“We are all leaders in our own circus. Your circus is yours, mine is mine. It is insane to compare them.” Louise D’Allura
WELL Productivity® has been simmering away over the last 20 years and I am excited to be able to share this approach. In creating WELL Productivity®, I’ve drawn on scientific research, as well as mentoring, coaching and supporting clients one-on-one over the last 20 years.
Consisting of four concepts, when established and embedded in our daily lives as mindful practices, WELL Productivity® recognises life is about ensuring our ‘wells’ in various areas are filled. Knowing what things energise us (and top up our wells), and what de-energises (and depletes our well). Each aspect of WELL Productivity® recognises there is no cookie cutter approach to ‘work-life balance’. It is more about understanding each element and how it integrates into our life. I’ve struggled over the years and have ended up creating the program I wish was available for me. I’ve created this program and have implemented the wisdom in my own life and supported my clients to do the same. That’s why I know that this concept is on the right path.
I’ve seen first hand that we can’t separate work-life and home-life. As a trained Home Economist, my skill lies in the ability to identify the skills and resources my clients are depleted of, in how we work and live. The reality I’ve seen from working across government, non government and the private sector, in the areas of nutrition, health promotion, corporate health, occupational health and personal productivity, is this: people bring the stress of work-life home, and the stress of home-life to work.
The research tells a similar story. In a nutshell the most productive employees are the healthiest. Studies show conflict between work and family has been associated with sick leave, poor physical and mental health in workers. Healthy workers with healthy families, result in a more productive workforce. Research commissioned by Medibank Private found a measurable link between a person’s health and lifestyle and how productive they are at work. Employees with poor overall health status are far more likely to be absent from work and are nine times more likely to have sick days, compared to healthy employees. Whilst absenteeism is acknowledged as a real problem in the workplace in the research, presenteeism poses a greater risk as it largely goes unnoticed, or unattended.
When established and embedded in our daily lives as mindful practices, WELL Productivity® has the capacity to enrich the quality of our lives. I’ve learned that practicing these strategies is an exercise in mindfulness.
Let’s take a look at the four elements:
Positive
While you think this might be a warm and fuzzy concept, it involves a lot more than ‘positive thinking’! Positive introduces you to the four fundamentals of Positive in a WELL Productivity® context essential for helping us cultivate a positive approach to all we do – at work and at home. You’ll know what matters most. You’ll be habitually taking into consideration key aspects of what’s really important into your day.
Productive
There are four fundamentals of Productivity in a WELL Productivity® context essential for helping us cultivate productive habits to achieve all we want to do – at work and at home. You’ll know the strategies you need to implement to help you be more organised. And you’ll learn skills to help manage, not only yourself, but others as well.
Proactive
There are four fundamentals of Proactive in a WELL Productivity® context essential for helping us cultivate a proactive approach to all we do – at work and at home. Not only will you know the things that hinder and sabotage you, you’ll also be understanding and thinking and seeing failure in a completely different way that has the power to revolutionise how you approach things in being proactive in your life.
Peak Performance
The four fundamentals of Peak Performance in a WELL Productivity® context essential for helping us to operate at peak performance in all we do – at work and at home. You’ll discover the benefits of a new outlook. You’ll discover the important things that you need to consider to help yourself in being and bringing the best of yourself to work and at home each and every day.
There is no one size fits all solution to “work life balance” and getting people working well. When we are trying to manage the circus that can be work life balance, it’s about creating personalised and individualized strategies that honour knowing who we are and our contribution at work.