Displaying All Posts from January, 2010

Raising the Bar in Rain or Shine

Modern office life ranges from very boring to oh-my-god-the-sky-is-falling-and-my-hair-is-always-on-fire. Both are imperfect. When you are bored, you can waste time on the internet while worrying about how secure your job really is. When you are over-worked, you’re exhausted and unhappy while worrying about whether others perceive your hectic days as a loss of control on your part.

Both are undesirable. And both demand that you raise the bar.

Popular search terms for this article:

raising the bar, raising the bar ideas, bored and exhausted, drowning in rain, fire in rain, some people raise the bar some lower it, raising the bar work, raising the bar on yourself quotes, raising the bar in your career, raising the bar at work

What’s the Meaning of This?

Michelle Burleson 28th January Goals 21 Comments

I met my friend, Melody Abella, over ten years ago when we worked in the marketing department of a dot com near Washington, D.C. It was a good job. Great benefits. Couldn’t complain, except I could’ve cared less—about the company, my work or where my career was going. Don’t get me wrong. I performed my job duties, got a couple big promotions, bonuses and pay hikes. Parents were proud and relieved.

Every day I dragged myself into the office, I was playing the role of someone who cared. They could’ve tripled my salary and the sentiment would have been the same. Melody and I both had the benefits of education and lucrative employment, but our passions weren’t stoked by corporate power or ladder-climbing.

Sometimes I’d look around the office and wonder if everyone was as “into it” as they appeared. Even my boss, who is a fantastic writer, would talk about her book ideas that were going on paper once the kids graduated college (the boys were in grammar school). Melody began practicing yoga in college and the love affair continued into her corporate years.

Popular search terms for this article:

leap and the net will appear meaning, meaning of this, what the meaning of, leap and a net will appear meaning, whats the meaning of, Whats the meaning of this, what\s the meaning of, you want to appear means, appear meaning, what does leap and the net will appear mean

The Importance of Setting Goals

Mike Vardy 27th January Goals 8 Comments

A good friend told me that within the last couple of weeks the most depressing day of the year pops up. Some say it falls on the Monday, some say it falls on a specific day; the bottom line is that it falls somewhere in there. So if you’re feeling a little low around that time, now you know why.

But I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again: it doesn’t have to be that way.

Some say the reason that this time of year leads to a lack of fulfillment is because many have let their resolutions that they made only a few weeks before fall by the wayside. The dull weather plays a part, too. Oh, and let’s not forget the post-holiday credit card bills that fill your mailbox….and empty your wallet.

Popular search terms for this article:

Importance of setting goals, the importance of setting goals, importance of goals, the importance of goals, importance of setting goals in life, what is the importance of setting goals, why is setting goals important, the importance of setting goals in life, the importance of goal, the importance of setting goals for yourself

Memo:Random #19

N.C. Winters 26th January Memo: Random 3 Comments

Stay on Track With an Idea Embargo

Cubicle Curtis 25th January Management 9 Comments

So you’re about to launch. You’ve done a great job planning and executing this project. And you’re almost ready to unveil your baby to the world.

And this is when people start coming up with new ideas and suggestions. Often it’s a major decision maker such as your boss who thinks a new feature or two is needed. Do you rework everything? How do you consider everyone’s feedback and respectfully decline the advice? That all depends on many factors. In the end, you need to decide what’s the gain. And some of that advice comes from someone you can’t ignore.

Popular search terms for this article:

stay on track meaning, stay on track definition, to stay on track definition, keep on track meaning, on track meaning, stay on the track meaning, stay on track, on track definition, keep on track definition, the meaning of stay on track

Full Engagement at Work

Andre Kibbe 22nd January Productivity 15 Comments

Most of today’s companies still value presence over performance. The amount of time employees spend in the office matters more than what they accomplish during that time. The expectation of putting in long hours, regardless of whether or not it’s warranted, breeds a habit of filling time by creating non-critical activities, drifting into excessive socializing, or getting caught up in trivial office politics. For those of us who actually want to be productive rather than busy, being surrounded by counterproductive behavior can be frustrating.

How do you replace busyness with productivity? One powerful way is by increasing your presence-to-performance ratio.

