Today is meant to provide some inspiration on what gifts to give. As well as provide a way to give a ‘hint’ to those in your life buying gifts! Personally, I’m not a gift person – I like giving them, but it feels so strange to receive them. No idea why this is, but it is. Therefore, in the below you will see some non-traditional gifts suggestions. Also, some white elephant gift ideas and a ‘this or that’ section. Including things like concert tickets, a night out and even flight tickets.
Look at us, nearing the end of the year. How fast or slow did this year go for you? I can hardly believe it is coming to and end. It has been awhile since I’ve done a goal check-in. Since we’ve still got 8 weeks {read more}
Happy Monday. Because it is two months before Christmas on the day this goes up, I figured it would be a great time to talks about: GIFTS! By the way, I realize not all of my readers celebrate this specific holiday; but also realize that the end of the calendar year and start of the new is a time for celebration for many!
So! Whether you are gift giving because its been two years since you’ve seen anyone. Or maybe you have a few birthdays (mine is near Christmas) or maybe you love gifting for the new year?! Either way, it is time to start purchasing or creating now!
Holiday Delays
As many of you know, my day job resides itself in the supply chain. At this time, we continue to wade through the effects of the pandemic and the supply chain is taking heat for being too slow. From a consumer perspective, it may seem strange or unclear as to why shipments are experiencing delays.
So today, let’s talk supply chain and do a basic 101 lesson! Keep in mind, the sooner you order the better, and don’t expect to get things as fast as you previously would, pre-pandemic.
From my perspective, there are two major things causing these delays:
Heightened demand. Yes, even with inflation, unemployment and other factors, people continue to purchase and in massive amounts. In the beginning of the pandemic a few industry took a hit (such as apparel), however as we slowly but surely come out of this strange time, people are buying more.
Resource constraints. The second item is broader: all resource constraints. Resources being: raw materials, employees, transportation carriers, containers and physical spaces in warehouses.
Supply Chain
If you’ve ever taken a supply chain course or even something like economics, you most likely already have some of an understanding of supply and demand. When supply is high and demand is low, prices typically are reduced. When demand is high and supply is low, prices are increased.
So what happens when demand for each step of the supply chain is high, and supply is low? Increases in prices go from beginning to end: by manufacturers, brands and of course, eventually, the end consumer.
Let’s explore this further:
Supply Chain Steps (Basic)
Step 1: Raw Materials & Component procurement: The manufacturer must purchase the raw materials to then process into their own product. In the example of apparel, this often includes: yard, fabric, dye, buttons and zippers. These raw materials and components are then sent to a centralized manufacturing center to be made into a product.
Step 2: Manufacturing of product: In factories all over the world, raw materials create a finished product. If clothing is being made, knitting and sewing are involved. A car, on the other hand, is welded, fabricated and computer systems installed.
Step 3: Transport & distribution of finished goods. Some manufacturing plants are close by the region they distribute to. In modern times, this is considerably less likely. More likely, manufacturing occurs outside of the selling region; and transport occurs in the air or over the ocean. Perhaps you’ve heard of merchant marines? Once through the port system and customs, distribution of product through warehouses and on trucks. Arriving either directly at your door or at a retailer shelf.
Step 4: Consumer purchase. Here is the fun part! This is where you as the shopper makes a purchase. In most cases here within the United States a shopper purchases items which are already in local inventory – either already in the Amazon warehouse, or on a store shelf. In instances where the retailer is online only, that product is sitting in a warehouse *usually* within the United States.
Step 5: Final mile delivery to shoppers home or brick and mortar store. This last step of the supply chain to get things to you, is also experiencing issues. You may remember the troubles the postal service had last year. In addition, common parcel carriers (also known as small package), such as UPS and Fedex are having trouble moving product. This is mostly due to the amount of volume moving through their networks. This goes back to the resource constraints of space and people.
Callouts
Lean & Just in Time
Over the course of time the concept of lean manufacturing becomes popular. This concept is to help eliminate any type of waste in the supply chain, including time. Thus, “just-in-time” manufacturing gained momentum. JIT means less products are stored or waiting to be assembled, and instead things arrived ‘just in time’. *This is one main ‘blame’ for what is currently happening: because it created limited ‘safety stock’ in raw materials, combined with heightened demand, product just can’t be made fast enough.
