Business toolbox
Nikki Porcher , Buy From A Black Woman
How the founder of a non-profit organization supporting Black female entrepreneurs starts her day and stays motivated .
I ’ m currently feeling ... optimistic about the year ahead !
My favorite mantra is “ things are always working out for me .” It keeps me in a space of happiness and gratitude , which makes it easy to be optimistic . We just launched Buy From A Black Woman in Canada , so I ’ m excited about the programs that we ’ re going to be rolling out there . The new season of A Black Woman ’ s
Podcast starts this fall , and we have incredible guests like everybody ’ s favorite Auntie
Tabitha Brown . The Buy From A Black Woman Business Awards are coming up in November , and this year we ’ re taking the event on the road , so we ’ re going to be in Orlando .
We also have the Buy From A Black Woman Holiday Market presented by H & M in December , so we will be traveling crosscountry again to showcase Black women-owned brands . There ’ s a lot going on in between and big plans for 2024 , so I feel positively overwhelmed .
A typical day in my life begins … around 5:00 am . I meditate while waiting for the sun to come up , then I do my morning walk or run if I ’ m training for a race . After that it ’ s a dance party , check my schedule and do some social media , take my dog for a walk , and then I get into my day . Which can include anything from meetings or speaking at events , to doing podcast interviews .
Because I work from home I like to switch it up and work at different places so I don ’ t just sit behind my desk all day , every day . I also have a standing desk , and sometimes I even work outside . In the evenings , I decompress , catch up on shows , and spend time with family .
Outside of work , I ’ m passionate about … all causes that affect Black women as a whole , regardless of whether they ’ re physical , mental , spiritual , environmental , or whatever . Because Black women have to deal with multiple layers of challenges , we have to take a systemic approach if we really want to equalize the playing field .
How to structure your workday , according to research
Balancing individual tasks with company meetings is a challenge for many office workers , but research suggests there ’ s a better way to structure your workday to boost energy levels and performance .
Two studies tracked the daily activities and energy levels of more than 400 knowledge workers in various industries , and found that many people commit two key errors when organizing meetings .
One is stacking too many meetings on the same day , a common technique that is often perceived as being more efficient , but is actually more draining . The other is working on challenging tasks on the same day as a big meeting . Both of these approaches had a harmful effect on energy levels , researchers found .
Instead , workers should try to balance the time they spend in meetings with the time they spend on individual work each day , and take microbreaks , such as going for a walk or engaging in casual conversation . They should also try to balance the intensity of their workload by scheduling less stressful tasks for days when they have high-pressure meetings , and vice versa .
Chen Zhang , Gretchen M . Spreitzer , and Zhaodong ( Alan ) Qiu conducted the studies and published their findings in the Journal of Applied Psychology .
The future of soft skills in the workplace
As companies rush to adopt AI-driven chatbots such as ChatGPT , the majority of workers believe that soft skills , such as communication , problem-solving and timemanagement , will remain vital to their success in the workplace .
In a recent survey of more than 1,000 US employees and managers in various industries , 71 percent said that soft skills will be just as or even more important in the future , and 84 percent said that new recruits must possess soft skills and demonstrate this in the hiring process .
Almost a quarter of employees regarded communication as the most important soft skill for a new recruit , followed by problem-solving ( 21 percent ) and time management ( 19 percent ). However , when looking at C-level executives and senior management , creativity was considered the most essential skill .
The survey was conducted by Business Name Generator in July , and overseen by the Censuswide research team .
56 www . insideretail . us September 2023