Tolong! Saya Bosan Dengan Pekerjaan Saya.

Pernahkah Anda merasa iri dengan karyawan baru? Tentu saja bukan iri dengan gaji atau tanggung jawabnya, tetapi iri melihat antusiasme mereka yang menggebu-gebu dalam mengerjakan tugas mereka. Setiap bentuk pekerjaan yang dibebankan ke mereka diperlakukan seperti hal baru yang menuntut keterampilan dan rasa ingin tahu yang besar.

Sementara Anda yang sudah lebih lama bekerja, menghadapi setiap hari kerja seperti sebuah momok besar yang membosankan. Setelah task rutin Anda selesaikan, tidak ada lagi hal yang bisa dilakukan. Lalu rasa bosan pun mulai muncul.

Jangan biarkan hal ini berlarut-larut. Membiarkannya begitu saja tanpa mengambil tindakan apapun tentunya akan mempengaruhi produktifitas dan kinerja kerja Anda. Beberapa hal sederhana yang bisa membantu Anda membunuh rasa bosan di tempat kerja adalah sebagai berikut :

Kreatif dengan menciptakan tantangan baru. Jika target kerja Anda sudah sukses dilaksanakan hari ini, daripada bengong memandangi jam berharap jarum-jarumnya bergerak lebih cepat, cobalah untuk memikirkan cara lain untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan Anda. Tuliskan rencana kerja Anda dan jangan takut untuk berimprovisasi. Set target pribadi yang lebih besar dari yang sudah ditetapkan perusahaan untuk Anda. Jangan tunggu pekerjaan yang memberikan semangat, namun ciptakan excitement dan tantangan dalam pekerjaan Anda.

Declutter meja kerja. Bersihkan dan rapikan meja kerja Anda. Singkirkan barang-barang yang tidak berguna lagi. Kumpulkan kertas-kertas bekas dan refuse untuk kertas fotokopi atau memo. Selain membuat konsentrasi sering terpecah, terlalu banyak barang yang tidak jelas kegunaannya di meja juga mempengaruhi mood kerja. Yang harus diperhatikan adalah Anda sudah menyelesaikan task Anda sebelum merapikan meja Anda.

Ibaratkan pekerjaan sebagai sebuah permainan atau game. Contohnya, anggap database karyawan yang harus Anda rekapitulasi adalah musuh di Mafia War atau Anda sedang bertempur dengan atasan yang terus ‘memberondong’ Anda dengan ‘peluru’ alias pekerjaan.

Tambah pengetahuan. Tidak harus di bidang yang berhubungan dengan pekerjaan, namun bidang apa saja yang menarik perhatian dan memberikan manfaat nantinya. Internet adalah sumber pengetahuan yang tak terbatas. Anda hanya perlu berhati-hati dengan untuk memilih sumber yang kompetensinya yang bisa dipercaya.

Pertajam keterampilan, baik hard maupun soft skill. Tantang diri Anda untuk menguasai bidang yang membantu pekerjaan Anda. Tentu saja Anda harus melakukannya sendiri atau self taught. Misalnya berlatih menggunakan berbagai fitur di Adobe InDesign, crank berbagai widget, atau apapun yang bisa meningkatkan keterampilan kerja Anda.

Organize your file. Saat keadaan mulai membosankan, cobalah untuk melihat data yang sudah tersimpan sekian lama di komputer. Kelompokkan setiap file dalam kategorinya masing-masing untuk memudahkan pencarian nantinya. Hapus file yang sudah lama dan tidak terpakai lagi. Back up data-data penting. Data yang tersusun rapi akan membantu Anda melaksanakan pekerjaan Anda. Selain itu menyusun atau membersihkan sesuatu akan memberikan sense of accomplishment sehingga semangat dan mood Anda membaik kembali.

Bersihkan inbox Anda. Start a new fresh start. Balas atau respon email, hapus email lama atau letakkan di temporary folder. Jika inbox Anda mencapai ribuan, letakkan semua di temporary folder.

Lemaskan otot. Bangun dari kursi Anda dan berjalan untuk melancarkan peredaran darah Anda setelah sekian jam duduk. Jika perlu, lakukan squats, push up atau sit up. Lakukan di ruang tertutup jika Anda malu dilihat teman kerja. Anda bisa keluar kantor untuk sementara, melihat pemandangan alam atau hal yang berbeda dibandingkan dengan meja dan dinding kantor Anda.

Dengarkan musik. Koleksi lagu-lagu yang bisa membuat Anda bersemangat dan membuat mood Anda membaik dan kinerja meningkat setiap kali Anda mendengarnya.

The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. - Dorothy Parker

info lowongan kerja 

by RNO

Menghadapi Rekan Kerja Yang Menyebalkan

Lingkungan kerja seringkali bisa diibaratkan sebagai sebuah tempat pertemuan orang-orang dengan berbagai karakter dan latar belakang yang berbeda. Setiap karyawan diharuskan untuk bertanggung jawab atas pekerjaan yang dipercayakan kepada mereka dan bisa bekerja sama dengan rekan kerja lain. Terlebih lagi bila berada dalam satu tim. Kerjasama adalah hal yang paling dibutuhkan.

Dalam menjalin kerjasama dengan anggota tim lainnya, terkadang ada satu orang yang sering jadi sumber masalah bagi Anda atau anggota tim lainnya. Karyawan yang satu ini sering berkata dan bersikap kasar, pemarah dan senang berteriak. Hal ini tentu saja menyulitkan karyawan lain yang sering bersinggungan dengannya terutama soal pekerjaan. Bagaimana tidak, belum apa-apa mulutnya sudah berkomentar pedas dan menyinggung perasaan. Bila Anda memiliki rekan kerja seperti ini, apa yang harus Anda lakukan?

1. Ingatlah bahwa seringkali hal yang mendasari perilaku karyawan yang hostile justru bukan disebabkan oleh Anda. Beban yang ditimbulkan oleh masalah luar kantor seperti masalah pribadi atau keluarga secara tak sadar terbawa ke dalam suasana kerja. Jadi, jika Anda merasa sudah melakukan hal terbaik untuk menghadapi orang tersebut dan selalu mengerjakan bagian pekerjaan Anda dengan baik sementara hostility masih saja terpancar dari tindak tanduknya, maka ingatlah bahwa kemungkinan besar orang tersebut memiliki masalah lain, bukan dengan Anda. Do not take it personally. 
2. Sebelum menghadapi karyawan ini, siapkan diri Anda dengan argumen yang jelas. Buat skenario di kepala Anda untuk menghadapi segala alasan yang mungkin akan disampaikan. Ingatlah untuk tidak menunjukkan arogansi atau bahkan rasa takut, namun sampaikan setiap argumentasi Anda dengan percaya diri. 
3. Terbuka dengan diskusi. Walaupun rekan kerja tersebut menunjukkan sikap defensif atau tidak menyenangkan, namun jangan sia-siakan kesempatan jika ia ingin berdiskusi dengan Anda. Atau ajak dia untuk berdiskusi tentang penyelesaian yang memberikan solusi bagi kedua belah pihak. Namun jangan lupa untuk tetap berpegang pada prinsip yang Anda pegang.
4. Jangan menuang bensin ke kobaran api. Jangan menyulut emosi karyawan tersebut dengan membalas tindakan atau perkataan kasarnya dengan hal yang sama. Selain justru membuat munculnya konflik, hal tersebut malah akan membuat karyawan ini merasa lebih powerful dari Anda karena bisa membuat Anda marah.
5. Balas dengan ‘kebaikan’. Jawab perkataan kasarnya dengan ramah, senyum walaupun karyawan ini ‘melengos’. Tidak ada perlawanan dari Anda atau tanggapan yang datar dan super ramah saja justru membuat karyawan tersebut merasa bosan hingga pada akhirnya menyerah untuk kemudian melakukan hal yang Anda inginkan. Mungkin terasa berat pada awalnya karena Anda tentunya didorong keinginan untuk ‘menjudesi’ orang tersebut, namun percayalah perlakuan baik dan manis dari Anda akan menghentikan bullying dia.
6. Tawarkan dan beri bantuan. Bisa saja hardikan dan sikapnya yang tidak bersahabat selama ini dikarenakan pekerjaannya yang over load dan tidak bisa dibagi dengan orang lain. Jika Anda merasa kompeten dan punya waktu untuk membantunya, tawarkan uluran tangan Anda. Ini adalah cara mujarab untuk membuatnya merasa dekat dengan Anda. 
7. Minta bantuan pihak ketiga. Sebaik apapun Anda, dan sekeras apapun usaha yang telah Anda lakukan, terkadang masih belum cukup untuk menghentikan bullying dari karyawan menyebalkan tersebut. Mintalah bantuan pihak ketiga untuk mengatasi hal ini atau mendiskusikan hal lain yang sebaiknya Anda lakukan. Orang yang paling cocok sebenarnya adalah manager Anda. Dia memiliki tanggung jawab untuk meminimalisir bahkan menghilangkan segala bentuk interupsi yang mengganggu kinerja Anda.