Resources
While all resources are experiencing some sort of constraint at this time, keep in mind that each step of the supply chain requires people! Although the industry has come a long way with automation, machines and robots; the fact is people make things flow. This of course is good from an employment perspective; however when the pandemic hit, people had to safely space apart, someone had to take care of the children and as you can imagine people were getting sick. Even if all shifts were open for business, there simply weren’t enough people to keep things running smoothly. And still aren’t. Driver shortages are rampant, port congestion is a problem. And still, others are fighting for the right to more fair and better working conditions.
Buying local
This brings us to one way to counteract some of the issue. Buy local. Buy small. If you go back to the steps above you can recognize that buying from smaller sellers or buying local sellers reduces much of the problems found in the supply chain. If you buy on Etsy, you will of course need to allow for a longer transit time for the final mile.
The lesson here
Hopefully you have learned something new about how product gets from one side of the world to the other, or at the very least a bit more about what I do during the day :). If you are a student reading this, please feel free to reach out for more detailed information about supply chain. I’ve worked end to end – mostly on the technology side of things and secondly on the strategy side. I have lots of fun experiences I can share too!
For those of you who are simply shoppers and gift givers, the lesson is to BUY THIS WEEK. Have as much as possible done before November 1st rolls around.
See you soon for a post about the history of gift giving and some gift ideas!
Hello everyone! Happy October. Back when I launched my blog, I mentioned that I originally wanted to do YouTube. Over the years, I bought a vlogging camera and filmed at least 40 videos, editing about 10. The video in today’s post is one of the {read more}
This is a new one and I am excited to share it with you! In a recent HBR (Harvard Business Review) article, titled, “Have you taken the difficult person test?“, a ‘darker’ personality test for the taking. The article indicates that taking any personality quiz {read more}
Welcome everyone! As we are about to end the month of September 2021, it comes with the realization that this year has flow by. I’m wondering what has been your experience?
Has this been a celebration type year? I know a few people who were able to have their weddings after a delay because of the pandemic! Or, perhaps you’ve made some major changes? Similar to those who created history during the ‘great resignation’? And, on the other hand, I’m sure there are those of us who experienced loss this year. Either in our communities, or perhaps in our own families.
Story time
One of the ways I’ve learned over the years to cope, with memories or with anxiety over the future is to plan. Having always been a driven person, wanting to experience more, achieve more and learn more; planning has been an important part of my life as far back as I can remember. For me, it has allowed me to be more mindful in each moment. Prepared going into a situation, and able to compartmentalize any past I’d like to forget.
Through mindfulness during planning, I also try and sit with any emotions that pop-up. You know, those pesky anxieties or blah feelings when you put something you DON’T want to do on the calendar?! I find it to be important to recognize those emotions and tamper them down, or put them in check. This helps when I finally get to the task or appointment I’m not looking forward to, to just remember it will be over soon. Or to reprioritize and put something better in its place.
Lastly, in relationship building, I find planning to be extremely important. To be able to look ahead, sometimes farther than others and be intentional about the time spent with friends makes a huge difference. It helps to know your schedule and a birds-eye view of the calendar to know when and how much energy you might have to pour into fellowship.
After all, life is about more than just achievement. It’s really about building connections. With all that in mind, let’s plan October together!
Planning
Step 1: Calendar & Appointments
Starting with the literal calendar, I take a look at the month, which dates land on weekends and any special occasions (such as Halloween). I pencil in all appointments I know about and take note of any which need still be put on the calendar. Of course, if you are the planner for your family unit, be sure to include all of their appointments and moments in there too!
Once you have this completed, you’ll have a high-level view of the month!
Step 2: Travel & Travel Prep
After putting any major milestones, appointments or special occasions on the calendar, it is time to mark down any travel. If you are like me, and have a job where travel isn’t always planned in advance OR you are having to wait for additional restrictions to be lifted; instead be sure to mark down any place you think you might need to go.
Also, at this time, mark down any personal travel. The reason I do this, is because it typically requires more focus and attention. Generally, more thought when you are going out of town – either to be sure you pack appropriately for different weather, or to prepare for a specific meeting. The energy need required to travel is higher in my opinion than simply going out to dinner.
Step 3: Prioritize
At this point, I take a step back and determine how full things look, as well as if timing could be improved. For example, sometimes I’ll have two appointments in the same day, and perhaps the first one is going to be draining. I’ll go ahead and try and move the second one just so I can be sure my focus is in the right area. Remember my favorite post about our pilot lights?
