The Stuff that MattRs
Monday Motivation. Let this week be the one where you power up your teamwork by understanding the Belbin Team Model. This is a superb framework to think about the roles being played in your team and how to identify and leverage their strengths.
Management. Six things a great manager never does. We’ve all met a #2 and a #6, here are the key traits you need to avoid to be a great manager.
Resumes. How resumes have shifted over five years. It doesn’t take long for your resume to go out of date, this article explains what has changed. I schedule time every quarter to look at mine, but I don’t change the format that often. Maybe it’s time to schedule a deep review of your CV.
Survival. Five practical ways to escape survival mode, and reduce stress at work. All of these are proven and recommended, but I’m a big fan of #2. When I feel a pang of anxiety or stress, I often find myself pacing. Now, I turn that into a five-minute walk.
Productivity. What time of the day do you do your best work? Here’s a great way to find out.
Strategy. How to navigate a world of uncertainty. When things are unpredictable, your strategy can get left behind. This article outlines some actions you can take to protect your plans.
Bonus Stuff. Try my 30 day Journalling Challenge.
Tricks. 100 tiny tricks to make life better. I love this article and the way that it works on the Law of Marginal Gains to make life better. #2, #42 and #61 are all excellent advice to get started with.
Selfcare. 75 little things you can do for yourself as an act of self care. I can personally recommend #19, #73 and #38 as things that make an impact on me. Bonus Stuff: This reddit thread of self-care routines throws up some other useful ideas.
Morning. I’ve been working on my morning routine, getting up at the same time, finding daylight and fresh air early. Here’s what creative people do in the first hour of the day.
Shake it Off. Six ways to shake off the work day. Excellent techniques for transition rituals to mark the end of the working day. For the last 8 weeks, I’ve been experimenting with #6 here, using a podcast to decompress before the evening.
Books. Five ways to conquer a reading slump. Some excellent practical advice to get you back into reading. Bonus Stuff: 114 books reviewed in (about) one paragraph - Mark Manson has us covered with some concise reviews.
Finally. Do you remember having to defragment your hard drive? Even if it didn’t solve the problem, it was a great step to fixing your IT issues. Now you can play the defrag game. A very silly 5 minutes!
🔈 Stuff to Listen to...
🎧 This week, my musical recommendation is 'This Could be Texas' by English Teacher who won the 2024 Mercury Prize as I was putting together this week's letter.
English Teacher are from Leeds, and it's the first time that the prestigious prize has been won by a band based outside the capital.
It's a terrific album, full of energy and sass - I really like the track R&B which I included on my 2024 highs playlist. The rest of the award winning album is highly recommended.
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