As we head towards the summer, we’re nearly 6 months into the year. Maybe it has been a good one for you so far, or maybe you’ve faced many constraints and challenges?

The theme of this newsletter is how we can do the best with what we have and maximise our most precious resource – time.

I recently keynoted for a behavioural health organisation in the U.S., discussing strategies to mitigate burnout. The emphasis was on the importance of self-care and self-compassion.

Perhaps you think that burnout is here to stay, similar to this article https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230309-is-it-impossible-to-end-burnout but whatever your thoughts, it’s important to limit burnout if we have the power to do so.

One behaviour that can certainly lead to burnout is to take on too much and overcommit.

We imagine that a few weeks from now our calendar will magically clear so we schedule for the future things we feel ‘meh’ about today, hoping that by the time they come around, our attitude towards the task will change and we’ll feel more enthusiastic.

But, when it gets closer, we’re just as busy, our feelings about the task haven’t changed, and we regret making the commitment.

I’ve been enjoying Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal, a former medical doctor turned YouTube productivity guru. He promotes a holistic approach to productivity, which prioritises making current tasks more enjoyable over waiting for a mythical future where all jobs are completed and we can finally relax. Hah!

He suggests that before, out of obligation, we schedule a joyless task into our calendars, we ask ‘How would I feel if this activity were scheduled for tomorrow?’

If the answer is, not very good, or, yikes, I wish I didn’t have to do it, then this is a task you should avoid, if you possibly can.

This strategy is helping me to evaluate every task and activity coming my way with clarity and honesty. Give it a try and see if it’s useful.

INSPIRE INCLUSION

Thanks to everyone who participated in my introvert surveys recently. I was particularly struck by the stories of two young women at one of my talks who shared their experiences of exclusion and even dismissal from jobs due to their quiet nature – something I’ve faced in my own career.

So, I’m excited to bring you a series of LinkedIn Live interviews called Impact and Influencing Strategies for Ambitious Introverts.

Running daily from June 24 – 28th at 1pm BST, 2pm CET, 8am EST, 9pm SGT, I’ll be in conversation with thought leaders about ways to help you succeed in the workplace.

We’ll cover:

• Introvert PR and Inclusion
• Low-stress strategies for Presentations and Panels
• Energy management and stepping out of your comfort zone

And a lot more!

Check out the full schedule here: sholakaye.com/introverts and join us for just 30-45 minutes each time. On this page you can also sign up for reminders the morning of each session + links to recordings + a PDF summary booklet of the key takeaways.

I hope to see you there!!

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES?

Last week, I was in Marrakesh keynoting on Inclusive Modern Leadership for the accounting network, Russell Bedford International. These trips offer a great chance to reflect on current priorities.

A read that has resonated with me is Making Time for Strategy by Richard Medcalfe. It’s full of useful advice. He makes an insightful distinction between a fortress and a prison: actively scheduling time for what we value creates a fortress, whereas succumbing to doom scrolling or excessive social media use traps us in a prison.

So, where do you spend most of your time… in your fortress, or in prison?

I have a glass topped desk that doubles as a whiteboard and I’ve scrawled ‘Fortress or prison?’ as a reminder to do the right thing!

In Q3 I’ll be travelling to various conferences so if you’re close by, let me know and we can meet for a chat or a discussion about how I might help you with keynotes and workshops.

My current schedule includes:

New York City area – w/b 16th September

Munich – w/b 7th October

San Diego – w/b 21st October

You can take a look here at my current list of keynotes sholakaye.com/sd and on my website is a list of communication and influence topics https://sholakaye.com/connect-convince/ or if you have any questions, just reach out!

COMMUNICATION CORNER

Most of us struggle to say no, particularly to bosses or clients, but it’s crucial if we want to avoid overload and burnout.

The article ‘How to say no to taking on more work’ offers excellent advice and real-world examples to help manage this. It’s a must-read for anyone juggling high demands: https://hbr.org/2015/12/how-to-say-no-to-taking-on-more-work.

I particularly like the suggestion of providing context about your workload so that your counterpart understands the repercussions of what they’re asking.

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That’s it for another month. Keep in touch and let me know if any of these suggestions were useful to you. I’m eager to hear your thoughts and hope to see you during the upcoming LinkedIn Live sessions.

Go to sholakaye.com/introverts if you’re curious!

All the best,

Shola

P.S. Here are a few things you might want to do after reading this newsletter:

1. To view a list of Shola’s speech descriptions, go to: https://sholakaye.com/sd
2. And if you’re looking for Leadership talks and training, go to: https://sholakaye.com/empathy-skills-for-leaders-and-managers
3. Book a keynote enquiry call here: https://sholakaye.com/30

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Hi, I’m Shola and I help you create a people-first culture. My work sits at the intersection of Inclusion, Communication & Emotional Intelligence.

My keynote talks and workshops help your leaders and employees create high-performing work environments where people feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. Sessions are high energy, interactive, and every participant walks away with at least one practical framework for connecting and collaborating more effectively.

Sound good to you? Please reach out and let’s discuss your next event! 🙂🎤✨