1. Share your achievements in Friday Pulse!

Move away from just paying attention to how far you've got to go and really notice how far you've come by celebrating all of your achievements – big and small.

How to do it:

• Take a moment or two to ignore your to-do list and instead think over what you have done.
• Note down what you've achieved individually or as a team this week
• Review what you're all celebrating together.

2. Focus on the small things and celebrate them

It’s all too easy to get distracted by the bigger mega-accomplishments, when actually paying attention to the micro ones helps build a sense of accomplishment and boosts motivation and energy for further action.

How to do it:

• Introduce little rituals for noticing what has been achieved each week; this helps surface progress so it’s front and center in our minds.
• Jot them down so you can add them to Friday Pulse at the end of the week.
• If you’re using the Friday Pulse Slack integration, add your Celebrations as you go!

3. Identify what's holding you back

When we identify what we need to change as a team, it’s easier for us to make change happen and it builds a sense of community and collective drive.

How to do it:

• As a team, spend 15 mins brainstorming the things that stopped you from feeling you accomplished things last month.
• Consider: IT issues; having to jump through too many hoops; feeling unsupported; lack of role clarity; not being able to use strengths; and a low sense of job control etc.
• Think about how you can find:

1. Ways to take some of the blocks away.
2. Inventive ways around them.

• For blocks that seem more difficult to dismantle, are there ways to reduce the negative effects on your collective sense of accomplishment?
• Think about people outside the team that might be able to help you.
• Choose actions that feel achievable and share responsibility for implementing them across the team.

4. Write a "To Day" list, rather than a "To Do" list

Big To Do lists make it harder to see the progress we're making. If yours feels overwhelming, it could be time to change your approach.

How to do it:

• At the end of each working day, write three to five things you want to get done the following day
• On the day itself, focus on these three to five things.
• When the day ends, you will hopefully see an entire list crossed out. This might feel pretty novel - and good!
• Use this positive energy to revisit your longer To Do list to prioritize your next day's To Day list, and so on.
• By focusing the brain on a smaller number of things, you'll feel like you are achieving more and you'll probably get more done!

5. Take cognitive breaks

Did you know that psychological research has found the more tired we get, the harder it is for us to recognize we need a break? A cognitive break engages our brain in a totally different way and delivers end-of-the-day energy benefits.

How to do it:

• Raise the profile and value of cognitive breaks in the team - and support each other to take them.
• Try things like going outside, stretching and chatting with colleagues.
• Help friends and colleagues too: make an invitation to step away from work they simply can't resist like lunching at their favorite eatery or engaging in a conversation topic they love.