 Jika semua hal tersebut Anda lakukan dengan maksimal, namun hasilnya masih jauh dari harapan, bahkan mengganggu kinerja dan produktifitas kerja Anda, maka yang bisa dilakukan selanjutnya adalah mulai merencanakan untuk pindah kerja. Bekerja dengan orang yang tidak bisa bekerja sama hanya akan membuat lingkungan kerja terasa tidak nyaman. Kalau sudah begitu, produktifitas dan prestasi kerjalah yang jadi taruhannya. 

info lowongan kerja 
by RNO

Laskar Pengeluh

Coba perhatikan di sekitar Anda, adakah orang yang gemar mengeluh? Keluhannya bervariasi, mulai dari mengeluh tentang kinerja pemerintahan yang dianggapnya tidak memihak rakyat kecil, hingga tentang fasilitas kantor yang dirasa minim. Dia merasa tidak ada satu pun orang atau situasi yang mampu memuaskannya. Hati dan pikirannya seakan-akan tengah menjalankan misi untuk mengkritisi atau bahkan memperbaiki kekacauan yang tengah terjadi di muka bumi ini. 

Kalau diperhatikan lagi dengan lebih seksama, jenis orang seperti ini umumnya memiliki sikap pemurung dan pesimistis. Mereka mudah dikenali, tidak hanya dari kata-katanya yang dipilih saat berbicara (negatif), tetapi juga dari mimik mukanya yang redup. Satu hal lagi, dia akan nyaman berkumpul dengan orang-orang yang punya sikap dan kebiasaan yang sama. Seperti kata pepatah yang juga sejalan dengan hukum psikologi bahwa "kambing akan berkumpul dengan kambing lagi". Mereka biasanya berkerumun di lorong kantor, di kantin, di dapur dan di tempat-tempat tersembunyi lainnya. 

Tak seorang pun yang ingin berdekatan dengan orang yang pemurung dan pesimistis. Kita semua mencari, menyukai, dan mengagumi orang-orang yang memiliki pandangan dan wawasan yang positif dan optimistis terhadap kehidupan. Mengapa? Karena itulah yang sesungguhnya kita butuhkan. Melihat semangat yang positif seperti ini pada diri orang lain menyebabkan kita semakin menyukai mereka.

Cobalah ingat tentang seseorang dalam hidup Anda yang Anda tidak dapat berdekatan dengannya. Dalam berbagai kesempatan ia selalu mengelauh tentang sesuatu, selalu jengkel dengan seseorang, selalu menyalahkan segala sesuatu, termasuk mengeluhkan karirnya yang tidak pernah beranjak. Dia tidak menyadari kalau kebiasaannya mengeluh adalah penyebabnya.

Anda mungkin juga pernah mendengar sebuah cerita inspirasi yang menggambarkan seorang sosok yang positif dan selalu bersikap optimis. 

Ceritanya seperti ini:

Seorang Ibu terapung-apung di tengah lautan karena kapal yang ditumpanginya tenggelam. Tidak seperti yang lainnya, Ibu ini selalu tersenyum dengan ekspresi muka yang gembira. Orang disampingnya yang bergelayut di sebatang kayu yang sama, dengan heran bertanya; "Bu, kok kelihatannya senang, bukankah saat ini kita tengah mempertaruhkan nyawa kita ?" 

Dengan santai Ibu itu menjawab; "Bagaimana tidak senang, saat ini aku dihadapkan pada dua kemungkinan. Kedua kemungkinan itu sama-sama menguntungkan buatku." 

Merasa jawaban Ibu itu tidak memuaskan, orang yang disampingnya terus mendesak; "Maksud Ibu apa ya ?"

"Begini, kalau aku selamat itu artinya aku akan berjumpa dengan anak-anakku di daratan sana. Kalau aku tenggelam dan meninggal, berarti aku akan berjumpa dengan suamiku yang sudah menanti di surga. Bukankah keduanya sama-sama menguntungkan ?" 

Saya yakin hingga saat ini Anda tidak pernah bergabung dengan Laskar Pengeluh, karena Anda tahu bahwa saat kita mengeluh, saat itu pula kita sedang memperlihatkan kualitas rendah diri kita. Kecuali dia anak pemilik perusahaan, dengan sikap seperti itu yang bersangkutan tidak akan lolos dalam interview pekerjaan. Kalau pun lolos perlu waktu lama untuk bisa naik jabatan. Dan jika naik jabatan, jangan-jangan itu hanya karena belas kasihan saja.

Info lowongan kerja 

With Love & Respect
Sigit Risat

Dicari: Orang yang Kreatif

Sebuah perusahaan di Amerika menyeleksi calon karyawannya dengan cara yang unik, yaitu dengan mengajukan sebuah pertanyaan yang membutuhkan kreativitas dalam menjawabnya. Bila jawabannya dianggap benar, ia akan langsung diterima di perusahaan tersebut. 

Situasinya adalah seperti ini: Anda sedang mengendarai mobil yang hanya cukup untuk dua orang penumpang saja di tengah badai yang hebat. Mobil Anda lalu melewati halte tua dan di sana Anda melihat tiga orang tengah menunggu pertolongan. Orang pertama adalah seorang nenek yang nampak sudah sekarat karena kedinginan, orang kedua adalah seorang pria yang pernah menyelamatkan hidup Anda, dan yang ketiga adalah pujaan hati yang sudah lama Anda incar.

Pertanyaannya adalah karena mobil Anda hanya muat untuk satu orang saja karena yang satu sudah Anda duduki, manakah dari ketiga orang itu yang akan Anda tolong?

Sebelum Anda tahu jawaban mana yang paling benar, Anda tentunya sudah meraba bahwa kreatifitas dalam berpikir sangat dibutuhkan untuk menjawab pertanyaan tadi. 

Saat ini orang-orang kreatif sangat dibutuhkan di banyak perusahaan, tidak hanya sebatas di bidang periklanan atau industri film. Karena orang-orang yang pandai berkreasi dalam setiap situasi, adalah orang yang luwes dan termasuk dalam katagori orang yang memiliki Kecerdasan Emosi. Bukankah mereka yang berhasil dalam karir dan bisnis kebanyakan adalah yang memilki kecerdasan emosi ? 

