“I love a broad margin to my life “ – Henry David Thoreau

As we wrapped up the 21 for 21 series a few days ago, it was a great experiment in seeing what is really possible in the time we have available. If you weren’t part of the 21 for 21 it included time for people to come together and take 21 minutes of action on their projects. Over the 21 days, it became 441 minutes of 7 hours and 35 minutes. A significant amount of time! If you considered it on a daily basis it would seem to be just a little amount of time, but over the course of three weeks, it really added up.

Almost every day during the 21 minutes o virtual co-working, I heard from attendees just how valuable the process was for them. It was an opportunity to pause and undertake focused actions which were important to them.

So what led me to host this? The 21 for 21 Coworking Sprints was influenced by several things – Thoreau’s quote rom the last century. I’ve thought about this quote for some time now, considering what we can do to increase the margin of time we have available. I’ve also been inspired by the  and the invitations from Author Gretchen Rubin who for the last few years has hosted a 19 for 19, 20 for 20 and now 21 for 21, where listeners are encouraged to set a series of goals for the year.

What is the consistent habit you want to undertake right now?

Will you join us for the next 21 for 21 Virtual Co-working Sprint?

Here are some great articles about that: https://richlyrooted.com/2014/01/create-margin-in-your-life-for-a-simpler-schedule.html

Warm regards,

​Jennifer

My Remote Pathways podcast co-host has a great phrase – Remote working rhythms – which I had to borrow for this week’s blog post. This week we pause to check in around your routines with remote work. What are the routines you have established in your work?
Questions to consider:

• Do you start work every day at a consistent time?
• End work at a consistent time?
• Get out (outside or out of the office) to fit some workouts or exercises?
• What do you do to expand your remote work rhythms?
• Possible remote working routines you could undertake:
• Having a fixed start and end time
• Participating in a regular co-working session with other professionals (similar to what I did with the 21 for 21 Virtual Co-working Sprints. Returning again in Q2.
• Tackling certain tasks at a specific time or day
• Earmarking a specific window for a certain task

Routines are important as they start to build out habits. As I have shared in past posts, habits can become automatic in terms of acting like a switch to get things done.
What are the routines or habits you want to undertake?

Warm regards,

Jennifer

As we step into year 3 of use of PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder, I continue to hear from users of the workbook/planner what they enjoy using. Shaped by hundreds (if not thousands of) hours of planning and productivity work with teams, organizations and business owners, PDT and Coaching Business Builder are geared to provide you with time to focus and get traction, putting into practice “Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum”
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Here are six of the perennial favorites which get mentioned regularly from readers and the PlanDoTrack Facilitators:

Monthly Daily Planner  - One of my personal favorites, the Monthly daily tracker provides a space for you to regularly review your daily steps towards key goals. There’s space for you to track movement in 11 key areas – pick some personal, pick some business, and track away. You’ll see this one in the title for this week’s post.

Content Tools especially the Daily Content Tracker – The Daily Content tracker provides you with space to note what you have added to your list. Use it to list what you have created and where you are sharing it.

Monthly Content Journal – One Line a Day. Another favorite of mine, I use this in two ways. The One Line a Day gives you space to note one line for every day of the month. I use one to note my key actions for the day and a second one to note one sentence around IDEAS I had. It’s great to go back to and look at over time.
 
Monthly Content Tracker – While you may not be creating content every day, it’s likely that you will be sharing it. The monthly content tracker can be used to help you create a link to it.

Metaview Annual Goals and Milestones – This page allows you to get a high level overview of all the goals you have ahead of you. Update it as you go, given that annual plans can shift and change, as we’ve seen in recent years.

The Month in Focus – This is an invaluable tool used as a planner and retrospective on your week. Use it on a weekly basis to track your key priorities, successes, enablers, derailers, lessons learned and what you will do or focus on next week.
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Pick up a copy of either one of the Planners in digital format now at our Potentials Realized site. Note they are not available as a digital edition anywhere else (at least at the moment).

