7 Ways to Stay Productive & Focused at Work

Jul 5, 2012 Guest Author Blog, Personal Growth, Professional Development 6 Comments

Being productive at work is often all about staying focused. The days can feel long, the workload seems endless and when that happens, your motivation can dwindle. So what can you do?

Although it might feel like you’re not always in control, there are actually a number of things you can do to retain focus and stay productive.

1. Feed Your Body

Sugary pastries for breakfast, greasy fast food for lunch and vending machine fare for a late afternoon boost may taste good, but it’s all bad fuel. Stick with whole grains, lean proteins and fresh fruit and vegetables for your workplace meals. Whole foods help to keep metabolism even. An even metabolism creates an energized, focused mind and body.

2. Practice Self Care

If an inbox with hundreds of e-mails, a phone ringing off the hook, back to back meetings and urgent deadlines are all a typical day, it’s essential to practice self care. Like you do with other daily activities, schedule some short breaks to ensure you take them. Breaks are a terrific way to hydrate, stretch the body and recharge the brain. A well-rested mind is a focused mind.

3. Just Do It!

Sticking to a comfort zone can lock us in to the status quo and prevent professional growth. A challenge or new project helps with focus. Play around with a new idea. Commit to learning a new skill. Think outside the proverbial box. An injection of excitement can make staying focused at work a breeze.

4. Become an Idea Pioneer

Go looking for new ideas, new opinions, new sources of information and new methods. Be cutting edge. Be the person being talked about at the water cooler instead of the one doing the talking. Create your own excitement even if you are standing alone for a while. New ideas are contagious. Eventually curiosity will bite your co-workers. A new idea can refocus and refresh.

5. Be Generous and Gracious

At times, business can seem cut throat. To minimize this possibility, become a partner with your co-workers even if you are in competition. It’s so much easier to focus on a goal when boundaries and respect are present in an office. Invite your peers to share in your adventure and ask to be included in theirs. Sharing and collaboration sharpen focus. New methods and insight bolster productivity.

6. Smile, Don’t Frown

It’s oh-so-easy to complain. But how productive is it? Not very. While we all need to air frustrations from time to time, don’t make it a habit. Acknowledging a bad feeling is one thing, while allowing it to fester and grow is another. Negative energy and thinking brings focus and productivity to a screeching halt. Keep things even and keep moving forward. Complaints and bitterness do nothing to ignite change.

7. Seek Solutions

Productivity is largely based on the ability to handle all kinds of situations. It’s nearly impossible to complete a long to-do list when there are 10 unfinished tasks lurking around. Become a solution seeker. Utilize avenues and channels that were never a consideration before. An expanded and growing network creates a web of almost limitless productivity. Accomplishments feed the good part of focus.

Staying productive and focused is within your control, if you have the desire and are willing to invoke the self-discipline. Be creative and try new strategies. And remember, learning what works for you is often a trial and error process. Good luck!

Johnny Fireman writes about self-improvement, business efficiency and saving money at www.grouphealthinsurance.org.

Image courtesy of Johnny Goldstein. 

Skyrocket Your Career With The Right Mentor

Jun 7, 2012 Guest Author Blog, Personal Growth, Professional Development 6 Comments

Have you ever had the misfortune of playing an electronic game with a kid?

Here’s how it goes:

He lets you go first, and 3 minutes later it’s game over for you. Then it’s the kid’s turn. He dodges, he shoots, he jumps and he crawls – your next turn comes 45 minutes later.

Question is: is he really that much better than you? Is his young mind just faster? His hand-eye coordination superior?

Of course not. Here’s why he lasted 45 minutes while you lasted 3:

He has played the game so many times, he knows what comes next at any point in time. He now has nearly flawless foresight. But he wasn’t born with it – he developed it. Over time. And it took some effort.

Wouldn’t it be great to have that in your career? Right now?

The Gift of Foresight

Well, you can. That’s just one of the things a mentor can do for you.

They’ve been there and done that already. They know you will face various challenges in your career as you grow, and a mentor can help you plan strategy – often before those challenges even appear.

And the same is true when it comes to business, parenting, dating, sports and practically every other part of life.

Here’s an example: networking – an activity many people simply don’t actively engage in. Like sales, many people view traditional networking activities as painful and pointless.

And of those who do actively work to build a network of resources, many are doing it wrong.

Then they reach a roadblock in their career where it’s almost impossible to progress without knowing influential people in the industry. Without having a few folks in their corner.