Kreativitas tidak berhubungan langsung dengan bakat. Kreativitas ditentukan oleh seberapa banyak pengetahuan yang tersimpan di "perpustakaan" memori Anda. Semakin sering dan banyak Anda membaca buku, semakin banyak pulalah inspirasi kreativitas tersimpan di hard disk otak Anda yang hingga saat ini kapasitasnya belum ada yang mampu menandingi, bahkan oleh komputer tercanggih sekali pun yang pernah diciptakan di muka bumi ini. 

Para ahli menemukan bahwa kemampuan otak manusia baru dipakai sekitar 5% saja. Manusia yang diyakini telah menggunakan kapasitas otaknya sebesar 7% adalah Albert Einstein. Anda bisa mencoba untuk memaksimalkan kerja otak Anda dengan mencoba menjawab pertanyaan tadi. 

Kita seringkali mudah melupakan isi buku yang pernah dibaca, namun bukan berarti itu sia-sia. Yang terpenting bukanlah rinciannya melainkan inti sari atau pesan moral yang akan mempengaruhi pola pikir pembacanya. Anda mungkin sudah lupa siapa nama bapak guru gank Laskar Pelangi dalam novel "Laskar Pelangi" yang luar biasa itu, tapi Anda tentu terinspirasi oleh novel atau film itu.

Jawaban kreatif yang dianggap benar oleh perusahaan tersebut rupanya adalah: Anda turun dari mobil lalu menemui orang yang pernah menyelamatkan hidup Anda, minta tolong untuk menyelamatkan nenek tua yang kedinginan itu. Sementara itu Anda menikmati saat-saat romantis berdua bersama dengan sang pujaan hati.

Kalau Anda tadi memilih menolong nenek tua yang sekarat, tidak usah kecewa, meskipun Anda tidak diterima bekerja, setidaknya Anda sudah menolong hidup seseorang. 

 

Info lowongan kerja 

With Love & Respect

Sigit Risat

Jadikan Interviewer Menyukai Anda dalam Hitungan Menit

Dalam proses interview, penggunaan teknik Match & Mirror mempunyai dampak yang besar bagi keberhasilan seseorang agar bisa disukai kebanyakan orang. Hanya dalam hitungan menit, teknik ini akan membuat orang menyukai Anda, walaupun pada awalnya orang itu apriori terhadap Anda. 

Dalam bukunya Get Anyone To Do Anything, David J. Lieberman Ph.D. menyatakan bahwa komunikasi menciptakan saling percaya, dan memungkinkan Anda untuk membangun jembatan psikologis terhadap seseorang. 

Percakapan menjadi lebih positif dan nyaman ketika dua orang berusaha untuk saling menyesuaikan. Sebagaimana kita cenderung untuk menyukai seseorang yang memiliki minat yang sama, secara tidak sadar kita juga cenderung untuk menyukai orang yang "berpenampilan seperti kita". 

Ini artinya, ketika seseorang melakukan gerakan seperti kita, atau menggunakan perkataan atau ungkapan seperti yang kita gunakan, kita cenderung untuk menganggap orang tersebut adalah orang yang menyenangkan. 

Berdasarkan kondisi inilah Anda bisa dengan sengaja meniru gerakan tertentu yang dilakukan oleh lawan bicara Anda agar yang bersangkutan langsung menyukai Anda. Teknik ini disebut Match & Mirror atau persamaan dan pencerminan. 

Match berarti mengikuti gerakan sesuai dengan yang dilakukan oleh lawan bicara Anda. Contohnya, ketika lawan bicara memegang pulpen dengan tangan kiri, Anda pun memegang pulpen dengan tangan kiri. 

Sedangkan Mirror berarti Anda mengikuti gerakan tangan berlawanan dengan lawan bicara Anda (sifat cermin). Contohnya, saat lawan bicara Anda memegang pulpen dengan tangan kiri, Anda memegang pulpen dengan tangan kanan. 

Lakukanlah Match & Mirror saat Anda menjalani interview. Ikuti setiap gerakan yang dilakukan oleh si interviewer dengan diam-diam atau tidak diketahui olehnya. Beri jeda beberapa detik dalam mengikuti gerakannya.

- Kata-kata 7%
- Nada suara 38%
- Bahasa tubuh 55% 

Berikut adalah faktor yang harus diperhatikan dalam mengaplikasikan teknik Match & Mirror:

Kata-kata hanya berpengaruh 7% dalam komunikasi, sesuaikan ungkapan-ungkapan digunakan interviewer Anda. Contohnya anda, kamu, kami, kita, saya, aku. 

Kualitas/nada suara berpengaruh 38% dalam komunikasi. Mutu suara Anda lebih berpengaruh dari pada kata-kata yang Anda pergunakan. Pergunakan dialek yang sama, nada cepat, nada tinggi, nada pelan, nada sedih, nada gembira.

Fisiologi atau bahasa tubuh mempunyai pengaruh paling banyak dalam berkomunikasi. Ikuti gerakan tubuhnya seperti:

- Kepala: menganggukkan kepala, mimik muka.

- Tangan: gerakan tangan, kiri dengan kiri, kiri dengan kanan.

- Cara duduk/berdiri: posisi malas, tegap, yakin, percaya diri.

- Suasana: gembira, ceria, sedih, simpati.

- Kaki: lurus, dilipat, bersila, berpangku kaki, dll. 

Pada prinsipnya, yang Anda harus lakukan adalah mengikuti gerakan lawan bicara Anda dengan hati-hati. Ikuti gerakan lawan bicara Anda dengan niat baik dan lakukan dengan hati-hati agar ia tidak tahu bahwa Anda sedang mengikuti gerakan Anda, karena Match & Mirror ini sesungguhnya adalah sebuah instruksi-instruksi pada kekuatan alam bawah sadarnya, bukan pada atas sadarnya. 

Semoga interview (lowongan) kerja Anda sukses dan saya berharap kiranya Anda berkesempatan untuk mengikuti training "Rahasia Sukses Interview" yang akan saya bawakan bersama JobsDB.com.

"The more we see, hear and do sameness, the more rapport we have"

With Love & Respect
Sigit Risat

Ciptakan Kesan Pertama yang Menggoda

Yang ingin disampaikan untuk Anda berikut ini adalah sebuah teknik favorit dalam menciptakan kesan pertama yang baik. Sebuah teknik sederhana, namun inilah kunci kesuksesan saya menjadi inspirator hubungan harmonis. Tentu saja teknik ini juga ampuh jika diaplikasikan saat interview (lowongan) kerja.

Pada saat pertama kali saya belajar menjadi seorang penyiar radio profesional, satu pelajaran penting yang diinstruksikan oleh instruktur siaran saat itu adalah TERSENYUMLAH saat bicara.

Menurutnya senyum bisa terdengar. Pendengar akan dengan mudah bisa membedakan mana penyiar yang ramah dan mana penyiar yang tidak ramah atau judes. Seperti kita ketahui, bahwa umumnya orang akan lebih suka pada orang yang ramah dibanding dengan penyiar yang judes. Jika dalam siaran radio saja pendengar bisa membedakan penyiar mana yang ramah atau tidak, apalagi kalau berhadapan langsung bukan?

Pendapat itu semakin dikuatkan lagi setelah saya mendalami Neuro Associative Conditioning System, sebuah teknik penggalian, pengembangan, dan penataan potensi diri. Senyum yang nampaknya sebuah pekerjaan mudah ini ternyata berdampak besar dalam "menaklukan" hati seseorang.

