Summer FUN in the Sun

It’s summertime! Kids are out of school; public pools are open and vacations abound. Take the time to break from work and have fun. Doing so will ensure your mind is ready to focus when work does resume. Here are some suggestions to help you step away that are suitable for all budgets and life stages.

Kid Friendly Suggestions

Indoor Activities

If you or your family love museums, why don’t you try the Arizona Museum of Natural History in Mesa, AZ? This museum has dinosaurs and fossils in addition to a nice selection of meteorites, minerals, and Arizona historical topics. Kids can pan for gold, walk through an old western jail, or for those really young ones, play in the hands-on space in the Exploration Station (children 6 and under).

Have young board kids and only want to step out of the house for an hour or? Try one of the many fast-food play places near you. Even if all you order is a few drinks, this is a great way to get out of the house and have the kids burn some energy off. If you are working from home and can take a long lunch, this is another great way to entertain children.  Just make sure to call ahead or check online that the location you are heading for still has a play place.

Outdoor Activities

For those looking to get wet, try the Glow Kayaking classes through the City of Tempe. Head out for a night of fun under the stars while paddling across Tempe Town Lake. Peddling equipment is provided, and ages are 10 and up with youth requiring an adult to join them.  This and other paddling options are available throughout July and August.

If you like hiking, there are many trail options on both sides of the valley, with just a small park fee to access and park. White Tank Mountain Regional Park in the West Valley has many beautiful trails and includes walking, biking, and even a small waterfall trail as some of the options. For the East Valley, try McDowell Mountain Regional Park, or Usery Mountain Regional Park. These and many more options are available all around the valley. Search for your local regional park HERE. Just remember to take safety precautions when out on the trail.

If you want to get away for a few days and don’t mind a little bit of a drive. Try the Sunrise Park Resort (among others) in Greer, Arizona. Average summer temps here are a balmy 75 degrees and offer a variety of activities to include ziplining, fishing, camping, and more.

Safety Reminders

Whatever you do, please make sure to take safety in mind. If you are outside this summer, always drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat, and pay attention to how you feel. Don’t forget about your furry friends either.

“Dogs respond differently to heat than humans do, cooling themselves primarily through panting (did you know they can only sweat through their paw pads?). They easily overheat in extreme temperatures. In addition, their paws can burn on the hot ground. If it is too hot for your bare feet, it is too hot for your pet’s paws. 

If you take your dog early in the morning before temperatures rise, consider using protective booties for their paws, and ensure they have access to shade and water at all times.

Lastly, never leave your pet in a vehicle, even for a minute. If temperatures are high, your pet will be more comfortable and safe left at home. Know the warning signs of heat distress in your pet, like loud rapid panting, excessive thirst, vomiting, and more as well as how to help them with information from the Arizona Humane Society.”

For more safety tips go online to the azstateparks.com safety tips section HERE.

**PMI Phoenix is not endorsing or recommending or suggesting any of the places mentioned here. 

Heather Cardosi, June 12^th, 2024

Everyone has those days where everything seems to be going wrong. Woke up late, car broke down, and then the school calls because kiddo is running a fever. The world is out to get them. Let me tell you a story…

There was a 17-year-old girl with a neurological disorder that causes her to pull out her own hair. She is poor and has relied on the state to provide a wig. She is so afraid the other kids will know about her bald spots. She just wants to be normal. On her 18th birthday, the state will no longer provide wigs and her family can't afford them. So, the day before her 18th birthday, she shaved her head. She cannot afford her wigs, so she will embrace her baldness.

Later she sits in front of the mirror and cries. Looking into the mirror, tears running down her face, she smiles and says, “I'm free”. She has never been on a roller coaster, swimming, or driving a car with the top down because of her wigs. Her wigs, and her fear, were stopping her from living her life. She is truly free.

This is a true story and somewhere there is a young lady, bald as can be, and smiling. Next time everything is going wrong, and it just keeps piling on stop, breathe, and try finding a new perspective. You might find your own free.

Hitting a Pause on Management 

Heather Cardosi, April 8th, 2024

As a project manager, I often roll out of bed with my first thought being coffee and my second, the projects I have running. At the end of my day, locking my computer doesn’t stop the planning and checking of emails. My phone dings for chats and emails long after my workday has ended, as is the case with many project managers today. This constant always on may be doing more harm than good.

