Remember that you control your calendar, your calendar doesn't control you.PeopleImages/Getty Images
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Ask Women and Work
Question: I feel like I’m always chasing the clock throughout the day to get everything done. Any tips for organizing my workday while also maintaining a bit of balance in my life?
We asked Fatima Yusuf, founder and CEO of ImagineCreate AI, to tackle this one:
I think the most important thing is remembering that you control your calendar, your calendar doesn’t control you. Figure out what’s important to you and what you want to make time for.
For example, I’ve figured out that the five most important things for me in my life are family, health, business, fun and faith. My business is kind of an ‘always-on’ business, but I try to ensure there’s room in my day for all five of those things. The percentage I might spend on each might vary each day, but there needs to be an element of everything that’s important to me. All the parts of my life empower each other.
For health, I always walk in the morning. By doing that, not only do I feel better, but I also actually feel a lot sharper when I’m in business mode. At the beginning, it felt like, ‘I need to slot this in,’ but eventually it became a habit. When it comes to family, I have aging parents and so if my mom needs something during the day, it’s important for me to be there for her. One of the great parts of being a business owner is you have a lot more autonomy over your time, so I try to integrate my life all together rather than a strict 9 to 5.
When it comes to structuring my workday, I make sure to know in advance what I will need to focus on each day. It might be a big product, R&D-style day, or a go-to-market day with a lot of sales calls, or a day where I have a lot of investor meetings. There are always going to be a million things going on whether you are running a business or have a busy job, but you can’t be thinking about all of them at the same time. It’s about compartmentalizing your days, so your focus is entirely on one thing for that day or for those three hours in the morning.
I also like to see friends often and I find a lot of my energy comes from those relationships. There’s almost an internal signal telling me I need to see some friends or go for a workout. It’s important to listen to that. I think earlier in my career, I would just power through those feelings. Now I make sure that I’m giving myself what I need. I believe that if you work on yourself and you are healthier, with strong relationships, you can show up even better for your business.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
This week’s must-read stories on women and work
How to find a mentor in a world of virtual work
As employees have less face time with the boss and other co-workers, including those who we don’t work closely with, mentorship has become even more important.
However, it’s harder for mentoring relationships to develop naturally when we’re working remotely or hybrid – and when we do come in, the office is often empty.
While 98 per cent of Fortune 500 Companies have visible mentoring programs, a 2024 report by MentorcliQ found, most Canadian businesses haven’t got the message. Only 34 per cent of organizations in Canada offered mentorship programs as of December 2023, according to a survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals.
Here are some strategies to find a mentor on your own.
From power lunches to travel tips, Canadian business leaders share how to make the most of a work trip in their cities
The Canadian business traveller is all about mixing work with pleasure these days. Tacking a little more time onto trips to explore, visit loved ones or even just have breathing room around meetings, is a trend that’s gaining momentum in the industry.
According to the Global Business Travel Association, Canadian business travel spending is forecast to reach US$25.9-billion in 2024, which will return it to pre-2020 levels, with an annual growth expected to outpace both the U.S. and global rates.
The Globe and Mail spoke to business leaders and entrepreneurs in the country’s busiest business centres to learn where to go, and what to avoid when travelling for work across Canada.
Planning a “bleisure” trip? Check out these tips on how to have a bit of fun, relaxation, team-building and a great coffee while you’re there.
Frequent feedback and redefining goals help remote teams overcome common hurdles
Like many executives after the pandemic, Kira Sherman manages an all-remote team. She has three direct reports working in sales positions who she oversees as the vice-president of business development at Blade Air, a Canadian company that sells air quality products.
At first, when Ms. Sherman stepped into the role in 2022, she allowed her team to leave their cameras off during virtual meetings, but she’s since switched to a cameras-on policy. “We’re human, at the end of the day. We crave that eye contact. We want to know that people are engaged and paying attention to us.”
Read how managers like Ms. Sherman are helping their remote teams connect.
In case you missed it
Leadership lessons from four Canadian filmmakers carving their own paths
Running a film set as a director can be an extremely challenging job – juggling creative vision with on-the-spot problem-solving, tight timelines, budget limitations and big crews. For filmmakers from under-represented communities, things can get even harder.
On average, in Canada, 77 per cent of key film industry positions are held by men. According to research from the University of Alberta, at the current rate of progress, Canada’s film and TV industry will achieve gender parity in 2215 – nearly 200 years from now.
Here are leadership lessons from four award-winning Canadian women directors who are carving their own paths.
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