We love to see you grow. Below you will find our Prisma Growth Strategies for the month of March:

The Eisenhower matrix

An old, but very effective time management tool.
All you have to do is categorise your task on your to do list.

Is it Urgent and Important? – Do it now.
Is it Not Urgent and Important? – Schedule time for the task.
Is it Not Important and urgent? – Delegate the task.
Is it Not Important and Not Urgent? – Remove the task from you current to do list.

Do you need help with project management? Contact us to find out how we can help

Ambient sounds

Can you focus on your tasks with ambient sounds?

Have you heard about ambient sounds, white noise or focus music? They can help foster your concentration when working or studying.

The sound of music vs the sound of silence. What do you prefer?

The Walt Disney method

Did you know you can improve creative thinking for yourself and co-workers? The Walt Disney method is all about different perspectives.

Step 1 – The Dreamer
Generate the greatest, most absurd ideas you can think of. No filters or negativities are allowed.

Step 2 – The Realist
Look at your ideas from step 1. Think about how your visions can become a reality

Step 3 – The Critic
Now it is time to possibly be a pessimist. You need to evaluate how feasible your ideas are; and list what could go wrong when implementing the ideas.

If you want to go all the way with this method, change rooms for each step. Choose the nicest room for the dreamer phase.

Stay tuned for more growth strategies by Prisma!

The technique, invented by Francesco Cirillo, improves your efficiency, and cuts down on interruptions.

Try to focus 25 minutes without distractions and then take a break for 5 minutes. Then you are ready to start your next Pomodoro session.

Our tip: You cannot focus for 25 without seeking out distractions? Start with only 10 minutes for one Pomodoro.

Environment Design is a crucial part of habit forming. It is not always laziness or lack of motivation; our environment makes or breaks good habits.

If you design your environment to fit your desired habits; you will find it easier to stick to them.

Our tip: Visualise your progress to increase motivation on your workplace, or any place you choose for your new habit.

Where are we more effective? How to boost your productivity? From home or in the office? The Prisma team found new strategies to work smarter in the last months.

Work-From-Home lessons: productivity

• Certain tasks I find easier to do in the office, especially when more people are involved. I have noticed that all “over the counter talks” are missing which happen when you are in the office. Now, we have to organise more web meetings to discuss certain tasks
• We save a lot of time with web meetings vs official provider / client meetings. Furthermore, with all these web meetings, I find that people are a lot more effective and go straight to the point rather than doing some small talk
• I like listening to Indie music or the Folklore album by Taylor Swift album while working
• It is very important for me to get “office dressed” when working from home so that I am in an official working mode
• Work related communication is quicker in the office since questions can be discussed immediately.

• Being organised is key, especially working partly from home and partly in the office.
• When busy with a lot of projects, I find it easier to focus and concentrate when working at home.
• We are more flexible with projects at home compared to the office, especially when you still need to send out some projects late in the evening.
• I like being able to listen to music whilst working.
• You learn the importance of communication, it’s easy to forget to notify someone when you’re used to discussing minor things in the office.
• When working from home it is easier to stay focused as it is quieter.
• I felt that the communication in general has changed. There are more meetings and conference calls than before.
• Not everything / everyone needs an immediate reaction from me if it is not an urgent matter.

Read here about our lessons on self-care and here about our lessons on hobbies and socialising.

Friends, family, and colleagues – Social distancing made us appreciate the people in our lives even more. The Prisma team members want to share their perspective on hobbies and socialising while working from home.

Work-From-Home lessons: hobbies and socialising

• We have more time to spend with our loved ones since we do not have to commute to/from work when working from home.
• I miss the office socialising during the “working from home” days.
• My private life matters – I want to arrange more time for personal interests, physical activities and enough time to look after myself.
• In general, when you leave the office in the evening, you switch to your private time. When working from home, you are tempted to work longer.

