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The Agenda Affair
 The Agenda Affair 1024 576 Amalia Savinescu

Embracing the promises of a new year always brings a sense of excitement, particularly with the idea of a clean slate. How about embarking on a journey to transform old belongings into bespoke treasures? We often overlook the value around us in our rush for novelty through constant accumulation. Creativity’s purpose is to generate, not just buy. While creation breathes life, acquisition builds piles. I advocate for repurposing and caring for items, as I believe in reframing perceptions, remodelling mindsets, and repositioning standpoints. An old Romanian adage beautifully captures this philosophy: “Fa rai din ce ai,” akin to the English saying, “Make the best of what you have.”

How can you apply this saying in your life?

Encouraging people to make the most out of current resources is a life philosophy I wholeheartedly embrace. This belief even inspired me to develop the concept of the Happiness Bricolage, which has guided my life and projects by turning mundane into remarkable for the past fifteen years.

Recently, I turned two overlapping notebooks into stylish and purposeful companions. With over thirty notepads, journals and sketchbooks in my collection, each telling a unique story, it’s easy to confuse them. Yet, giving them the right attention and care is a form of respect and commitment. As my trusted companions, they’ve witnessed my journey’s important moments, helping me navigate through numerous projects and stay grounded.

Breathing new life into these items is more than tidying up; it’s a mindful process that avoids waste and hoarding. It’s about bringing scattered thoughts into one place and finding joy in the active mindfulness of revisiting memories and experiences.

As people were busy discussing resolutions, I kicked off the first week of 2024 by revitalising two notebooks into unique organisers or, shall I say, treasurers. It took me around an hour to complete the change.

The black one, which, for a short while, used to gather more personal reflections, is now a dedicated logbook for my office, capturing daily learnings on productivity and new technologies. I have already put it at work today, and voila! My mood got a nice lift; the once-deemed ‘dry’ information magically turned into something worth paying attention to. My notebook added a bit of flavour to the mix. Even figuring out the rules of Dragon, the assistive technology software I’ve been trying hard to get to grips with, doesn’t seem as dull anymore. Nor is it remembering what Display Port stands for and how to identify it. Who would have thought productivity and technology could be subtly entertaining?

In parallel, the purple diary continues to be a haven for personal conversations and reflections, even enhanced after neatly incorporating old pages from the black one in a brand-new pocket. And I must say, this was a practical idea and great fun.

Crafting your space and life doesn’t require special talents; it’s about mindfully turning the mundane into the remarkable. Watch my video to discover how you can do the same.

Feel free to share if it sparks some inspiration. I am curious – what’s on your agenda for 2024?

Does working from home make you drift?
 Does working from home make you drift? 1024 683 Amalia Savinescu

Working from home makes us more easily distracted by the internet.

Even the most pro-active, accountable and self-motivated person could develop unproductive work habits when lacking human interactions if the internet is the only platform their work is based on.

Some people are creative, relying on an associative approach, while others favour a sequential, step by step method. No matter the preferences, we all need structure to progress towards our goals. Drifting is inevitable, and to some extent, even beneficial. It gives our brain a break, opens up new perspectives, and prevents monotony. It can also lead us to new resources, as we may come across information, opinions, and tools that we haven’t even imagined they existed. All the same, drifting could lead to procrastination, loosing focus and performance decline. Once more, the golden mean wins.

Some of my close collaborators have labelled me as a structure-oriented person; identifying patterns, designing and improving processes, planning and keeping things on track are, indeed, matters that I thrive on. Yet, others would say that creativity is my main feature; I can’t help myself from producing new ideas, challenging the status-quo, and experiencing new territories. Truth is, both parties have a point. I constantly mitigate facets of myself.

I started my day with a clear to-do-list, of which studying for the on-line CIPD certification was the first task. If going by the book, and provided with all the tools and technical resources, pursuing a SMART goal with the right motivation should assure anyone of their path to success. Yet, very soon, I found myself side-tracked, gallivanting on the internet, chasing areas of my main interest, spanning from HR, to Psychology and English language and British culture. Fortunately, over a 50-year life experience, I’ve developed a good level of self-awareness, so I haven’t got completely lost in my associative research. Half an hour later I shut all the windows, and returned to my CIPD lessons.

But, then, the idea of sharing my experience with others, hoping that someone would empathise with and benefit from it, popped-up. As if dragged by an invisible force, I summarised my today netizen journey in a Canva design, and then I considered posting a few lines  about it for on my blog.

Since English is not my first language, it’s always a struggle for me to discourse. And there is where my time went. None of these activities were part of my to-do-list, so my drifting was at other tasks’ expense. Hopefully, it led me to new achievements.

