Make It Happen » Enjoy the Work you do

How to Make Your Dream Job Happen on Your Own Terms

Arvind Devalia — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:05:01 +0000

I am honoured to have this guest post from my friend Eduard Ezeanu

I find that most people want to eventually become self-employed. As a self-employed coach, I can totally understand this and I encourage it. Self-employment is not always rainbows and butterflies, but the associated freedom, flexibility and status are often highly rewarding.

This being said, many people are afraid of making a transition from employee to self-employed, and I find this has a lot to do with going into a new territory and not having a map to help them navigate in it.

In my communication coaching, I often work with such people and I help them build an effective transition strategy.

In this article, I’m going to share with you some of the most important steps such strategies encompass:-

1. Build Your Foundation of Learning

Once you’ve decided that you want to become self-employed, chances are that you’re still one or two years away from actually making that move.

Just like you need to build a solid foundation before you raise a house, you also need to build a solid foundation before offering your services as a freelancer.

In this foundation building time, the first thing to focus on is learning.

You want a good amount of experience and practical knowledge under your belt and to become a true professional in your career field. I often say that you may be able to cover up a certain lack of skill as an employee, but not as a freelancer.

2. Build Your Network

Your time as an employee is also a good time to meet new people and build your professional network. Thus, when you do go solo, you have a solid base of contacts you can use to start getting clients and business.

I know people who had a considerable profit in their very first year being self-employed and they’ve managed to do so because they started building relationships with potential clients early on.

So when they did go solo, they immediately began making good money.

3. Focus on Your Branding

Whatever field you’re going into as a freelancer, you probably have a lot of competition. If you want to beat your competition, in my experience it’s best to consider not only your expertise, but also the way you brand yourself.

Your branding is critical

Two things are important here: one is to pick a niche, preferably one that’s not very crowded and you’re passionate about.

The second is to make all your communication (both online and offline) clear, simple and consistent. It’s the only way to stick in peoples’ minds.

4. Get Ready To Push Yourself

Even if some people have a lot of success as freelancers from the get go, it is more likely to have a slow start. This means that at first you won’t have a lot of clients or a lot of work and you may get discouraged.

I can’t tell you how important it is to anticipate such moments and plan ahead in order to manage them well.

You will most certainly need to know how to combat black and white thinking, how to gain confidence and how to motivate yourself to keep going.

You may also go through a period with a significantly lower income than the one you had as an employee and with a lower credibility, since the brand of your employer is no longer supporting you.

The people who are able to pull through this period and become successful are those who can make calculated compromises.

Usually, the first few years being self-employed are the hardest.

Work hard in these years, be willing to acknowledge the real results you’re getting and to adapt your strategies, and you’ll reach a point where your work seems to almost flourish on its own.

So now over to you. What’s your dream job working for yourself? And what steps will you take from today to being to make it happen?

Please do share in the comments section.

(If you are reading this via email, please go here to comment)

Eduard Ezeanu is a communication coach who teaches people how to make small talk and helps them put their best foot forward in communication. He also writes on his blog, People Skills Decoded.

Image courtesy of Orin Zebest

Your Personal Brand – the Secret to Success in Life and Business

Arvind Devalia — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:55:45 +0000

This is a guest post from Jorgen Sundberg.

Would you like to effortlessly attract more customers, business opportunities or even a new employer?

How about being able to increase your fee or salary? Pick and choose what projects and what people to work with?

The solution is to have a strong and magnetic personal brand. I am sure you have heard about it, but today we’ll look at what it is exactly. However, before we do this, we have to start with understanding just what we mean by a “brand”.

What is a brand?

A brand is the unique experience that people remember about a product or service. We are surrounded by products and services every day, some of them are very similar – you try distinguishing Coke from Pepsi in a blind test.

The reason marketers make use of brands for their product is so they can differentiate the brand from the competition. The goal is to position it as a premium brand so that consumers believe they are enjoying an exclusive product. We all know that adjectives like premium and exclusive are associated with higher cost, that’s what pays for the entire branding exercise.

What is a personal brand?

A personal brand is the unique promise of value of a person.

Simply put, it’s who you are and what you do – nobody else can be or do the exact same thing. Just like a product, a person can brand themselves to stand apart from the competition.

How can you make it happen for yourself and the world if no ones knows who you really are?

“Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken” – Oscar Wilde

In this day and age, consumers have no problem finding a dentist, plumber or realtor – they find lots of them online and they take their time to shop around. Skills and knowledge have become ubiquitous and commoditized and the value of personal branding becomes more important now than ever.

The person that has taken their time to build an excellent brand for themselves will not only be more visible but should also be able to charge premium rates for their work – a very enviable position to be in.

Also, you have a better chance of making a positve impact on the world if you have a great brand.

Look at business people like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs, their strong brands have given them the Midas touch – effectively turning everything they are involved into gold. But hang on, these guys represent company brands, you say. Yes they certainly do, but imagine Richard Branson selling off Virgin tomorrow and Steve Jobs leaving Apple (again) – do you think they would struggle to find new projects?

Your personal brand works very well alongside a corporate brand and can be the best insurance policy you have ever invested in.

What is personal branding?

