The "Don't Forget" Business Phone Etiquette

Written by Sue Roe, Sales Administrative
Assistant at Rockton Software

Basic Business Phone Etiquette

OR How to Get Results through the Power of Not Annoying Others

We all make calls and we all get calls. If you can’t talk face-to-face, the telephone is still frequently the most efficient and thorough way to communicate with another human being. Here are three very basic but often forgotten courtesies that make phone calling pleasant and effective for everyone involved.

1) Identify yourself
In an ideal world, our grandmothers would have driven this home before we left grade school. Even if you know that your name won’t mean a thing to the person answering the phone, tell them anyway. If I just say, “Can I speak to the owner?” or “Is John in?” the person answering the phone may go into Defensive Screening Mode. But if I say “Hi, this is Sue from Rockton Software . . . Is John available?” The person answering the phone can feel more confident that I’m not cold calling about refilling ink cartridges. Plenty of people who answer phones as part of their job have been instructed to NOT put through “mystery” callers. So don’t be one. Give your name and company.

2) Ask if this is a good time to talk
Every time you ring someone else’s phone you are, in a sense, interrupting them. Very few of us spend the workday staring at the phone, waiting….. so be sensitive to the fact that they may be knee-deep in alligators and ask, “Do you have a few minutes to talk about X, Y, and Z?” If you know that you’ll need more than 10 minutes of their time, offer to schedule a mutually convenient time to talk later. But at a minimum, give them a general idea of why you’re calling as well as an opportunity to decide whether they want to talk to you now or later when they can better focus on you.

3) Voice mails that get a return phone call
When you leave someone a voice mail, they are going to decide whether to call you back….or not. If you give them no information other than, “This is Carl, call me back,” you’ve created no sense of urgency or importance around your call. But if you drone on an on, novella-style, they may decide to avoid a live conversation with you, as well. Start out with your name and phone number, and your company if needed. Let them know the general reason for your call in 30 seconds or less. Ask for a return call and repeat your phone number. That’s it!

We have a lot more options for communicating these days, but phones are still around because they can still be a most effective and expedient way to connect if you just follow a few basic courtesies.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Viewing Audits Related to a Given Window

Written By Jim Peliksza,
Developer at Rockton Software

Great!  You’ve installed Rockton Software’s Auditor and configured it to capture everything that you’d ever want to look at!  You’ve been running it for six months and now you have a hundred-thousand changes all saved in the Audit Log.  Fantastic!

Now let’s say you are entering a new Invoice on the ‘Sales Transaction Entry’ window—you select your Customer and you realize that the wrong ‘Ship to Address’ has defaulted in again.  This is the third time I’ve had to put the correct ‘Ship To’ on this Customer.  Who the heck keeps changing that? you wonder . . . Ah, but wait!  You have been tracking that scenario for the last six months!  Perfect.  All I have to do now is go look in the Audit Log, you think to yourself.  This mystery is about to be solved!

So . . . you open the ‘Audits SmartList’ and your excitement wanes as you stare at the myriad of tracked changes that you have been collecting for the past half year.  How are you going to find the one you are looking for?  It looks like you might need to know just how this change was audited in order to be able to enter the correct Search Criteria that would narrow down the list enough for you to be able to find the needle in the haystack that is the culprit.  Sheesh, I don’t know what the heck I need to look for, you think to yourself, feeling a little overwhelmed.

This problem is all too common when a company starts to use an auditing system.  Sure, the data is in there somewhere, but how do you get at the stuff you need?

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just see a list of all of the audits that had anything to do with the Customer that you just selected without having to leave the Sales Transaction Entry window?

Why, yes.  Yes it would.  Rockton comes to the rescue again!

The most recent builds of Auditor include a way for you to be able to see audits that have been captured for whatever is displayed on the window that you are currently using.  This feature is called Related Audits.  What follows is a step by step example of how to enter setups that will allow you to realize the amazing functionality described above.

First, track changes to Customers’ Ship to Addresses

In order for you to be able to find out who made the change, you first need to have been capturing this type of change all along.  For the purposes of this article, we will assume that you already have this set up, however, for those of you who want the background on how to define this audit, we will describe that now.  Or, you can skip directly to the next section: Set up the Related Audit definition.