I’m adding onto these tried and tested resources during the 21 for 21 Co-working Series with some new resources including  new 21 day trackers, as well as a couple new quarterly and weekly planning tools. Join us for the 21 day experience and follow along at your own pace at : https://jennifer-britton.xperiencify.io/21for21/
Let us know what your favorite tool or resource is – share it with us at the Facebook group or over at the Conversation Sparker Zone.
 
Let us know what your favorite tools are!

Happy New Year! What is going to help you create the space, and set the stage, or exceptional virtual and remote work and results or you this year?

A large focus of my work in the month of January is on setting the stage or exceptional work. I hope that you will join me for the 21 for 21 Virtual Co-Working Sprints which will run from January 1 – 21 2021, most days at 12 noon ET. Join us at https://www.StandOutVirtually.com
Even after only a few days of sprints under our belts, there are a few themes which are bubbling up on the part of the group members.  As I do in my work, “I’m practicing what I preach, and want to share some of these ideas here with you”.

Consider these 5 :

Daily Focus: Creating traction is a key part of exceptional work. IT’s the little steps which add up, and stack up, which I frame as “Daily  Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum” in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack Resources.

Develop a routine that works for you – From being aware of our circadian rhythms (when we are at our best) to creating boundaries in our work, what is the routine which will work best for you?

Spend time planning and reflecting. The book is called PlanDoTrack for a reason – it’s a three stage process. We need to plan, then get into action and then reflect on what’s working and what’s not in order to track. What is your natural inclination in terms of where you spend your time. Is it PLANNING? DOING? TRACKING?
Which focus is really needed in your business this year?

Schedule it – As we were discussing recently in the 21 for 21 Co-Working Series – just like Peter Drucker said “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”. What time are you scheduling in your calendar? Looking for a starting place? Join us for the 21 for 21 series this month.
​Here’s a calendar of the events – Link to https://www.standoutvirtually.com/uploads/3/7/3/7/37374841/21_for_21_calendar_update_1.1.21.pdf
When are you going to schedule some time?

​Connect – Remote Work can feel isolating. Be sure to connect in with others as you move forward with your work. What are you doing to be connect in with colleagues, old and new? What time are you earmarking to do this on a regular basis?
 
And finally as a bonus – be sure to fuel your soul. We can only go hard for so long if we don’t enjoy something. What’s going to help you get renewed? Enjoy your work?
Let us know what your focus is:
 
Warm regards,
Jennifer
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In early March, I released the Remote Working Whitepaper. If you haven’t picked up a copy of it, be sure to download it here.

In the remote working whitepaper, I share 7 things that help remote work flourish. I call these the 7 Remote Enablers. They are:

• Communication
• Clarity
• Connection
• Culture
• Consistency
• Community
• Collaboration

 
Each one is a lever for individuals and teams to focus on and refine. Building these skills helps us

In this week’s blog post we are going to explore one of them – Communication.

Communication takes a variety of forms in the remote space – from live virtual calls, to one-way passages of info, Slack, to Team Stream comments. With such a variety of channels, it’s important that we ensure everyone is comfortable with these channels, and that there are shared agreements of how we use them, and what’s expected. It can also be useful to have agreements across the team in terms of the pace at which communication is expected.

Given that communication is only as strong as it’s weakest link consider inviting all team members to:

• Consider the best channel for the type of message they are sending.
• Consider highlighting the most important topics – this might be the top 3 bullet points, or soundbites.
• Consider HOW people prefer to be communicated with.
• Consider the Call to Action – What do you want people to do next?
• Consider the visual anchors which can underpin the conversation.

​What are the adjustments you want to make to your communication?
 
Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

I do a lot of writing around remote work on two of my related sites, Remote Pathways.com, the home of my podcast, as well as at the Teams365 blog. I wanted to make sure that you had had the chance to see these recent items:

• Are you making these remote working mistakes? 
• Teams, are you missing any of these core virtual meeting ingredients?
• Virtual Meetings – Keeping Them on Track – Teams365 #2291 
• Back to Basics – Virtualize and Digitize -Teams365 #2396
• Beat Zoom Fatigue with These Tips – Teams365 #2410

Over at the Remote Pathways podcast we’ve been exploring a variety of fun topics including:

• Episode 19 - Remote Working Myths – Listen in here.
• Episode 18 - with Leadership Coach and Consultant, and PlanDoTrack Certified Facilitator Cindy Hooker
• Episode 17 -  Every Remote Professional Needs to Be a Leader
• Episode 16 - An interview with special guest Kim Avery – Coach and Author of the Prayer Powered Entrepreneur 

Be sure to subscribe here so you receive alerts when we release our bi-weekly episodes.

What have you enjoyed reading or listening to at my other sites?

Enjoy your week,
Jennifer

Join me this Thursday to Stand Out Virtually!

I’m super excited to be hosting a one-day virtual learning event called Stand Out Virtually Masterclass. Building onto the momentum created in August with the 5 Day Stand out virtually Challenge I hosted in my new VRVH Facebook Group, I’ll be hosting a live 6 hour virtual masterclass, geared to support you in growing your confidence and tools in the remote space.
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We’ll be looking at these areas during the day:

• Putting the pieces all together with exceptional DESIGN
• The neuroscience behind exceptional virtual design and facilitation
• The Perfect Virtual Call Formula – PERC (yes, way more detail around that)
• How to REALLY use the ENGAGEMENT tools available to you in workshop
• Quick tips to fluidly frame any virtual conversation
• Exploring your presence – What’s your unique style as a virtual facilitator?
• 6 core virtual facilitation tools to always lean into

 
What’s included:

• A digital participant guide for you to take notes, refer to and mark up with your brilliant ideas
• Worksheets
• Recordings from the Day
• A pre-and post call with Jennifer (15 minutes each)

 
Frequently Asked Questions:
I’ve taken Virtual Facilitation Essentials or Effective Group Coaching from you already. Will this be a repeat?
Each of the three programs are distinct. Just as you’ve seen in those programs, research and best practices guide my training. Just as with the Stand Out Virtually Challenge – we’ll got deeper into a lot of the themes we just touched on.

Who is the program for?
If you are needing to lead virtual calls and are looking to Stand Out with scientifically grounded approaches, embedded in the best of adult learning, coaching and experiential education, this program will be of interest. Those who have attended the Stand Out Challenge have been leaders, coaches, learning facilitators and more.

What can I expect?
The Stand Out Virtually masterclass is a combination of content, workshopping (Getting it done during the session), AND micro-masterminding (small group work).

Who is leading the program?
The program will be led by Jennifer Britton, author of Effective Virtual Conversations, who has been leading remote teams and facilitating virtual conversations since the 1990s. Her mission during 2020 is to support 795,000 professionals in having better coaching and virtual conversations.

How often will this be offered? 
This is not intended to be an ongoing program like my others (Virtual Facilitation Essentials). This is a one-off opportunity to boost your skills, connection, ideas and plans for virtual conversations. Be sure to join us!

Questions?
 Contact Jennifer with your questions by email.

Reserve your spot today!

The intent is for you to not only learn but spend time during the day applying your learning to a program or presentation you have coming up. You’ll also have time to network and mastermind with other fellow colleagues. Do join us!

Cost: $697 US which includes the Masterclass, recordings from it, the program workbook, and a post program 1-1 with me. Register with a colleague and each save 25%. Register with 2 colleagues and each save 40%. Contact me to be invoiced directly for these registrations. Register here.

