Can Marshmallows And Cinnamon Buns Improve Productivity?

Can Marshmallows And Cinnamon Buns Improve Productivity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marian Jones – IT Project Manager, writer and self confessed introvert shares her tools and resources from now to wow..

As an introvert my home is my sanctuary, and it got me thinking about space and ambiance and I found myself asking the question: Does it really matter?

With the weather definitely turning more autumnal, my favourite space for recharging is definitely curled up in front of a roaring fire surrounded by candlelight. However, since I have been working with my coach  Sheryl Andrews, I have started to explore what else about that space makes it my favourite place.

So right now in my mental picture I am snuggled under warm fleecy blanket drinking rich velvety hot chocolate and I can smell toasting marshmallows and cinnamon buns. I am watching Christmas movies and every so often my eyes are drawn to watch the flickering lights of the roaring fire and candles.

In reality I have the Christmas movies, the warm fleecy blanket, the rich velvety hot chocolate, I have an electric mock log fire but I have discovered the power of scented candles for completing the ambience.

Combining marshmallow vanilla and cinnamon woods scents make this beautiful aroma that makes me sink back into the sofa, enjoy the cosiness, and savour the hot chocolate. I feel a million miles away from anything and half expect to look out of the window and see a blanket of snow on the ground and rooftops opposite.

Work has been pretty busy and quite stressful just lately so as an experiment I took my scentsticks into work with me. Scent is a powerful stimulus, it can invoke memories and emotions, so I was curious could I reduce my stress, restore my calmness and energy levels at work with these two scents and invoke this mental space?

On my lunch break I got out my scent sticks, sat back in my office chair and closed my eyes. Amazingly it really worked. I could picture the scene I painted at the start complete with log cabin surroundings and snowy views from the windows. As I pictured the scene I felt my breathing deepen, my pulse steady, my head clear of the headache I had been suffering with all morning, my muscles relax and after enjoying that space for a while I felt ready to tackle the afternoon’s workload. I actually had a pretty productive afternoon.

As an introvert in an extrovert world self-care is incredibly important to enable us to thrive and achieve our goals, dreams and ambitions. And I believe even the extroverts benefit from time out to reflect and recharge.

Where is your favourite space to recharge?

Does that space have a shape or size?

When working with Sheryl we explore all the 5 senses. My invitation is to notice what you hear, see, smell, taste and feel.

 

Thank you for listening Marian Jones – IT Project Manager and Writer

Sheryl Andrews – The Strength and Solution Detective

Author of Manage Your Critic – From Overwhelm to Clarity in 7 Steps

Sheryl Andrews was the Founder of Step by Step Listening, and has always been able to create space where other people felt safe to speak their truth no matter what that was. She is well known for her ability to listen, question and give evidence based feedback that turns any overwhelm into a clarity and confidence that they can turn their dreams into reality.

But what many didn’t know is that in private behind closed doors she was not always able to do that for herself, she was fearful of upsetting others and often did not ask for her own needs to be met and often failed to turn her own dreams into reality. She was no stranger to lapses in self belief and an overwhelming sense of not being good enough. That was until she learned to take her own advice, when she wrote the book Manage your Critic – From Overwhelm into Clarity in 7 Steps she became consciously aware of what she did for others but wasn’t applying to her own life.

Sheryl now runs retreats and online group coaching course that provide you with a safe to speak space where you can unravel what is really holding you back. For more updates and the latest blogs please do sign up here for Free Success without stress newsletter

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Published By

Sheryl Andrews, Founder of Step by Step Listening, is well known for her fast speaking and highly motivational passion. But what many of you may not know is that in private behind closed doors she was also no stranger to challenging conversations, lapses in self belief and an overwhelming sense of not being good enough. Sheryl used to find it difficult to speak up and have her needs met despite the fact she could and would encourage everyone else to do exactly that. A series of 3 events in her personal life forced her to stop and learn how to take her own advice. Today, Sheryl runs retreats and one to one sessions resourcing you to do more of what you love, delegate what you don't and ditch the critic that says you can't. Sheryl openly shares an easy to adopt communication tool kit that will transform the way you think, feel and understand those around you. Sheryl will be your strength and solution detective until you have fully trained your inner critic and those around you, to listen in a way that motivates and inspires you.

View all posts by Sheryl Andrews →
18th February 2019 coaching, Communication Training, Confidence Building
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3 responses to “Can Marshmallows And Cinnamon Buns Improve Productivity?”

  1. Steve Bimpson says:
    20th February 2019 at 12:21 pm

    I haven’t used scent sticks, myself, but I’ve always been a fan of taking time out during the day for a ‘power nap’ or a short period of meditation (as I prefer to think of it). It keeps me relaxed and at peace (that’s me at my best), even when I’m really busy.

    Reply
    • Sheryl Andrews says:
      20th February 2019 at 12:31 pm

      I love my power naps, there is a lot of evidence that the like of Einstein regularly would put themselves in that dream state. And yet in the workplace we often want to ‘see our teams’ looking like their busy when instead productive thinking would be far more beneficial

      Reply
  2. Canela says:
    21st August 2019 at 5:42 pm

    Very nice tips, friend

    Reply

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