Katerina Cronstedt

Katerina Cronstedt

Summertime daily schedule for kids

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So, I like to plan.

If things don’t turn out as planned, at least we can try to understand why. If it turnes out better than planned – good for you!

If not, think, ask, tweek, change and try again.

This daily schedule is just a guide, but it gives me and important upderstanding that I did not have before I made this schedule:

  1. I plan to feed the kids seven (7!) times per day. 3 main meals, 2 bigger snacks like a sandwich or a yoghurt with nuts and 2 smaller snacks like apple slices. Now that I know what and when I can plan a menu and a shopping list.
  2. I plan to organize 4 activities per day. I had in mind swimming school, arts/drawing time (I get to draw to too – yey!) mini school where we count, learn to read and write and another physical activity, tennis or just throwing ball around the house. Must check swim school…
  3. 3 times screen time. To much? Is one of them mandatory educational? If yes, what app? Have to think about it.
  4. 3 occations of helping out at home seams good to me.

Now the best thing is that I can show this to the kids and (hopefully) get their buy in! Wish me luck 😉

Kids_daily_schedule

 

Screw motivation, what you need is discipline.

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This article is one of my favorites.

In short it is about:”you don’t wait until you’re in olympic form to start training. You train to get into olympic form.”

But it is not easy being desciplined, at least for me it is not.

I like the way my friend Ulrika puts it: “Motivation to get started, discipline to finish”.

With Freeletics running I have ran 3 times per week last 3 weeks. The runs are short, 3k each, but I’m after the habit.

And you know what? This is more running than I did before Lidingöloppet (30k). Crazy.

However – no app is perfect. After 1 week or so, I started to use Nike running app simultaneously. Partly because of the nice graphs, but mostly because if I want to run further than dictated by my Freeletics virtual coach – my distance willnot be logged.

18,4 in Freeletics is closer to 27 k in real life.

In the print screen from Nike the consistency is obvious.


This is the home screen in Freeletics.
Keep running!

Who’s got the monkey?

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I am listening to HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself by Harvard Business Review, on my Audible app, one of the articles is a classic (originally published in 1974) and one of my all time management favorites: “Who’s got the monkey?”

Try Audible you too and get one audiobook for free!

Or read it here.

In short it is about transferring responsability and thus managing time effectively.

One of my strong sides in management is delegating, I am really good at getting things done by delegating and this article made a big impression when I first read in many years ago.

If you have read it – tell me what you think!

If you haven’t – make sure to read this excellent business classic.

The Modern Hotel Technology Stack

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Lobby_KP copy

So you think hotels are all about beds? Think again, hotels are all about technology and that is one of the reasons I love the hospitality industry!

On a daily basis we use systems that make our work smooth, efficient, productive and fun! They are vital in helping us get reservations, advice us on rates and understand how we perform compared to our competitors the market.

Here is an overview of 4 areas of the Hospitality IT map:
– Marketing & Distribution
– Property Operations
– Real Estate Developement
– Finance & Accoutning

Let me tell you which systems we use at our hotels, in the areas of Marketing & Distribution as well as in Property Operations.

chart1

 

10 years ago when I started woking at Katerina City hotel in Moscow, one of the first things I implemented was a new website and signed us up to the benchmarketing tool STR Global (that year they merged with The Bench).

And one of the major projects I have led at the Katerina Hotels was the implementation of Serviatior, a back of house management system at Katerina Park hotel.

If you are not familiar with what software hotels usually use, the list of our systems will give you an insight. And if you are in the know – feel free to ask me about the performance of any of these systems.

Here is what we use at Katerinahotels.com:
KC =Katerina City
KP = Katerina Park
KO = Katerina Orlando

PMS – Opera (KC, KP),  eZee Absolute (KO)

Revenue Management – no system at the moment. Previously TopLine Profit, then ORMS.

Accounting – 1C  (KC, KP) Quickbooks (KO)

Restaurant POS –  Micros  (KC, KP)

Stock keeping –   StoreHouse  (KC, KP)

Rate Shopper – Travelline (KC), Rate Tiger (KP), BookingSuite (KO)

Channel Manager – Myfidelio HRS, in August change to Travelline (KC, (KP) Siteminder (KO)

Web Booking Engine – eZee Absolute (KC, KP, KO)

Reputation Management – Revinate (KC, KP, KO)

Bench Marketing – STR (KC, KP, KO)

CMS for website & Corporate portal – Bitrix (KC, KP) WordPress (KO)

Conference rooms management – Google Docs (KC, KP)

Display in lobby – Own development (KC, KP)

House keeping system – Serviator (KP)

Head of departments chat – WhatsApp (KO)

Visa application online form – Own developement (KC, KP)