Evaluating and Keeping in Balance

As summer winds down, it’s time to reap what has been sown for the season. Did you accomplish what you wanted? Think of what you have been reaping with your goals, plans, ideas, and daily activities. Have they been moving you closer to your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Now is the time to take a look at your harvest and separate the good from the bad. Keep what is working and amend or get rid of what isn’t with an eye always on that future goal/dream.

Don’t forget to find time for the things that are important to you as well as those that are necessary. Attend to that part of you that likes to be nurtured by reading, writing, meditating, visiting friends or relatives, and so forth. Only when we have balance in our lives can we achieve our best. Balance is best attained by attending to our physical, mental, and spiritual selves.

Meet Deadlines - Increase Your Efficiency

Meeting deadlines is a workplace priority. Here are some tips on meeting deadlines and sticking to those busy schedules.

• Prioritize. No one has time to do everything he or she would like to accomplish in a limited amo9unt of time, so it is necessary to arrange a to-do list according to one’s priorities.
• Work on one task at a time until it is finished if possible. Switching from one task to another causes a lull in productivity. The mind has to re-familiarize itself with each task when switching.
• Eliminate distractions. This includes internal and external distractions.
• Work efficiently. Is there a better way to do a task than the way you have always done it? Can you prepare in some way before beginning the task?
• Make decisions quickly. Explore all options and commit to a plausible action to resolve the problem.
• Develop your skills and keep up with technology that will help you complete tasks.
• Just do what needs to be done.

 Taking the initiative, working efficiently, and doing everything necessary to meet deadlines will pay off in a big way.

Spring Forward in Your Career

With the arrival of spring and new growth all around us, it seems a good time to reflect on ways we can grow and spring forward in the workplace. Here are some quick tips to help you climb the corporate ladder:

• Clearly define your career ambitions.
• Ask yourself if you are ready and willing to accept the responsibilities that go with the position you hope to attain.
• Learn all you can about what it takes to advance in your company.
• Emulate the people in the position you would like to attain.
• Find a mentor in the type of position you desire.
• Develop a plan of action that will lead you to the position you desire.
• Know the criteria your supervisor uses to evaluate your performance.
• Master the tasks you are given and look for ways to do them more efficiently.
• Follow through on all tasks and keep your word.
• Keep a record of your accomplishments.
• Learn something new each week.
• Practice excellent time management, organization, and customer relations skills.
• Dress and act like a professional.

Balance Your Personal and Professional Life

Take time this Easter to enjoy family and friends and to renew yourself spiritually. Living a balanced personal and professional life is crucial to your successful well-being. Too much attention to your professional life to the exclusion of your personal life will cause you to miss out on important "self" time. Too much attention to your personal life and not enough on your professional life will cause career stagnation. Develop a routine that personally fits your life plans and make corrections when it is out of balance.

• Take steps to maintain a healthy physical and mental balance.
• Practice good time and stress management.
• Get and stay organized.
• Maintain a positive attitude.

When you think of balance, consider all areas of your life, including work, family, friends, health, finance, spiritual, hobbies, and everything else that fits into your life. Balance in all areas of life is a key to contentment

Thinking Positively in a Negative Economy

How is your work attitude? Being out of work or stuck in a dead-end job is not the way most of us envision our work life; but in a poor economy, every employee must work hard to maintain a job or to land a new one. Unemployment or underemployment, however, can be devastating to self-esteem. That means each person in these situations will also have to work harder at maintaining a positive attitude. There is no other choice if you hope to be successful at work.

• Do not berate yourself if you have no job or a low-level position; rather, remind yourself that most people go through several jobs and careers.
• Do not tie your self-worth solely to your work; consider the sum of your talents, skills, and unique experiences.
• Believe in yourself and your competency; upgrade your skills if needed.
• Develop positive work habits.
• Strategize ways to find more meaning in your work or more meaningful work.
• Tell yourself you can conduct a successful job search.
• Display enthusiasm during an interview and while you are working.
• Set goals and persist in achieving them.
• Be grateful.
• Surround yourself with upbeat, positive people.
• Call on your network when you are feeling down or when you need help with a job search.
• Be positive; a positive attitude will help you move forward; replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Become a problem solver.
• Do something to improve your situation.
• Make friends on LinkedIn and other professional networking sites.
• Focus on what you have control over; forget about what you cannot control.