Over the years, I’ve met people who are uncomfortable doing this, however I have found it to be key to making things smoother and feeling better about the use of my time! Always keep in mind, that this is literally your life. The time you spend doing things, and the areas which you give your attention to, are all up to you!
Step 4: Goal Setting & Habit Trackers
At this point, I am sure to do weekly goal setting and make up my habit tracker for the month. Sometimes, these are simple like “walk 1 mile a day”. Or “less screen time.” Other times, it is more serious especially when it comes to health, nutrition and mindfulness. I find having a habit tracker helps me immensely, even if I take a day off, it motivates me to get back on track!
Step 5: Intentions and Purpose
If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, you already know my passion for intention setting and being purposeful. At this point in your planning process, you should have your month mostly organized! Therefore, it is time to name intentions for each week and add the purpose behind each day. This helps so much whenever I get side-tracked or lose my focus. I can go back to my calendar and clearly see what I intended for in the week, and what the main purpose of the day’s activities were.
Thank you!
If you decide to follow this method, or have anything you’d change or add, I’d love to hear from you! Connect in the comments below 🙂
You asked for it! So here it is. Below is a typical ‘day in the life’ of me 🙂 Most days I try and mix things up, but the activities contained in my day are usually the same. The theme of the pandemic and being {read more}
Soon it will be Heart Health Awareness month. You may have seen your local American Heart Association signs go up for the walks occurring around the United States. Today I’m sharing a podcast that especially inspires me to continue taking care of my body. Either {read more}
Today, I was working on an assignment. After getting through about 2/3rds of it, I decided to put it aside and give myself a break. First, I did some social media scrolling. Immediately, a smile came across my face. This year, it seems as though, even though still in a pandemic, families are enjoying time together. Not to mention all of the beautiful sunsets and boat ride pictures!
While looking through the updates, a song came on my Amazon Music. Mostly acoustic guitar, no lyrics, just calming relaxing strums. Perhaps because I know many guitar players, I am able to picture the movement of the strings, and sometimes even the face of the person playing. While listening, Bianca was sound asleep making little sleep noises and twitches. The hum of my air conditioner in the background (we are still in the hot days of summer here in North Carolina).
This feeling came, after a happy couple days, seeing some friends and speaking to others. Making plans for the future and decisions about moving on from the past. It helped that the assignment I’ve been working on took my full attention. In fact, not only did it take my full attention; but it also required my knowledge going back as far as college. Sometimes, these types of activities allow us to remember our accomplishments and let our brains take over. Maybe I’m a romantic… sometimes letting our logical sides take over all that emotional thinking really helps to ground me.
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Balance
Today in particular, I can see where balance came into place. For example, the physical side of things was in place: I walked and I did yoga. Whilst the physical aspect is probably what I am best at, I also took the time to read and meditate. Now that I think of it, I took breaks and took a short nap. At one point, I cooked a healthy meal and also followed-up about a customer service thing. Today, I made sure to get Bianca out of the house (during the week days its a bit more difficult). Having had a few conversations I got the social part in, but also used my brain intensely. Lastly, I planned my week and got some productive reading in (aka non-fiction). It just all felt right. A day full of balance and each activity full of purpose.
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Contentment
The thought, “this makes me happy” passed through my mind. I took a deep breath and soaked it all in. Moments like these are usually unexpected, and unassuming. They come after extreme focus and flow on a task, or maybe a physical challenge. Sometimes, they come before another happy day of connection with others.
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Your turn
I urge you, if you haven’t felt even a small feeling of contentment and peace in awhile, please do what you can to seek it out. From first hand experience I can tell you years went by for me without this feeling. It just isn’t worth it.
All this to say, do what you can to create the opportunity for happy moments. Maybe that means making some difficult decisions. It may mean making a tough phone call. Or perhaps, it might mean something as simple as turning on your favorite song, or bringing up your favorite playlist. Or it might mean shutting the phone off and opening a real life book. Whatever it means for you, seek out the moment, experience, day or week that it takes to achieve this peace. Let it fill you up and wash over you.
Of course, please let me know your thoughts either through a text or commenting below.
Your interest The Myers Briggs personality test is something I bring up every so often in my blog. The post about the brain character quiz peaked the interest to know my Myers Briggs type. In the spirit of embracing my personality, I am sharing my {read more}
