Should You Read this Later When Procrastination is Good - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Should You Read this Later When Procrastination is Good - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There’s a National Association for just about anything you can think of including The Procrastination Association. As they say on their website, ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after. If it weren’t for the last-minute, nothing would ever get done. Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off NOW.’   We all seem to have an opinion about procrastination and usually that it’s harmful. The truth is that there are times when procrastinating wreaks havoc in our lives and then there are other times when delaying some actions and decisions may be appropriate and even beneficial. Dan Ariely, behavioral economist, professor and best-selling author of The Upside of Irrationality, talks about the problem of procrastinating. Ariely maintains it would be good to procrastinate less when it comes to saving more and consuming less, having regular health check-ups, resisting the temptation to indulge in unhealthy foods, and putting off regular exercise. He offers a strategy to stop your procrastination suggesting you pair something you love with something that’s good for you but that you dislike. This results in developing a positive association with doing something that you prefer putting off but that’s good for you. Having a new positive association with the distasteful activity could cause you to stop procrastinating. Although many times procrastinating can hurt your reputation and your business, there are times when holding off could prevent you from making a huge mistake? For instance, growing your business too quickly before there’s enough demand for your product or service, choosing a business partner based on outside pressure or without knowing that person well, engaging in a questionable business deal that could make you a lot of money fast, and reacting harshly criticizing someone due to losing your temper could result in damaging your reputation, your business and lead to misery. It’s important to be able to discern when procrastinating could hurt you and when it actually could benefit you. When Can Procrastinating Be a Good Thing? Scaling your Business Scale your business slowly and steadily to allow demand to grow. Hire new employees and add more technology only once there’s sufficient demand. Invest time in training and enrichment programs for employees to help engage and motivate them.  Consider offering flextime and other perks like free meals in a top restaurant and winning a vacation for a certain level of performance.   In the short-term this could boost morale and in the long run it could cultivate loyal relationships between management and employees. Better to have more demand and lower supply than the other way around. Choosing a Partner Choosing the right partner could make or break your business. Try working with this person on a project prior to forging a partnership. See if you balance each other off in terms of skill sets, vision, values and your personalities. Better to go with it alone if youre not sure you both compliment each other. A partnership is like marriage, once youre in it the stakes are high for making it work and breaking up is costly. Questionable Deals If something sounds too good to be true it probably is! Trust your gut and avoid the temptation for quick, easy money. Resist the temptation to associate with people who promise more than your good sense says is realistic. Do your research on the management of a firm you’re investing in to be sure he has a good reputation and that he has a track record for good performance. Acting Impulsively Don’t confuse taking a calculated risk and behaving impulsively. The first requires courage and some good insights about a niche that has yet to be exploited. The second is more often equated with poor judgment and a lack of good intuition about the market. Making rash decisions in general isnt a good thing but when it comes to starting a new business, impulsivity could lead to making costly mistakes. (Growing your business too fast, buying too much inventory, hiring too many employees before there’s sufficient demand, criticizing a supplier or employee when you’re in an enraged state) are examples of over zealousness about business prospects that come from impulsivity and often lead to failure). Criticizing Others Think carefully before you criticize to be sure your agenda is purely for the sake of improving the situation and the relationship. Soften your approach by starting with noting something positive about that person so you don’t force him to become defensive. People tend to be more receptive to hearing criticism from someone they like and respect versus someone they consider to be dictatorial. Also, resist the temptation to criticize your competition. If youre not tactful it could lower your reputation rather than improve it. Loosing your Temper Once you lose control and speak from a place of anger its very hard to retract your words. Better to pre-empt those people and situations that provoke your anger and avoid confrontation. If you don’t think your interaction will be constructive, keep your thoughts to yourself. Checking your E-mails Constant and obsessive e-mail checking can lower your actual productivity. Set aside a few times per day to check your inbox. Thats usually sufficient to stay abreast of notifications and other communications. Limiting yourself from constant checking could save you several hours per month, time that could be better spent doing something productive. Entrepreneurship can become an all-consuming endeavor. While your success as an entrepreneur will require you to invest long hard hours at work, it’s essential to keep some balance in your life.   You’ll need to be discriminating in how you spend your personal time: Prioritize certain friends and family whom you couldn’t live without and take care of your physical health. Both will be important for staying focused and for your endurance in business. Carve Out Time for Friends and Family Those who procrastinate in caring for their loved ones often lose them.  Don’t underestimate the value of having close intimate relationships in your life. Make time for the people who matter to you most outside of your work and who make up your support system. These are the people you’ll need when things are tough as well as to celebrate when things go well. Making time for those you love is a key investment for success as an entrepreneur and will help you stay balanced over time. Eat Right and Exercise Make a commitment to eating healthfully and maintaining a regular exercise regimen. It’s well known that staying physically fit and eating right improves one’s mood and increases energy level. This will obviously bode well for an entrepreneur who needs to work long hours and deals with multiple setbacks and loads of stress. Following Ariely’s suggestion for creating a positive association with exercise, you could pick a movie or playlist of music you love to watch or listen to while you exercise thereby changing the association you have with exercise to something positive. You could do the same thing with refraining from eating your favorite chocolate cake. Next time you’re tempted to splurge, promise to do something you enjoy in its place. Every entrepreneur could benefit from reflecting on how he makes decisions particularly when it comes to procrastinating and using self-control. Being able to distinguish healthy procrastination from when its inhibiting you from getting what you want in life could lead to greater success. You can improve your decision-making when you are more aware of how and why you make certain choices; While sometimes it pays to be flexible and open to experiences, other times it’s best to make decisions based on logic. Knowing yourself and understanding the motivation behind people’s behaviors can put you in the drivers seat when running your business.  There’s a fine line between knowing when to use intuition and when to use logic in decision-making. Knowing the difference and sensing when to use one over the other could make the difference between running a good business and a great one. One thing for sure, don’t put off tuning into the dynamics learned from behavioral economics.