Tracking this change is done by defining an Audit that will log anytime anyone makes a change to a Customer’s default ‘Ship to Address.’ This data is stored in the ‘Primary Ship to Address Code’ field on the RM Customer Master table, so one common way to accomplish this is to simply track changes to this field on this table.

You first need to create a new Audit Group.  The name doesn’t actually matter–it just needs to make sense to you. Then, you will define the audit within this Audit Group.

1. In Microsoft Dynamics GP, click the Auditor toolbar icon ( ).  Then choose Audit Groups.
2. In the Group Maintenance window, enter CUSTOMERS as the Group ID.  Enter “Changes related to Customers” in the Group Description.
3. Click the Add Audit button () and choose Table Audit from the drop-list.
4. Since we want to create an audit on the RM Customer Master, type Customer in the Search field and then choose either the Enter or tab key.
5. From the results, highlight the RM Customer MSTR table for the Microsoft Dynamics GP product and then click the Select button.
6. In the Auditor Table Maintenance window, we need to set up what options and fields we want to audit so that we log the results that we want.  Mark the Changes box in the Tracking options section at the top of the window to indicate that we want to log changes to Customer Master records.
7. Find the Primary Shipto Address Code field in the list.  Then, mark the Audit column checkbox.  This tells Auditor that you want to track anytime anyone makes a change to this field.  Marking the Note column checkbox also forces them to enter the reason that they are making a change to this field.
8. Click OK to save this new audit setup.
9. Back on the Group Maintenance window, click Save.
10. Finally, close the Group Maintenance window.  This is necessary to initialize the Audit Group(s) that you have set up here.

Set up the Related Audit definition

Ok, now for the good stuff.  You will now set up a Related Audit, so that the audit information captured by the Audit Group defined above can be viewed directly from the ‘Sales Transaction Entry’ window based on a rule that you assign.  In this case our rule will be, “I want to display audits where the Customer Number on the audit matches the Customer Number displayed on the ‘Sales Transaction Entry’ window.

Note that you will need to be an Auditor Administrator on the System Settings window in order to be able to complete this setup:

1. Go to Transactions > Sales > Sales Transaction Entry.  Choose View Related Audits from the Additional menu.

2. In the View Related Audits window, click the Rules button.  

3. In the Related Audit Rules list, highlight Window ‘Sales Transaction Entry’ and click the Add Rule button () to create a new rule for this window.

4. In the Rule Setup window, click the Add Window Field Relationship button () to open the Window Field Relationship Setup window.

5. For Window Field, type or select Customer Number.  

6. For Field List, type or select CUSTOMER NUMBER.

7. Click the OK button to close the Window Field Relationship Setup window.

8. Click the Save button to close the View Related Audits window.

9. You will now see the new Rule that you just created on the Related Audit Rules Setup window.  Click OK to close this window.

That’s it!  Your users will now be able to see any audit that was captured for the Customer that is displayed on the ‘Sales Transaction Entry’ window by just going to Additional > View Related Audits.  

Test the Audit and View Results

We can now verify that our audit information is working correctly by changing the ‘Ship to Address’ for a Customer.  We will then see if this audit shows up when we use this Customer on an Invoice.

Select a Customer on the ‘Customer Maintenance’ window.  In the ‘Ship to’ field, enter or select a value that is different than the one that is currently selected, then save this change.  The change will now be tracked to the Audit Log.  If you marked the Note column for this field in your audit definition, then you will also be prompted to enter a reason for making this change. 

Now let’s see what an average user would see.  On the Sales Transaction Entry window, make sure you have selected the Customer that you changed above.  To see what changes were made to this Customer, choose View Related Audits from the Additional menu.  Voilà!  You should now see that the audit that you just logged is listed!  

Much easier than fumbling through Smartlist search criteria, eh?

Suppose you have defined audits for other types of Customer changes.  If someone has made any of these other changes to this particular Customer, then those changes would be logged as audits and you will them listed here as well.  It is now easy to find the one change to the ‘Ship To Address’ by sorting on the Field Name column and scrolling down until you find the change for the ‘Primary Ship to Address Code’ field.