You know what I’m talking about: at a certain point in career advancement, it rarely matters how many years’ experience you have.  Bottom line: if you’re applying as head of a division, you’d better know an insider. Someone who knows that you are more than your resume, someone who has seen you develop & improve, someone who knows someone who already knows you can do the job successfully.

Generally, it’s only when the need for such a resource arises do people scramble to try and fill that need. But then, it’s too late.

Among other things, a mentor will guide you to build a your network – and how to do it right – years before you need that big ticket.

While you know that you need to develop certain skills, a mentor can help you actually do it. This alone can save you from years of career stagnation.

Which brings me to my point….

The Gift of Connection

You already know that networking is a crucial ingredient in a successful career. Even if you don’t like that fact.

But here’s the thing: networking is an investment. It takes time and sweat to build. What if you have an urgent problem networking can solve, but you have no idea how to go about it?

That’s where your mentor comes in: he can introduce you.

Your mentor has spent decades building his network. And if you sincerely and genuinely connect with him, he will share that network with you, one relevant introduction at a time. In fact, he can introduce you to people you’ll have a hard time reaching – people who are two or three levels higher than those you were looking to talk to.

The Gift of a Third Eye

The Chinese has a saying that goes something like this, “The third party views it clearest.”

Sometimes you’re so engrossed in doing what you’re doing, you fail to see a better way to do it.  Or worse, you fail to see what you’re doing wrong. You tell yourself, if only I work harder, if only the economy improves, if only the government introduces this law… THEN my career will soar.

It’s like a struggling golf player who blames his club for not qualifying for the tournament.

Sometimes you’re just too emotionally involved. You’ve invested thousands of dollars and months of your work into a project and all data indicates you will fail… but you can’t just quit, can you?

But with a mentor in your corner, not only can they tell you what’s wrong with your approach, they’ll also be able to tell you when you’re being irrational about it. This is why all elite athletes have a coach. Not some, not most. ALL.

Remember: you don’t know what you don’t know. But the right mentor does.

How To Find Your Mentor

Ok, Andre. You’ve sold me. Now what?

Great question. Here are six ideas:

1. Volunteer. I met my first mentor back when volunteered in a local church and when we talked about my interest in marketing, he took me under his wing and I interned for him for the next 6 months. Here is a guy who runs a 300-employee business and I got to learn from him directly all because we shared a common passion.

You’d be surprised how many successful people volunteer their time at various charities.

2. Stalk them. If a volunteer gig isn’t for you, then start by identifying who you’d like as mentor. Once you have your list, subscribe to their blogs if they have one, connect with them via social media – Twitter, Linkedin and, if possible, Facebook.

Some of these people might announce an opening for apprenticeship to their followers. Others might mention a particularly difficult problem they are facing – that’s an opportunity for you to swoop in.

For example, I once landed an internship because an industry influencer mentioned that his first child will soon be born so he’ll naturally have to cut back his working time. I volunteered to take on some of his workload.

3. Know where to look. This is the easiest of all: an official mentoring program. Certain companies have them, and if yours doesn’t, simply Google for one. But a word of warning: anything that’s easy to get is probably not the high-end guidance you’re looking for.

So set your expectations with that in mind if you go this route. But it’s certainly better than going it alone.

4. Pay for it. If you have the cash to spare, let me tell you that getting a mentor is one of the best investments you can ever make. I think it’s a better investment than a degree, a seminar and it’s certainly a better investment than a car.

Some mentors, however, don’t sell their time. In that case, you need to pay for it some other way, like providing a free service to his/her company just so you can work together.

For example, back in college, I volunteered as a photographer for a local start up’s advertising campaign. The experience was not only fun, but I got to hang out with the founder over coffee each day, while discovering how he devised and executed his marketing plan.

5. Join The Club. If you don’t have the cash or service to spare for one-on-one attention, then perhaps join a club. A lot of industry influencers have a paid membership of some kind. They cost anywhere from $50 a month to a couple hundred.

It’s not as good as one-on-one attention, but you’ll still get help. You can post in their forums or even email them directly with a question.

6. Bonus method. When you hear of a major industry conference coming up, volunteer to be an unpaid staff. Working as staff at a conference will not only get you into exclusive sections of the event, you’ll also be able to rub shoulders with the attendees, speakers and organizers – so make sure you check out who will be there and who you intend to convince to mentor you!