How to amp up your personal statement - Debut university

How to amp up your personal statement - Debut university This post was written by an external contributor.  Millie Pritchard discusses the ways in which you can improve your personal statement for university applications.   At this time of year, many sixth-form students will be preparing to apply to universities. But knowing how to sell yourself to your dream institution can be tricky. So why not use this Autumn as an opportunity to get ahead of the game and look at your personal statement? It can be hard to think about  specialised things that relate to your chosen course. Perhaps you even feel like you have nothing to write about? Its not too late at all to amp up your skill set in relevance to your degree of choice. So here are a few suggestions to get you started. List your accomplishments Firstly, it’s important to have a look at what you’ve already managed to accomplish both inside and outside of school. From theatre plays to sports teams, buddy schemes to student council â€" write it all down. Then, you can start to make links between your desired university course and the skills they have given you which, in turn, could be applied to this course. For example, if you are applying to study Politics, consider what activities you have done which are relevant to the subject. This may include being a part of your student council, or the fact that you’re a huge fan of ‘Question Time.’ Prove that the university should want you for this course by demonstrating the fact that you have a true passion for the subject. MOOCs Massive Open Online Courses, (also known as ‘MOOCs’) can give you extra knowledge on your desired subject. Sites like  Future Learn  offer free courses that are hosted by unis from all over. For example, if you are applying for History, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are currently offering a course on Public Health in Post-war Britain. They have so many courses on their website, which range from Law to Coding, from Business to Languages. Most of the courses are only 2-4 hours a week of your time, over the period of a few weeks. Volunteering Volunteering is an essential factor to go on your personal statement. You can volunteer practically anywhere â€" local schools, charity shops, care homes. It illustrates that you have the drive to do something without monetary gain, and also have a desire to give back. And if you manage to get volunteer work that somehow relates to what you want to study, then even better! I initially applied to university to study History. So I organised some volunteer work at a local small museum inputting files into their databases which related to WW2 and the Cold War. Perhaps if you’re applying to study English, get involved in your library’s summer reading schemes! Educational trips This will help give you a new outlook on your desired university course, which is much better than just turning up to your lessons each week. Actively getting out there to visit places which relate to your chosen subject is a great way to prove this. If you wish to study Law, maybe try and sit in on a court-case. For History, trips to different historical sites (depending on what your period of interest is) is also recommended. Be on the ball, and sort this out asap so you can focus on the more important stuff in your personal statement. Good luck! Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Work less achieve more - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Work less achieve more - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The idea that working more does not necessarily mean achieving more, and that we need to end the cult of overwork, seems to be cropping up all over the place these days. Here are a few great, recent sightings. Fred Gratzon lists the Top 10 signs youre made to be an entrepreneur, including You are unemployable and You have the uncanny ability to get other people to do all the work. In Spend less time working, get more done Adam Wiggins follows up on my post on why seat time does not equal productivity. Excellent! Impact of overtime on productivity is on overwork in software development, but applies to all fields. A common effect of putting teams under pressure is that they will reduce their concentration on quality and focus instead on just banging out code. Theyll hunker down, stop helping each other so much, reduce testing, reduce refactoring, and generally revert to just coding. Interview with vacation advocate Joe Robinson What is a gross national product when you dont have a life? A few years ago, the Norwegians found that they were 14 percent more productive than we [Americans] are. So they elected to take more time off. Tom Hodgkinson tears apart some recent bad business books The books under review recommend all sorts of immoral actions. In the old days, greed and covetousness were seen as sinful; now they are encouraged. Jack Welchs Winning sets the tone. The author grins manically from the cover despite the silver hair, manicured nails and perfect teeth, he looks like Beelzebub incarnate. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Why Using a Formatting Guide to Customize Your Resume is Important

