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#Leadership : #WorkSmart -These Seven To-Do List Mistakes Could Be Derailing Your #Productivity …Why you Shouldn’t Write your List in the Morning, and the Items you Should Leave Off Completely.

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When it comes to getting things done, sometimes the simple productivity methods are the best. Case in point: the to-do list. This handy tool keeps you on track by putting tasks top of mind . . . unless you’re doing it wrong. Mistakes on your to-do list could be putting your workday in jeopardy, say experts.

“A to-do list is a road map for your day,” says Paula Rizzo, author of Listful Thinking: Using Lists to Be More Productive, Successful, and Less Stressed. “It sets an intention so you know what you’re doing, but you can get derailed if you don’t use it correctly.”

Before you write your next to-do list, make sure you aren’t making these seven common mistakes:

1. WRITING THE LIST IN THE MORNING

It may feel natural to create your to-do list first thing in the morning, but that’s too late, says Eileen Roth, author of Organizing For Dummies. “If you do that and you have an 8 a.m. meeting across town, you probably won’t be there,” she says. Instead, create your list the night before.

Writing the list at the end of the day allows you to leave work behind and transition into personal time, says Roth. “You go home and can stop thinking about your to-do list because you already created it and know what tomorrow’s to-do’s look like. Your mind can rest,” she says.

 

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2. INCLUDING TOO MANY TASKS

If your to-do list includes so many tasks that it would take a few weeks or even months to complete, you’re setting yourself up for failure, says Rizzo. “When you list too many things, it’s overwhelming,” she says.

Three tasks are ideal, says Kyra Bobinet, author of Well Designed Life: 10 Lessons in Brain Science & Design Thinking for a Mindful, Healthy, and Purposeful Life. “Your brain understands things in groups of three,” she says. “Take advantage of this by creating a ‘top three’ at the beginning of your to-do list. Most people have a list that is longer than three items.”

Long lists are a problem because most people aren’t aware of how few productive hours we truly have in a day, says Christina Willner, founder of the productivity software Amazing Marvin. “Our mental energy is a far more limiting factor than time,” she says. “We only have about three to six good hours of work in us each day.”

Another reason that long lists are common is that people tend to underestimate how long a task takes, says Willner. Instead, she suggests estimating each task’s duration, and writing it next to the task. Then track your time to help make future estimates more accurate.

3. INCLUDING SOMEDAY ITEMS

Aspirational tasks, like writing a book, don’t belong on a to-do list; instead, create a separate bucket list. “If your to-do list says, ‘Climb Mount Everest and pick up milk,’ those are two separate lists,” says Rizzo.

Daily to-do lists should be focused. If you have a big project you want to complete, you can put it on your to-do list if you chunk it out into smaller, more attainable tasks, says Rizzo.

Someday items belong on a master list that holds all the tasks you want to do and is constantly growing and shrinking, says Willner. “You don’t want to work directly from your master list,” she says. “Not only is it overwhelming to see so many tasks; it’s also not satisfying to never be able to complete it. Instead, you want to make a separate daily list where you plan which tasks to tackle the next day and only work off that list.”

4. TREATING EACH ITEM EQUALLY

A good to-do list should be a priority list, says productivity coach Nancy Gaines. “Only add items that will move your career or business forward,” she says. “If it’s not a priority, it should not be on the list. Non-priorities are just distractions.”

She suggests following the “3-3-3 system when writing out your list.” “Delete three of the items since they probably aren’t that important,” says Gaines. “Delegate three of the items to someone else, as they are not the best use of your time or talents. And do three of the items that are the highest priority.”

5. NOT BEING SPECIFIC

People often write vague notes on a to-do list, but it can be difficult to take action if you have to stop and think how to proceed, says Maura Thomas, author of Personal Productivity Secrets. If you have 10 minutes to get something done and a vague to-do list, you’ll waste time trying to reconnect with each item on the list and remember what it means.

“Take the few extra seconds, while you’re in planning mode and writing the list, to be as specific as you can be, so that when you’re taking on a task on the fly, you can just get it done,” she says. For example, instead of writing “expense report” on your to-do list, write “enter receipts into spreadsheet.”

And skip the vague-sounding action words, such as “plan,” “implement,” or “develop” from your list of tasks. “If you only have a few minutes, seeing a word like ‘develop’ on your list will act like a speed bump, and you’ll probably skip over it,” says Thomas. “Save those vague words for your projects list, which is for those big-picture items that aren’t immediately actionable by themselves.”

6. USING THE SAME LIST UNTIL IT’S DONE

Too often, people create one to-do list and use it until all of the items are done, says Roth. “The problem with that theory is that every day changes, so what you did today is not what you will do tomorrow,” she says. “And what you think you are going to do tomorrow may change before today is over.”

Instead, create a fresh list for each day. “Some people who work only on projects can work on a weekly to-do list, but even that will change as the days progress through the week,” says Roth.

7. NOT LINKING YOUR LIST AND CALENDAR

Having a full calendar that does not include the actions on your full to-do list is another mistake, says Katie Mazzocco, author of Revolutionary Productivity: How to Maximize Your Time, Impact, and Income in Your Small Business.

“Recognize that there is only so much time each day,” she says. “If you have a full calendar and a full to-do list that aren’t connected, you’ll never have time to take action on your to-do list, short of robbing yourself of sleep, family time, weekend relaxation, or vacation.”

Instead, block out time on your calendar to take action on your to-do list items.

FastCompany.com | January 31, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 5 MINUTE READ

 

#Leadership : The Top 5 Ways Work Changed In 2016…From Minimum Wage Hikes to Higher Health Care Costs, 2016 was a Year of Big Changes for the American Worker.

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It’s probably an understatement to call 2016 a year of turning points.  The U.S. presidential election, culminating in Donald Trump’s upset win in November, thrust labor and employment issues into a more prominent place in the news cycle.
man-on-staircase
But it wasn’t just politics that fueled major shifts in the world of work. Here’s a look back at some of the most consequential ways the workplace has evolved over the past year, and where it might be heading next.

1. WORKERS GOT A PAY BUMP (SOME OF THEM, ANYWAY)

2016 was the year the “Fight for $15” movement scored its biggest victories yet. In April, New York and California both enacted legislation to progressively raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next few years. That proposal gained prominent support on the campaign trail, notably by Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary fight, and later by Hillary Clinton, who advocated for a $12 national minimum wage that would eventually climb to $15.

The issue’s prominence during the election likely helped boost support for the idea. A Huffington Post/YouGov survey earlier this year found just over half of Americans back a minimum-wage hike, and a Rasmussen poll found nearly three-quarters support raising it from the national rate of $7.25 an hour, even though some consider $15 too high a target. After years of little action on the issue, Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington all passed ballot proposals in November to raise their state minimum wage.

Federal action on the issue may be unlikely in the near term (Trump’s pick for Labor Secretary, Andrew Pudzer, has been a vocal critic of efforts to raise the minimum wage). Still, the idea is gaining support among influential stakeholders in the business community, and the S&P published a report in September echoing the argument that a minimum wage hike would boost the economy.

Read More: Is A $15 National Minimum Wage Actually Feasible?

 

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2. WORKPLACE GENDER ISSUES BURST INTO THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION (AGAIN)

Not since Anita Hill’s testimony in Justice Clarence Thomas’s 1991 confirmation hearings has sexual harassment gotten so much national airtime. Roger Ailes resigned as the head of Fox News in July after several women employees accused him of sexual misconduct. Then in October, a now-infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape surfaced, revealing now–President-elect Donald Trump boasting about getting away with sexual assault.

While many found his remarks shocking, they largely corresponded with what journalists had already uncovered about Trump’s past behavior, particularly in the workplace—where a woman’s appearance and her career in one of Trump’s companies were often closely intertwined.

But this wasn’t the only story line on women in the workplace over the past year. Hillary Clinton’s historic nomination as the first woman chosen to represent a national party broke one glass ceiling shy of the presidency. Clinton’s failed candidacy succeeded in convening a national dialogue on women in leadership. It became something of a Rorschach test for Americans’ attitudes toward women bosses, their trustworthiness, competence, stamina, and more.

None of these issues were resolved on Election Day, and they won’t be settled on Inauguration Day, either; the morning after Trump is sworn into office, activists are planning a Women’s March on Washington to protest his presidency. And with millions of American workers still excluded from state or federal sexual harassment protections, get ready for this debate to continue.

3. MORE PEOPLE PICKED UP SIDE GIGS

Short on money, more U.S. workers are freelancing on the side. According to a new analysis by LinkedIn, younger professionals in particular are gravitating toward part-time freelancing.

“Men are doing more part-time freelancing than women, and millennials are doing so more than any other age group,” says LinkedIn’s Gyanda Sachdeva, in an exclusive review of the data for Fast Company in November. Some 20% of professionals who list freelance work on their LinkedIn accounts have full-time jobs as well. “That means full-time freelancing still dominates,” Sachdeva concluded, “but the side-gig model is quickly catching up.”

But while 2016 saw side-gigging accelerate, it wasn’t the year employees left their companies to go it alone in the workforce en masse. A survey by the Freelancers Union and Upwork found that while a whopping 81% of traditionally employed workers are interested in picking up freelance work, only 37% of those who already freelance on the side are thinking seriously about leaving their day jobs. What’s holding them back? In short, stability, a predictable income, and benefits.

Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel has called for more federally funded research into the freelance workforce, which numbers up to 55 million people by his company’s last count. It remains to be seen whether government support will be forthcoming, but it’s clear in the meantime that cash-strapped workers are finding more ways to support themselves out of sheer necessity.

4. MORE WORKING PARENTS EARNED PAID LEAVE

Paid leave benefits continued to expand in 2016. Leading tech giants like Apple, Facebook, and IBM now boast much more extensive family leave offerings than other employers, but even the most ambitious expansions of those policies this year have tended to be most generous to birth mothers.

Lately, there have been some signs of a shift toward greater equality. Just last week, Ikea rolled out a new paid parental leave program covering both men and women who work full- and part-time for the company, Other generous policy changes at companies like AmEx extend leave benefits to adoptive and surrogate parents for longer than the traditional 12-week window.

To be sure, these expansions are occurring mostly (though not exclusively) in the rarefied heights of the tech sector. Currently, only an estimated 10–12% of U.S. workers get paid leave of any kind from their employers. But this was another issue that got ample airing during the election, where expanding paid leave was a major piece of Clinton’s platform. More recently, Ivanka Trump has embraced the issue as a policy change she claims she’ll be advocating for during her father’s administration.

That would put her on the right side of the trend lines, since according to a recent poll the overwhelming majority of Americans (82% of both Republican and Democratic voters) support some form of paid family and medical leave. Paid leave is also good for business, as companies that expanded their leave policies in recent years have seen boosts in both recruiting and employee retention.

5. EMPLOYEES PAID MORE FOR HEALTH CARE, BUT GAINED NEW BENEFITS

According to recent data, U.S. workers’ contributions to their employer health insurance plans are actually growing more slowly than in years past, but incomes aren’t keeping up fast enough for many employees to benefit. The average family paid more than $18,000 in health care premiums in 2016, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Over the past year, some employers have been experimenting with ways to entice top talent with health perks while also adding programs to hold down employees’ medical expenses. Instacart, Visa, and Slack, for instance, all rolled out programs to subsidize certain forms of genetic testing. By arming them with foreknowledge about their risks of developing cancer, the thinking goes, employees can seek potentially life-saving treatments earlier and more cheaply.

Corporations are beefing up their wellness initiatives for many of the same reasons, a turn of events that Fitbit found itself the unlikely beneficiary of this year. IBM, Kimberly-Clark, BP America, and others have handed the wearable-maker’s devices to employees as part of health programs meant in part to tamp down insurance costs.

So with the Affordable Care Act’s future uncertain in Washington, it’s likely that more businesses may take a greater lead in helping employees live healthier in 2017.

There’s no telling how the year ahead will transform the workplace further, but if the changes that impacted employees over the past 12 months are any guide, at least one thing is certain: A lot can happen in a year.

 

FastCompany.com | RICH BELLIS | 12.20.16 5:00 AM

 

#Leadership : How I Decreased My Weekly Office Hours From 40-plus to Less Than 8…Can a CEO Work Eight Hours a Week? Yes, and Here’s One Who Did It.

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You sit down at your desk ready to destroy your workday. You brew a pot of coffee, break out your calendar and dive into your most important task.Free- Time Mans Watch

Related: 4 Productivity Tips That Changed My Life This Year

And then it happens. The phone rings, or a co-worker stops by to say “hey.” Maybe your boss swings by to ask about those TPS reports.

Whatever type of interruption you face, you’re annoyed. And if you work in an office, you know exactly what I’m talking about: Just because you’re sitting behind that desk and have already  “clocked in,” everyone thinks it’s perfectly okay to engage you. Unfortunately, these random engagements can absolutely kill your productivity.

Not only can they knock you off task, but they consume your mental energy for the day. I didn’t notice how much time I was losing before I had kids, but I notice it much more now that I have four. And yes, being a parent has severely limited my ability to endure small talk and mindless babble. Parents, you know what I’m talking about: 20 minutes in the hallway talking about last night’s game. A co-worker lamenting over workplace stuff. A leisurely lunch invite that turns into a two-hour affair against your will.

This is the type of stuff that can waste your productivity and reduce your potential.

 

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Creating space and forging a new path

After a few years of enduring these wasted moments and opportunities, I was convinced something needed to change. I wanted to get out of the office more, but to accomplish nearly the same amount of work. More importantly, I wanted to stop wasting so much time, when I could be home with my family or out enjoying life.

At first, I thought that leaving the office more often would be an impossible feat. I mean, how could leave more often yet still accomplish the same level of work?

Sure, I was the CEO of my own wealth-management firm, but that didn’t mean I could come and go as I pleased. If I wasn’t in the office, what would my clients think? Was my team even capable of running everything in my absence? What if something went wrong?

It took me a while to realize I was consumed with limiting beliefs. Fortunately, a few amazing entrepreneurs and thought leaders made me realize the error of my ways. First, I read Tim Ferris’ book The 4-Hour Workweek and realized what was possible. Using the strategies in his book, I could reduce my time in the office significantly, right? Second, I joined a coaching program called Strategic Coach. The program introduced me to the concept of “creating space.”

One exercise we did involved tallying up how many free days we had taken in the last year. Why? Because they said we needed to learn to “create space” in our lives. And, to create that space, we had to give ourselves a break and some time off. Over time, the mental exercise of “creating space” allowed me to figure out what was important in my life, then outsource the rest.

Related: The Secret to Increased Productivity: Taking Time Off

Third, I started listening to productivity geniuses like Michael Hyatt. Highly productive entrepreneurs aren’t born that way, Hyatt says. They learn to become ultra-productive by mastering their environments. According to Hyatt, constant interruptions and distractions are the number one obstacle entrepreneurs face as they check off their to-do lists and work toward their goals.

And that is a shame, Hyatt say his websites. “Entrepreneurs and executives like us have too much value to contribute to our businesses and the people that matter most in our lives to let distractions drag us down,” he says on.

Just listening to experts like these taught me to “create space” and step away from my situation, to a certain extent. From there I set out on a path to limit distractions and build a better workday. Over time, I brought my office time from 40 hours per week to less than eight hours, with no impact to my productivity and even greater earnings over time.

How did I do it? Five ways.

1. I hired strategically. Although I already had a drector of relations on staff, I added an associate advisor, as well. The associate’s job was to be “me” when I wasn’t there — giving expert advice to our clients and providing the service they deserve.

This is where I think a lot of small business owners fail. Scared that no one could ever stand in their shoes, they refuse to outsource their most important work. But, if you want to reduce your hours, this step is crucial.

It took a while to get everything set up. For several months, I had to work 60-hour weeks to teach this new hire everything he needed to know. But once the hard work was done, I had a trusted and polished counterpart to lean on.

2. We started documenting our processes. Eventually, I learned I could make my life easier by streamlining processes I did over and over. A tool that I stumbled on, Sweet Process, helps you create processes for everything in your business.

Using this tool, we began creating processes for higher-level tasks such as opening new accounts. From there, we created processes for making bank deposits and processing client contributions. Once we got all the higher-level tasks squared away, we even created systems to take over the small tasks in our workday.

Creating all those processes takes a lot of work up-front work, but once you’re done and new people you’ve taken on are trained, you never have to do these things again. Even better, if you eventually have to hire someone new or replace someone, your documented processes can serve as a training manual.

3. I “created space” and scheduled time for being away from the office.  Once I hired more people and created processes, I had to schedule time for being away, to see if my new strategy could work. So, that’s exactly what I did — even though I had to force myself to leave the office.

At first, I spent time hanging out at a coffee shop or working from home. That way, I could test my new employee’s abilities without stepping away completely. Once I felt more comfortable, I started taking Tuesdays off. Then I started added more “off days” to my calendar each week. Eventually, I was down to just eight hours in the office each week, yet everything was still running smoothly. And yes, it felt great!

4. We improved communication. Before I reduced my hours, I had used email, texting and Google Chat as my primary sources of communication. This worked fine for a while, but we eventually realized we were losing conversations and details this way.

Then we stumbled on Slack. Slack allowed us to create channels specific to certain needs for our financial advisory firm; we could conduct ongoing conversations by searching past ones for details. Where we had once lost important information and conversations, Slack kept all of our correspondence in one place.

5. We reviewed actions and looked for ways to improve. Just as happened in the military where I participated in After Action Reviews, I created a process for weekly reviews in my office. We didn’t review one other’s work per se, but instead, how the week had done in general. How was our communication? Did everything get done? Did anything fall through the cracks?

By highlighting any gaps in our communication and planning, we could find ways to improve. And that’s exactly what we did. Over time, we improved everything from our daily communication to results for our clients.

Final thoughts

Where I once felt I could never step away from the office, I now work less than 8 hours each week at the office.  And as the final nail in the coffin and proof that everything I outlined here works, we have drastically improved our profitability as well. In fact, Alliance Wealth Management (my firm) is on pace to grow revenue by 31 percent this year.

With more time on my hands, I am now able to be a better father and husband. In addition, I’ve created space and time to do something I have always wanted to do — which is to create a course geared toward financial advisors who want to become a force to be reckoned with in the online space. And you know what else? My course, The Online Advisor Growth Formula, is on track to add $100,000 in revenue to my business this year.

This fact underscores the idea that more work hours doesn’t always mean greater results and that, sometimes, less is more.

None of this could have happened if I had never stepped away – and if I had never listened to the savvy productivity experts who forged this path for me.

Related: 7 Healthy Habits That Maximize Your Productivity Every Day

If you’re tired of working more to accomplish less, make sure to listen to the experts that study productivity like it’s their job (because it is). You might feel “stuck” working too many hours now, but a few small changes can make a world of difference.

 

Entrepreneur.com | October 28, 2016 | Jeff Rose

 

#Leadership : How To Make Yourself Work When You Don’t Want To…With the Holidays Approaching, the High Season for Procrastination is upon Us. It’s Even More Difficult to Get Work Done when you’re Stuck at the Office, Wishing you were Enjoying Time with Family & Friends.

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Procrastination affects everyone. It sneaks up on most people when they’re tired or bored, but for some, procrastination can be a full-fledged addiction. They avoid all day the work that is right in front of them, only to go home and toil late into the night, frantically trying to finish what they could have easily completed before dinner.

Free- Lock on Fence

“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

With the holidays approaching, the high season for procrastination is upon us. It’s even more difficult to get work done when you’re stuck at the office, wishing you were enjoying time with family and friends.

Still, the procrastination cycle can become crippling at any time of the year, which is troubling, because recent studies show that procrastination magnifies stress, reduces performance, and leads to poor health.

 

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Psychologists at Case Western Reserve University conducted an interesting experiment where they offered college students a date range instead of a single due date for their papers. The researchers tracked the date that students turned in their papers and compared this to their stress levels and overall health. Students who waited until the last minute to turn in their papers had greater stress and more health issues than others did. They also received worse grades on their papers and in the class overall than students who turned their papers in earlier.

A study published earlier this year by Bishop’s University explored the link between chronic procrastination and stress-related health issues. The researchers found a strong link between procrastination and hypertension and heart disease, as procrastinators experienced greater amounts of stress and were more likely to delay healthy activities, such as proper diet and exercise.

Fighting procrastination teaches us to fully engage in our work, get more creative with it, and, ultimately, get more done.

Procrastination is fueled by excuses. We cannot expect to overcome procrastination and improve our health and productivity until we’re able to overcome the negative mental habits that lead us to procrastinate in the first place.

What follows are the most troubling excuses we use to help us procrastinate. They’re troubling because they’re the most difficult excuses to conquer. For each, I offer preventative strategies so you can overcome procrastination and get productive, even when you don’t feel like working.

“I don’t know where to begin.”

Paradoxically, we often find ourselves frozen like a deer in headlights when confronted with a difficult task. As well, much like deer, the best thing we can do is move in any direction, fast. When a task is particularly difficult, you need all the time you are given to complete it. There’s no sense in wasting valuable time by allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the task.

The key here is to not allow fear of the whole to stop you from engaging in the parts. When something looks too difficult, simply break it down. What can you accomplish in 60 minutes that will help you slay the beast? Then, what can you do in 60 more minutes?

Breaking your task into shorter periods (where effort is guaranteed) allows you to move out of the “deer in headlights” frame of mind. Before you know it, you’ve accomplished something, and the task goes from way too hard to absolutely doable. When it comes to challenging tasks, inactivity is the enemy.

“There are too many distractions.”

For most of us, getting started on a large project is a challenge. We stumble over all sorts of smaller, irrelevant tasks that distract us from the real assignment. We answer emails, make calls, check the news online…anything to avoid the elephant in the room.

Being busy is not the same as being productive. When you find yourself avoiding a particularly sizeable task, slow down and visualize what will happen if you continue to put off the task. Distractions numb you by shifting your attention away from these consequences (a.k.a., away from reality). Reminding yourself of what will happen if you continue procrastinating is a great way to make distractions less enchanting so that you can focus on your work.

“It’s too easy.”

Tasks that are too easy can be surprisingly dangerous, because when you put them off, it’s easy to underestimate how much time they’ll take to complete. Once you finally sit down to work on them, you discover you have not given yourself enough time to complete the task (or at least to complete it well).

If a task is too easy, draw connections to the bigger picture, because these connections turn mundane tasks into a fundamental (and do it now) part of your job. For example, you might hate data entry, but when you think about the role the data plays in the strategic objectives of your department, the task becomes worthwhile. When the smaller, seemingly insignificant things don’t get done or get done poorly, it has a ripple effect that’s felt for miles.

“I don’t like it.”

Procrastination isn’t always about a task being too easy or too hard. Sometimes, you just don’t want to do it. It can be very hard to get moving on a task in which you’re disinterested, much less despise.

Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof way to teach yourself to find something interesting, because certain things will never draw your attention. Rather than pushing these tasks to the back of your plate, make it a rule that you cannot touch any other project or task until you’ve finished the dreaded one. In this way, you are policing yourself by forcing yourself to “eat your vegetables before you can have dessert.”

When you do get started, you can always turn the task into a game. How can you achieve your task more efficiently? How can you change the steps of the process and still produce the same result? Bringing mindfulness to a dreaded task gives you a fresh perspective. The task itself might not be fun, but the game can be.

“I don’t think I can do it.”

You are assigned a new project by your supervisor. In fact, it’s one you’ve wished he or she would give you for a while. However, now that it’s in your lap, you simply cannot get started. You cannot get past thoughts of failure. What’s going to happen if I blow it? How am I going to do this? Could I be fired over this? It can reach a point where avoiding failure seems like the best possible option. After all, if you never engage in a project, you’ll never fail. Right?

Wrong. Procrastination itself is failure—failure to utilize your innate talents and abilities. When you procrastinate, you’re failing to believe in yourself.

Remember when you were learning to drive and you could only look straight ahead, because if you looked at something off the road, you’d unwittingly turn the wheel in that direction? Worrying about everything that might go wrong if you fail has the same effect. It pulls you toward failure.

You must shift your mind in a confident direction by focusing on all the positive things that are going to happen when you succeed. When you believe you can do something—and you visualize the positive things that will come from doing well—you equip yourself to succeed. This thought process gets your mind headed in the right direction. Worrying about everything that could go wrong only binds your hands. Break the chains and get started!

Bringing It All Together

Fighting procrastination teaches us to fully engage in our work, get more creative with it, and, ultimately, get more done.

How do you fight procrastination? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart.

 

Forbes.com | June 1, 2016 |  Travis Bradberry  

 

#Leadership : Why We Seem To Be Talking More And Working Less — The Nature Of Work Has Changed….The Real Reason That we Communicate More is Because, Today, we Need to Collaborate More to Be Effective.

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Are communication technologies like Slack, Yammer and Skype actually helping us, or just getting in the way? Certainly, they have made it easier to communicate, share information and collaborate with colleagues, but what if all that extra communication is actually preventing us from getting important work done?

Free- Iphone with Gadgets

In a recent article in Harvard Business Review, Bain & Co. partner Michael Mankins estimates that while a typical executive in the 1970’s might have received 1,000 messages a year, that number has skyrocketed to more than 30,000 today and argues that we may “have reached the point of diminishing returns.”

I think just about everyone can see his point. Today, the amount of meetings, emails and IM’s we receive can seem overwhelming and it’s increasingly hard to find uninterrupted quiet time to focus and concentrate. However, the nature of work has changed. The real reason that we communicate more is because, today, we need to collaborate more to be effective.

 

Today, Machines Do A Lot Of The Work For Us

First, consider how different work was 20 years ago, when Microsoft had just released Windows 95 and few executives regularly used programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. We largely communicated by phone and memos typed up by secretaries. Data analysis was something you did with a pencil, paper and a desk calculator.

Now consider how Mankins performed the study he described in the article. He writes, “My colleagues at Bain and I have studied these effects using people analytics and data mining tools.” It’s safe to assume that all that data was collected and analyzed electronically and shared instantly with the press of a button.

It’s also safe to assume that he and his colleagues spent quite a bit of time discussing what the results of all that analysis meant. 20 years ago, they would have had to set up a meeting or a phone call when they were all free, but today, they can toss around ideas between meetings, in airport lounges or even while waiting for an elevator.

As Mankins himself wrote in an earlier article, “Today, an algorithm can assemble many more facts about the accounts than any human being could easily process.” The truth is that we’re increasingly collaborating with machines to get cognitive work done and so it shouldn’t be surprising that we’re taking more time to discuss that work with each other.

 

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Problems Are Becoming Much More Complex

Another thing to take into account is that the work we do today is far more complex. Would Mankins have even undertaken his study without the “people analytics and data mining tools” made available to him today? Possibly, but it would have been significantly more onerous.

It’s also important to note that the trend toward greater communication is not just visible in industry, but in academia as well, where we can assume that researchers have more options to work quietly and without interruption. Yet they are increasingly choosing to work in teams and those teams outperform solo performers.

The journal Nature recently noted that the average scientific paper today has four times as many authors as one did in 1950 and the work they are doing is far more interdisciplinary and done at greater distances than in the past. It’s hard to see how any of that could happen without the improved communication technologies we enjoy today.

Clearly, technology is enabling us to tackle problems we wouldn’t have dreamed of addressing a generation ago. To work on these challenges, we are increasingly collaborating in teams and our work has become more social and less cognitive.

The Value Of Sharing Information

In the past, communication was often just chit chat. Valuable information was locked away in file cabinets and, if we could find it, we would have to make a hard copy in order to share it with anyone else. Yet today, even teenager with a smartphone has more access to information than a highly trained specialist a generation ago.

For a typical executive, the effect has been even greater. The new technologies that make up the Internet of Things collect information automatically from a vast array of sensors embedded in just about anything you can think of. This data, in turn, is analyzed through the use of other technologies, like Hadoop and Spark, to help us make sense of it.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that we’re discussing all of the information we now have access to. We can glean new insights, share them with others and they can reply with insights of their own. The result of this collaboration is often even more collaboration, as we pull people in with a greater diversity of experience and expertise to get their take.

That doesn’t seem like wasted time to me. The truth is that nature of work is changing. The office is no longer a place where we access information—today, we can do that anytime, anyplace—but rather a place where we access people. It’s where we can meet face to face, communicate non-verbally as well as verbally, build stronger working relationships and collaborate more effectively.

Collaboration Is The New Competitive Advantage

To be fair to Mr. Mankins, his greater point—and the subject of much of his other writing—is that we should put more thought into how we adopt and use our newfound communication assets. Surely, we all spend time attending meetings, getting pulled into conference calls, reading and responding to messages that could be used more productively. And that’s frustrating.

However—and this is a crucial point—we don’t know those interactions will be fruitless until we actually have them. Further, while it’s easy to remember the frustration of having our time wasted, it is not much harder to recall times when we have come across a random thread of information that we were able to capitalize on by sharing with colleagues.

It is also those chance encounters that often lead to bigger things, precisely because we are able to share them, get diverse viewpoints and mobilize the efforts of others. Increasingly, we live in a social economy with collaboration at its center. It is no longer just efficiency, but agility and interoperability that makes firms successful.

So, while I take Mankins’ point about the potential for new communication technologies to unproductively monopolize our time, we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yes, the cacophony of the constant barrage of communication can seem distracting at times, but it can also open up new worlds of opportunity. That is, if we are paying attention.

Greg Satell is a US based business consultant and popular speaker. You can find his blog at Digital Tonto and follow him on twitter @DigitalTonto.

Forbes.com | March 6, 2016 | Greg Satell

 

Your #Career : Work From Home? 4 Key Ways to Maximize Productivity…To Help you Tackle the Specific Work Issues you’re Likely to Face, we Tapped 3 Work-from-Home Experts for their Tips on How to Maximize 4 Key Areas of Home-Based Office Life so You can Boost Productivity & Success.

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No morning commute. No open floor plan that makes it challenging to focus on your work. No boss looking over your shoulder or co-worker who insists on showing you photos of his cat every morning. The sweet freedom of working from home can seem like a dream come true for some—and the number of people doing so is growing.

Free- Business Desk

For example, Global Workplace Analytics found that the work-at-home population increased by 103% between 2005 and 2014, with a 6.5% rise in 2014—the largest spike since before the recession. U.S. Census data also show that working from home is more popular than ever. In 2010, 13.4 million people worked at least one day at home per week, an increase of more than 4 million people in the last decade.

Although statistics indicate that the trend is picking up steam, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to work from home successfully. Whether you’re telecommuting to a full-time job or running a home-based business, there are distinct challenges that come from merging your work and home lives.

To help you tackle the specific work issues you’re likely to face, we tapped three work-from-home experts for their tips on how to maximize four key areas of home-based office life so you can boost productivity and success.

Work-From-Home Tip #1: Turbocharge Your Space

Whether you’re working at the corner table next to the couch or have an entire spare room to devote to your home business, it’s important to create a space that helps get you into work mode and keeps your attention there.

• A little separation is a good thing: If you can, carve out a designated space in your home as an office where you can keep your work organized. “A separate workspace makes it easier to set boundaries between your home and office [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][lives],” says Lisa Kanarek, author of “Organize Your Home Office for Success: Expert Strategies That Can Work for You” and founder of WorkingNaked.com, a site that helps people create productive home offices. “When you have a separate space, you can store files, supplies and other business essentials in one area.”

If, however, your home office needs to be wherever you can find a spot to open your laptop, there are other things you can do. Elaine Quinn, a certified professional organizer, consultant for solo business owners and author of “There’s No Place Like Working from Home: Get Organized, Stay Motivated, Get Things Done!,” recommends using your dining table as a desk, especially if you have stacks of paperwork to sift through. If you’re working while your family is around, put on noise-canceling headphones to not only block out distracting sounds but serve as a visual cue to others that you’re on the clock.

• Get your (organizational) act together: Having an orderly desk helps you stay focused, boosting productivity so you don’t lose precious time looking for that critical contract—or whatever it may be—under a messy pile of papers. “Visual distraction is just begging for you not to be able to concentrate,” says Quinn. To minimize clutter, think of your desk as the center of a bull’s-eye. “All of the things you need on an everyday basis should be within arm’s reach,” she says. If you don’t need an item that often, it shouldn’t be on your desk. The next circle out should be items you don’t need more than once a week and can be stored off your desk, like in a nearby filing cabinet. The final, outer ring are items you need or want to hang onto but aren’t using anytime soon, such as old client files and contracts. These should be stored away in a closet or basement, if you have one.

If your office is the kitchen table one day and the back porch another, consider putting your work projects in separate boxes so you can grab the one you need at that time, and then put it away when you’re done.

• And remember, there may be tax benefits to creating a home office:Whether you rent or own your home, if you use part of the square footage regularly and exclusively for business, you may be able to do a home office deduction on your taxes, according to the IRS. The federal government now offers a fairly new (as of the 2014 tax season) simplified way to calculate this, with a standard deduction of $5 per square foot of the home used for business, with a maximum of 300 square feet. Talk with your accountant about the best way to include your home office expenses in your taxes.

RELATED: 6 Killer Morning Moves That Can Really Turbocharge Your Workday

 

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Work-From-Home Tip #2: Stay Connected

When it comes to professional communication, Kanarek says that keeping your work and private lives separate is key. If you telecommute, it may be easier to set these boundaries with a work email that’s tied to your main office. If you have a home-based business, it can be trickier.

• Customize your communication: Instead of handing out your primary personal email for work-related matters, Quinn strongly urges her clients who are small business owners to create a second custom work email address, such as jane@yourcompany.com, for a more professional touch.

“Also, set up a third account that you give out when signing up for newsletters and updates,” Kanarek says. That way, you can stay in the loop without clogging up your business email account.

To better manage your inbox, there are tools that let you schedule emails so they’re sent during business hours, rather than when you’re burning the midnight oil. “If I don’t want to appear too eager to respond to something but don’t want to forget, I use Boomerang for Gmail,” says Quinn. “Or if I have an email that I don’t have to take action on right now, Boomerang can make that email reappear at the top of my list at a future date.”

You can also use apps to schedule texts to go out when you want, rather than pinging someone when you’re working on the weekend. Quinn uses SMS Scheduler, a delayed-text scheduler app on Android.

• Streamline your phone system: Many small business owners have ditched their landlines and exclusively use a mobile phone for business, says Kanarek. But if you use your primary number for work, it can be hard to gauge whether that incoming call is personal or business when you’re on—or off—the clock. To counter that, “some have one cellphone for business and the other for personal use,” Kanarek says. But Julie Morgenstern, time management expert and author of “Time Management From the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule—and Your Life,” prefers a dedicated business landline. “The sound quality can be better than on cellphones,” she says. Or you can use the phone line that often comes bundled with your cable TV subscription service as your business number.

If you’re using your own home phone or cellphone for business and don’t necessarily want your personal number out there, try using Google Voice, which lets you choose a brand new number from Google. “You can keep cycling through to find a number you like,” says Quinn. “Or you can type in words and see if they have the numbers to correlate.” If you’re more concerned with missing a call, you can use your existing mobile number with Google Voice and set it up so that one number rings to all of your phones. The service also provides online voicemail with rough transcriptions, sent to you by email or text, so you can quickly get the gist of voicemails on the go.

RELATED: 5 Productivity Apps That’ll Kick Your Workday Into High Gear

 

Work-From-Home Tip #3: Create a Schedule That Fits Your Life

If you’re telecommuting, your hours may be set by your boss. But if your office is flexible or you run a business out of your home, one of the perks is setting your own hours. While there’s freedom in that flexibility, it’s also easy for work-life balance to get really out of whack. Make sure you create a regular schedule, says Morgenstern. “It’s a hot mess when people work whenever they feel like. People love structure. It’s a forcing mechanism that energizes you and also helps you shut off when it’s time.”

• Block out your days with a hard stop: Morgenstern recommends thinking of your day in three blocks of time—morning, afternoon and evening—and factor in how much energy you have in each time period. “If you’re more productive in the morning, then get up and do your work then,” she says. You should also factor in what time you typically need to interact with co-workers and clients, as well as your family’s schedule.

“You may want to be done for the day when your kids come home from school, for example,” Morgenstern says. That way, your kids’ arrival signals quitting time instead of being a distraction keeping you from working another few hours.

• Be realistic about your time: Anyone can write a to-do list, but completing every action is another feat entirely, especially if you’re overly optimistic about what you can reasonably accomplish in a day. Instead of creating a never-ending task list, Morgenstern advises asking yourself three questions: What do I need to do? How long will that take? When will I do it? Keeping in mind your deadlines for each, prioritize and block out your schedule to tackle these responsibilities during a time window when you can maximize your attention toward them.

Not sure how to prioritize tasks? “Think of your work week as a time budget,” Morgenstern says. For example, “if you’re doing writing, editing, administration and pitching, those are the four categories of your time budget. Then, create a regular routine of when you do each. A little bit of boundaries [between task categories] helps.”

• Don’t forget to schedule breaks: In general, whatever schedule you choose, aim to work no more than 90 minutes at a time before taking a quick break. The combination will keep you productive and give you time to clear your head. “After that time, most people lose focus anyway,” Quinn says. “You’ll work better in 90-minute chunks.” Others, including Quinn, find that working in even smaller chunks—up to 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute break—is more efficient.

 

Work-From-Home Tip #4: Know That You Don’t Have to DoEverything

It can be overwhelming when you are your own tech support, accountant and executive assistant while working from home. And the truth is, “anyone who is working from home can’t do everything themselves,” Quinn says. So how do you make sure you keep your business running?

• Get your go-to people in place: Luckily, this is easier than ever since there are plenty of businesses geared toward home-based workers that offer tech support, such as Support.com, and billing services, such as FreshBooks, at reasonable prices. “It’s always a good idea to get referrals from others,” Kanarek says. “I use Quicken and I have a Mac tech person who always knows how to solve any tech issues I may have.” Some tech support consultants can even virtually jump into your computer and see if they can fix something easily.

• Go virtual: Quinn recommends using a virtual assistant from theInternational Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA), which connects you with professional independent contractors who can offer administrative, technical and creative support. A virtual assistant can help with various tasks, such as bookkeeping and following up on outstanding invoices, creating a monthly newsletter or doing research for a work project. But if you have simple, straightforward tasks like booking appointments, transcribing notes or faxing documents, Quinn suggests finding a more affordable virtual assistant through services like Upwork or Fiverr. Whichever route you choose, having a virtual assistant saves you from getting bogged down in mundane tasks, allowing you to spend more time focusing on building your home-based business and reaping the rewards.

 

Forbes.com | February 2, 2016 | LearnVest

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#Strategy : 17 Unprofessional Work Habits that Make your Boss & CoWorkers Hate You…Do your CoWorkers or Boss Show Signs that They Secretly Hate You? If you Answered “Yes,” then Sure, It could Be that They’re Generally Disagreeable People. Or it Could be You.

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You may not realize it, but you could be engaging in workplace habits that make you look unprofessional.  While many of these habits violate the basic rules of common decency and respect, sometimes you need a reminder of how to behave at work. And since your office-mates aren’t speaking up, we decided to chime in on their behalf.

Here’s what you could be doing all wrong that makes you look unprofessional:

Bragging

“When we’re proud of an accomplishment or about something good that happens to us, it’s natural to want to share the news with others,” says Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, an etiquette and civility expert and author of “Don’t Burp in the Boardroom.”

But sharing can easily become bragging, and she says there are a few key indicators that this is happening:

• If you go on and on, telling everyone and anyone who walks by.

• If you speak of it in a loud tone so that even the window washer can hear it through the thick glass.

• If you use a tone of superiority.

• If you feel the need to put down others and point out their failures.

• If you fail to say “thank you” when you are congratulated.

• If you start embellishing the story.

“When in doubt, try a little humility” Randall suggests.

 

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Showing up late to work

“Punctuality is critical,” Randall says.

“The professional thing to do is to arrive on time, ready to do what is expected. It’s not like they just sprung this job on you,” she says.

 

Rolling in 10 minutes late to every meeting

Similarly, showing up late to meetings shows that you neither respect your coworkers — who showed up on time, by the way — nor the meeting organizer, says Vicky Oliver, author of “301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions” and “Power Sales Words.”

“Keeping people waiting can be construed as inconsiderate, rude, or arrogant,” Randall says.

Dave Mosher/Tech Insider

Being a slob

“Whether you’re at your desk or in the break room, being known as the office slob is never a compliment,” says Randall.

When you clog the office kitchen sink and leave your garbage around, who exactly are you expecting to clean up after you?

“Leaving your mess behind shows lack of responsibility or consideration, arrogance, and immaturity,” Randall says.

Similarly, your workspace can be a reflection of you, she says.

“If you’re like me, who works well in a semi-messy environment, it can be inhibiting to be clutter-free. But with open cubicles or workspaces, the professional thing to do is to make some compromises,” Randall says. “It would be disrespectful and inconsiderate to expect your coworkers to deal with your mess.”

 

Playing ’20 Questions’ on every new assignment

There may be no stupid questions, Oliver says, but there are certainly annoying questions. These are the kinds of questions that prove you really don’t want to do the assignment or illustrate you only want to hear yourself talk.

“When you receive a new assignment, gather your questions, and pose them in an organized way,” Oliver suggests. “Never just spout out question after question off the cuff.”

Complaining too much

“While there may be times when everyone feels the desire to complain about the boss, a coworker, or a task, voicing it will only make you look unprofessional,” Randall says. “It’s even worse if you complain every day, all day, from the moment you walk into work. Before long, people will go out of their way to avoid you.”

 

Doing your makeup at your desk

In most fields, casual grooming in public is frowned on, Oliver says. If you need a touch up, she suggests heading to the bathroom.

Poor hygiene and grooming

At the same time, you want to look like you take your job seriously when you walk into work, and your hygiene and appearance play a role in that.

“Poor hygiene and sloppy clothes scream, ‘I don’t care!’ and are a surefire way to put off those around you,” Randall says.

Your boss may wonder whether your attitude about how you present yourself extends to your work, she explains, and you may be passed over for a promotion, overlooked when it’s time to meet with a client or represent the company at a conference, and not invited to social gatherings.

“Burping, passing gas, picking your teeth, adjusting your body parts, and rarely showering are not just unprofessional behaviors for the workplace, but they’re pretty darn gross as well,” Randall says.

 

Calling in sick when you aren’t

“Remember the adage that half of life is showing up,” Oliver says.

You won’t prove you deserve the promotion if you call in sick every few weeks.

 

Displaying nervous habits

Jingling your keys, shaking your leg, constantly checking your phone, chewing gum, biting your fingernails, scratching your head — the list of nervous habits goes on, and you probably don’t even realize you’re doing it, but your office mates probably do, Randall says.

Not only can these habits be distracting to others, but they could also be perceived as boredom.

“Perception is a person’s reality,” Randall says.

 

Doing something else during a meeting

“There is a reason why texting is illegal while driving: it’s impossible to concentrate fully on two things simultaneously,” Oliver says.

Texting, surfing the web on your laptop, instant messaging, emailing — doing any of these things during a meeting shows everyone else in the meeting that you’re not paying attention.

“They know that while your butt may be planted in the chair, your mind is roaming,” Oliver says.

Interrupting

“It’s rude to interrupt. When you do, it shows others that you don’t have any respect, judgment, or patience,” Randall says.

While participation can earn you some brownie points, bad timing can wipe those points away.

 

Selling stuff

It seems like almost every office has one or two people who sell cookies for their kids. This could be a bad move, Randall says.

“Bombarding your coworkers with fundraising products or donations for a cause or organization is unprofessional, unwanted, awkward, and obligating,” she says.

Randall says that some companies even prohibit soliciting at work because it takes up work time and places people in an awkward position.

“Saying ‘no’ can be a challenge for some people, and money can be a concern,” Randall says. “Your coworker might feel compelled to buy because everyone else did, or they’re concerned that you’ll remember this.”

Being too noisy

Whether you play music loudly while others are trying to work or have conversations the entire office can hear, then your coworkers likely consider you one of the most annoying distractionson earth.

Being noisy, especially in an open office, has a significant effect on your coworkers’ focus and productivity, and the noise could hurt business if it carries into an important phone call.

“Try to show your coworkers that you respect them by keeping the music down, and hopefully they will return the favor,” Oliver says.

 

Swearing

“Using foul words or questionable language is not only a bad habit, but in most places of business, it’s still considered unprofessional and can even land you in Human Resources for a little chat,” Randall says.

Swearing demonstrates to others that you aren’t able to calmly and thoughtfully deal with a situation, and it could make you the last resort in an even more difficult or extreme dilemma, she says.

“Consider learning some new adjectives,” Randall suggests.

 

Making personal calls all day long

Talking or texting with friends or family on company time is unprofessional and could be against company policy, Randall says. What’s more, doing it during a break is fine, but these correspondences should be kept out of the workplace, even the lunch room.

“You never know when your boss may walk by for an impromptu chat,” she says. “What will they see or hear?”

“If the topic of conversation is of a delicate nature, be sure to keep it private. One overheard juicy tidbit can spread like wildfire,” Randall says.

Being overtly cliquey

“Maybe the new guy who smells like French Onion Soup is not your favorite person on staff,” Oliver says. “That’s no reason to flee him every time he asks you for help on an assignment.”

It’s best to act friendly toward everyone, she says: “You will come across as more of a team player and show you have management aptitude.”

 

Businessinsider.com | February 26, 2016 |  

 

 

 

 

#Leadership : 5 Signs of Work Stress That You Should Never Ignore…Simply Recognizing That you’re Stressed & Taking Steps to Change your Work Environment or How you Respond to It can Be very Helpful

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Everyone has the occasional stressful day at the office. But for some, work-related stress is a chronic problem. Sixty-five percent of Americans named work as their top source of stress, the American Psychological Association(APA) found. Eighty percent of people surveyed by Monster said they experienced the Sunday night blues, and 76% of those characterized those blues as “really bad.”

Free- Bubble on the Bubble

Work-related anxiety does more than just put a damper on your weekend, however. In men, chronic stress is linked to a host of health problems.

 “Men under stress are more likely than women to report having been diagnosed with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease or heart attack,” Simon A. Rego, PsyD, director of psychology training at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told Everyday Health.

Unfortunately, men may be more likely than women to ignore or downplay stress, both at work and in their personal lives.

“Men notoriously have trouble putting their feelings into words,” Edward Hallowell, author of Crazy Busy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD, told WebMD. “They bottle things up so they’re more subject to the damages of stress.”

Simply assuming that stress is a normal part of your work routine could also be causing you to miss your body’s attempts to warn you that the pressure is too much. If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, they might be due to work-related stress.

1. Frequent headaches

Frequent headaches are one of the biggest physical signs of stress, according to The American Institute of Stress. Over-the-counter pain relievers may help to relieve the occasional work-related tension headache, according tothe Cleveland Clinic, but if your headaches are chronic, you might need to explore stress management techniques, counseling, or even anti-anxiety medication or antidepressants.

Migraine headaches that happen over the weekend could also be a sign that the pressure at work is too much, since sudden decrease in stress levels may trigger these severe headaches, reported Prevention. Maintaining a consistent eating and sleeping schedule could reduce the chances you’ll experience a weekend migraine.

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2. Jaw pain

If you’re stressed, you may be clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth at night and not even realize it. Jaw pain, earaches, and headaches are all signs of bruxism, which might be caused by day-to-day stress. Practicing stress-relieving techniques like meditation might help minimize teeth clenching and grinding, as can consciously trying to relax your face during the day. If you grind your teeth at night, your dentist may tell you to wear a mouth guard to prevent damage to your teeth.

3. Upset stomach

A stressful situation at work could be the reason behind your stomachache or other gastrointestinal troubles, like constipation. That’s because “the brain and the digestive tract share many of the same nerve connections,” Douglas A. Drossman, M.D., a gastroenterologist and psychiatrist and co-director of the University of North Carolina Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders, told Eating Well.

Altering your diet can help minimize stress-related tummy trouble. High-fiber foods like oatmeal can help regulate digestion, while fatty fish like salmon and sardines may reduce inflammation that exacerbates your stomach problems. Sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and junk food can all make your stress worse, says the Stress Management Society.

4. Breakouts and other skin problems

If your skin suddenly looks like you’re back in high school, tough times at work could be the cause. Your body’s chemical response to stress can increase breakouts, since your body is producing more cortisol, which in turn can lead to oily skin and acne flare-ups, according to WebMD. If you suffer from dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, or other skin problems, stress can also exacerbate those conditions.

If you’re too focused on work-related troubles, you may forget to wash your face, not get enough sleep, or eat poorly, all of which can make skin problems worse. Sticking to your regular skin care regimen can help reduce breakouts, as can getting enough sleep, exercising, and drinking plenty of water.

5. Hair loss

Hair loss is a fact of life for many men, often linked to genetics, aging, or a decrease in testosterone. But if your hair is coming out in handfuls when you comb or wash it, you might have telogen effluvium, a condition that can be triggered by stress, as well as by certain medications or infections.

Occasional stress isn’t enough to cause sudden baldness, though. “Stress because you’re late to work or you’ve got a heavy workload is not going to cause you to lose hair,” dermatologist Paradi Mirmirani, MD, told WebMD. Long-term stress that causes other physical changes, like dramatic weight loss or big shifts in diet, could trigger hair loss, however. The good news is that this kind of hair loss is often temporary and may stop once you get your stress under control.

Tips for Reducing Work Stress

While you can take steps to alleviate some of the physical symptoms of stress, those remedies aren’t likely to address the underlying cause of your anxiety. Identifying stress triggers and finding ways to manage them may be the best way to reduce the headaches, stomach pains, and other stress-related problems that you’re experiencing, as well as to avoid the long-term term health problems that constant stress may cause.

Exercising, practicing meditation, creating boundaries between your job and the rest of your life, and taking time to relax and recharge can all be ways to manage work stress, says the APA. Making changes to your workspace and getting more organized at the office may also make you happier at work, since cramped and cluttered desks can exacerbate stress, according to a report in Time magazine.

Simply recognizing that you’re stressed and taking steps to change your work environment or how you respond to it can be very helpful, say experts. “People feel less stressed when they take control of a situation,” psychologist Emma Kenny told The Guardian.

 

CheatSheet.com | January 25, 2016 | 

Follow Megan on Twitter @MeganE_CS

 

Your #Career : 4 Mistakes That Are Sabotaging Your Work-Life Balance…Do you Practically Live at Work? Better question: Do you Constantly Think about your Work away from Work (i.e. home, vacations, family gathering, etc.) ?

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Achieving a healthy balance between work and your personal life is possible, but it can be difficult. If you want to overcome those difficulties, you’ll have to make an effort to put an end to some of your bad habits. It’s possible you could be standing in your own way.

Free- Lock on Fence

Here are four behaviors you must change if you want to create symmetry between your work and personal life.

1. Not using your vacation days

Failing to use vacation time will leave you stressed out, overwhelmed, and more likely to make mistakes on the job. While you may be concerned about returning to a pile of work, you need time to recharge. Research published by Project Time Off found that employees are also hesitant to take vacation because they fear they will be seen as replaceable. Furthermore, employees are leaving vacation days on the table in response to concerns they will be seen as less dedicated to their company.

 However, the results of giving in to these fears and concerns can have negative effects on your overall well-being. Studies have found that overwork can make you sick. If you want to have a more balanced life, it will be important for you to get away from the office from time to time. You’ll be happier, healthier, and have more energy to enjoy life.

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2. Relying too heavily on technology

Technology is a great way to stay on top of your work and communicate with co-workers, but it can rob you of sleep and productivity. Between answering emails all day and constantly checking your mobile phone for updates, it can be hard to get quality down time or rest. A Bank of America trends report found that 71% of respondents sleep with their smartphones and about 23% fall asleep with their devices still in their hand. Set aside some time each day where you abandon all the tech in your life. Resisting the impulse to stay connected 24 hours a day will help you have more peace of mind.

3. Saying ‘yes’ when you should be saying ‘no’

You don’t have to accept every special project or do every favor that comes your way. It is important to set boundaries so you can avoid spending every waking moment at work. While being a team player is great, you also have to recognize when you are being stretched too thin.

“Keep in mind that being overloaded is individual. Just because your co-worker can juggle 10 committees with seeming ease doesn’t mean you should be able to. Only you can know what’s too much for you,” said the Mayo Clinic.

4. Not planning ahead

Your work will start to melt into your personal life if you don’t engage in proper planning. One way to achieve some sense of balance is to draft a to-do list. This list will keep you on track and help you make room for things outside of work.

“At its most basic form, planning is nothing more than figuring out how you will get from one place to another. Every day people plan: people make a list of things to buy at the grocery store, workers determine the best route to travel to and from work each day, and we plan out how to finance that new car,” said management expert John R. Knotts.

