of Coping – COVID19 Edition

7 STEPS OF COPING – COVID19 EDITION

We have been experiencing burnout mostly driven by perfectionism, action-addiction (Busyness), self-loathing, and fear of scarcity. Now we are dealing with the real monster, the stressors are external and real. Uncertainty, lack of autonomy, and isolation are really getting in the way of achieving “success and productivity” at work. Our ability to stay focused and productive is competing with real life stressors that we don’t really know how to combat…we are feeling defeated.

We are experiencing high levels of anxiety mostly because we have lost our ability to control the autonomy of our lives and predict the future. Unfortunately, we are automatically and unconsciously engaging in behaviors and habits that do not support our goals.

I wanted to share some of the things I have been observing from my clients lately that are getting in their way of coping effectively with the challenging times we are living:

1. TRYING TO PREDICT THE FUTURE: Since we are experiencing a lot of fear and stress we are investing a lot of our time thinking about the future…the unknown and uncontrolled future that triggers more anxiety and stress.

2.CATASTROPHIC THINKING: Since we are wired for self-protection we tend to imagine the worst-case scenario. This is just a coping mechanism to experience some sense of control towards the chaos that is happening now, the “just in case” type of defensive mechanism.

3.INFORMATION OVERLOAD: We are consuming an unlimited amount of information on the news to again exercise that need for certainty and stability over the future. We are wired to predict so we fall into the trap of the thinking that the more we learn the more we will be prepared and this is helpful but to a certain extent. Otherwise, you will be self-inflicting a lot of unnecessary stress.

4.UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS: We are also over-challenging ourselves because we don’t want to feel that we are being defeated so we are raising the bar, but our conditions are not favorable right now for that kind of success so we could fall into frustration and a sense of loss of hope.

5.POSITIVISM AS AN ESCAPE PLAN: And last but not least we are denying and not validating some of our challenging emotions by escaping through the positivism emergency exit door. Being positive is extremely important now. In fact, finding the silver line is key to be able to cope constructively but not as an exit strategy to not deal with your internal experience and feelings. Feeling human is ok. We don’t have to be ok and perfect and positive all the time. Feeling sad, frustrated, and worried is a natural response to the current circumstances. Don’t judge yourself for feeling this way. You are not your emotions.

So here are a few things that I have noticed are working for my clients:

1.BE IN THE PRESENT: Regulate your attention from past and future-oriented thinking to the present moment. Take 5 big and deep breaths to regulate your thought pattern and focus.

2.FOCUS ON WHAT’S WITHIN YOUR CONTROL ZONE: Observe and identify when you are spending a lot of time entertaining future-oriented thoughts as a coping mechanism to get certainty over the future. This is normal but if not regulated you can alter your emotional state by triggering more stress and anxiety.

3. REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MEDIA CONSUMPTION: Reduce the amount of your media consumption to once a day instead of 5 times a day. Read reliable sources.

4.FOCUS ON WHAT’S ESSENTIAL AND CREATE WEEKLY PLANS: Identify the most important goals that you want to achieve that week. Get real about what’s essential and what is achievable given the current conditions.

5. LET GO OF WHAT YOU CANNOT CONTROL: Come up with a short list of what you cannot control now. READ IT ONCE A DAY. Make peace with it.

6. BE KIND AND GENTLE WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS: This is not a performance race. We are facing a crisis. Give yourself permission to be human. I think this is one of the most important learnings from this virus. We are not “Human Doers”, we are Human Beings going through a massive disruption so do the best you can with the resources you have and treat yourself with kindness in the process.

7. CREATE THE RIGHT CONDITIONS IN YOUR BRAIN: Exercise and meditate. Both of these activities will make a difference in the way you show up daily at home and work. These two will also facilitate all of the above.

The way to success now is grounded in self-care, discipline, and self-understanding.

Stay healthy and grounded.

This too shall pass.

Ivanna Casado

From “Busyness” to “Effectiveness”

FROM “BUSYNESS” TO “EFFECTIVNESS”

One of the many learnings that I am experiencing from the current challenges that we are facing in the workplace is that a lot of us are feeling a sense of loss of identity and purpose.

If I am not busy, then who am I?

If I am not leading new projects, then who am I?

If I am not solving and fixing things, then who am I?

The usual human doer vs human being dilemma.

Since we spend the majority of our time at work, a lot of who we think we are is attached to our professional identity. So when the rules of the game change and we are no longer meeting the old metrics of success then we are faced with these questions: How do I prove myself and others that I am worthy, competent, and enough?

We have fallen into the trap of thinking that our worth is attached to the value and impact that we are constantly generating. We think that in order to be and earn personal and professional respect we must constantly meet metrics of success. This is the story we tell ourselves to keep ourselves busy.

Here are some of the associations I get from my clients when I ask them what is motivating and driving their state of busyness :

To me being busy means:

I am a hard worker
I am successful
I am productive
I am an achiever
I am important

The truth is that being busy does not mean you are being productive or efficient.

In fact, if a lot of your busyness is driven by the need of feeling important and needed then that can get in the way of you being strategic and smart in the way you approach your day-to-day at work.