Why Using a Formatting Guide to Customize Your Resume is ImportantIf you have been out of work for quite some time, and you are still wondering what to do to make a resume stand out among the others, you will want to consider the possibility of using a formatting guide to customize your resume. A resume is a written document that lists your skills, accomplishments, and education. It can be extremely useful in guiding potential employers toward your experiences and skills, which can make your resume much more appealing.However, it can be very frustrating when you receive a resume from a potential employer with nothing but a handful of words attached to the end of each section. This is especially true if you have had a lot of experience and jobs, or you have a long list of accomplishments. Even though you may be very knowledgeable about a subject, it will likely be ignored because of its lack of individual information.A great way to avoid this is to use a resume template. These can hel p you customize your resume by including detailed information about your education, work history, education, and more, which you will not be able to find on other job sites.When using a template to create your resume, remember that the purpose is to make your resume more professional. You will want to focus on the most relevant information, including previous employers, job titles, previous positions, certifications, and more. Your resume can now include your strongest assets, which will certainly attract a great deal of attention. Your resume will also show an employer how well prepared you are for the position, and how you intend to succeed in the industry.Before you begin to format your resume, make sure you understand your options. Many websites offer templates that you can edit and customize to meet your needs, but there are also free programs you can download.If you are sure that you have the knowledge to put together a professional resume, then you should definitely invest in a resume guide. This can also help you find employers, who will greatly appreciate a professional looking resume.It is also important to remember that a resume can still be designed by a person. No matter how experienced you are in your field, you can still add your own unique touch to the resume. A formatting guide can be especially helpful if you are uncertain about how to format your resume, or if you simply do not know enough about job search tips.If you have been out of work for a long time, and you are still wondering what to do to make a resume stand out among the others, you will want to consider the possibility of using a formatting guide to customize your resume. A resume is a written document that lists your skills, accomplishments, and education.

What Are Your Target Audiences Expectations for Your Writing Resume?

What Are Your Target Audience's Expectations for Your Writing Resume?When you start to look for a job interview, people have their own expectations for your presentation and performance. This is your chance to show that you are confident about your ability to function in the job and communicate to your potential employer about your strong skills and personal attributes. But in order to make sure that you get noticed by a hiring manager and the organization that will be hiring you, follow these tips:o A good practice to develop fluency in another person's language is to learn it from your parents or others who already know the language well. You should always focus on activities that will enhance your knowledge of the language. You can help your mother to read Chinese characters with you and then you may ask her to write them out for you. This way you'll develop reading skills, understanding the characters, and writing skills at the same time.o Reading is an important component in any course of action and in this case is equally important as reading. Learn to read through books, newspapers, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. There are many sources of resources for you to read.o Learn to read and speak both the written and spoken language. For instance, if you are starting out in a foreign country, learn to read, write, and speak some basic greetings and phrases in the native language. If you want to improve your reading skills, you can go to a library where there are people who speak the language fluently. This way you can take courses that would improve your reading and writing skills.o Do not just skip the resume. The resume is one of the first things that a hiring manager will see. In the resume, try to give the reader an idea of your personality and your potentials in the job. If you have a unique skill or talents, use it to make the reader believe that you have much more than what he can see in the resume.o Make sure that you participate in the interv iewing process with your resume and skills. You might want to send samples of your written work and just ask the hiring manager to see it.o Write well. If you have problems with reading or speaking, ask a reading tutor to coach you in your writing skills. Try to write correctly. Avoid writing about things that you don't have experience with.