Senyum mampu menciptakan empat hal yang luar biasa:

1. Menimbulkan rasa percaya diri
2. Kebahagiaan
3. Gairah dan semangat
4. Penerimaan yang tulus

Orang yang tersenyum dianggap sebagai orang yang percaya diri karena ketika kita sedang grogi atau tidak yakin dengan diri kita atau sekitar kita, kita cenderung untuk tidak tersenyum. Tersenyum akan menimbulkan kebahagiaan sehingga akan mempertemukan kita kepada orang-orang yang bahagia: Karena kita melihat mereka dengan cara yang positif.

Semangat sangat penting untuk menciptakan kesan yang baik karena semangat itu akan menular kepada orang lain. Dengan tersenyum Anda menunjukan bahwa Anda menyenangi lingkungan Anda berada dan senang bertemu dengan orang yang Anda temui sehingga pada gilirannya dia akan semakin tertarik untuk bertemu Anda.

Pada akhirnya, tersenyum menunjukkan penerimaan yang tulus dan menyebabkan orang lain tahu bahwa Anda mau menerima dia dengan tulus. Pernahkah Anda merasa heran, kenapa anjing begitu dicintai? Karena binatang tersebut menyambut kita dengan penerimaan yang tulus. Apabila Anda memiliki ekor, maka kibaskanlah. Namun karena Anda tidak memiliki ekor, maka tersenyumlah.

Kalau pun Anda tak mampu tersenyum semanis Monalisa, mulai saat ini tersenyumlah pada setiap orang yang Anda jumpai. Lalu perhatikan betapa ajaibnya tindakan Anda itu. Pada awalnya membiasakan diri tersenyum itu terasa sulit seperti berenang di agar-agar jeli, namun dengan latihan terus-menerus dijamin Anda akan menjadi pribadi yang menawan dan jangan heran kalau hari-hari Anda akan disibukan oleh penggemar yang ingin foto bareng dan minta tanda tangan.

"Senyuman adalah sebuah lengkungan yang bisa meluruskan setiap pesoalan"

With Love & Respect
by Sigit Risat

Job-Hopping? Beware

By Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

job, jobs, career

Job seekers never had it so good. Innumerable opportunities, escalating salaries and recruiters consistently ringing in with even better opportunities.., the job scene today is brimming with optimism. Despite all the hope that it holds for job seekers, this period of excess, has had its fallouts. The most visible one being the birth of job-hoppers. Job hoppers are individuals who find it really difficult to commit to one job for a significant period of time. An inveterate job hopper is always on the look out for a change. Reasons for this behavior may vary from serious reasons like lack of growth opportunities to paltry excuses like lack of excitement or plain boredom.

Do you identify yourself with this situation? On an average, if you have changed 3 jobs in 2 years or if your resume looks like a travelogue with a lot of stopovers over a period of years, you may want to take a breather and stay put in the current job for at least a yr. While your argument that the job scene never looked so good, may hold true, there are reasons why you should think twice before making that immediate jump to another seemingly attractive job. The long-drawn effects may affect your job prospects at a senior level, when what matters to your employer is your experience, record of stability and degree of commitment to your job. Staying in a job for a significant period reflects your dedication to the job at hand. It makes you look like a person committed and sincere to your work and organization.

On the other hand, staying in a position for less time might have the employer questioning your loyalty, seriousness and ambition. Unreliable, Insincere, Unstable, Unable to work with others, may be some of the monikers that will be attributed to you, because of your fleet-footedness. In effect, a busy resume is like a red alert to prospective employers, making them think ten times before hiring you.

Critical reasons why you should not indulge in rampant Job hopping:

1) Can be a heavy dampener if you are looking to become a VP or CEO someday. As you go higher, the jobs get more challenging with demanding deliverables and targets. While recruiting people for Senior positions like VP, CEO, MD or CFO, recruiters look out for people who have stood their guns and have delivered on their job. If your résumé reflects your instability, employers may be compelled to reject you on the simple reason that you have had "short" stints and haven't proven yourself well-enough. They will also be forced to assume that employing you may be a costly mistake!

2) Frequent relocation also affects your networking ability.

How can you expect to make, leave alone sustain valuable friendships and acquaintances when you flit from one job to another. You are so busy sifting through jobs that you don't have the time to make friends who may be of help to you later. In short, not having any contacts not only reflects your poor social skills, it also affects your ambitions in the long run.

3) Loyalty pays. As a noncommittal employee, you end up missing out on a host of benefits that organizations pay their employees on a long-term basis. Employee retirement plans, health insurance benefits, social security etc are some cumulative benefits that accrue over a period of time and require stable investing; a privilege you may not be able to indulge in, if you are constantly on the move form one job to another.

4) First impressions matter. A busy resume makes recruiters suspicious about your competency and intentions, notwithstanding your talent. Further, a bad resume may end up with recruiters passing you up for a less-capable yet steady candidate.

5) Can hamper your personal life. The constant shifting form one job to another will end up disturbing your personal & family life and can leave you reeling with no constant support system in place.

Industry experts opine that job -hopping in the early years of the career is understandable and a fact they tend to gloss over while interviewing candidates. This is because, entry level candidates are , in a gestation period, busy trying to find their "niche". Job hopping at the middle-level should be done but very judiciously. A good enough period for you then is anytime between 3-5 years.

"Take a leap, but only if there's a safety net" is the professional advice that career professionals recommend to anyone looking for a productive career. What this means is while there may be opportunities worth taking risks for, a seriously career-minded person should undertake a strategic job-hop only after careful planning.

Here are pointers you need to keep in mind if you are considering yet another change:

1) Consider what is in it for you. When presented with an opportunity it is important for you to consider what the job offers you with regard to skill enhancement, growth opportunity, experience, changes in personal and professional life, job satisfaction apart from material aspects like salary hike, SOPs, insurance benefit etc. If the opportunity satisfies you on all the important criterion, take up the job. Else, it would be wise to stick on with your current job for the time being.

2) Have a valid reason for changing. Recruiters will give you a chance to explain your reasons for not sticking to your jobs. Make use of the opportunity by giving convincing and sound reasoning.

3) Try to walk the straight line. This means when a good opportunity comes along, check to see if the profile is in your desired career track. So, if you have been working as a HR executive for while and the new opportunity wants you to shift lines from HR to finance or BPO, take a reality check to see if the job will put your talent and experience into use. If it however means that you have to start the process all over again and hone absolutely new skills, it is advisable to take a back seat and let the opportunity pass by.

4) Always go one step ahead. Take up a job only when you know that it is advancing your career. If your current job profile is an executive position and the new opportunity makes you s manager, take it up. But in doing so, it is important for you to keep things and perspective and accept the job only if you are sure that you can deliver on it.

5) Finally, take a conscious decision to stay on the new job for at least 2 years before considering your next move. Habits die hard, yet once you have accepted the new job take a conscious decision on your first day to stay in the job and derive the utmost benefit.

Love Your Job!

By Eklavya Shekhar

job, jobs, career

" If you can't be in the job you love...

Love the job you're in (or the way you do it) "

Friends ! loving your job is an extremely useful tip for reducing tension from life :- Love your job.

I know that not everybody among us is fortunate enough to have a job of his/her liking. We all are living in a fiercely competitive era. In today's time, just being eligible for a job is not enough. We have to be most eligible than all other eligible persons to get a dream job. Now to be the most eligible of all is not that easy. It depends upon a number of visible and invisible factors such as our family background, our educational qualification, our physical appearance (in some jobs at least ), our performance in a particular exam etc. Since not everybody can be the most eligible one, most of us will have to contend with other jobs which may or may not be of our liking.