Here are a few recommendations to start moving from busyness to effectiveness:

Plan your day ahead: Identify your key priorities
Schedule actions and tasks that are priority-oriented.
Become intentional about your actions: why is this important and what’s in it for you.
Manage your attention and qualify your thoughts: Is this thought relevant, important to follow up or a distraction?
Anticipate and minimize distractions.
Observe when the need of feeling important is present and breathe through the impulse of engaging in actions that are not priority and purpose-driven.
Slow down and monotask. Don’t multitask (switch-task).

When you do things intentionally and with purpose life starts making meaning.

Being busy and getting things on your plate because you want to feel relevant will only lead you to inefficiencies, lack of accuracy/excellency, and emptiness.

Connect with your intentions and the value behind your purpose.

Watch the magic happen.

“ No amount of Human Doing defines you as Human Being”

-Ivanna Casado-FRO

Introducing The Happiness at Work Virtual Series

INTRODUCING THE HAPPINES AT WORK VIRTUAL SERIES

Day-long PowerPoint training sessions are passé; Virtual small learning units are an effective way to train adult corporate learners. And the sooner your company adopts it, the happier and more effective your team will be.

The Happiness at Work Virtual Series offer a bite-sized, brain-based (i.e. how people actually learn) small learning units with just the right amount of need-to know information that drives impact to specific business results.

Research indicates that learning in bite-sized pieces makes the transfer of learning from the classroom to the desk more efficient. Many industry surveys indicate that employees would participate in more company’s trainings if the courses were shorter and more geared to implementation. Longer courses are not only more challenging to digest and retain but taking them also gets in the way of their daily work.

Here’s why The Happiness at Work Virtual Series is the best fit to help minimize burnout and maximize happiness in the workplace :

✔RETENTION: Because bite-sized courses are more focused, learners don’t have to clutter their memories with irrelevant information. This makes retention achievable.

✔COMPREHENSION: Learners have to digest only small chunks of information. This makes comprehension easier without spending too much mental energy and resources.

✔INTEGRATION: Because each module addresses only 1-4 learning objectives that yield 4-5 learned takeaways.

✔ENGAGEMENT: Learner disengagement and boredom kill the chances of success in any learning program. Happiness at Work Virtual Series offers a fun and engaging format ideal for today’s learners with short attention spans and tight schedules.

✔COST-EFFICIENT: There’s no need to pay for endless facilitator’s time, buy or rent physical classrooms and pay for the utilities, and spend money on classroom equipment. The Happiness at Work Virtual Series is a cost-efficient way to drive immediate change and facilitate support.

The human brain is not wired to maintain focus for hours. It learns better when the content is delivered in a short format with the courses well-spaced out to help cement the learning. Repetition also aids retention. This virtual program is well-suited for those looking to create immediate impact in their organizations.

The Happiness at Work Virtual Series will provide you and your team with actionable, tactical and practical tools to prevent workplace burnout and maximize your overall sense of well-being as well as the potential to render your best performance at work.

If you want to learn more about The Happiness at Work Virtual Series or if you want to schedule any of these series for your team , please feel free to email me at ivanna@yourgotocoach.com or go to https://www.yourgotocoach.com/happiness-at-work/ to learn more about the topics of this program.

“Creating the right conditions in our brains to optimize performance and productivity is essential to achieve sustainable success”

Suffering from Zoom Fatigue?

SUFFERING FROM ZOOM FATIGUE?

Video chat is helping us stay employed and connected, but at what cost?

Zoom has become the new communication channel of preference under the assumption that video can compensate for the absence of physical and social interaction.But, how come we have so many video calls a day to stay socially connected ,energized and engaged and yet we still feel mentally drained,exhausted and distracted ?

The answer: Zoom fatigue is real and here is why:

Zoom meetings are more demanding cognitively compared to face-to-face meetings. We need to work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, tone or pitch of the voice, and body language; paying more attention to these is energy taxing for our brains.

Distractions: Many can occur during video meetings.Being self-conscious about one’s appearance can be very distracting, due to the feeling that we are being closely observed or possibly judged. Which can be overwhelming. Background noises, extended silence, and being in a state of alert during your meeting so you don’t possibly get interrupted by a family member which can be unsettling.

High Frequency:Back to back video meetings are too taxing for your attentional system. People cannot focus on difficult cognitive tasks like critical thinking, creativity and decision making for extended periods of time.

Technology: Unreliable technology can be nerve-wracking. Some people randomly lose internet connection. Others are still in the process of catching up with features and learning new software. All these disrupt the flow and effectiveness of zoom meetings.

So here are a few recommendations to avoid taxing all your mental energy during these days:

1.Schedule breaks.

2. Choose “Speaker View”: Use the screen to view others rather than your own self-view.

3. Keep it small: fewer people may make social negotiations easier and less demanding than larger meetings.

4.Turn off the Video: Give yourself permission to turn off the video when possible.

5.Avoid Multitasking: Observe and resist the urge to multitask during your video call.

6. Stay flexible and patient. We are all still adjusting to this new normal. Mental rigidity won’t help.

And lastly, preserve your precious energy. Injecting your video meetings with your best energy is necessary to keep the engagement and effectiveness in any meeting flowing.

Not all meetings need to be discussed and processed on a video call or be video-based.

Follow the “Four S Rule”: Keep your video meetings: Short, Small, Simple and Succinct.