Follow Sheiresa on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 CheatSheet.com | January 2016 |  

#Strategy : This NightTime Routine Will Help you be More #Productive in the Morning…Having a Nightly Routine is as Important as your Morning Routine. This Way you Can Get the Rest you Need, & you Will be Prepared for an Energetic & Focused Tomorrow.

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Research has Proven that the Quality of Sleep is Much more Important than the Quantity of Hours you Sleep. Have you ever slept 9 hours but woken up still feeling tired and groggy? This is where the lack of quality of sleep comes in.

Reflect on your day before you go to bed.

Having a nightly routine is as important as your Morning Routine.  This way you can get the rest you need, and you will be prepared for an energetic and focused tomorrow.  The Nightly Routine doesn’t have to be as long as the morning  —  mine is only around 15 minutes or so; however, I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to crush the day.

After recently writing a post about my Morning Routine I was being asked by some of you what time I go to bed at if I get up at 5:30 am.  To to get the average 8 hours we’re advised, do I go to bed at 9:30 every night?  No.

Research has proven that the quality of sleep is much more important than the quantity of hours you sleep. Have you ever slept 9 hours but woken up still feeling tired and groggy? This is where the lack of quality of sleep comes in.

I sleep between 6–7 hours per night on average, and I’ve applied certain practices/sleep hacks into my nightly routine that help me to get the highest quality of sleep possible.

The 6 things before bed:

  1. Reflection
  2. Priorities for tomorrow
  3. Wins
  4. Gratitude
  5. Clean Desk = Clean Mind
  6. Sleep Hack

1. Reflection

Benjamin Franklin was known for his routines and continued effort toward self-improvement. At the end of each day would ask himself,

“What good have I done today?”

It’s important to look back on your day and reflect on what went well and what you have achieved. If I have a rough day, I write down 1 to 3 things I could have done to make the day better so I that I’m ready for “next time.”

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2. Priorities for tomorrow

When I was in Architecture school, I would write an absolute beast of a “to-do” list each day  —  a list in which I would never ever be able to complete even if I worked every minute of the day and night. It was pretty dumb. I would get to the end of the day, and, despite having worked all day, feel unaccomplished and overwhelmed. No bueno.

These days, I try to bookend my day in a much more positive way. At night, I take stock of my day and how it went. First, I’ve stopped writing impossible to-do lists, and I limit myself to 3 prioritized tasks per day, which I set during my nightly routine so that I wake up the next day knowing what needs to be completed.

This doesn’t mean I only do 3 things a day. It means I drill down to the things that matter  —  the things that if I did nothing else that day I would still feel accomplished at completing.

3. Wins

We’re generally our own worst critic. Take a few minutes to appreciate the things you did well, and stop beating yourself up about what you could have done better. Feel free to unapologetically brag to yourself about what you accomplished that day, whether it was a gym session, a sales call, or finally cleaning out your closet.

Making a daily habit of being positive about yourself will grow the confidence you have in yourself and your abilities.

4. Gratitude

A recent study by Nancy Digdon shows how grateful thoughts can help your sleep due to the fact that having more positive thoughts than negative thoughts make it easier to drift off to sleep. By taking a few minutes and writing down what you’re grateful for, you are focusing on the positive.

I write down 3 things I’m grateful for that happened that day. Again, it doesn’t have to be deep thoughts or something out-of-this-world. It’s not for anyone to read but yourself.

Clean organized desk computer office workspace

Keep your desk organized.

5. Clear desk = clear mind

Each evening as I finish work or before I go to bed, I organize my desk and clear up any clutter that has accumulated over the day. There is something about having a clear work area that gives our mind the focus needed to be more productive. This doesn’t mean the rest of my apartment is tidy (our secret), but I make sure my workspace is.

It’s so much easier to be productive and get your work done if you create the environment that allows you the head space for it.

I’m currently finishing up development on a product for optimizing your day and being intentional with everything we do so that it makes reaching your goals simple. We just launched on Kickstarter yesterday.

6. Sleep hacks

Most of the sleep hacks I have learned I got from The Bulletproof Diet and other biohacking resources. Some quick and free things you can do today for better sleep:

1. Sleep in a pitch black room (to stop melatonin suppression)

Melatonin, a biochemical produced to regulate our sleep-wake cycle only works when it’s dark. Even a small amount of light can be sensed by our eyes and skin which halts melatonin process and causes disrupted sleep. Here’s a great article explaining why melatonin is so important in more detail. I recently purchased some blackout blinds that have helped with this and am already noticing a difference.

2. Track your sleep so you wake up at the best time

I use an app called Sleep Cycle to track my sleep each night. The best part about the app is its smart alarm function that only wakes me during a light stage of sleep to avoid the groggy feeling I used to get when I woke up.

Here’s the type of stats you get:

0*ZJodZ8EaCJP zuGpMedium

3. Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid EMFs

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) exposure from your phone will impede the production of melatonin, so make a habit of putting it on airport mode to prevent this.

4. Stop drinking coffee after 2 p.m.

(I’m not always awesome at this one)

5. Avoid bright lights and minimize blue light exposure

Blue light from phone screens, computer screens, and TV trick our brains into thinking it’s daytime and thus causes melatonin suppression which affects our sleep-wake cycle. Here’s 2 ways to help avoid this:

  1. Install F.Lux on your computer. This will adapt your screen to your surroundings. When the sun goes down, it will dim the blue light from your screen and revert to normal during the day. It works in the background, so you’ll set it once and forget it. (Be sure not to do any graphic work involving color picking in the evenings or your project will look a little funky in the morning.)
  2. Use blue-blocking glasses in the evening 1 to 3 hours before bed. And yes, as you can see from the link, they’re extremely glamorous. For more detailed info on blue light and sleep go here.

6. Don’t workout within 2 hours of when you plan to sleep

7. Avoid big meals before bed

plate of foodGetty ImagesDon’t eat a lot right before bed.

Sleep supplements

Following the 80/20 rule, if you do all the things above, you’ll see a huge improvement in sleep quality and may not need anything else. Personally, as well as the things above, I take a few supplements before bed to get more quality sleep. Below is what I take and why:

Magnesium

Magnesium is a component of more than 325 different enzymes in the human body. It plays an important role in hydration, muscle relaxation, energy production, and the deactivation of adrenaline. With that said, due to the very low levels of it found in food, most people are deficient in it unless they take supplements.

A more detailed article about it and its role in sleep here. I take a magnesium supplement, Natural Calm, about 30 minutes before going to bed. This gives me much more restful sleep due to natural calming and relaxation effects. It’s also pretty tasty.

A Spoonful of Raw Honey

Your brain uses a lot of energy to fuel all the processes it goes through during the night. An efficient form of energy comes from sugar stored within the liver. A spoonful of raw honey has shown through rigorous self-experimentation by Seth Roberts and The Honey Revolution to improve sleep by keeping liver glycogen full. It’s important however that it is raw honey and not cooked honey that you typically find in grocery stores.

Krill Oil

Krill oil is a great source of Omega–3s, which have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression while also improving muscle growth and insulin sensitivity. Take a Krill Oil pill 2 hours before bed.

GABA

I only take GABA on occasions when I have been travelling or I’m working crazy hours on a product launch and know I need a long restful night of sleep. It is a neuro-inhibitory transmitter, which is what your brain needs to shut down. I’d definitely recommend this over sleeping pills.

And there you have it  —  my evening routine and how I hack my sleep. Since I’ve started, it’s been helping with morning decision fatigue (by knowing my priorities for the day), and it’s given me a much more restful sleep so I have much more energy throughout the day.

Read the original article on Medium. Copyright 2015. Follow Medium on Twitter.

Medium | September 13, 2015 | Cathryn Lavery, Medium