Let us consider your present job. It may be the case that you are doing a boring, routine and less rewarding job. May be you are not getting the chance to work at your full potential in this job. Certainly a man/woman of your caliber deserves something better. And if you are making all the necessary efforts to get the perfect job in your dream company, I give you my best wishes for your efforts. However, it is my humble advice that while you are searching for that perfect job, enjoy the way you are doing your present one, and keep celebrating and expanding all the other joys of life that surround you.

No matter how bad, boring, frustrating, and less rewarding your present job is, one thing is certain - you'll go nowhere by fuming and fretting about it ! Consider this : at any given moment your job is the main source of your income. Your bread and butter comes from the money you earn in this job. You pay your monthly bills, your taxes and your child's school fee from the salary of this job. You take your wife out for a dinner and give her a beautiful present from the money you earn from this job. Your present job is the platform on which you'll lay the foundation of your future dream job. So dear friend your job is no that bad. Just see the positive side of picture. Love your job , respect it.

I know it is not very easy to love our boring and dull jobs. However, if we want, we can easily make our job interesting . A little bit of effort & innovation can make any kind job interesting. Let me give you a very useful tip : If you want to make your job interesting, then ask yourself - "How can I do this job in a better way ? How can I improve my productivity ? " Just think over these two questions and you will get the answer. The best way to make your job interesting is to constantly find the way of doing it in a better way. Here are few benefits which you'll get by loving your job:

(1) Your productivity and performance output will increase.

(2) Your image in the eyes of your seniors will improve.

(3) You will feel less tired and exhausted at the end of the day.

(4) Your overall relationship with your colleagues will improve.

(5) You will be able to finish your work quickly if you do it with passion.

As you love your job and do it wholeheartedly, you will not find the time for fuming and fretting over its negative aspects. You will remain busy in it and will not feel frustrated or tense owing to the dullness or monotony of your present job.

Top Career Advice - More Choices and A Better Way of Life

By Roger Clark

job, jobs, career

Why Career Advice Is So Important

Choosing a career presents a nerve-racking decision, as it can have a life-long impact on you. Do not fret, as you can gain a clearer outlook into your future by thorough career planning.

Having a clear vision of the future can guide you by helping you set career goals and helping you on your way towards attaining them. Whether you are starting out on a new career or looking to change your current career, you will benefit enormously from taking sound advice.

Don't Spend Most of Your Life Doing ...

Chances are that you will be spending a great deal of time at your job, about 40 hours a week. Career advice and career profiling can guide you to jobs that is enjoyable for you and matches your interests.

There are many reasons people change their careers and career advice can help them along the way. Some frequently cited reasons are:

· Stuck in a dead end job.

· Lost interest in current line of work.

· Gained a new interest in a different career option.

A Job For Life ... Not Anymore

In today's world, there is increased job rotation ... also with the down turns in the economy, many people can be laid-off.

Good career advice for unemployed persons would be to consider a career change. Some of the fastest growing occupations are Medical Assistant, Network Systems Analyst, Physician Assistant, etc. Occupations that are struggling to gain workers can be a suitable option for currently unemployed individuals.

People often back off from changing careers if they are unsure of the effort it might take to start a new career and learn a new trade. If you are one of these people, career advice from professionals can help you make a knowledgeable decision.

How To Identify Your Career Choices

When choosing a new career field, career advice and career planning can help you figure out your career choices. When embarking on a new career, you need to take into account your previous education and work experience.

You should start thinking about the skills you currently possess and how they can be beneficial in each of the new career options available to you.

Have You Considered a Career Test?

Valuable career advice can come from career tests as they can help in identifying suitable job options. Career tests include tests such as personality profiling, leadership skills, motivation, management style, etc.

The results of such tests can give you the career advice that can direct you to a suitable career, by matching your interests with career options.

Many career tests are offered online. They may be free or available for a small fee. Many experts provide the career advice to employment seekers to take some time to plan their career and set their goals. Knowing your career goals can provide you with valuable guidance.

Remember that career planning and goal setting is an on-going process, changing as you continue on your career.

The web can be a great source to find valuable career advice. It can provide you with many resources to research new career choices and find out information on a particular career field such as average salary, work environment, job responsibilities, etc.

Use Resumes That Give You an Advantage

Whether you are starting a career, changing careers or looking for a different job in your present career, the best career advice is to have a great, eye-catching resume.

You may be thinking about using your old resume, maybe the one you made after graduating from college. However, you will have to make changes to that resume to make it relevant to your present situation.

Upgrade your resume with the additional skills and experiences you have acquired. People going through a career change, need to present the skills they have acquired through the years in a way that makes it relevant to the new career jobs for which they are applying.

You may not have all the standard education for that career, so you need to convince potential employers that your previous education and work experience have given you the skills that make you a suitable candidate to transition into that job.

Career planning involves gaining information that can ease your transition to a new career. This information can help get you out of your current dreary jobs and into a dynamic and interesting career.

Act Now... and Take Control of Your Career
It's never too late to think of making a career change... seek professional career advice and give yourself the best chance of achieving your career goals.

Career Article : Why Your Desire Will Lead You to Success If You Let It

By Henry M. Piironen

job, jobs, career

Why will your desire lead you to success if you let it? When you desire something, in closer inspection we find that you have an object, a goal or an experience for the desire. In another closer inspection we also announcement that the object, goal or experience is not present, and therefore we can see it as a glimpse of your future.

Desires have as much honesty as emotions, rising thoughts and the experiences we are in. Desires are genuine. They are as real as needs. And if you desire something or feel the need for something, then it becomes a question of should you choose that as your future destination or not?

One lock for letting a desire to become an actualization is that you feel that you do not deserve to fulfill your desire. The key for letting your desires to become your reality is to know first that you honestly do desire it. And as you desire it, you will gain satisfaction for fulfilling that desire, and there is no clearer indicator of success than satisfaction. If you were someone else's conscience, would you allow him or her to satisfy that desire?

The second key for unlocking this lock of denial is to allow satisfaction to come into your life. If you begin to allow satisfying things to happen to you, and you even begin to seek what satisfies you, then, it is more than likely that you are able to find means to reach the goals of satisfaction. And the justification of this? You are a mortal and you are a sentient life form. You have but this brief sojourn of existence and experiences, so instead the destinations of desires occupying your life experiences, not making them actualize would occupy your experiences.

So, desires are the index of your satisfactions. They are the future destinations of your existence if you choose to see them as such. So how can desire lead you to success if you let it? As you now see a desire as your future destination, you will begin to create a trajectory that leads to the object, goal or experience of your desire. The trajectory is formed of all the actions you must take in order to receive that what you desire. Desires are thus like doorways between the places you are and where you can be. A doorway between the present experience and the future one. By allowing the desires to become the index of your future success and satisfaction, you allow yourself also to find means to gaining that what you desire. And as you begin to organize your life accordingly, your desire will lead you to success if you let it.

The Importance of Working As a Team in Your Job

By Raja Sampath

job, jobs, career

Teamwork has always given way to very good results in every sector. Be it the corporate world or a playground, teamwork does really play a vital role. There are few factors involved in effective teamwork. Only on proper integration of these factors that one can foresee effective results. A few important requirements are as follows:

* Good communication
* Exceptional leadership qualities
* Role Establishment
* Discord management

Good Communication

In a team every team member must be open enough to discuss his/her plans. Without communication there can be no good team formed. Every member of the team must bring about the ideas to reach the goals. Plan execution process should involve ideas and plans from every member.

