What does this beautiful photo of a path at Watch Hill have to do with the 7 “T’s”? This past week I was teaching my Customer Service Workshop in Middletown, CT at the CT State Library, and added this list to help librarians and library staff take care of themselves as they care for everyone else. I included this photo because just looking at it makes me happy–another way to take a mini-break and refresh.

Here are seven (I had six in the class but found one more) things to watch out for:

*Triggers (What sets you off? What situations do you find difficult?)

*Transitions (Watch those in-between times whether that’s before you get out of your car at work, or between projects. This is a good place for a deep breath.)

*Temper (Similar to triggers, know what makes you angry. Maybe you’re really organized and get annoyed when others leave a mess behind.)

*Tired (I know this one is obvious, but when we’re tired we’re much more likely to snap.)

*Tough situations (Libraries are the hub of most communities, and you’re faced with difficult situations you may not know how to handle. Find a colleague who can help you.)

*Testing (By this I mean your customers will test the limits of what you can provide. Expect it, learn how to share your guidelines without anger, and practice saying “No.”)

*Temptation (This is the new one I added as we’re often tempted by things that aren’t going to help us offer good customer service. This could be rushing, multi-tasking, letting technology replace human interactions, etc.)

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this weekend. I don’t know about you, but I’m taking my dog to the beach for a good run!