Also, keep in mind that you can do this for virtually any window in Microsoft Dynamics GP.  You just need to know what it is you want to see, and then set up a Rule for that window.  

Now that’s simple and easy

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Useful ISV Products for Microsoft Dynamics GP: Part 1 of 8

Mark Rockwell, President of Rockton Software, has presented at GPUG for the past three years on useful ISV Products for Microsoft Dynamics GP. Mark has found that customers want the facts, not the marketing spin, because what product doesn't save time and money? Here is Part 1 of 8 of useful ISV Products for Microsoft Dynamics GP:

Written By Mark Rockwell,
President of Rockton Software

1. 5280 Solutions: Dynamic Payable GP Edition automates Accounts Payable invoice coding, approval, and other business processes with advanced capture (OCR), workflow automation, audit reporting, document retrieval and real-time GP integration built on SharePoint.
2. 5280 Solutions: Dynamic Filer GP Edition provides enhances content management in SharePoint through integrated filing and searching of paper and electronic documents.
3. Accellos, Inc.: Accellos One 3PL provides users with a warehouse management system enabling companies to improve accuracy, productivity, and efficiency within the warehouse.
4. Accellos, Inc: Accellos Prophesy TrackerDispatch is an automated mobile resource management system that enables transportation companies to accurately track the status and location of drivers and in-field freight.
5. Accellos, Inc.: Accellos One Transport TMS LTL (Less Than Truckload) is designed to address the business requirement of LTL freight management providers, Accellos One Transport TMS provides dramatic benefits in virtually all aspects of freight management.
6. Accellos, Inc.: Accellos One Transport TMS TL-Truckload provides users with a transportation management system enabling companies to improve transportation execution while reducing overall expenses and improving customer service levels.
7. Accellos, Inc.: Accellos One Warehouse WMS delivers a warehouse management system that helps you boost productivity, reducs costs, shorten order fulfillment times, and increase customer satisfaction.
8. Accolade Publications: 30 different books on various modules and functions, including a new title for CRM.
9. Aim Computer Solutions, Inc.: AIM Vision is an automotive ERP Solution with Supply Chain Management, EDI, and Bar Code labels.
10. Aim Computer Solutions, Inc.: AIM AutoSys is a demand management automotive release package for companies who broker parts from ASIA/Pacific/other and do little to no manufacturing.
11. Aim Computer Solutions, Inc.: RapidTrak is a wireless Material Tracking System that provides real-time traceability of inventory.
12. AIM Technologies: Cash Basis Reporting provides easy identification and reporting of cash transactions allowing companies to prepare cash-basis and accrual-basis financial reports simultaneously.
13. AIM Technologies: DataSpy gives users the ability to step through and view the results of transactions, including which tables are affected, providing all of the database information necessary to develop complex reports and customizations.
14. Alba Spectrum Corporation: Alba360 WMS is a Warehouse Management & Bar-coding solutions that enhances Dynamics GP Purchasing, Inventory, and SOP modules.
15. Alba Spectrum Corporation: Alba360 eCommerce is an automated bi-directional E-Commerce integration from Dynamics GP to Magento, ASPDotNetStoreFront and NopCommerce. Custom connectors for other shopping carts are also available.
16. Alba Spectrum Corporation: Alba Spectrum Credit Card Expense Manager streamlines credit card expense workflow by allowing accounting department to import and categorize credit card expenses in Microsoft Dynamics GP.
17. Alba Spectrum Corporation: Alba Spectrum GL Historical Journal Entry allows entry of GL adjustments into any closed year. Automatically reconciles balance data.
18. Alba Spectrum Corporation: Posting Server GP is an automated GP Posting utility with posting job configuration, audit trails, e-mail error notification, and 3rd party application integration.
19. Altec: Doc-link is used to reduce paper, streamline business process and increase visibility. Capture, workflow, route, and archive documents with doc-link. It is integrated Document management for Microsoft Dynamics GP.
20. Ariett Business Solutions: Ariett AP Invoices a web-based AP Invoice automation with Document Manager, in the “Cloud” SaaS with web-service integration for Dynamics ERP or with centralized and decentralized workflows, Mobile Approval, Intercompany, Split line distributions, Analytical Accounting, and Binary Stream MEM.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Software Helps Everyday Processes

Why do you want to identify everyday processes? How do I identify everyday processes?