Exceptional Leadership Qualities

A team leader who possesses skills that tend to maintain positive work environment must head the team. A motivating team leader who always takes up a positive approach to life and work is what is necessary for a potential team. Every member is a part of the team. No member should ever feel left out and should be allowed to express his feelings for the work assigned to him.

Role Establishment

When a team is formulated, every team member needs to know his core responsibilities towards goal accomplishment. The team leader should make sure that every member is assigned with equal responsibility and also follow-up the execution process.

Discord Management

Every team be it a successful or not will face discord at one point or the other. The best way to face it is to find well thought-out solutions to combat the discord. Firstly, every team member should learn to respect other team members. Open discussions with all the team members are very helpful way to control discord in a team.

Finally to sum up, as we all would have heard before "Man can live individually, but can survive only collectively", this say would be perfect for any situation which demands teamwork.

Job Versus Career

By Niyi Aderibigbe 

job, jobs, career

A job can be defined as anything a people is expected or obliged to do; a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price. Through a job, a person can earn to support her basic needs and family or friends. Jobs can also be viewed as a contract between the employer and the employee. In commercial enterprises, the basic purpose of a job is to create profits for the employer, and the employee contributes labor to the enterprise, in return for payment of wages, or stock options, etc.

People engage in different kinds of job with only one thing in mind; how much pay is involved. Little wonder why people change jobs as many times as possible. They never get enough; always moving on to the next level as soon as they recognize an opportunity to get more wages. This owes up to one fact; jobs are meant to cater for needs, so an employee will always leave a job that seems not to be capable of performing its function and move to the next available job that promises better reward.

A career is the pursuit of a lifelong ambition or the general course of progression towards lifelong goals. A career is built over time and becomes in most cases the life of the one in question. A career though may not seem rewarding enough for starters, in the long run it becomes a huge source of income. A career is also characterized with fulfillment as the career man finds fulfillment in doing what he loves. You don't choose a career you don't love, it is not possible.

While a job is mainly to cater for needs, a career does much more. It brings both financial and emotional satisfaction. It brings about the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, the dawning of a lifelong achievement. A job is short term as it can be terminated anytime by the employer or even the employee himself in search of greener pastures, while a career is long term.

In Ayn Rand's Fountainhead, the main protagonist, Howard Roark seeks a career and his best friend Peter Keating was only looking for a job. That's why in the end Roark built some of the finest buildings using his skills, experience and imagination. On the other hand, his friend Peter Keating worked only on old architecture. He worked on it only to support his basic needs. This shows that career may be more rewarding than a job on long run.

Moreover, a job expires as an employee must retire one day especially when old age sets in and the employer sees as him as becoming a liability to his firm, as research has shown that up to seven thousand brain cells are lost from the age of thirty-five. A career cannot end as long as it doesn't require much physicality, even at old age.

After juxtaposing job and career for a long time, I have come to the conclusion that both job and career may have different importance to different people as most times what is required to build a career lies in a job. The requisite experience, the capital, etc. are most times gotten from the job. This is why most people get a job which may have nothing to do with their career choice first with the hope of making enough money from it to build their career.

Career versus Job; which one would you pursue?

Where Are the Top 3 Places to Find a Job Online

By Inghy Banedr

job, jobs, career

If you are searching for jobs of your dreams; you may have no idea about where to find a job which matches your requirements, skills and experience. People will ask you to register with websites which cater to employers and job seekers. However, there are so many sites around and you should register only on those which are trustworthy and have proven results. For those who still don't know where to find a career job, the 3 job sites below can assure you that you will get proper response and they are elaborated below:

Monster.com

One of the most popular job websites is monster.com. It has millions of job seekers and employers from various parts of the world. Both employers and job seekers trust the website and employers know that they will be contacted by quality people. It has various extensive features such as the ability to save your searches. You will be able to interact with employers via email or private message. Whenever there is a job fair, the information will be displayed on the site. It comprises of different countries and almost every industry. Registration is free for job seekers; they just need to fill up registration forms with their personal information, making this site a great place where you are able to find a job online

DICE.com

People who are in search of technical jobs can easily get one as per their experience and qualifications by registering on this website. If you are confused about where to find a job after obtaining your technical qualifications, the best place on the internet is DICE.com. Apart from finding the job, you will also get an opportunity to find various useful portals such as resume center and salary survey. This is the ideal choice for those who have passed professional certifications from reputed vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle and IBM. They will be able to find a suitable job with lucrative package and the right position.

Craiglist.com

This is one of the best places on the Internet that offers a broad range of services for job seekers and employers. This site is very simple to use and you will be able to retrieve information within a few clicks. However, it is recommended that you choose the appropriate category and country if you wish to clinch a suitable job. This site has been rising in popularity as day passes by and more people are getting registered there.

By visiting these job sites, any job seeker who does not know where to find a job can easily find many online and start receiving calls and emails from employers.
 

Your Job Guide in 3 Easy Parts

By Inghy Banedr

job, jobs, career

Whenever you are looking for a job, there are a few steps you need to follow, as you may not get another chance of being hired. You must not lose the golden opportunity because of any mistake committed. Below are some of the main concerns which you should keep in mind in this job guide.

Apply for the job you are interested in

This is one of the best ways to target your job. When you see an advertisement or online recruitment page about a jobs opening which you are interested in, you must start preparing for it. Go through the requirements and minimum qualifications required. If you are eligible for it, you must study the subjects which are relevant to the job. This is because of the fact that you may be asked questions from those areas and need to take written tests on the spot. If you are well-prepared though, you will not miss any chance.

It has been observed that a lot of people lose their chances because they reach the screening venue without preparation and get written off from the next round of screening. Just remember to do your homework and you will thank this job guide when you end up as the successful candidate in your job application.

Get a well organized resume

This is the first point of contact between you and your employer. This is the main reason why you must get a really well-designed resume containing true and genuine information. To achieve this, you should consider seeking help from a professional who has the experience and knowledge on how to write an impressive resume. This is the crucial portion of the job guide: you must write your qualifications, career experiences and skills in the resume, nothing but truth. If you prefer not to spend any money hiring a professional for resume writing, you can go try your luck online. Google for a bit and you will find tons of sample resumes. From the lot, you can easily find a sample resume of your areas of expertise very easily.

Prepare for Interview

The last and most important part of the job guide is preparation for interview. During the process, you will have to face your employer in person. You may feel nervous, however you must appear confident. Be attentive and listen to the questions asked by your employer very carefully. You should answer any question straight to the point and if you do not understand the question properly, you will fail to give him the correct response and may end up losing your chance of getting the job.

End of the job guide. Now start your preparation immediately!

Are you kidding me?

90% of the common and average jobseekers will never take action towards changing the way the look for jobs, despite being rejected time after time.

Your Ultimate Career Change Quick Read

By Inghy Banedr

job, jobs, career



There are a lot of people around us who are not satisfied with their careers and wish to try something different. This mainly happens due to various factors. It has been observed that people are not serious in planning out their own career paths and make wrong choices at the beginning and then realize later that they are not suitable for their current jobs. In addition, due to pressure at work, stubborn bosses and unfavorable work environments, a person may begin considering about a career change. Whatever the situation is, there are a few key points which must be kept in mind before changing your career. You must spend some time to do sufficient research to avoid failing in the new job.

Know what you want

Whenever you are going to change your career, you must know what you want. You can start by doing a self-assessment. Know your strong and weak points, your preferences, skills and expertise. The best way to do it is to record them down on a piece of paper. By doing so, you will be able to discover what you can and cannot do. You may even have to take up training courses and obtain a relevant degree before you can even make a career change.

