When did you first become interested in personal development? I was 19 years old, and my old German teacher recommended a seminar that was held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, UK. I passed by there last week. Ms Novakovic was quite a character. When she returned one of...
Looking for the Sasuga! Podcast? After over 4 years and 219 episodes, the podcast is on pause.
The good news is you can still enjoy them here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Below, you’ll find my latest blog posts to help you do brilliant work without sacrificing your personal life – less effort, more impact!
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How Fast Should You Reply To Work Chat?
How easily are you distracted by work chat and other instant messaging? Are you sometimes frustrated by interruptions, but simultaneously compelled to reply immediately? Read on to discover How work interruptions cost you more than just your time to respond 4 tips...
3 Checkin Questions To Reduce Meeting Distractions
Have you ever been in a meeting where your colleague didn’t seem to be paying attention or contributing fully? You might feel frustrated. But you probably don’t know what’s going on in that person’s life that could be distracting them. One day, I joined a 1:1 coaching...
3 Tips To Deal With “Mum Guilt”
“My son has been sick this week, and he ended up watching YouTube for kids all day since he wants to be in my room where I work. I felt bad.” This is a classic example of mum guilt. In many cases, “Mum guilt” (or “Mom guilt” or “Mommy guilt”) is when you want to be a...
Is It Unprofessional To Smile?
I was amused when I read an article about how Japanese people were taking classes to learn how to smile after spending so long wearing masks during the pandemic. It makes sense though. Our facial expression has a huge impact on our communication to others as well as...
Are You Being Hard On Yourself?
(Just for fun - the photo is with my friend, Sam, about 5 years ago on the stepping stones at a lovely village in Yorkshire where we used to go on family holidays as children.) The other day, Junko (not her real name) told me on a call that she’d recently been quite...
The Difficulty Of Receiving
Oh, the difficulty of receiving! This photo is from 2014. I was speaking at a seminar organized by FEW (For Empowering Women) Japan and this was the panel discussion toward the end of the event. After this, there was a raffle. My name came up as a winner! In my mind,...
Simple Skills For Less Effort And More Impact
As we come out of Golden Week in Japan, I have a sort of “New Year” feeling. In March, many businesses went through the crazy busyness of the fiscal year end. In April, it was all about new hires and moving to new departments. And then the holidays. So now seems like...
Stuck In Bangkok
Are you taking time off for Golden Week? If so, I hope you’re enjoying it ❤️ As you may know, I was on hols with family in Thailand last week. We had a wonderful time. But when we arrived at Bangkok airport all refreshed and ready for our flight back to Japan, we had...
Do You Work During Holidays?
As Golden Week approaches, will you be traveling? When you’re on holiday, do you switch off completely or are you still doing some work? In the past, I was constantly overworking. I always had my BlackBerry and laptop with me even when I was in Thailand or the UK with...
Reflection Time
Now that I’m pausing the Sasuga! Podcast, what do I have for you instead??? Each week, I’d like to give you something bite-sized and practical to help you enjoy less effort and more impact in your work. First, since now is the start of a new business year for many in...
Taking A Break
When I was in my teens - before I started karate - I used to practice judo. One time, a male opponent got me into an arm lock on the mat. The normal thing to do here is to tap twice to indicate submission. But I didn’t. I didn’t want to give in or give up. And I...