Happy New Year! Rather than reflect upon the constant and consistent issues transcending into 2022 from 2021, I am going to move us along and move us forward. In my work at Flesor’s Candy Kitchen and coaching clients, three main categories of transition have become underscored. Reimagining careers and our work lives, creating new family lifestyles, and letting go of “what was not changing,” have been the topics of discussion. At Flesor’s, despite a great year, we had weekly challenges of food shortages, packaging switches, chocolate delivery delays, staff changes, and customer demands. There was never a dull moment! With my coaching, I kept hearing how life at work was so very “different,” with employee turnover, technological changes, and customer demands. Sound familiar? 

How can we transcend into a reset, the start of real renewal? Here are a few questions to get you started in considering your world of work:

What is energizing you on a daily basis? What drains your energy? When are you most energized?

What every day habits are working well? Which ones are not? Can you restructure your day/week to be more focused and on point? Do you plan for distraction and not let it ruin your day?

What would help your daily routine become more flexible?

If you could envision your new and improved work life, what would that look like?

I realized that mornings are most energizing for me, and I have changed my schedule to be with coaching clients and go to work at Flesor’s. I negotiated a bit of an “early out” at the store to avoid burn out and kept to the schedule. In 2022, I am going to maintain this structure because it works. And instead of micro-managing the daily operations, I forced myself to “let go” of things I could not change. Trust me, that is a continual challenge! My new and improved work life is one I have constructed, articulated with my partner and staff, and have put into practice. I am sure that it will need tweaks and adjustment as I go along, but the vision is there.

Hopefully these few questions and suggestions will assist you to move forward in the whatever normal is these days. I love January because it is a great time to pause, reflect, and take the opportunity to create the new story of my work life. 

At Dau Consulting, we would be happy to partner with you and/or your work team to develop the new transition story for your new year.

By Ann Beck