If you truly want to see things starting to happen at your workplace, you are going to have to learn how to be more self-disciplined. This means you will need to maybe work on building on a personality trait you might have never had to begin with. So the efforts might be bigger for you, but you have every chance of getting there. Here is what you could do throughout your regular work week. Work On Building A Daily Schedule One of the very first things you are going to have to do is learn how to adhere to your very own daily schedule. Set it up by yourself considering the most and the least important tasks of the day. Prioritize everything and make sure you always set blocks of time aside for each and every task. When the time is up, move on to the next task on your… Read More
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Corny, but True!
Last night, after our delicious Thanksgiving feast, I watched The Sound of Music with my son until past midnight. You might not think a 12-year-old boy would want to watch this with his Mom, but I explained that I thought it was an important movie for him to watch for several reasons. One, his history class has been studying the Holocaust and I thought it would provide another perspective on that horrid period of time; two, my son is very into music now and I told him he should have a good historical perspective on some of the music that others have built their music upon. I even mentioned that I know people go to The Hollywood Bowl every summer to enjoy The Sound Of Music Sing Along! Rodgers and Hammerstein have staying power. It’s been decades since I’ve watched the movie – I’ve seen this movie at least 7… Read More
What Happy People Don't Do
This article is from The New York Times By: Rony Caryn Rabin Published: November 19, 2008 Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television, a new study finds. That’s what unhappy people do. Although people who describe themselves as happy enjoy watching television, it turns out to be the single activity they engage in less often than unhappy people, said John Robinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland and the author of the study, which appeared in the journal Social Indicators Research. While most large studies on happiness have focused on the demographic characteristics of happy people — factors like age and marital status — Dr. Robinson and his colleagues tried to identify what activities happy people engage in. The study relied primarily on the responses of 45,000… Read More
Bored at work? Read this. A third of all U.S. workers struggle with 'boreout.' But there are remedies.
This article was printed in The Christian Science Monitor, November 17, 2008. by Marilyn Gardner Nicole Haase would like to work harder than she does. But as a receptionist and payroll administrator for a manufacturing firm in Milwaukee, she finds limited opportunities to take on more duties. “Work is slow, and we’re a small company, so it’s not always easy to find other things to do,” Ms. Haase says. To fill empty moments, she e-mails friends and works on freelance writing assignments. “The Internet is my friend – anything to make the time pass,” she says, adding that the strain of having too little to do creates its own kind of burnout. Now there’s a name for this kind of underemployment: boreout. In a new book, “Boreout! Overcoming Workplace Demotivation,” authors Philippe Rothlin and Peter Werder call it a pervasive problem. Studies show that one-third of workers in the… Read More
Arlene Carter's 'My Encore Moment" Story of Career Transformation
This article comes from Encore.com. For more inspiring stories of career transformation check out their great website! Arlene Carter’s ‘My Encore Moment” Story FROM HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR TO NONPROFIT FUNDRAISER Seattle, Washington After being laid from her real estate job, Arlene Carter rebounded and found truly satisfying work as a fundraiser for a senior community. When I was laid off from my job as HR Director/Office Manager for a real estate management/construction company, I was fortunate to be given a severance package that allowed me time to slow down and really think about what I wanted to do. I took long walks thinking about my last few jobs, ranging from being self-employed to working for a PR team that had a great idea for a dot.com business and just as quickly blew up when the bubble burst, to being in a very competitive work environment at a real… Read More
Effortless Networking
Effortless Networking (Another great installment from our guest blogger KSS) I have never felt that I am a well-connected person. Networking was never a comfortable notion as it seemed intimidating and felt insincere. After moving to Los Angeles nearly five years ago, all of this began to slowly change and unfold in its own authentic way. It seems that this huge city is more like a small town and I feel that I am separated from strangers by much less than six degrees. Now, as my social network expands, it also contracts and I find that new friends know old friends and it is indeed a small world after all. Making the transition from working professional to graduate program applicant is aided by this recently acquired social network, one I could never have expected. My interests lie in obtaining a doctorate so that I may teach, research, and work… Read More
Where the Jobs Are For Wall Street Pros
An informative article from the Wall Street Journal Where the Jobs Are For Wall Street Pros By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN As the latest crisis on Wall Street unfolds, recruiters say their phones are ringing off the hook with anxious finance professionals on the line. The sale of Merrill Lynch & Co. and the bankruptcy-court filing of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. have prompted workers from those firms to launch immediate job searches. Recruiters say newly displaced finance professionals should consider other types of employers or fields, and consider opportunities at smaller banks — which are ramping up hiring right now. Case in point: On Monday, the number of ads at WallStJobs.com for positions at small and middle-market firms shot up by more than 25%, says Robert Graber, chief executive officer of the New York-based job site. Most of the ads were from small and midsize investment banks and hedge funds… Read More
Creating History
“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” — Robert F. Kennedy: was the United States Attorney General… Read More
Dealing with Struggle: Grad School Application Difficulties
Here is the latest installment from our guest blogger, KSS. From what I’ve gathered thus far, the preparation for graduate school is likely to mimic the struggles and setbacks of the actual grad school experience. For one thing, gathering together necessary application information is no small feat. This challenge is magnified if you have any time lapse at all between your undergraduate education and pending graduate education. Having completed my bachelor’s degree six years ago, I frequently find that my alma mater needs “extra” time to look up seemingly simple inquiries that were no trouble during my enrollment period. Apparently, I’m now so dated that not only does my degree-granting department not remember me (they don’t remember the vice-president of their honor society?), but they are also challenged to find any record of me. The obstacle of time presents an additional element of frustration when you are dealing with rigid,… Read More
Here's an interesting perspective on The Beginning and Roadblock Life Stages…Ouch!
Article An investment banker friend was recently complaining about the havoc and uncertainty at her workplace in these crazy times. I tried to express sympathy. But I found that I just didn’t care. Actually, even worse: I felt like rolling my eyes. And this is a person I like. Recently, I’ve found myself not only NOT empathizing with my fellow twentysomethings in the beleaguered financial services industry, but experiencing undeniable pleasure at their increasingly tenuous circumstances. You see, for those of us recent grads working in New York, a pay-related pecking order was established immediately after graduation. Those who chose the I-banking route nailed down six-figure salaries—moaning about their hours—while others—teachers, journalists, and the like—were barely squeaking by, often keeping similarly punishing schedules. Worshipping Gordon Gekko Furthermore, the attitude of many of those bankers became increasingly tinged by an appreciation of a certain “models and bottles” lifestyle, which… Read More
