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Podcast Episode 214: The Crazy Busy Cure with Zena Everett

27th November 2023

3,705 views

4 min read

This Episode: The Crazy Busy Cure with Zena Everett

Lucinda interviews Zena Everett, a speaker on leadership and productivity and author of the book “The Crazy Busy Cure.”

They discuss the growing issue of busyness and stress in the workplace, particularly in the context of hybrid working. Zena shares her insights on the impact of personality traits, such as perfectionism and people-pleasing, on productivity. They also explore the importance of clarity of purpose, effective time management, and creating a culture that supports productivity.

Key Takeaways

Certain personality traits, such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, and a tendency to take on too much, can contribute to feeling constantly busy. Being aware of these traits and finding strategies to manage them can help individuals become more productive.
Create a culture of psychological safety: It’s important to create a work environment where individuals feel safe to voice their concerns, ask for help, and challenge ineffective practices. This fosters open communication and allows for discussions about meeting etiquette, email overload, and other factors that contribute to busyness.
Encouraging employees to have dedicated time for deep work, where they can focus on important tasks without interruptions, can lead to increased productivity and a sense of accomplishment. Getting into a state of flow, where individuals are fully absorbed in their work, can also boost productivity and well-being.
Bring back lunch breaks and social interactions: Encouraging employees to take proper lunch breaks and engage in social interactions can help foster a sense of connection and reduce feelings of overwhelm.

Best Moments from

This Episode: The Crazy Busy Cure with Zena Everett

“I think we’re in that parent-child relationship where people are almost… Spoon-feeding is unfair, but I think you know what I’m trying to say.”

“So they had a few hours in the morning to actually do the work. And that worked for everybody because they felt more in control.”

“But it’s really tricky, though, for some people who are naturally unselfish or perfectionist because you’re actually going against the grain almost.”

Valuable Resources

Find out more about Actus solutions:

Actus solutions

The HR Uprising Podcast | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher

www.hruprising.com
The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group
HR Uprising Mastermind – https://hruprising.com/mastermind/
New Info-book: Rethinking Performance Appraisals

Additional free HR Resources

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About The Guest, `Zena Everett`

International Leadership Coach and Speaker Zena Everett is the author of Mind Flip, Take the Fear out of Your Career and the award-winning Crazy Busy Cure.

Originally a recruitment entrepreneur, Zena sold her business in 2007 then studied an MSc in Career Management and Coaching. She then took further post-graduate qualifications in psychological coaching and leadership with neuroscience (MIT Sloan Business School). She has coached on the Executive MBA Programme at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and is a member of the Associate Faculty at Henley Business School. She runs bespoke, lively leadership programmes in aspiring businesses who want to boost accountability and productivity.

For more information contact: https://www.zenaeverett.com/

About The Host

Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles. Lucinda also has a further 10 as CEO of Actus Software where she worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. Certainly, it was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.

“If you look up, you rise up”

How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney