Daily Buzz: Automation Can Help You Build Healthy Habits

With the pressures and responsibilities of professional life, it can be difficult to maintain the right work-life balance. If you’re struggling, you can get some help from digital tools you probably have access to already.

“Simple strategies can minimize burnout, but it’s hard to establish healthier habits when ‘rise and grind’ culture has made us feel guilty for taking a vacation. If you find yourself high on will but low on power, try out an automatic workflow,” says Krystina Martinez on the Zapier blog  (opens in a new tab).

Start with your schedule; without a rigid plan for the day, you might find yourself working very long hours. To combat this, make your work schedule public for your team, Martinez suggests. That way, coworkers can book meetings within your working hours and keep you accountable if you’re working late.

“You can keep your team in the loop automatically by creating a workflow to set your Slack status to show when you’re outside of your working hours or set it according to your work calendar. This will alert your colleagues when you’re offline or in a meeting,” Martinez says.

You can also make sure you’re getting enough breaks with help from your online calendar.

“Block off time on your calendar every day to step away for lunch. It doesn’t have to be the precise time, but a general ballpark will do. You’ll find that you won’t get booked for meetings as much.”

Open-Minded Leadership

Check out @CharityClairity  (opens in a new tab)’s insight into why know-it-all nonprofit leadership is a problem and how to fix it >> https://t.co/RAGj90VEqS  (opens in a new tab)

— bloomerang (@bloomerangTech) May 4, 2020  (opens in a new tab)

A leader who thinks they know it all might steer their organization in the wrong direction. How can these leaders improve? Establish a new mindset.

“Conviction should be based on a problem-solving approach and research, not a hunch. Ask questions; seek out answers,” says Bloomerang’s Claire Axelrad  (opens in a new tab). “Consider what’s working better for you based on your own testing. Consider how you can apply what’s working elsewhere.”

Other Links of Note

Choosing a new software platform can cause a lot of stress, says Maureen Wallbeoff on TechSoup. She offers questions to ask  (opens in a new tab) during the demo process.

A Facebook group for your organization is most valuable when users are active. Nonprofit Marketing Guide’s Kristina Leroux offers tips to increase engagement  (opens in a new tab).

Wonder why your WiFi is so slow lately? CNET’s David Priest breaks down  (opens in a new tab) how to find out and how to fix it.

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