What is Actually Happening with Homemaker Resume

What is Actually Happening with Homemaker Resume Homemaker Resume Fundamentals Explained If you're trying to customize professional, pre-formatted resumes, have a look at our completely free downloadable templates. You don't know where your very first job might take you. Since you are searching for an entry-level job, it's a fantastic concept to broaden your horizons. Tip If you've held many jobs for brief amounts of time, do not list all them. The sales and marketing business is one predicated on your capacity to sell goods or services to the general public. Homemakers organize items in the house, do laundry and look after the yard. New Step by Step Roadmap for Homemaker Resume Employers seek employees that are successful. Managers seek employees that are resultsoriented. Recruiting programs may be in-person for instance, employers might visit your school to recruit candidates. Resumes for a Homemaker position needs to get something extra with regard to compassionate care and household management abilities. New Questions About Homemaker Resume General household chores are finished on a schedule which suits the residents of the house. Homemaker companies take away troublesome tasks and enable you to keep doing what you can at home while you handle the remainder of your life. Furthermore, homemakers take care of maintenance around the house, whether they opt to fix it or employ a specialist. For any number of reasons, they may also want to go to work-either to make more money for the family, to get out of the house, to try new things or because the kids or other family members have the ability to fend for themselves for a while and the homemaker wants to return to the job or start a job. New Questions About Homemaker Resume For instance, if you've been a homemaker for a decade, list Homemaker or Household Manager as a position you held, and describe the kinds of tasks and obligations you carried out that make you a great candidate for a pos ition for a housekeeper. A resume objective serves a terrific purpose which is to set the path that the remainder of the resume will tread on. There are particular elements which should be included in every resume and you will need to ensure you do this. Purpose The aim of the resume is to tailor your qualifications and experiences based on the particular needs of the work position. The Most Popular Homemaker Resume Homemakers also have to shop for food to ensure everyone in the house becomes proper nutrition. In some cases, they are also expected to provide sitting services for children, elderly or people who are unable to look after themselves. Other homemakers see a reduction in the quantity of chores or a gain in the household income as a kind of advancement. Displaced homemakers are those who have worked in the house for a variety of years and suddenly discover they are the main supply of household income.

5 Demanding And Stressful Careers - Work It Daily

5 Demanding And Stressful Careers - Work It Daily Impossible deadlines, late hours, and demanding workloads are some of the major causes of stress in the workplace. Couple this with millions of dollars and a high stakes game of cat and mouse in an unpredictable financial market, and you will get the feeling of what stress can feel like. Related: Your Parents’ Career Path Vs. Yours: How Things Have Changed Indeed, a recent survey of finance workers in 26 countries, carried out by UNI Finance, found that more than 80% of banking unions in Europe reported deteriorating health as a major problem for union members. It’s important for industry professionals to consider the role stress plays in their career. Some people thrive in stressful situations, while others do not; and before taking on a stressful position consult with your family, colleagues, or finance recruitment professional on whether the role is right for you. That said, here are the top demanding and stressful career paths. 1. Investment Banker Generally regarded as the most stressful job in the whole financial services industry, investment banking is a gruelling career. Bankers not only have the unenviable responsibility of managing the financial future of companies and individuals in their hands, they must also understand that one bad decision can put them out of a job. Often the hours are incredibly demanding and while the weighty pay cheque is some reconciliation for the stress, a career in investment banking means you will be indefinitely tied to your work. To beat back the stress and avoid burnout, many investment bankers ensure they keep a regimented fitness regime and dedicate some alone time away from the office. 2. Finance Management Consulting Financial management consultants are continually on the move, putting in long hours away from home, at airports or in drawn-out meetings that involve juggling a variety of complex business issues. While some employees can thrive on the fast pace and variety of challenges, others can find themselves quickly worn out by the constant travel and pressure to generate new business and results. Keeping fit and sleeping well are essentials for management consultants on the road. 3. Sales Any position that revolves around sales can be a stressful one, especially, when you couple this with job security and a slow pool of buyers in a shrinking market. Moreover, financial sales roles are increasingly becoming obsolete or replaced by technology meaning that jobs are becoming fewer. However, those that excel in the Sales arena often earn a robust living and enjoy what they do. 4. Financial Advisor Financial advisors also work in a sales-based job, and their only way to generate an income is through sales results. Unlike institutional sales, however, financial advisors and wealth managers deal with “bread and butter” clients that can tend to be friends and family. This means that employees have relationships, not just money, on the line with each investment, something that adds to the level of stress for anyone in this kind of role. 5. Financial Risk Management And Compliance Risk and compliance staff members work in a pressure-ridden environment just like investment bankers, but don’t get paid anywhere near as much. These employees need to deal with, and stay on top of, the ever-increasing level of new regulatory requirements and scrutiny, while generally also being considered the “enemy” by colleagues who are pushing for transactions to be approved. In order to ease workplace stress, finance industry employees should look at taking a break to recharge, look into outsourcing work or hiring an assistant. Related Posts 5 Dynamic Ways To Reinvent Your Career Path The Worst Reasons To Pick A Career Path Your Career Path: Follow The Money Or Your Dreams?   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!