That’s it. Six ideas to get a mentor. But here’s a fair warning: not all mentors are created equal. Even those who are personally successful might not make a great mentor. It might take a couple attempts until you find the right match for your particular needs, goals, and interests. But if you’re willing to make this investment in yourself, there’ll be no stopping you.

Have you attempted to find the right mentor? Any experience with a mentor? How did they help you?

Andrianes Pinantoan is part of the digital team behind Open Colleges, an education provider where you get access to a personal mentor. When not working, he can be found on his personal blog, Awesometastic Writer.

Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson.

How Being Scary Can Help Your Career

May 17, 2012 Michelle Agner Blog, Personal Growth, Professional Development 3 Comments

New & Improved!

How many times have you seen that on a product label? And just how improved is it?

It might have a new scent, slightly improved packaging, or perhaps a new ingredient that doesn’t really translate to an increased benefit.

So, from the user’s perspective, it’s not very improved at all.

This is an example of what Harry West, CEO of the global design & innovation firm Continuum, calls incremental innovation: changing something about a product or service without affecting the experience that it creates.

New and improved? Perhaps.

Particularly valuable? No.

The ‘Scary Zone’ of Innovation

In his recent HBR article, West invites designers to get in the “Scary Zone” when they innovate.

Explaining further, West says:

At one extreme we have Incremental Change. For example, changing color or style without significantly affecting the experience of a product or a service. At the other extreme is Cold Fusion: that far-out vision of the future that is the staple of glossy magazines — flying cars, and so on. It is not that cars cannot fly (Terrafugia is working on that) but they are unlikely to address the real needs of significant numbers of people in an affordable way in the foreseeable future. Real innovation falls in the scary zone: that frightening area that both pushes the boundaries of what is possible and can actually be made real in a relevant time frame. It is scary because it is real.

What This Means To Your Career

We already know that being innovative in the workplace is key to getting noticed, earning a promotion, advancing your career.

But how do you do it?

“I’m not really innovative,” you say. “How can I ‘get scary’?”

West defines “innovation” as the creation and delivery of new value. With emphasis on the ‘value’ part.

Great innovators focus on solving important problems and finding simple ways to make people’s lives better. Sometimes this compels them to do something radical, but often it calls for smaller changes that most of the world may not immediately recognize as innovation.

Don’t look at it as “being innovative.” That can feel overwhelming. Instead, approach the mission as “problem solving” or “making people’s lives better.”

How You Can Innovate in the Scary Zone

So look for innovation opportunities based on what you see in your current work environment.

• What are co-workers complaining about?
• What issues are customers reporting over and over?
• What frustrations do you experience regularly?

That’s your starting point. Beyond that, West advises, “Be a humble servant: listening hard, thinking hard, anticipating and rolling up your sleeves to lend a hand.”

Now, I don’t consider myself innovative. In fact, just yesterday a friend and I were talking about how we both are very linear, methodical thinkers, despite our efforts to approach problems more creatively.

But as I read West’s article this morning, I recalled an innovation from my past.

And West is right: I didn’t consider it innovative. Until I saw the results it created.

One Scary Innovation = Two Promotions

While serving in an administrative role at a technology company, I noticed a number of the software developers complaining that fixing software bugs was taking up too much of their time. It was a recurring complaint, expressed via email, in meetings, even overheard in the cafeteria.

This made me nervous. I took pride in our company. Were our products so poor that half our developers’ time was spent fixing what was broken? So I asked one of them, “Are there really that many bugs to fix?”

Turns out, no.

But the process of recording, assigning, communicating, documenting, and closing out the fixed software bugs took a lot of time. And it was time spent doing things they hated: tracking, listing, data-entry, etc. Lower-level tasks that highly paid technical folks shouldn’t be doing.

So I dug in.

A month later I had a team of three admin people supporting a new bug-fix process.

The engineers and their leadership team were thrilled with the workload shift and cost savings. And my admin team members were happy to develop skills beyond just making travel arrangements and ordering lunch.

Yes, it was scary at the beginning. I didn’t know software. There was no guarantee I could make a difference. I was risking my reputation – and my company’s budget. Scary? You betcha.

But it got me noticed. And within a year I’d been promoted twice, with a compensation package that more than doubled my original salary.

Kinda scary, eh?

Have you ever been in the scary zone of innovation? Just how scary was it?

Image courtesy of Jason Scragz.