The NASPP Blog

This week I admit to having holiday brain already. Somehow it’s just hard to think about serious topics when my mind is wandering to the mechanics and food of Thanksgiving Day. So keeping with the lighter side, I’m going to brainstorm a list of things you can do when your own mind goes into distraction mode.

1. Read the highlights of the 2013 Stock Plan Design Survey (co-sponsored by Deloitte Consulting LLP) – hot off the press. Who doesn’t love good survey data to back up practices or shed light on new trends? Take a few minutes to learn about what’s hot and what’s not.

2. Like the survey highlights? Got a pocket of free time? Dig into the full 2013 Stock Plan Design Survey results.

3. Be social. We can’t all park ourselves around the same physical water cooler, but we can meet virtually, via social media. The NASPP continues to evolve socially – with very active LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages. We’ve got lots of content out there, but we also capture the “fun” of being in this industry – our latest posts feature great photos from some recent chapter events. If you find yourself daydreaming, take a minute to follow us or Like us online. This will ensure you don’t miss any hot off the press updates, either.

4. Take some “me” time. Has it been a while since you took stock of yourself, or invested time in building your brand and furthering your career? I recently came across a quote by Warren Buffet that says “Generally speaking, investing in yourself is the best thing you can do. Anything that improves your own talents; nobody can tax it or take it away from you. They can run up huge deficits and the dollar can become worth far less. You can have all kinds of things happen. But if you’ve got talent yourself, and you’ve maximized your talent, you’ve got a tremendous asset that can return ten-fold.” If it’s been a short or long while since you’ve put some of your time into your own growth and development, it’s time to put “you” back on the list. Give yourself the gift of personal growth this holiday season. A great start would be to explore our NASPP Career Center. It has its own blog, Career Corner, guest authored by Andrea Best of Stock & Option Solutions. It’s a great way to spend some quality down time minutes.

5. Keeping with the theme of #4 above (“me” time), consider updating your LinkedIn profile. Even if you aren’t looking for a job, it’s becoming “standard” practice to put lots of detail in your profile and post regular updates.

Hopefully you’ve gained a couple of ideas on how to spend your holiday distraction time. I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving holiday.

-Jennifer