New Ways of Working #11
Hello world and hello Mental Health Awareness Week 👋 I challenged myself (and failed) to write this in just one Focusmate session. Still, with my hurrying, you can expect (and forgive) even more typos than usual 😊 Here goes…
Those of you who have been reading from the beginning may remember that I started this newsletter with an aim:
To do for new ways of working what Headspace has done for meditation.
In other words, to help to make a the world of new ways of working (and all of its jargon, academia, theories, spirituality, science, psuedoscience, rabbit holes, and more theories) a bit more accessible to Jo Bloggs, who’s proper fed up with their job. And to that end, in this Mental Health Awareness Week edition, I’m sharing:
A few specific ways that Headspace can help us with work and wellbeing.
A series of three wonderful short books on work by The School of Life - a collective of psychologists, philosophers and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more resilient lives.
And finally, a Zoom alternative that we can finally get excited about!
🟠 Headspace & new ways of working
Headspace has been helping my erratic mind for years, usually in response to stress and anxiety (instead of making hay while the sun shines). Recently I’ve been using Headspace more and more. My mind is grateful and I’ve been thrilled to find a bunch of exercises that seem tailor-made for new ways of working:
‘Finding Purpose’
‘Productivity’ & ‘Prioritization’,
‘Finding Focus’, ‘Focus’, ‘Focus for Work’ & ‘How to Focus While WFH’
‘Difficult Conversations’ & ‘Transforming Difficulties’ & ‘Managing Conflict’
‘Managing Anxiety’, ‘Feeling Overwhlemed’, ‘Flustered’ & ‘Emotions at Work’
‘Letting Go of Stress’, ‘Work Stress’ & ‘Work Crisis SOS’
‘Taking a Break’.
‘Listening to Others’
If you have the app then check them out, and if you don’t, give it a try! Your mind will thank you, and it will probably make you easier to work with.
*There’s currently 30% off.
Books 📚
I absolutely love The School of Life, a wonderful organisation devoted to teaching us how to lead a more fulfilled life. They plunder wisdom from the greatest thinkers that have walked the earth and - without dumbing it down - share it with us in a language that me and Jo Bloggs can understand. They give us insights into the key ingredients of emotional well-being: how to form good relationships, identify a satisfying career, minimise anxiety, acquire confidence and connect properly with friends.
And good news! They have a new series of books dedicated to the finest ideas around succeeding at work, specifically designed to introduce us to emotional interpersonal and thinking skills that can help us at work. The three titles are:
How to Get On With Your Colleagues : A guide to better collaboration
How to Think More Effectively : A guide to greater productivity, insight and creativity
The Emotionally Intelligent Office : A book outlining 20 key emotional skills for the workplace created by The School of Life for Business.
Move over Zoom? 😍
If you’re not fed up with Zoom (or Teams or Google Meet) then you probably don’t work behind a screen. I’ve been dreaming of an alternative for a year and until now nothing has been quite good enough… Until ‘Butter’ came along. It started out good and has been getting better and better. Features include timed agendas, breakouts, polls, integration with Miro, Google Drive and YouTube, plus fun emojis and sound effects. All for free! Definitely give it a go (using headphones and Google Chrome) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Help 🙏
I’d like to ask a small favour. I’d love for you to share this newsletter with one or more colleagues or networks who might be curious or find it helpful. The more awareness we raise, the sooner we reduce the woeful statistic that 85% of us are disengaged at work.
Until next time, you can find me here.
About Mark Eddleston
I’m a new ways of working nerd, consultant, and trainer. For years I’ve been practising progressive ways of working whilst synthesising the mountain of information out there.
I came across new ways of working in New Zealand in 2015 after spending a frustrating decade in traditional workplaces. It was the first time I found consistent fulfilment in work. This beautiful and challenging experience was with a law firm and community organisation that features on the distinguished Corporate Rebels ‘bucket list’. Once you taste this way of working, it’s impossible to go back. I’ve now been a member of staff in three organisations that embraced progressive leadership, so come with plenty of lived experience.
I’m the founder of Reinventing Work, a global community and playground for people interested in decentralised, purposeful and self-organised ways of working. So far we’ve gathered in over 25 cities across five continents, including in Bristol (where it began) London, Berlin, Melbourne, Montreal and New York. I’ve delivered online sessions to thousands, spoken about new ways of working at The University of Oxford, and facilitated at Meaning Fringe. I’ve also appeared on the wonderful Leadermorphosis podcast and the University of the West of England’s MSc Occupational Psychology programme discussing the future of work.
My services: https://www.marco.work.