• You miss out on socialising, especially in these days when you don’t see friends or family as much.
• The team atmosphere is different when you see all people in the office and can speak to them face to face.
• Socialising also includes meeting friends and other contacts during lunch breaks which was not always possible last year.
• Supporting others (local restaurants, local shops or even neighbours / people in need) during difficult times gives me a sense of purpose and satisfaction. A lady in our neighbourhood once told me that “We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone” (Ronald Reagan).
• You gain hours a week not having to commute to work. More personal time is always a bonus.
• I am more motivated to get ready for training with my sports team.
• It is easy to use online team meetings to catch up.

Read here about our lessons on self-care and here about our lessons on productivity.

How to separate work and private life when working from home? See how the Prisma team dealt with new morning or evening rituals, productivity, and work habits in our upcoming series.

Work from home has been a challenge to some and a blessing to others. Here are new strategies we have learned and things we discovered about ourselves.

Work-From-Home lessons: self-care

Self-care is important when working from home and working in the office. Maybe due to the new developments, self-care has risen on the priority list for many people.

• Stretching is great, especially when you do not move a lot during the day.
• Doing a YouTube work-out instead of commuting, is a lot better than a traffic jam
• Tidying the work area when done, signals that this part of the day is finished.
• Adult colouring books sound silly but are a great tool to practice mindfulness.

• Having a separate office space at home keeps work and private life separated (I have changed our guest room into an “office” where I can work quietly and in peace. The view to the field where the cows are, is also quite relaxing).
• The importance of eating healthy. It’s easier to eat fresh when you’re home compared to getting a quick takeaway lunch.

• Instead of being stuck in the traffic jam which usually leads to a stressful start into the day, I take a 1–2-hour morning walk in the forest with my dog. The walk reduces my stress level and allows me to get fresh air before the workday starts.
• I learned to make every single day during the week interesting and enjoyable.
• I became more mindful about my surroundings. Nothing is permanent in this world, and everything is only temporary. Therefore, I try to appreciate even the smallest things and no longer take everything / everybody for grant

Stay tuned for part II and III!

Read here about our lessons on hobbies and socialising and here about our lessons on productivity.

September is a “Read-A-New-Book-Month”!

To get started on your autumn reading list, check out these great fiction reads recommended by the Prisma Team:

• Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
• Stoner by John Williams
• The Winemaker by Noah Gordon
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
• Metro 2033 by Dmitri Alexejewitsch Gluchowski
• The Accidental Further Adventures of the Hundred-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson
• Karlsson-on-the-Roof by Astrid Lindgren

Non-Fiction

With your non-fiction recommendations, you could learn how to build better habits, the secrets of body language or the importance of stories. Here are the Prisma Team non-fiction recommendations:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• The definitive book of body language by Barbara Pease and Allan Pease
• The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World by Roger E. Axtell
• Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant
• The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit by Mel Robbins
• Let Me Tell You a Story: Tales Along the Road to Happiness by Jorge Bucay
• The subtle art of not giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
• Everything is f*cked – A book about hope by Mark Manson

Enjoy Read-A-New-Book-Month!

Want to know more about the Prisma Team? Find out more in the About-us section.

communication 🗣 ✍🏻 📱
/kəmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

(noun)

Definitions:
1. the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. 🗣
2. means of sending or receiving information, such as phone lines or computers. ✍🏻

We all have this picture in our head as to how our lives should be. And yet the reality of the situation might vary from what we’d imagined.

Life currently teaches us that we must remain open to any eventualities, have a contingency plan and adapt our actions.

How exciting! Throw all the perfectly planned layout over board and start drafting a new one.

As T. Roosevelt said: “A Smooth Sea Never Made A Skilled Sailor”.

We don’t have New Years resolutions as such. This said we believe that 2021 is a good year to rethink our existence.

To truly live life is to really experience it. Enjoy it to the fullest and never take anything for granted.

Love, savor, create, be passionate, risk, take chances… no more limits