Monthly Archives: July 2015

One aspect of branding that many people may fail to consider is their word and their reputation for keeping their word. This aspect of branding is critical to everyone in their business and personal.

Be a Person of Your Word

One of the most important aspects of being respected in business is being a person of your word. When people know they can count on you to do what you say, you earn their respect and their trust. Being of a person of your word means being accountable to what you’ve promised in both the big things and the little ones. Be on time for appointments, be prepared, and complete tasks when you say you will complete them.

Avoid Surprises

Surprise birthday parties are fun, surprising someone with the news that something isn’t going to get done isn’t fun. Part of being a person of your word includes being proactive in letting others know when something can’t be completed according to plan. When you give others advance warning, it allows for a contingency plan. Being honest about your mistakes and failures is important to your brand. No one is perfect, so it is critical to be forthcoming.

Work on Your Brand

Working diligently to create your brand as being a person of your word, and then to protect it, will help you to gain business over the long term and will help you to keep that business, as well. When people know that they can trust you to be up front with them and to keep your word, they will trust you in good times and in bad times. If you are not a business owner, being a person of your word is still important, and still brands you. Being known in your office or your company as someone who gets the job done and keeps their word is a big step toward being known as someone who can be trusted with greater responsibility.

Consider your own personal brand and take the time to look for ways to improve it. In particular, take a hard look at whether you are seen as a person of your word. If you are lacking in that area, list ways you can improve, and make a commitment to start today.

It’s very easy to get into a rut in many different areas of your life. It can be especially easy in your work life, particularly after you’ve been doing the same job for a while. Intentionally adding more creativity to your work can have several benefits, including helping you to be more productive, and helping you to see different ways of accomplishing the same task. It can even help make work more fun. It can be a challenge to add creativity when you’re stuck in the same old habits. Here are some tips to help you think a little more creatively about your job.

1. Get inspiration. See how someone else does it. Watching someone else perform the same job, or one that is similar can help you see tasks from a different perspective, potentially helping you find new ways of doing things. Even if it means going to another office or checking out your competition, you will find that you can almost always learn from how another person performs. A writer, for example, might counteract writer’s block by reading someone else’s work. Though he wouldn’t be looking to copy another’s ideas, those ideas might spark new ideas of his own.

2. Take a break. Sometimes taking a break from your most regular tasks can help you see them in a new light. Switching to something completely new, even for a few hours, can break the monotony and help you get back to your tasks with fresh eyes.

3. Work, backwards. Try shifting things around. This is easier for more creative jobs, such as artists, who can try new mediums to help with inspiration. However, many other professions can benefit from a “begin with the end in mind” mentality.

4. Ask for feedback. When another person looks objectively at what you’re doing, he can often see things that you miss, simply because you see the work so frequently. It’s a great idea to seek regular feedback from other people to help you grow.

The point of these exercises is simply to change your perspective on your work. When you are able to see your work from a different angle, it opens your mind to many new possibilities. These new possibilities can help fuel you forward to new avenues of creativity and new ways to make your job, and your product, better than ever.

Burning the candle at both ends is a common trait among the very ambitious. However, while we may feel as if we can get more done if we simply stay awake for a few more hours each day, we may actually be sacrificing productivity when we sacrifice sleep. It is important to find out the right amount of sleep for your body, so that you can be as productive as possible, without damaging your body and mind.

The average person needs seven to nine hours of sleep per night. This range varies by person, including some people who function best on six hours of sleep and others who really need ten. What is just as critical as the number of hours spent sleeping is the stage of sleep. Those who get very little deep REM sleep (the most restful kind) may still feel tired after 10 hours, while another person who gets seven good hours of REM sleep feels very refreshed.

Sleep needs vary by age and phase of life, as well. We all know, for example, that children need more sleep during growth periods. Adults need varying degrees of sleep at various life stages, but it is often because their sleep becomes less restful. For example, as a person’s health declines, they may find themselves waking more frequently during the night, causing them to need more sleep overall.

Determine Your Personal Needs

Determining your personal sleep needs can be fairly simple, but does take some attention. It’s a good idea to keep a sleep diary for a few weeks, to help you determine patterns. In this diary, record the following:
• your waking time
• the time you go to bed
• approximately how long it takes you to get to sleep
• how many times you awaken during the night
• how tired you feel during the day, and
• when you feel ready for bed at night

After a couple of weeks, a pattern should emerge. You should be able to see a correlation between the amount of sleep you get, when you get it, and how you feel the day after. This information will help you to determine when you should go to bed and wake up each day. Another simple trick is to pay attention to whether you begin to awaken naturally just a few minutes before your alarm sounds. If you are still sleeping soundly every morning when the alarm sounds, you are not getting enough sleep. If you begin to rouse on your own just a few minutes prior, your body is on a good schedule.

Lack of sleep leads to mistakes at work and forgetfulness. It can also cause mood swings and depression. Over time, it wears on your health, as well. It is important to determine the perfect amount of sleep for your body and strive to reach this level regularly.

One of the most common problems for business people managing multiple priorities is lack of focus. When there are many things that need to get done, it can be easy to bounce from one task to another, without ever finishing anything. This approach leads to many problems, including missing deadlines and poorly executed work. In addition, this approach can lead to frustration, since you never feel as though anything is accomplished.

Learning to focus on one task at a time can have an amazing positive impact on your productivity. There are several ways you can help yourself to be more focused, so that each task in your day gets ample time. Here are some suggestions.

1. Structure your day. Use your calendar to block out times for the “must do’s” in your day. You can more easily focus on other tasks when you know that your most important tasks have ample time allotted.

2. Limit your time on less important tasks. We all have those tasks that need to get done, but which do not have to be completed in one day. Set aside some time on your calendar to work on these things, but when the time is up, move on to the next item on your calendar. By working on these items consistently for a defined amount of time, you will stay caught up, still leaving enough time in your day for the most important tasks.

3. Limit interruptions. One of the biggest things that causes us to jump from task to task is interruptions, or “emergencies”. It is critical to have some time set aside during the day where you will not answer the phone or accept other interruptions. This time will be your most productive.

4. Make a commitment to finish what you start. People commonly leave tasks at the ninety percent finished point. Make sure you finish some things everyday. Finishing a project and being able to mark it off your list is a powerful psychological boost and will help fuel you forward.

Clear focus on one task at a time can greatly improve your productivity. Adding some structure to your day, minimizing interruptions for a period of each day, and using your time wisely for your most important tasks can help you find the focus you need to get your job done effectively and efficiently.