Staying Productive in the Winter

Posted by admin on

It’s certainly no secret that when winter hits most of us just want to hibernate. There is less sunlight and the days can just be downright dreary. For most, those things can make staying productive in the winter rather difficult. In order to stay productive during the cold days of winter, you may want to try a few of these things:

Stay Active

When you’re at work it can be difficult to stay active, but by doing this you can keep energy levels up, help yourself stay in a better mood, and stay healthy. Obviously you can’t take a break in the middle of the day to run a 5K, but you can get up from your desk, stretch, walk to the water cooler, or even do a quick cubicle workout. When you stay active, you stay productive.

Keep Warm

Depending on where you sit in the office, it could be hard to stay warm during the winter. Whether you’re next to window or far from the heat vent, staying warm just may not be an option. However, staying warm is necessary for staying productive. When you’re cold, you’ll lose motivation to stay busy. So, how do you keep warm? One way to keep warm is to stay active (as mentioned above), but you can also wear heavier clothing or layers, bring in a small space heater, or even ask to switch seats.

Watch What You Eat

Because it’s cold out, you probably want to eat heavy and warm meals, but often these types of meals are filled with sugars and carbohydrates. These foods aren’t necessarily bad, but too much of them will make you groggy and just want to nap. When this happens, you’ll be less motivated to stay focused and get your work done. Instead of eating heavy meals at work, pack well-balanced meals and opt for a cup of tea rather than that sugary snack.

Make Plans

What kind of plans? Well, that’s really up to you. Having plans at the end of a work day or work week can help provide the motivation you need to stay focused and accomplish the tasks you have that day or week. But, also have plans for your life (i.e. goals) can really help you make it through the winter and stay productive. These types of plans provide motivation to stay active, be social, accomplish things, and provide you with a list of things to do.

How do you stay productive during the winter months? We’d love to hear your stories and suggestions in the comments section below!

Making a Great First Impression

Posted by admin on

When you are preparing for your upcoming interview, you need to think about the impression you are going to make. There are many factors of a first impression and it’s important to know and understand what they are. While it certainly isn’t a fun thing to think about, it’s important to understand that hiring managers will be judging you during your interview. Making a great first impression could mean the difference of getting a second interview and being dismissed as a serious candidate right away.

Continue reading “Making a Great First Impression” →

Positioning for Success: Develop a Process

Posted by admin on

Last week we talked about how you need to create purpose in order to better position yourself for success, but it doesn’t stop there. In order to really achieve that success, you have to go beyond the purpose and develop a process for success. While it sounds like a lot of work, you need to put in the time and effort to create the self you want to be.

While this could be applied to your personal life, it also greatly applies to who you are as an employee. When trying to get a new job or start a new career, having a developed process will help. Here are a few things you need in order to position yourself for success:

Passion

We talked about the need for passion when it comes to creating purpose, but it’s also a vital step in developing your process. Without passion, it’s going to be extremely difficult for you to find a job. In fact, if you don’t have passion for what you do, then you need to consider a career change. What are you passionate about? Can you turn that into a career? These are the types of questions to ask yourself before beginning.

Expectations

Do you want to be successful in life and your career? Then don’t expect perfection. Should you always do your best work and work your hardest? Yes, but perfection is impossible. When you set yourself up for perfection, you will fail. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t have high standards, but you need to know your limits and set your expectations within those limitations.

Belief

Above most things, you need to believe in yourself. You need to believe that you will succeed. In order to better position yourself for success, you need to believe that you will be successful. As a step in the process for achieving success, belief is a foundation that you must have. If you don’t believe in yourself, then no one else will and you’ll find the process of getting a job much more difficult.

Self-Evaluation

If you’re caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, then it can be difficult to shift your focus on pursing a new career. Instead of allowing projects, other people, and hobbies to take all of your time, schedule some “me” time. When you schedule time for yourself, you’re able to better focus and think about how to position yourself.

Relationships

When you are starting a new career, looking for a new job, or simply need some professional advice, it helps to have genuine relationships with established professionals. These people can be in your network, they could be your friends or mentors. No matter what, you need to foster genuine relationships and work at keeping them strong because in the professional world, it pays to have friends.

Positioning for Success: Creating Purpose

Posted by admin on

When you feel like you’re down on your luck and having trouble finding your next job opportunity, it can be hard to find purpose in anything. From filling out job applications to filing unemployment, you may be pretty discouraged. One of the best ways to combat this feeling is to position yourself for success. It’s easy to give up and settle, but you won’t find success by doing that.

Positioning yourself for success can be difficult and is certainly a journey. However, by creating purpose you may just find the success you are looking for. Even if you are currently unemployed, that doesn’t mean you have to be purposeless. Here are a few ways to position yourself for success by creating purpose:

Brand Yourself

No matter what type of career or industry you work in, knowing who you are is important. Branding yourself can be broken down into just that. While companies use brands to tell consumers and customers about their products and services, you need to create a personal brand that tells potential employers about you. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need a logo or a website. It does however mean you need to evaluate your goals, lifestyle, and your professional persona.

Develop Passion

Without passion, much of life will seem pointless and purposeless. If you aren’t excited about what you do for a living, then you’ll have a much harder time finding a job. You need passion in order to make a difference, make a change, or improve your career. Without passion, you are far more likely to remain stagnant in life. By making conscious choices and decisions to develop a passion for what you do, you’ll find increased results in your job search.

If you want change to happen in your life—if you want to find a new or better job—then you need to focus on these factors:

  • Your mind
  • Your attitude
  • Your appearance
  • Your words
  • Your follow-up

When you focus on these things and make efforts to improve them, then you’ll start to see positive changes happening in your life.

Do you have any suggestions for creating purpose in your life or career? Leave your stories and suggestions in the comments section below!

Video Resume: Best Practices

Posted by admin on

Depending on the field of work you are in, creating a video resume may be the best way to land a new job. If you work in a highly competitive or creative industry, then a video resume can help you get noticed by potential employers. Not only can you showcase your skills, but you’ll be able to show more of your personality than with a traditional paper resume and cover letter.
Continue reading “Video Resume: Best Practices” →