Need a new way to deal with life’s pressures? For a rising number of adults, stress relief can be found at the bottom of a toy box.

“Lego, the world’s largest and most profitable toymaker, is zeroing in on a growing demographic: stressed-out adults,” writes Abha Bhattarai in The Washington Post.

For many, building Lego sets has become a way to practice mindfulness: the process of focusing on the present moment without dwelling on the past or future. Mindfulness has been shown to improve sleep, alleviate stress, and lower blood pressure.

“Adults with high-pressured jobs are telling us they’re using Lego to disconnect from the mania of the day,” Genevieve Capa Cruz, Lego’s audience marketing strategist, told The Post.

The 87-year-old toy company has revamped instruction manuals to cater to adults and introduced models that tap into the nostalgia of older generations. Among Lego’s newest kits is a model of the vintage 1989 Batmobile.

“The point is to free your mind of other distractions and focus on play, even if you just have a handful of pieces,” Abbie Headon told The Post. Headon is the author of Build Yourself Happy: The Joy of Lego Play.

“I like to have something in my hand when I’m thinking, so I’ll grab a few Lego pieces and click them together and apart,” Headon said. “It’s very satisfying.”

Standing Out as a Volunteer

Only 30% of job seekers mention volunteer experience on their résumés even though 82% of surveyed recruiters prefer applicants involved in volunteerism.
What are you waiting for? Help others AND help yourself! https://t.co/W1WnC1yOao

— Sidecar (@sidecarglobal) January 17, 2020

For job seekers and career climbers alike, volunteering can be a valuable experience.

“Volunteering builds your leadership skills, enhances your professional profile, and helps you make impactful connections,” writes Amy Thomasson on Association Success. “The best volunteers know volunteering is more than showing up and checking off one more section of your LinkedIn profile; they understand the secrets to make the most of their discretionary volunteer time.”

To stand out as a volunteer, Thomasson says to become a “value multiplier,” a person who goes above and beyond to create value. In her experience, that meant using her sales and marketing background to create short promotional videos for events she was involved with to drive registration.

Other Links of Note

Reduce content marketing waste. In a recent Content Marketing Institute post, Kimberly Zhang identifies common inefficiencies in the content creation process.

Self-empowerment. The Billhighway blog highlights two associations that empower their chapters through self-assessments and yearly incentives.

Do you know what members want? They might define engagement differently than you, writes Amanda Kaiser on the Smooth the Path blog.

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