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Top 5 Apps and Gadget to stay on the go

Posted on 8 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

As event planners, we are always on the go. We’re traveling from airport to airport, taking site visits at random locations and working in the closest Starbucks we can find. It’s easy to feel like we aren’t being as productive as we are when we are in the office.

But, while there is nothing like sitting in front of your desk at the office, there are a lot of tools that can help you while you’re traveling. Imagine if you could be nearly as productive on the go as you are in the office. Here are the top five apps for event planners on the go!

Karma Wi-Fi

One of biggest frustrations while traveling is to get access to reliable Wi-Fi.

Clients need a document uploaded and it could takes hours just to try and find a place that will have a strong enough signal to upload the document needed.

With Karma, you can take your hotspot on the go. And, the best part is that you pay for only the data you use. Rather then find a package through your mobile provider that gives you 2GB a month, you can pay only when you need it. It’s really flexible and reliable.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a file storage platform. It allows you to upload the documents that you need on the go and share them, as needed. Their mobile app is great as well and you can access the documents you need, make changes, and re-share them with the appropriate people.

The Pages App

This app is a really great tool for checking notifications, responding to messages and making sure that we are engaging on a regular basis with our Facebook audience.

The general Facebook app is incredibly underwhelming when it comes to brand management, so rather than waiting until you get back to your desktop to deal with a comment on your Facebook page, you can now do it while you are waiting for the train or sitting on the bus.

Slack

Slack is a new team communication tool where you can filter feeds, create conversations and eliminate email. This tool is designed for collaborating as teams so it’s a great option to use for your employees. It manages their conversations and keeps them in this platform instead of everything being in your email. And, their mobile app makes it easy to stay connected and updated on the go.

LogMeIn

This app is great because it will allow us to log into our desktop from our mobile and access files that we need. Sometimes, there’s simply no greater answer then having direct access to your desktop.

10 Healthy ways to avoid the afternoon slump

Posted on 6 Giugno 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

As inconvenient as that predictable postprandial plunge between 2 and 4 p.m. can be, scientists tell us it’s actually a biological imperative, a mini version of the drowsiness we feel just before bedtime when our core body temperature drops, signaling the brain to release that heavenly chemical dream weaver, melatonin.

Some cultures embrace the slump with a midday siesta; ours not so much. In fact, we westerners tend to make matters worse by giving nary a nod to breakfast, then overcompensating with a carb-crazy lunch and sugary chaser, the perfect prelude to a mid-afternoon plunge. What’s more, once the yawns hit, a caramel latte or candy bar on the run will only provide temporary relief, if not make matters worse.

Here are 10 healthy habits that will help stave off an afternoon siesta:

Declare a time out

Five minutes of alone time to sit, practice deep breathing and clear your mind will put you on a better mental footing to face the rest of the day.

Go for a walk

There’s nothing like a little fresh air, exercise and change of scenery to recharge your metabolism for the work ahead. If the weather outside if frightful, walk briskly down a covered breezeway or up and down a flight or two of stairs to get your blood moving.

Have a drink (No, not that kind of drink!)

A tall glass of ice water does wonders to stave off sleep and rally your metabolism. But avoid alcohol; the sugar content leads to plunge city.

Wrangle your incoming

Counter an approaching plunge by shifting your focus to the texts, voice mails and emails that have amassed while you were busy. It’s a great way to divert a downward spiral and be productive at the same time.

Have a snack (No, not that kind of snack!)

Boost your metabolism with an energy-rich snack. Fresh fruit, trail mix with nuts, or whole-wheat crackers with string cheese are good choices if available. If your only option is vending machine fare, peanut butter and crackers provide a welcome carb-protein pick-me-up. But avoid candy; it lets you down fast.

Plug into your playlist

Spending a few minutes listening to upbeat, engaging music can pick up the beat when it starts to lag. Personally, I’d steer more toward Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Movin’” than, say, Adele’s “Hello.”

Plan tomorrow

Getting a jump on coordinating the appointments and tasks you’ll face tomorrow can interject a welcome wider perspective into your day and clear your mind for a relaxing evening.

Take a reading break

Words have a way of reviving and relaxing us when the minutiae of the day starts to take its toll. Keep a book of inspiring quotes, jokes or meaningful reflections handy or bookmark the same online and use these to revive and reset your mood as needed.

Open the curtains

Feeling drowsy? Part the curtains and welcome in as much sunlight as possible. A 2006 scientific study found that 20 minutes of exposure to bright light increased alertness and boosted brain response. The reason? That old dream weaver Melatonin can’t be produced in bright light.

Catnap if you can

If time and circumstances permit, a 20-minute nap (but no more) can do wonders for your energy level. Scientists caution, however, that catnaps are not a good option if you suffer from insomnia, as they may make nighttime sleeplessness worse.

Why technology is not “the connection”

Posted on 20 Maggio 201618 Luglio 2017 by Fedra

The Social Age is about connections: within networks, through technology, to communities, with each other, over time.

It’s about co-created stories: knowledge built in the moment from multiple sources and filtered through the sense-making groups we belong to.

Co-created knowledge, fragments of spare thought, aligned to build our understanding of how the world is today. And how it will be tomorrow.

And yet agility may not lie down this route. Sure, we still need control, we still need formal structures and we still need formal learning. It’s just that we also need to recognise that it’s only half of the story.

The other half is what surrounds it: wisdom, ground truth, experience. Often not so easily identifiable, deeply grounded within our communities and hard to acquire except through engagement.

We are connected through technology, and yet the technology is not, in itself, connection – it’s what we say to each other that connects us, how we treat each other, support each other, challenge and enlighten each other.

Technology is the mechanism by which we are connected, but communication is what it enables the connection, and communication is about people. About you, about me, about the stories that we share.

Often organizations talk about engagement, as if it’s something mysterious, sought after, elusive. Engagement is, in fact, everywhere. You cannot buy or bestow engagement, you can only earn it.

Those organizations stuck in the past, constrained by old models of working and older mindsets of thinking can never truly achieve engagement because they never truly want it. They never truly want what it brings – curiosity, agility, impermanence.

Identify the people who engage naturally and do everything we can to support, nurture and recognize them, these are the first generations of Social Leaders, the connected strata who will form the foundations of our change community.

If we help these people tell our story, and shape the story, we may achieve greater connectivity with the story.

It will spread and grow under the power of amplification, rather than brute force. That’s the key to change – connection. So our role becomes facilitating, not standing at the top and trying to force the organization to become fit for the Social Age, but alongside it, nurturing and unleashing its natural potential.

It starts with reflection and grows to a community, connected around ideas, around shared values.

To change our organizations, we must create spaces and permissions to connect, and recognize those people who do so, recognize them socially. Celebrate the success that they bring.