Volume 1, Issue 5
Table of Contents

Cover Story:
The World is Flat
When it comes to Global business, the view looks good

RBD Round-Up:
RBD is On the Air!
WRCR teams up with RBD Co-publisher for weekly show
RBD Business Survey
Take part in RBD's 1st On-line Business Survey

DEPARTMENTS:

Economics Round-Up
• The Local Economy
Construction industry confidence rebounds, managers predict greater optimism
• The Smart Investor
Investing From Within: The key to becoming a smart investor
• Economic Viewpoint
It All Adds Up: The Fed takes delight in the economic numbers

Business Round-Up
• The Work-Life Minute™
Small business owners need innovation to battle burnout
• Marketing By Design
There Ought'a Be a Law: Marketing is nothing more than long-distance selling

Ask The Experts
• Business Start-ups
Negotiating a lease - from the tenant's view
• Expensing & Depreciation
Tax incentives for small business

Retail Round-Up
• Who's Hiring?
Summer employment program offers benefits to all
• New In Town

Invest in Your Community
• Provident Bank Charitable Foundation
Works to support help from People to People
• Red Cross Celebrates March
Partners with local business people for the good of all

Odds & Ends
• From The Publishers
• Letters to the Editor
• Rockland Newsmakers

Dedicated Section:
Rockland Business Association:

The President’s Desk
The State of the RBA

RBA/United Way Golf Outing
The Rockland Open: Monday, May 21st

RBA Happenings
• Committee and Council Info
• Calendar of Events
• New Members

A little phone call here, a quick e-mail there. It’s common behavior for small business owners who are spending more off-hours time, right back in the thick of doing business, according to office supplies company, Staples. The big box giant surveyed 300 small business owners in December, and it’s no surprise that most of us are working overtime.

The statistics indicate that for many small businesses, the lines between work and life are inexorably blurred due to the 24/7 marketplace, aging baby boomers, and our current era of instant information. A more contemplative approach to integrating work and life is sorely needed as burnout might not be far behind.

The survey asked small business owners if they recently checked email, voice mail or made a cell-phone call for work reasons, outside of working hours. Here are the results, in the following scenarios.

• 47% did so while with family
• 68% did so on days off
• 51% did so on holidays
• 66% did so after hours

This speaks volumes to the idea of the entrepreneurial spirit being alive and well, but it also says a lot about how we define success and measure our quality of life. Often, we might feel that the more hours we work, the more money we make, the better our rate of success. But if that extra time is taking away from our personal lives, how do we handle the pressure, without burning out? How can we be effective in business?

The work/life conundrum has become the 2007 hot button topic we are now dealing with on a global level. In fact, marketer AC Neilsen showed that work/life balance was the number one new years resolution for business people around the world. You’ll also find the topic listed among the criteria for identifying the best corporate citizens.

So, are you trending toward burnout, or taking the work/life experience more seriously? I would suggest that as small business owners it might behoove us all to check-in with our own thoughts and intentions at the start of each day. Here’s a quick exercise:

Step One: Do a contemplative speed-check at the start of your workday. How are you feeling emotionally about working today? How does your body feel? Is your breathing pattern normal? Identify the top three anxiety producers that have slowed you down lately. Are there simple solutions to them?

Step Two: After you’ve monitored your position, clear your mind with your own personal tools. You might use exercise, meditation, or just silence. Many people will journal to get the thoughts out of their head.

Step Three: Set your intention. You don’t have to come up with some outrageous goal. Perhaps you’ll decide to avoid answering the phone in the morning hours, actively pursue a solution to a specific problem, or deal with a pressing client issue. Either way, come up with one way to clean the slate for the day?

Creating more balance in our lives must first begin with acknowledging that change is needed. It’s that resistance to change that causes us to get stuck. After that surrender, you enter into the arena of intention, and knowing that you have the individual will and power to shift the tide. RBD

Judy Martin is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist who reports on social concerns, business, and work/life integration.

She writes both WorkLifeMonitor.com and TheChaosMonitor.com and has contributed to NPR News, Marketplace Report, World Vision Report, News 12 and HD-News. She’s written for CNBC.Com, Motto Magazine, Women’s E-News, and Arts & Understanding Magazine.