“Research, recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, suggests that constantly thinking about work may hurt rather than help your performance as a leader… because it drained their mental resources. Instead, leadership effectiveness was highest on days in which leaders mentally turned off from work the night before and were able to recharge” (Jennings, Gabriel, and Lanaj, 2024, p. 1).

Breaking the always-on habit is easier said than done. Redirecting our brains to other tasks can be difficult, requiring the building of new habits and reactions. The first step is to identify where work should end, and personal times begins.

Establish boundaries between work and home. If you work from home this can be much harder but not impossible. Let your co-workers know that when your day is done, you won’t be replying to email and chat. If you need a critical escalation point, then have them Call or Text for an emergency, then establish what can be considered an emergency. If you are going out of office for PTO, set a backup and notify your stakeholders of who to contact.  

Find ways to detach. Once correct expectations have been set, find ways to stop the notifications so they don’t undermine your efforts. Snooze alerts on your cell phone and make a rule you do not open your chat or email.

Use your time for you. Do family activities, run a load of laundry, hit the gym, or even relax with a book. Ensuring personal time is used in ways that are personally rewarding allow for better focus when work time resumes. Competing priorities are lessened as family, household responsibilities and your physical and mental health have each had time to be addressed.

The above won’t solve everything, but taking personal time every day will help lower stress levels and refresh the mind. When stress levels are lower, the ability to mentally pivot increases and the likelihood to react without though lessens. Be willing to put a pause on project management to see just how much of a positive impact it can be. 

References:

Jennings, Ramy; Gabrial, Allison; Lanaj, Klodiana. “Want to Be a Better Leader? Stop Thinking About Work After Hours.” Harvard Business Review,  3 January 2024, https://hbr.org/2024/01/want-to-be-a-better-leader-stop-thinking-about-work-after-hours?ab=HP-topics-text-15

After a long day of work, you sit back and think of everything you accomplished. You fed the kids, got them to school and activities and even helped them with their homework. You are a great parent!

You helped your partner cook and clean. Even took the time to talk to them about their day and any rough times they had. You are a great partner!

Your boss sent you a bonus check and announced how awesome you did on that account project you finally closed after months of hard work. You are a great employee!

So why are you unhappy and feel stuck or lost? Let’s look back at the prior thoughts. Great parent, partner, and employee. What could possibly be missing? What happened to being a great you?  Often, we get stuck focusing on the roles we play, parent/partner/employee, and forget about the person behind the role. We get this idea if we successfully completed these tasks, we are successful and thus happy… right?

Make a list of you.

Stop and take some time to write a list, on paper or digital, of the things that make you, you. Go ahead and take just 5 minutes and do that now with a few of the below suggestions.

• Twenty activities you enjoy, big or small.
• What makes you relax or how you reward yourself.
• What interests you have, even if it is just a favorite color or that amazing hat you saw last week on Pinterest.

 OK. List in hand. Now read through the list and see how many you have done in the last day. How about week? Month? If you haven’t done at least one every other day, you might have found part of the problem. Not taking the time for yourself can result in a loss of who we are as a person.

Put yourself first.

Reviewing the list again, plan in just one item, every other day. It could be having a quiet cup of tea in the morning, or a short break while working to walk outside for 5 minutes. Even wearing that hat that doesn’t really match anything but makes you feel good. What it is doesn’t matter, only that it means something to you. Continue for just two weeks then take the time to reflect. How do you feel now? As you change, be willing to revise the list or toss it out and re-create it. Doing so is a great way to learn more about yourself and find what makes you, you.

By Heather Cardosi

January 6th, 2024

“Cultivating psychological safety within the project team by creating trust and setting the ground rules for all the team members is critical for project success,” says Martinez Gonzalez. “It will encourage innovation, reduce risks by increasing transparency, and drive internal accountability.”¹

Psychological safety refers to the ability to speak up without fear of reprimand or humiliation. Stepping forward to share ideas and potential solutions creates moments of vulnerability, and as a project manager, it is your job to cultivate that vulnerable moment. Sharing those moments enables teams to find each other's strengths, which, when used together, closes the window of team failure.