Popular search terms for this article:

engagement at work, full engagement, engagement activities at work, what is the benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time, benefits of recording productive and nonproductive time, What is the benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time if at all?, what is the benefit of recording productive and unproductive time, • what is the benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time if at all?, What is the benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time if at all, benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time

The Zen of An Empty Computer Desktop

Andre Kibbe 21st January Productivity 22 Comments

Decluttering your cubicle or desk can greatly minimize visual distraction in the workplace. Seeing last week’s memo out of the corner of your eye can trigger your brain to periodically reevaluate its relevance. There’s no point in wasting cycles on redundant processing.

But what about your computer desktop? If you want to take workspace decluttering to its logical conclusion, getting rid of icons on your desktop is worth exploring.

Popular search terms for this article:

zen desktop, empty desktop, zen desktops, zen workspace, desktop zen, zen desktop icons, zen desktop wallpaper, declutter desktop windows 7, zen of empty desktop, enso desktop wallpaper

The 4 Top Concerns of An Older Worker

Bob Bessette 20th January Office Life 8 Comments

For any of you who have gotten a little long-in-the-tooth, you probably have some of the same concerns as I have. You may have friends or co-workers who have been let go under, let’s call them, sketchy circumstances. The party line was that there was a layoff or a re-organization, but it’s kind of strange how that person’s responsibilities now have gone to either a newly-hired employee or a younger one within the company. If you’ve been at a job for a number of years and realize that you are among the older workers in the company, you may have the following concerns.

Popular search terms for this article:

older, what concerns you have in the company, why do organisation go older employee, best jobs for older workers, photos of older workers, older workers skills, what are the concerns when you take a new job, updating older workers skills, skills older workers have, let older employees

How to Win the Work-Life Balance Battle

Mike Vardy 19th January Career 5 Comments

No matter the work, the idea is always put your best foot forward and maintain a level of excellence. It is pretty standard knowledge that those who make their way to the top of their profession have made it there for a number of reasons; but tremendous effort is what seems to be the greatest factor. The flipside of this, of course, is that many of those who are at the top of their “office game” are cellar-dwellers when it comes to an even bigger game – their personal lives.

Make no mistake, there are plenty of those out there who spend way too much time with their personal stuff and not enough time on the professional stuff. Those people are content with where they’re at – but also can be in danger of falling from where they’re at into a much less desirable place: the unemployment line. On the plus side, they’ll have no need for balance at all if they hit that mark… Read More

Popular search terms for this article:

HOW TO WIN IN LIFE, how to win life, how to win the life, work life balance games, howtowinlife, how to win at work, how to win work, win the battle, how to win in professional life, balance battle top

Memo:Random #18

N.C. Winters 18th January Memo: Random Leave a Comment

Begin Your Work Day at the End of It

Andre Kibbe 15th January Productivity 13 Comments

One of the best ways to get more done every day is to make sure you get your most important task done first, from start to finish, without interruption. Focusing on that one task exclusively can be simple, but not easy. The problem usually isn’t lack of effort, but lack of clarity. How do you decide what’s most important?

Maybe that’s not the right question. Perhaps it’s not how you decide, but when. I’ll suggest that the one of the worst times to decide your top priority for right now is right now. It’s usually more effective to have already made your priority decisions beforehand. If this is true, then the best time to decide what your first task should be in the morning is the day before — ideally at the end of the work day.

Popular search terms for this article:

your working day, Take a bit of time settling in before starting my work tasks each day, When at work I Take a bit of time settling in before starting my work tasks each day Jump right in to my work as soon as I arrive at my job each day, *When at work I Take a bit of time settling in before starting my work tasks each day Jump right in to my work as soon as I arrive at my job each day, how do you start your day at work, When at work I Take a bit of time settling in before starting my work tasks each day, When at work ITake a bit of time settling in before starting my work tasks each dayJump right in to my work as soon as I arrive at my job each day, WRITE ABOUT YOUR WORKING DAY, how to start your work, how to start a day at work

Financial Stress: Start the New Year With a New Financial Attitude

Jason Finnerty 14th January Your Job 8 Comments

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the same situation that I’m in. The lottery hasn’t paid off yet, your inheritance won’t be here for another 30 years (or maybe your folks will spend it before then), and your kids won’t be buying you a new home anytime soon.

Popular search terms for this article:

best attitude to start the new year, what can you say about financial stress, attitude financial, how to get a new financial start, new financial year starts, new year stresses at work already help?, new year work attitude, start new year and start new job, start of new financial year, 15 ways financial stress affects you physically