Written By Adrienne Lilly, Client
Services Manager at Rockton Software

The simple answer is so the software that you use daily, can do some of your work for you! We, here at Rockton, like to talk about making things simpler and easier, but we need to know what it is that we are simplifying. Software can do anything . . . right? But, what is it we really do every day?

For our part, we may not notice the parts of our daily jobs that happen easily.  But ease can occasionally be surrounded by little bumps in the road and this is where you can learn to start noticing your daily processes.  For this discussion, a process is something that happens in a certain order and with certain repetitiveness to achieve a consistent result; it’s not just for manufacturing or distribution chains.

Let’s say every day you open a form on your computer screen & start documenting an activity, which you will do over and over throughout the day.  On that day when your calendar is hidden behind the inbox and you cannot even guess at what today is, you hear yourself thinking “this date is always going to be the date that I open this particular activity form, why can’t the computer just know this and fill it in for me?”

If you’re listening then you’ve just noticed one step or piece of your daily process and hopefully you can look at other steps close by this one.  Imagine how nice it will be when your “today’s date” auto populates and you no longer even have to think about it?

Every customer will have a different support case that is unique, but nearly all of us have certain things we do every single day. Generally, experts can help you set up a process to assist you in your everyday processes. So . . . start noticing these processes, and share with your experts—making your day run simpler and easier.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Project Planning: Who has the time?

Who wants to waste TIME planning?  Let’s just get doing!

Written By Jenn Schoemer, Product
Development Specialist at Rockton Software

Time:  For years—there are times I still struggle with this—I would come into work and create a laundry list of all the To-Do’s that I wanted to accomplish in a day.  Each day, I would leave feeling as if I hadn’t accomplished anything because I still had remaining items on my To-Do list.  The next day, I would go through the same routine, but I had to carry over the tasks from the prior day and so on and so on.  By the time I left on Friday, I was exhausted. I felt like I did a lot, yet there were still a number of things remaining on my To-Do list, leaving me feeling like I had failed to accomplish anything.

It makes sense that if someone kept this up week after week, they would become ‘To-Do List paralyzed,’ coming into work staring at pages and pages of To-Dos and not knowing where to begin.

I never took the enough time to evaluate a project and break it down into smaller tasks.  Something needed to be done . . . I just added it to the list.  How do people expect to be productive if they don’t spend the time up front understanding what a project all includes?  Heck—in our industry, what about getting products out the door?

How can we manage our time and get things out on time if we don’t spend a little time up front planning?

A few years ago, I attended a Steven Covey’s ‘FOCUS – Achieving your highest priorities’ seminar. There were two major takeaways for me from the seminar.

The first was how to only schedule projects for 50% of your work day.    REALLY?!  What about the other 4 hours of my day? It never dawned on me I really don’t have a full 8 hours to work on just projects or tasks.  With the lists I was creating, when was I expecting to answer customer questions, read email, finish my projects or sharpen the saw (another Covey reference for those of you Covey lovers)?

The second was to break projects into tasks.

These both seem like pretty elementary concepts, right?  Then why do so many of us not use them?  I’m convinced it’s because we first have to slow down, review our list, prioritize our list, and plan when to work on those task before we can even get started with the actual work.

So I gave it a try.  I grabbed my current To-Do list, made a master list, prioritized it by due dates, and then started breaking larger projects into smaller tasks.  I would then use this master list to pull from during my daily planning.

Each morning I would review my calendar, subtract out meeting/appointment times, and then multiple by 50% to get the actual time I had to allocate to projects.
Example:   8 day – 2hr meeting * 50% = 3 hours left for project time. 
So in this example, I knew I would have three hours to devote to working on a project.

I found it extremely rewarding and motivating to be able to walk away at the end of the day with an empty To-Do list.  No more ‘To-Do List paralyzed’ equaled higher productivity.

I’ve recently found the same to be true when managing larger tasks and other peoples’ time.   In general, if the person or people are only working on one given project, I’ve found six hours of work time per day to be a good rule of thumb.   Assuming you did the prep work and detailed out the tasks of a given project, you could use the same type of formula to estimate when a project will be finished; Or the other way around, what can we realistically get accomplish by a given date?