A good starting point is to ensure team members learn about each other through a team meeting. Conduct this in person if possible. Otherwise, use a virtual meeting, asking everyone to have their cameras on and all other windows closed. They need to give their full attention to the meeting. No multi-tasking allowed. Dedicate the meeting to team bonding, starting the meeting with an explanation of why you are all there, and then actually start the conversation. 

Start talking about yourself, only briefly touch on technical skills, focusing on life outside of work. Where do you come from? What family might you have? Share at least one strength and one weakness.  Be willing to be the first vulnerable person in the room. Doing so not only shows your team what you are asking them to do, it shows them you are a person too. You are a part of the team, not just its leader.  Then, ask that they do the same. Giving them your full attention shows you value their words and experiences. You see them. 

As team members hear what each other has to say, they will start to understand who their team member is as a person. What have they gone through, and why they might react in a certain way. Seeing each other as people and not just skill sets or task assignments. 

Your ability to lead the team will also grow. A better understanding of your team's people will help you craft ground rules and identify better communication strategies. What may have seemed as intentionally obstructive behavior prior may now be realized as someone who has trouble handling change and needs a little additional help. Maybe you were saying something they were taking the wrong way and feeling defensive.  

These are all possibilities that wouldn't be noticed if everyone hadn't taken the time to be vulnerable. Learning from each other that it is OK to be seen and heard. That together, with your guidance, the team is safe, strong, and capable.

References

Over the course of our life, as we progress from struggling college students to thriving professionals, there are often a few recurring themes. “Focus on being productive instead of busy” and “Nothing worth having comes easy”. One maxim I feel is crucial, “work hard, play hard”1 can be traced back to 1827, but when asking the average American, more than one in four would describe themselves as “super stressed”.2 To me, this means we are putting more focus on “work hard” and a lot less on “play hard”. 

Finding the balance between work hard and play hard can be a lot more important than many people realize. Poor work/life balance has proven to increase stress levels and lower productivity. High stress levels impact concentration, emotions, and can even lower our immune system. New research conducted by Mental Health America shows chronic stress can double the risk of heart attack. 2

Balancing work/life demands is not a one-time activity nor a one solution that fits all. It is an on-going process unique to each person and situation requiring a willingness to take time for yourself. Maybe it means stepping away from your computer or phone for five minutes, going for a walk, or spending time with a beloved pet, family member, or friend. I can’t tell you what will work, but ask yourself these questions and see if you can start figuring it out for yourself.

“What is currently causing me stress or to be unhappy with where I am?”

“What am I prioritizing and what am I sacrificing?”

“What makes me feel better?”

Pay attention to how these questions make you feel and be honest with yourself. It is OK to admit to not being happy or even that maybe you need some help finding answers. While you are working to find answers, and keep in mind they may change over time4, try a few of the tips below. Remember, there is no one true answer, and it is never wrong to reach out for help. 

While at Work³

• Set manageable goals: We all like to check those boxes and reach our goals. Just be reasonable and realistic. Be willing to re-assess your abilities and accept that bad days happen and there is always tomorrow.

• Take Five minutes: Be willing to step away for just five minutes to catch your breath and re-center yourself. It’s amazing what five minutes can do.

While at Home

Put the tech down: Step away from your email and work chat. Unless required by your job, when your day is done, you are off the clock and do not need to respond. It is OK to be unavailable.

• Treat yourself right: It is easy to fall prey to quick and easy meals that fast food or microwave options provide. And occasionally doing that is OK, but be mindful to eat right and exercise (even just a walk around the block). You will feel better in the long run.

• Get help if you need it: If you are constantly overwhelmed, depressed, or just unhappy, it may be time to talk to a professional. 

References

1. Queen's University. "Truth to age-old maxim 'work hard, play hard'." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 June 2016. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160629105940.htm .

2. “Work Life Balance”. Mental Health America, 2023. https://www.mhanational.org/work-life-balance

3. “Work-Life Balance Is a Cycle, Not an Achievement”. Harvard Business Review. January 29, 2021. < https://hbr.org/2021/01/work-life-balance-is-a-cycle-not-an-achievement> 

4. “About Mental Health”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 20, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm#:~:text=Mental%20health%20includes%20our%20emotional,childhood%20and%20adolescence%20through%20adulthood .