I’ve always loved working remotely, for the freedom it gave me. Yet, since this way of functioning has turned into more of an imposed way than a personal choice, I absolutely miss human interactions. Having someone to converse with, to share ideas, to ask questions and to get feedback from, is a normal, human expectation. No matter how experienced, self-driven, focused and results-oriented we are, having a sounding board, a travel mate, a learning buddy, or a mentor, helps us to stay on track, enjoy the journey and reach the desired goals. And this is the reason I’ve never stopped being a coach.

If you think that you could use some help to progress towards your goals, have a look at SevenSight Transformation Program and book your free exploratory session. A short conversation will give you the chance to experience the energy I bring and to discover if I’m the right partner for your transformation journey.

I’d love to hear from you. How do you cope with working remotely? What are your challenges? What helps you stay focused? And how do you keep yourself motivated?

Have you lost it? Get your energy back!
 Have you lost it? Get your energy back! 150 150 Amalia Savinescu

You come across as brave and strong. You’ve proven, more than once, that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. You know what it takes to make things happen. Not only do you have the right personality and experience, but you’re also knowledgeable about the stages any person must go through as part of the change process.

So, you have all that it takes to make things work. Yet, you’re unhappy and stressed. Your job doesn’t satisfy you. You can’t stand your boss. You don’t find the time for yourself. The rewards don’t reflect your efforts. Everything seems to be off. The place you live in doesn’t feel like home. Unfinished projects are piling up. You’re chasing your tail, lacking the energy for a good sprint, let alone for a marathon. Even finding the right people who can inspire you seems to be difficult.

Your life has taken control over you.

At this point, you’re setting yourself up for less than you deserve. The quality of your life has been compromised. Yet, why are you not making the right move? It’s quite ironic how you loathe the situation but you also find comfort with it, as if you’ve been together long enough to have that intimate connection.

Where’s the logic in all of that?

Apparently, it’s nowhere to be found. But let’s have a closer look at it.

Change is painful and uncertain. Your current situation, as dreadful as it seems, holds no secrets to you. It bears a familiarity you’ve become attached to, like an old, tired, broken toy, whose value is nothing more than sentimental. You probably won’t even move a finger to improve your life unless your current state deteriorates to be unbearably painful.

Change is hard. It takes a lot of energy to replace whatever is already in place, with an imagined desired status that is potentially better. So, don’t be too harsh on yourself if you feel like you can’t handle it on your own.

Chance was not in play when Kurt Levin’s Force Field Analysis became one of the most powerful change management techniques of all time. Used by both individuals and organisations, the model offers an easy-to-catch visual representation of the movement of forces affecting the goal.

Think of a goal as of a big block. Draw it in the middle of a paper sheet.

List all of the benefits this change would bring, and position them on the left side of the block. These are the driving forces of change.

Then list all of the barriers and concerns that you can think of on the right side of the block. These represent the restraining forces of change.

Draw an arrow pointing toward the block under each component of the list.

Now, let’s quantify the results.

Rank each item on a scale from 1 to 10, then add-up the numbers.

Each side of the block contains a specific amount of energy.

How does your drawing look? Which side of it is more loaded?

Results

A. Right side surcharge/overload

If the energy of the blocking forces exceeds the amount of energy of the driving forces, you’d probably find yourself stuck in the current situation, and progressing towards the achievement of your goals would turn into a mirage.

What to do?

You must address each of them to change the balance in favour of the driving forces. How would you do that? There are two main options.

  1. Likely, the most intuitive way for you is to approach the situation from the same mindset you’ve used to reach your current This could mean anything from trying to work harder and planning to spend more hours, to adding up new tasks to your already overly busy schedule. In essence, this course of action would need you to spend more energy, whilst this is exactly what you are lacking. For this reason, I would rate this alternative as unreliable.
  2. Another way to approach the problem would be for you to bring in new energy and to operate from a different mindset. Wise people know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a powerful management technique. Look around and see who could assist you. This could be a friend, a workmate, your manager, a mentor, coach, or a change consultant. What you should be looking for is a fresh perspective, able to trigger new insights, some specific knowledge on how to manage resisting forces, a proven system to navigate change, as well as for the empathy, the encouragement and the constant supply of energy that any change process requires. If you are in search of a professional experience, clarity, accessibility and practicality, I’m inviting you to have a look at The SevenSight Transformation Program.
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B. Left side surcharge / overload

If the left side bears a significantly higher number than the right one, you’re in a very sweet spot. Grasp the opportunity and start acting now to implement your change.

Life is highly dynamic, and you never know what’s around the corner.

Act now to make the difference you deserve.

Tomorrow could be too late.