So when is the last time you stopped to create a realistic and manageable plan?  What are some of your tips and tricks for managing your own and your team’s work time?

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Married to the Boss: Part 1

Written By Mark Rockwell,
President of Rockton Software

Many partners and customers who have known Rockton for years probably know that Rockton is a combination of my last name (Rockwell) with Kelli’s (Sexton); the alternate name of “Sexwell” being left for future business endeavors.

It’s not always obvious that a key component to Rockton’s success is Kelli, the other half of a dynamic duo that makes life fun if not a little challenging at times.  I am fortunate to be married to my business partner, and like most things we approach in life, it’s often good that we have each other.  As a team we complement one another—accomplishing more than can be done alone.  I’m the detail person; I make lists and get things done.  Kelli is the big-picture person, the one who sets course and steers the ship in the right direction.  I can get lost in the details and would probably sail in circles without Kelli’s insight.

You might be surprised at the similarities between raising four children and running a small business with over a dozen employees.  Managing people, whether they share blood ties or not, boils down to recognizing each individual for whom they are, what they’re great at, and helping them learn and grow.  Although with employees, I’m thankful to have bypassed the diapering stage, as well as not having to worry about a meltdown at a company retreat if someone doesn’t get their ice cream cone.

I think the biggest benefit of being married to the boss (besides it being socially acceptable for us to sleep together) is the understanding and sharing of a common life vision, for both our family and our business.  I don’t have to explain in detail what work was like today when I get home, and likewise I have a co-worker who knows the recent dilemma over my kid’s homework challenges.  The drawback, of course, is that sometimes married people get, um, “frustrated” with one another.  This is why having separate offices at work is often beneficial.

I’m a lucky guy.  Given the alternatives, running a business with my life partner is very rewarding.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Kris' Top Five Business/Travel Apps

Written By Kris Berger, QA Dvelopment
Lead at Rockton Software

I travel a fair amount for work and leisure, so my phone is my lifeline to work and family during travel-time.  Of course, I use it for the basics: phone calls, texts, and emails.  But, I am also constantly downloading and trying out new apps.  Here are my top five apps that I continue to go back to, especially during my travel adventures.

United Airlines: I love this airline app.  I use it to check-in for my flights while on the go.  Also, when checking in I can choose to have a mobile boarding pass—no more finding a printer or keeping track of those paper boarding passes!  When going through security and/or at the gate, I just scan my phone and I am in! The app also allows me to change seats or check the upgrade and standby lists for my flight. A beneficial asset if you need to catch an earlier flight home or to see if that seat is still empty beside me!

Quick Lists: Okay, I am a lists type of person.  I have lists for projects at work, at home, lists for shopping, lists for my husband, lists for my kids, etc.  So, this Quick Lists is a nice, basic app that lets me track all of these lists while on the go.  If I am traveling for work, I can create or update existing lists for tasks or projects to do once back in the office or home.  The best part is that I can take those lists and complete the tasks right on my phone or email the list to anyone else. When I start a grocery list, I can easily email it to my husband if he ends up doing the shopping that week.

Turbo Scan: This is a great app that allows you to take a picture “scan” of documents, receipts, business cards, and then instantly send it as a PDF or JPEG image or save it to your phone for later.  You can also print directly from your phone via wireless printer connection.  The images are very clear, and I have found it’s a great way to capture those things along the way, such as receipts;  I can capture and print on the go or once I am back in the office.

Nightstand Central: This app is the first app I use each morning.  It allows you to set multiple alarms with different sounds, go to sleep or wake up to the music you set,  choose from pre-set photos or add your own photos that scrolls in the background.  And, automatically sets your location—providing current and next day weather forecasts.

Words with Friends: This is just a fun one.  When you have down time at the airport; on the train; or stuck in a hotel room, it’s a great way to clear the mind and kill some time.  This is one game that spans the ages.  I will usually have games going with my husband’s grandma, 81 years old, to my 11 year old nephew, as well as other friends and colleagues.  It’s not only a fun way to interact with all these folks  by being competitive and seeing what crazy words we can all come up with, but you can also message each other while playing.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

10 Tips Before Calling Microsoft Dynamics GP Support Continued

Tips 1-4 Before Calling Support located in ERP Software Blog

Written By Bryan Page, .NET
Developer at Rockton Software

5)      Does the issue happen for everyone
Can your colleague do the same steps successfully? Can a program admin, or network admin get the expected results?
Test it out with a couple different users.