Have a great week AND HOPE TO SEE YOU THURSDAY!
Jennifer

It’s back to work and time to revisit HOW you are working. What are the things that are working? What’s things aren’t?
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I thought it would be useful to revisit the start of year checklist, given that September is often known as the second new year. How are you doing around these 10 areas:
1. What are your top 3 priorities for the rest of the year? Where are these visible? Does everyone you interface with know about these?
2. When are your 1-1s scheduled with your boss? Your team?
3. Peer time - When have you scheduled meetings and outreach with your peers?
4. Deep work time - What are the times you have earmarked for the heavier thinking tasks and activities?
5. Organizing- What are the things that need to be streamlined? What items need to be organized – physically and digitally?
6. Tolerations - What is the one thing that bothered you this year that you want to fix? Maybe it was something in your office that didn't work, or something on your computer that wasn't configured right?
7. Learning - What do you have earmarked for learning? What formats will it take? Are you building in time to apply the learning you have already taken, or have you become a consumer of learning?
8. Habits - What are the habits that are doing to keep you at peak performance?
9. Boundaries -What are the boundaries around work which will help support you? As a virtual and remote team member it's easy to have the lines blur. What's important to carve out as "your time" or "Family time". When are you available for others? When are you not? Have you communicated this?
10. Renewal and peak performance - The working life of a virtual and remote professional can be sedentary at times. What are you doing to renew, energize and keep yourself at peak performance?
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Is there anything else you want to add to the list?

Enjoy the conversation!
Jennifer

Many workers are concerned that visibility in the remote and virtual workspace is not like being “seen” in the in-person realm. In contrast, many others feel like they have never been more visible. What are you doing to remain visible in the digital and virtual space?

Business continues to leverage relationships and is grounded in results. What are you doing to foster business relationships while getting the work done?

Here are a number of activities you might want to consider:
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Mentoring – Many professional associations connect professionals at all stages of their careers with a mentor. Mentoring can be an invaluable way to learn from others in your profession and organization.

Join a professional association – If you are not a member of your professional association, this may be a great time to join. Many host ongoing professional development activities at no or low fee, while others may host Virtual speed networking rounds.

Join a LinkedIn or Facebook group – Whether it’s connecting in for conversation or connecting in to take action in something like a Challenge, joining a social media group can connect you in with core topics of importance. I recently held the Stand Out Virtually challenge and was amazed to see the progress people made during the challenge.

Take an online learning course – There are a variety of courses different providers offer. I continue to offer several courses which are approved for International Coach Federation Continuing Coach Education Units – including Group Coaching Essentials and Virtual Facilitation Essentials. In addition to skill development, online learning courses often connect you in with others with a keen interest.

What are you looking to learn this year? What connections are you looking to foster?

Which activities might you consider?

What else might you consider?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

This time of year is always characterised by “let’s get back to routine”! While this year may be a little different (or a lot different depending on where you are), this week’s post gets you thinking about core activities which may have been put off that you’ll want to schedule before, or during, the fall.

#1 – One-on-one time. Individual conversations become even more important in the remote space. What’s your rhythm of 1-1 calls with team members? Getting into, or back to, the routine of regular 1-1 calls to check in, troubleshoot and see what team members need are key parts of team success. They helps with connection, results and motivation. Take a look at this Teams365 blog post for Questions You Might Incorporate Into Your 1-1 Conversations.

#2 – A regular rhythm of team meetings. Think about the team meetings you have been involved with. What is the rhythm? How frequently do you meet? What type of meetings are you holding? Are they always the most effective or efficient?
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Consider using the 8 Essential Virtual Meeting Questions before you meet every time. You’ll find them here.

#3 – Quarterly planning. While the business context may look different than it did six months ago or even three months ago, quarterly planning is key. In the remote space it’s even more important for people to be on the same page. When are you planning to get together to look at your plans? When will you be focusing on coming together as a team to reflect on your successes and learning from the past few months?

#4 – Peer connections. Peer connections are key to learning, and feedback. What are you doing as a team to foster time between peers? Have you considered a co-working session?

#5 – Team and personal development. Ongoing learning has never been more important. What are you doing to support new learning at both the team and individual levels?

Learning can take many forms: from on-demand video-based programs to live, interactive webinars. What are you doing to foster team and personal development?

Enjoy your focus and conversations as you get back to (a new) routine!

Best wishes, 
Jennifer