Assess your options

After you are clear about what you want to go for, you must find out what are the options available to you. Suppose you are originally a web designer and you want to go for programming; you have to see which programming language experts are in demand. You need to undergo training to enhance your knowledge and receive certifications at the end. This is the best way to get ready for a career change, and it is always advisable to take a break for a few months and prepare yourself for the switch. You will feel refreshed and be ready to take up new challenges after a career change.

Get registered with the right kind of placement services

The best way to get the job right after you are prepared for the new career is to get registered with the placement services so that you are able to receive calls from the right recruiters. On top of that, you must be aware that you might not be able to draw the same salary as you were in your previous jobs since you will be viewed as a new hire in your new job. To make a career change, you may need to be prepared for a pay cut during the probation period.

Are you kidding me?

90% of the common and average jobseekers will never take action towards changing the way the look for jobs, despite being rejected time after time.

Tomorrow's Non-Issue - Today's Challenge

By Steve Wickham

job, jobs, career

Have you ever noticed that the thing we fear or don't have the patience for today is never generally the issue we have haranguing us tomorrow - unless we put it off until then?

All we need to do is overcome the thing that is in front of us right now and we don't have to deal with it again - for quite some time in fact.

Rather than putting something off so we can be bothered and stressed about it, we'd be best just doing it.

Take a simple thing like going to bed when we arrive at tiredness. We go and have our sleep as soon as we need it, i.e. immediately, and we don't have the tiredness to deal with beforehand. It's just a much more efficient and decisive way of living life. It's learning to respond to the body's manifest needs, as they occasion themselves on us. Why eat more when we're already full? Why put off going to the toilet when we're enduring the discomfort of a full bladder? The list goes on.

The reality is today's challenge will not always seem the same tomorrow.

Today's worry about tomorrow won't be realized as the fear manifests itself - it cannot. Fear sees things in an unreal sort of way. And, yet, if we're so determined to bring about reality regarding our fears, we may well see them come true. But who'd want that?

The key issue is this. Whatever we're bothered about now we should do something positive and proactive about; to seize it and to cease it.

Why spend out monopoly money of worry when that currency is hardly legal and never taken seriously. We cause ourselves undue concern.

Do something today about it or forget it.

Copyright (c) 2010 S. J. Wickham.

11 Awesome tips to Work without Distraction

By Hilde Torbjornsen

job, jobs, career

In this article I aim to give you some tips on how to be able to work better, undisturbed by everything that is going on around you. Depending on what you work with it may some times be a big advance to be able to work without the interruption from Facebook, e-mail, texts, TV, radio or other things.

Working from home can be a big challenge which is why I decided to share some these tips. Especially if you need to use your creativity and concentrate, it can be hard to get back into the workflow if you are constantly interrupted.

Here are 11 ways to be able to work better in an environment without too much “noise” around you.

1. Make rules

Picture by Lavinia Marin

If you work from home or as a freelancer it takes a lot of discipline to be able to work as efficient as you should. The good thing is that you can set your own work hours, but it requires a lot of discipline to work out. My hottest tip on this subject is to make yourself an hour-to-hour timetable for every day. I use the first hour of every Monday to plan the rest of the week. That way it is a lot easier to get a full overview of what needs to be done. Looking into some sort of time management application can be very beneficial as well.

2. Choose what can disturb you (and when)

Picture by Pascal Montsma

It is important to look through your routines and decide what you can allow to “disturb” you. The more unneccessary applications you have open at one time, the bigger chance it is to lose quite a lot of time to that during the day. Don’t be on Twitter, Facebook or similar services unless you have to. If you must check them during the work hours, at least make sure to do it at set time. Same with e-mails and phone calls where you can do certain adjustments too.

3. Turn off the tv and/or radio

Picture by Vince Petaccio

Unless you for some reason work better when you have the TV or radio on, you should just turn it off before you start working. It’s very easy to be distracted and during a week the this can steal a lot of valuable time away from you if you’re not careful. Some people work best with the radio on in the background, but be careful. Try radio stations that only play music, iTunes, Spotify or Antenna. Just remember that if you have anything turned on in the background, it should be something that doesn’t draw attention away from your work.

4. Answer mails and DMs to specific hours

Once you start getting a few mails directed from your website, ongoing projects and so on, you will see that it can quickly take your mind off what you were doing in the first place. If you decide to look through and answer these one or two times during the day, you will soon feel that your workflow gets a lot better real quick. Same goes for Facebook and Twitter messages, along with other kinds of social media. Decide when you can reply to these and do it that way.

5. Eat at set hours

Picture by Foxumon

Food is important to be able to work well. If you are too hungry or too full it’s harder to focus on what you are doing. The breakfast is the most important meal of the day – always take the time to eat properly in the morning. If you feel you don’t have time to eat properly before you start working, then get up 15 minutes earlier instead. Having a set time for lunch as well, is a good thing for both your body and brain. If you don’t have set hours for eating it can affect the workflow in many ways.

6. Work when you work (everything else should wait)

Keep private errands away from your work schedule. You would be surprised if you realized how quickly a little private mail, phone call or errand eats quickly of your work time. Decide that you will leave everything that is not work related until the afternoon when your day at work is over.

7. Make the best surroundings for yourself

Picture by Henk L

If you sit more or less all day in front of the computer, you have to take a look at your surroundings to make sure you get the work done the best way possible. Make sure your chair is good, that the room isn’t too hot or cold and don’t leave old coffee cups and mess all over your desktop. A little “mess” can be good for your creativity, but try to keep it at a decent level. Remember to get up off your chair for at least a few minutes every hour or so to get your blood flow going.

8. Software settings

If you write a lot, I would recommend a program like jdarkroom where the program can be used in full-screen to not let you be disturbed by other programs or system messages that may pop up. Set as many programs as possible to work in full-screen as it can really boost your workflow. If you have set your system to do timed defragging or backups/virus-scans, try to have these run either in the background (if they can) or set them to run when you are not working.

9. Upload and tag in bulks

If your work requires uploading files/art to various websites, I suggest that you do this in bigger amounts at a time. The same goes for tagging files you import from your camera or elsewhere. By doing things in bulks you get way more efficient. Instead of getting your workflow disturbed by uploading or tagging one thing at the time you will get more done in less time, and keep those tasks from interrupting other parts of your work.

10. Say STOP

Picture by Leslie Watts

When working from a home office it’s important to have the ones you live with understanding that when you’re in there, you’re at work. If you have someone else in the house while you’re working, you may need to have a conversation to them about this. Explain that you need to be undisturbed when you’re in there to be able to get things done. Even if they don’t understand it, at least make them respect it. Set up some rules for when you can be disturbed and not. Keep the door closed if possible.

11. Be consistent

When you’ve made your rules and changed all software and such to fit your plans, the hardest part comes. Now it’s time to actually follow through. Try to stick to your plans no matter what. Obviously there can be very rare situations that can be “excuses” to not follow your daily schedule, but these should be very rare.

Picture by Zsuzsanna Kilian

Those were my tips on how to be able to work undisturbed. Most of these things are very logical but easy to forget in the heat of the moment. I hope you found this useful to you in your situation and invite you to share your own tips and feedback in the comments.

In this article I aim to give you some tips on how to be able to work better, undisturbed by everything that is going on around you. Depending on what you work with it may some times be a big advance to be able to work without the interruption from Facebook, e-mail, texts, TV, radio or other things. Working from home can be a big challenge which is why I decided to share some these tips. Especially if you need to use your creativity and concentrate, it can be hard to get back into the workflow if you are constantly interrupted. Here are 11 ways to be able to work better in an environment without too much “noise” around you.