6)      Has the issue ever happened before
Is this something that had occurred and been fixed before? Is it something that fixed itself and is now coming back? Is this something that someone else in your company has encountered and had resolved or still dealing with?

7)      What steps have you tried to fix the issue
What things have you changed attempting to make this work? Are these changes still in place or have they been set back to where they initially started? Have the error messages or behavior become different because of the changes? Have you been able to rule anything out as not being the cause?
Every change could potentially be causing a separate issue that needs to be kept in the back of your mind; especially if, the error or behavior changes along with it. It can become a vicious cycle to troubleshoot the current error and not the initial error that began the support request.

8)      What is your current environment setup
A good chunk of support cases have already been resolved, you may just not be aware. The update version of your machine, program, etc. is a vital aspect to know . . . maybe, you are missing an update that has the fix, or the update that was just applied has broken something.

9)      What has changed
Have there been any updates applied, new programs added, machine rebooted?
Try and get ahold of your companies IT department to find out if there have been any changes that you’re not aware of—now’s not the time to be proud, either. If you made a change that appears to have broken something . . . let us know. It will drag-out if support does not have all the information. Do not withhold information, even if you weren’t supposed to change something.

10)  How to get ahold of you
Sounds simple right? 
Well . . . it is! Don’t forget to give us a way to get ahold of you: good and bad times to be contacted, time zone, mobile number, etc.

I hope that you find something here that you can take away from this to help make your next or future support cases run smoothly.

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Stay Fit: Mentally & Physically

Written By Martie Mitchell, Sales
Manager at Rockton Software

Thinking about this subject and how it applies to sales and business, I thought I would share my fifty-five year old perspective. Probably the best way to succeed in business is to do exactly what the title of this article refers to. Sounds easy, right? Not necessarily. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely!

In our twenties (sometimes thirties), we are in the habit of learning. Our brains question, challenge, and consider the obvious, as well as alternatives, plus we have high-energy. Our friends are usually active, and generally we have more disposable time without a lot of responsibility. 

It is possible . . .
At age 48, Sister Madonna Buder, a Catholic nun with the Sisters for Christian Community in Spokane, Washington, started running. In 2005, at age 75, she became the oldest woman to ever qualify for and compete in the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, finishing a full hour before the 17-hour cut-off and beating people younger than her. Now she is 82 years old and commonly known as "The Iron Nun," most people at her age start suffering the onset of mental diseases and disorders. Buder is well-known in the sports community not for breaking Olympic or World records, but for testing the physical boundaries of age. 

Most of us in the channel sit in front of our computers for 4, 6, 8, 10 (or longer) hours per day. We're working hard, but typing has not been labeled an aerobic activity. For those of you (like me) who may not have been worried about trends, fads (and good health)- this is called a Sedentary Lifestyle! What it means is we probably have to get up off our ever-spreading derrieres, periodically, and get the blood moving! The most difficult part for me is that at the end of the day, I'm tired. I haven't moved much, but my brain is tired . . . ultimately, telling my body that I'm tired, too.

Why should we be concerned about mental and physical fitness? Well, they're inescapably linked together, and they have direct impact on our overall well-being, which also, has a direct impact on how effective we are in business. 

Key benefits of mental and physical fitness:
Reduction in Depression: more vigorous the exercise, the greater the benefits.
Sleep Enhancement: when people exercise they tend to fall asleep quicker, sleep more soundly, and their uninterrupted sleep is longer.
Improved Brain Function: physical activity enhances our mental state by increasing blood circulation, bringing oxygen and endorphins to brain tissues, promoting growth of brain cells, which is associated with better performance on multiple cognitive measures. 

