Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 3, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 19 As the nights get longer and the morning air gets a bit crisper, you may be tempted to pull out that blanket and begin hiber- nation season. Unfortunately, as business leaders, we can't afford to fall behind. Here are five strategies to accelerate your productivity during the fourth quarter and maximize those daylight hours. As the leaves start to fall, let's ensure you contin- ue to sprout. 5) Channel your energy. Do you have a boost of energy at 5 a.m. and can't fall back asleep? Consider using that time before the rooster starts crowing to check off that significant action item on your to- do list. You'll feel accomplished, and this will help set a productive tone for the rest of the day. 4) Have an abundance mindset. It's harvest season, so it's time to capitalize on all the preparation you've been doing. This is your opportunity to maximize on achieving the goals you set last season. Timing is everything! Speak your goals into existence, and ensure they come to fruition this autumn. 3) Collaborate. Fall is a time for unity, not just with family and friends but with potential business partners. Develop a robust emotional intelligence to identify critical collaborators who can help you grow this season. 2) Have a thirst for knowledge. What causes the leaves to change colors? Embrace curiosity and ask key questions. Identify problems and develop solutions to bring value to your community and your business. 1) Discover tactics to destress. After fall comes winter, and just like the change of seasons, there is a time to grind and a time to rest. After a long productive day, find strategies to help you unwind. Work-life harmony will look a bit different for everyone. What are some ways you reward yourself after an arduous day to recharge? At Quality Means Business, we antici- pate scaling over the next few months by adding automated systems and an IT footprint. K N O W H O W Overcoming business roadblocks 10 1: H ave you ever been on the receiving end of a text that says, "K" or just "fine"? If so, then you know what it's like to feel personally victimized by a written message. Nothing will knock you down a peg or two faster than a passive- aggressive text, whether it was intended to sting or not. e same goes for email in the workplace. It's been around for long enough it too has developed its own type of language. If you want to communicate effectively in the workplace, here are some strategies to help with your email game. Use the right phrasing. It's okay to feel annoyed if someone doesn't respond to your email right away. But one of the worst things you can do is follow up with a friendly reminder or a circling back, Minda Zetlin, a journalist writing for Inc.com, said. "Here's the thing about circles. Once you start going around them, you never come to the end," Zetlin wrote. "So 'circling back' suggests that the sender will keep sending follow-up messages, again and again, until they get a response." A less confrontational alternative would be to say, "In case you hadn't seen this," Zetlin suggested. Don't respond if you're angry. You shouldn't go to bed when you're angry at your partner, and the same rule applies to work communications. If you're stewing over a message from a colleague, a client, or anyone, it's best to wait until you calm down to respond. "is prevents miscommunication, wasted time and regret," Erica Dhawan, founder and CEO of Cotential business management consulting, wrote in an article for CNBC. "If you feel emotionally hijacked, save your email message as a dra and revise and send it when you're in a better mood." Don't try to be funny. Just like in texting, things like sarcasm and humor are tougher to suss out in a work email. If a joke lands badly or is misunderstood, you might end up annoying someone or even hurting their feelings. "Emails can easily be misinterpreted through text without context," the Glassdoor Team said in an article on its website. "Humor is culture-specific. Avoid both humor and sarcasm in e-mails as the recipient may be confused, or worse, offended." 5 T H I NG S I know about... ... Being productive during the fall season BY NATALIE RODRIGUEZ Special to WBJ D etours and roadblocks are never fun. In the fast- paced world we live in today, we are oen ready to go from point A to point B and expect it to be a quick-and- easy transaction. is doesn't happen in business. AT ALL!! Owning a business can sometimes feel like you are trying to cross the street while things are being thrown at you, and you have to try to avoid getting hit by a car in the process. How you handle the roadblocks is the key to success and striving in business. When I started in business, I had to learn things will not always go my way. Each time this happened, I became more creative, and I became more relentless. When you have to figure out a new route, you become more alert and aware of your surroundings. You have to embrace your new journey (detour). ey may not always be pleasant, but it can certainly show you a new outlook. Sometimes these roadblocks help teach us many lessons, such as what not to do or perhaps how you can improve on doing it better next time. I have always lived by the motto, "Ev- erything happens for a reason." I may not always know the reason, but I have learned to take things in stride and roll with the punches. ese detours can put you in rooms you never imagined. ey can give you conversations with people you thought were out of reach and even open up doors that you never knew had a key! Making sure you delegate in these times is crucial. You will need to get creative, so you will need to try to lighten your load so you can be more productive. Focus on the things that pay you more. Some examples are booking out clients or prospecting for an hour versus cleaning your home or going grocery shopping. No, I am not saying to have a dirty house and stay hungry, I am saying stay productive and hire someone to clean for you, plan your meals out, and shop online for groceries. ese are God-sent tips I have learned along the way. Fill up your calendar with produc- tivity. is can be marketing, reels on Instagram or Facebook, working your business in every way possible. Prior- itizing during these roadblocks will help you get the most important things accomplished. Seek help. I am super prideful, but one thing I have learned is it is ok to seek help, especially if you are like me and you give back and are always helping. My best advice to deal with road- blocks and detours in business is to just keep going. Pull out all the stops and tricks you have in your hat. is is where the weak and the strong are sep- arated, because being an entrepreneur is not for the weak. I want to finish by saying: Great job! I am proud of you! Remember other people's opinions about you and what you are doing is none of your business Keep pushing! Natalie Rodriguez is the owner and founder of the Worcester restaurant Nuestra. BY LAURA FINALDI Special to WBJ By Michel Moravia Michel Moravia is the CEO of Millbury biopharmaceutical consultancy firm Quality Means Business. Reach him at mmoravia@ qmbdevices.com. H O W T O D E A L W I T H E M A I L F R U S T R AT I O N S W W W

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