1. Make rules

Picture by Lavinia Marin

If you work from home and/or as a freelancer it takes a lot of discipline to be able to work as efficient as you should. The good thing is that you can set your own work hours, but it requires a lot of discipline to work out. My hottest tip on this subject is to make yourself an hour-to-hour timetable for every day. I use the first hour of every Monday to plan the rest of the week. That way it is a lot easier to get a full overview of what needs to be done. Looking into some sort of time management application can be very beneficial aswell.

2. Choose what can disturb you (and when)

It is important to look through your routines and decide what you can allow to “disturb” you. The more unneccessary applications you have open at one time, the bigger chance it is to lose quite a lot of time to that during the day. Don’t be on Twitter, Facebook or similar services unless you have to. If you must check them during the work hours, at least make sure to do it at set time. Same with e-mails and phone calls where you can do certain adjustments too.
Picture by Pascal Montsma

3. Turn off the tv and/or radio

Picture by Vince Petaccio

Unless you for some reason work better when you have the TV or radio on, you should just turn it off before you start working. It’s very easy to be distracted and during a week the this can steal a lot of valuable time away from you if you’re not careful. Some people work best with the radio on in the background, but be careful. Try radio stations that only play music, iTunes, Spotify or Antenna. Just remember that if you have anything turned on in the background, it should be something that doesn’t draw attention away from your work.

4. Answer mails and DMs to specific hours

Once you start getting a few mails directed from your website, ongoing projects and so on, you will see that it can quickly take your mind off what you were doing in the first place. If you decide to look through and answer these one or two times during the day, you will soon feel that your workflow gets a lot better real quick. Same goes for Facebook and Twitter messages, along with other kinds of social media. Decide when you can reply to these and do it that way.

5. Eat at set hours

Picture by Foxumon

Food is important to be able to work well. If you are too hungry or too full it’s harder to focus on what you are doing. The breakfast is the most important meal of the day – always take the time to eat properly in the morning. If you feel you don’t have time to eat properly before you start working, then get up 15 minutes earlier instead. Having a set time for lunch as well, is a good thing for both your body and brain. If you don’t have set hours for eating it can affect the workflow in many ways.

6. Work when you work (everything else should wait)

Keep private errands away from your work schedule. You would be surprised if you realized how quickly a little private mail, phone call or errand eats quickly of your work time. Decide that you will leave everything that is not work related until the afternoon when your day at work is over.

7. Make the best surroundings for yourself

Picture by Henk L

If you sit more or less all day in front of the computer, you have to take a look at your surroundings to make sure you get the work done the best way possible. Make sure your chair is good, that the room isn’t too hot or cold and don’t leave old coffee cups and mess all over your desktop. A little “mess” can be good for your creativity, but try to keep it at a decent level. Remember to get up off your chair for at least a few minutes every hour or so to get your blood flow going.

8. Software settings

If you write a lot, I would recommend a program like jdarkroom where the program can be used in full-screen to not let you be disturbed by other programs or system messages that may pop up. Set as many programs as possible to work in full-screen as it can really boost your workflow. If you have set your system to do timed defragging or backups/virus-scans, try to have these run either in the background (if they can) or set them to run when you are not working.

9. Upload and tag in bulks

If your work requires uploading files/art to various websites, I suggest that you do this in bigger amounts at a time. The same goes for tagging files you import from your camera or elsewhere. By doing things in bulks you get way more efficient. Instead of getting your workflow disturbed by uploading or tagging one thing at the time you will get more done in less time, and keep those tasks from interrupting other parts of your work.

10. Say STOP

Picture by Leslie Watts

When working from a home office it’s important to have the ones you live with understanding that when you’re in there, you’re at work. If you have someone else in the house while you’re working, you may need to have a conversation to them about this. Explain that you need to be undisturbed when you’re in there to be able to get things done. Even if they don’t understand it, at least make them respect it. Set up some rules for when you can be disturbed and not. Keep the door closed if possible.

11. Be consistent

When you’ve made your rules and changed all software and such to fit your plans, the hardest part comes. Now it’s time to actually follow through. Try to stick to your plans no matter what. Obviously there can be very rare situations that can be “excuses” to not follow your daily schedule, but these should be very rare.

Picture by Zsuzsanna Kilian

Those were my tips on how to be able to work undisturbed. Most of these things are very logical but easy to forget in the heat of the moment. I hope you found this useful to you in your situation and invite you to share your own tips and feedback in the comments.

Tips for being happy at work

by Gretchen Rubin

job, jobs, career

Sure, being happy at work depends mostly on how much you like your job. But there are also smaller steps that can boost your happiness, as well.

Your work space:

• Check for eyestrain: put your hand to your forehead in a salute. If your eyes feel relieved, your space is too bright.
• Get a good desk chair and take the time to adjust it properly. (A friend works at Goldman Sachs, where they have a person who specializes in this, zoikes!)
• Sit up straight—every time I do, I instantly feel more energetic and cheerier.
• Think about how your space could be more pleasant. Could you invest in some desk accessories to help stay organized? Could you replace a hideous lamp with something more attractive?
• Get a phone headset. I resisted for a long time, because it looks so preposterous, but it’s really much more comfortable.
• Don’t keep treats around. A handful of M&Ms each day will mean a weight gain five pounds by year’s end.
• Periodically, take time to deep-clean the loose papers that have piled up. I never do this until I specifically schedule a time, but am always amazed at the wonderful calm it brings.

Your day:

• Never say “yes” on the phone; instead, say, “I’ll get back to you.” When you’re actually speaking to someone, the desire to be accommodating is very strong, and can lead you to say “yes” without enough consideration.
• Take care of difficult calls or emails as quickly as possible. Procrastinating just makes it harder; getting them done gives a big boost of relieved energy.
• When accepting a responsibility, imagine that it’s something that you’ll have to do next week. That way you don’t agree to something just because it seems so far off that it doesn’t seem onerous.
• Be honest about how you’re spending your time. You feel overwhelmed, but are you really working hard? How much time do you spend surfing the internet, chatting on the phone, looking for things you’ve misplaced, or doing a task that’s really someone else’s job?
• Go outside at least once a day, and if possible, take a walk. The sunlight and activity is good for your focus, mood, and retention of information.
• Even if you can’t go outside, take a ten-minute break each hour. Studies show that the break boosts your retention level.
• Don’t let yourself get too hungry.
• Let yourself stay ignorant of things you don’t need to know.
• Try to make a lunch date with someone outside the office at least once a week.

Your colleagues:

• Although some people believe it’s best to keep work life and personal life separate, and therefore avoid making friends with colleagues, for most people, having strong friendships makes work more fun. Science supports this: having close relationships is essential to happiness, strengthens the immune system, and reduces anxiety.
• If you work alone, take time to mix with other people. Socializing boosts the moods of introverts, as well as extroverts.
• Each week, walk around your company and introduce yourself to a few people you don’t know each week. You’ll feel more comfortable socially, plus knowing more people facilitates work flow.
• If a colleague gets under your skin, figure out why. I used to work with a guy who enraged me at every meeting. When I started analyzing his techniques, I became fascinated with the brilliance of his subtle put-downs.
• A friend took a job where she knew she’d have a difficult boss. From the beginning, she told herself, “There is only love.” She doesn’t allow herself to criticize her boss, even in her own mind, and won’t listen to anyone else’s criticism. She says it’s tough to do, but it has made her job far easier.
• Say “Good morning” to everyone.
• Periodically, have lunch with co-workers. This can be a time to talk about personal life, and so become better friends, or to talk about work, so that everyone has a bigger picture of what’s going on in the office—both good results.