Five to Thrive 5/13/2019

UMD’s Thriving Workplace Initiative is making the University of Maryland a great place to work by providing tools and support to foster engaged, inclusive and empowered faculty and staff across campus.

Each Monday, its Five to Thrive list offers five strategies crowdsourced from research, experts and our own UMD community to help your workplace thrive.

With the frenzy of the academic year nearing an end, let’s look ahead to summer—a great time for professional development, organization and instilling good work habits. Here are a few to consider for Summer ’19:

• Tackle that “someday” project. Whether it’s a new system, a distribution list or a template for projects, it’s the thing that would make your life so much easier during the school year, if you only had the time to put it together. Take advantage of a quieter campus by getting it done. Break it into chunks and add to your calendar as a standing appointment.
• Have an “end” time. We all have a time we need to be at work; consider establishing a time that you must leave. Sticking to it will make you more productive and help make time for family, exercise and hobbies.
• Schedule some one on ones. The summer months are a great time to sit down with employees or colleagues to check in, improve a process or learn more about their interests and aspirations.
• Hydrate. Hydration affects energy level, weight loss, mood and mental sharpness, yet most humans don’t drink enough water. Everyone likes their water a different way, whether room-temperature, flavored or iced. Find your preferred delivery method and make a goal to drink two liters a day.
• Enroll in a Thriving Workplace Initiative program. Whether it’s being a better manager, discovering your strengths or learning to have better conversations with your colleagues, UMD’s TWI has a program for you. Learn about its offerings here.

Five to Thrive is taking a summer hiatus but will be back with fresh tips this fall! Avoid withdrawal by subscribing to UMD’s Thriving Workplace Initiative Food for Thought Friday. Send an email to thrivingworkplace@umd.edu with the subject listserv to subscribe.