Mental Fitness: Manage your stress- by learning to relax

• Learn relaxation techniques: Good breathing habits alone can improve both your psychological and physical well-being.
• Set realistic goals: Assess your schedule and identify activities that you can or should let go. 
• Exercise: Regular, moderate exercise helps ease tension, improves sleep and self-esteem.
• Enjoy yourself: Indulge in your favorite hobby. Nurture your creative self.
• Visualization: Use this technique to practice "seeing" yourself succeed in whatever situation is upmost in your mind.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle: A good diet is often the first thing to go when we're feeling stressed.
• Talk about it: Sharing your troubles with a friend may help you to put things in perspective and to feel that you're not alone. You may also learn some other ways to manage stress effectively.

Play, read, learn something, and participate in debates. Simply put, continue to challenge what you think, how you think, and why you think what you think.

Physical Fitness:

• Psychological Skills: Attention and Concentration control, imagery, and mental practice and self-talk.
• Realistic Goal Setting: Write your goals down and have a contract, even if it is just for you. Include scheduling as a goal: not just weight loss.
• Create a workout program: This should include cardiovascular and strength exercises, as well as stretching. Include components such as time, frequency, and intensity.
• Monitor the Progress: Keep a logbook, add in short-term, as well as long-term process.
• Reward yourself for your success.

A brief walk at low-intensity can improve mood and increase energy. As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can have a positive effect. For long-term benefits, you should exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes per session at a moderate intensity.

You're probably wondering, "What make her the expert and why is this important to her?" I don't blame you, and I don't claim to be an expert. I'm just a product of firsthand experience.

I embarked on this lifestyle change nearly two years ago because I watched some family around me struggle with their health. Luckily, I have an aunt and uncle that were the exception- they are active to this day and are in their mid-eighties. They keep healthy and engaged. This past June, they even traveled to Nicaragua to help to build homes for the needy with their church group. Seeing how active and life-filled they are, I came to the conclusion that we don't have to necessarily accept aging "gracefully."

I prefer to run full-speed and come sliding into the finish line while screaming, "Wow! What a heck of a ride!"

However, I was not on that track. I was overweight, tired, sleeping poorly, and beginning to have health problems. Thank goodness, I chose to no longer ignore the signs. I have joined a health-club and secured a personal trainer who has permission to hold me accountable. I have lost 30 pounds by choosing to stay fit mentally and physically.

I'm still on a journey of discovery; I'm learning to look at the food I eat differently. Yes, I still enjoy great tasting food, and I still indulge, occasionally, but the key here is that I do it occasionally. I've also embraced exercise by taking it in small steps: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away from the grocery store, etc. Most importantly be kind to yourself; if you slip, forgive yourself.

This is a life-long change, so indulge in your crossword puzzle and participate in a 5k. Good luck! I hope to see you at the finish line yelling, "Wow! What a ride!"

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Benefits of Exercise

The benefits of exercise are proven time-and-time again, but how can they benefit your employees?

Written By Nicole Sexton, Social
Media Coordinator at Rockton Software

Studies have proven “people who exercise on a regular basis have better memory, reaction time, and concentration . . . And it doesn’t take much: walking for 45 minutes three times a week is enough to improve your degree of mental sharpness.” (Ririan) Mental sharpness in one’s employees adds productivity, thus creating a better employee for one’s company. As well as creating productivity, after you workout “your body releases more endorphins for an hour and a half to two hours after your workout, which boosts your mood and promotes relaxation . . . reducing stress.” (Ririan) In a company, if the employees are always stressed out, then they are not at their highest level of performance—creating a more hostile work environment. Reducing stress helps nearly all aspects of business. 

Here at Rockton—Mark and Kelli believe in creating the most positive environment for working; we are given an exercise opportunity at Rockton. All staff members are able to log their workouts, and if you work out at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes or longer then you are rewarded every quarter. It is a nice incentive that ultimately increases productivity while decreasing stress! 

Follow Rockton - Subscribe Rockton - Email Rockton

Ririan Project. "10 Benefits of Exercise, and How to Start Doing It | Ririan Project." 10 Benefits of
             Exercise, and How to Start Doing It | Ririan Project. N.p., 11 Oct. 2007. Web. 29 July 2012. 
             <http://ririanproject.com/2007/10/11/10-benefits-of-exercise-and-how-to-start-doing-it/>.