This is the process of uncovering/creating, building and promoting your brand to your target audience and the greater world.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” – Aristotle

These words from Aristotle certainly apply to personal branding. By going through this process you will have to engage in some serious introspection, the result of which is typically very useful for all aspects of life.

By branding yourself effectively, you ensure that you are no longer the “jack of all trades, master of none”.

The aim is to achieve an expert or leader status in your chosen field. Once you are seen as an expert or the leader, you will attract more business and/or employers. The law of supply and demand stipulates that you will be able to choose who to work with and set your own price or salary.

5 Things you can do for your personal brand today

1. Create a personal brand statement

By taking a step back and examining exactly what value you provide to others, you’ll be able to construct an effective brand statement. It should be no longer than two sentences containing who you are, what value you provide (product or service) and how you do it uniquely (knowing your USPs will facilitate).

The statement represents your personal brands unique promise of value and is distinctive to you only. Once you do have the statement, you can use it to be more focused and targeted in your approach to customers and employers.

An example which just so happens to be mine:

“Jorgen is a Personal Branding Consultant who helps entrepreneurs, business owners and executives build strong online brands to attract more business”.

2. Write a bio

The longer version of your personal brand statement is called a bio. It’s typically a three paragraph text that outlines who you are, what you do, your skills and experience as well as listing and quantifying your past achievements. Be sure to throw in any awards, mentions in reputable media and personal endorsements at the end as it is proven to attract eyeballs.

Unless you are an executive, author or public speaker you probably haven’t written one of these.

Here’s an example of a good (and slightly abbreviated) bio by Chris Brogan himself:

“Chris Brogan is an eleven year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals. Chris speaks, blogs, writes articles, and makes media of all kinds at [chrisbrogan.com], a blog in the top 5 of the Advertising Age Power150, and in the top 100 on Technorati. He is co-author of the New York Times bestselling book Trust Agents, and the recently released Social Media 101.

3. Achieve consistency

This is useful to do before you start hitting the market with your new personal brand toolkit. The cardinal sin in personal branding is having an inconsistent image, the typical one being having a rock’n’roll profile on Facebook and an ‘employee-friendly’ one on LinkedIn.

You have to expect to be cross referenced online as Google is at everyone’s fingertips.

Stay congruent in all that you do, whether it’s online or offline communications.

Your target audience needs to know what to they can expect from you. Nobody wants to deal with people that shift characters or are outright unstable so stay consistent at all times.

4. Create a marketing strategy

You will now create a marketing mix based on whom you want to reach out to. Look at your target audience, where do they hang out? Do they read a certain magazine, go to a particular events or comment on a handful of blogs?

You have to make sure you are seen there. If you have the time and resources, do it the proper way and conduct a marketing survey.

If you are not that fortunate, just start doing your thing and see what works – the trial and error approach has worked for many a successful person.

5. Promote yourself

The sprint is over, now begins the marathon!

Once you have your personal brand together and you have created your plan it’s all about keeping it up.

Whether you have decided to blog, to be a public speaker, write books or to attend networking events – make sure you do it regularly and become a reliable and trustworthy part of people’s lives.

This will in turn build up your loyal fan base, the bunch of great people that act as your brand ambassadors and sales force.

Call to action

There is no time like the present to start your personal branding journey.

Most people only think about their brand when they really need it (e.g. looking for a new job), this will probably be 12 months too late. Building and promoting a strong brand takes time and effort but it’s probably the best investment you can ever make.

You may change industries, move out of the country, take a long sabbatical – but your name and brand will always be with you so make it a good one.

Make yourself memorable.

Read more inspiring and useful articles from Jorgen Sundberg at JorgenSundberg.net. He is passionate about helping individuals and companies attract more business online by effective use of personal branding, social media marketing and blogging. His London based business is Personal Branding UK, and he would love to connect with you on Twitter

photos courtesy of David Hernández and Daly3d

Lighten Up and Light Up the World

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:11:27 +0000

Just how passionate are you about your work?

Do you still continue to be inspired despite challenges and rebuffs from other people who do not value what you have to offer?

Your passion for what you do can really light up the world if you give it a chance to do so.

There have been many times in my own life when I have suffered in pain and when I have lost the joy in my work.

Even in my blogging I have had my ups and downs as regular readers will remember from a while back.

It really is up to you whether you do something with joy or lethargy.

Let me tell you what I mean by sharing what I saw this morning, when I had a meeting in central London.

When I reached my destination train station, I noticed there were 2 or 3 people just outside the station, giving out free newspapers and leaflets. It was clear to even the most casual observer that they were simply going through the motions and were just waiting to finish offloading all their stuff so they could finish their job.

About 20 yards further down there was a lady, maybe in her 30s, also handing out leaflets. And there the similarities ended – she was putting an amazing amount of much energy and vibrancy in the simple act of offering her leaflets to passersby.

She had a genuine smile on her face and was almost skipping and bouncing on the spot as she gracefully held out her hand. Every passerby regardless of whether he or she took the offered leaflet was met with a flash of a full smile and then she moved on to the next person passing by.

I indicated that the leaflet was not for me and moved on to my meeting. Of course I received a beautiful smile, and not a sign of a rebuttal or indication of any negative emotion.

After my meeting finished an hour and a half later, I walked back to the train station and wondered if this lady would still be there.

And sure enough she was there, just as vibrant and energetic as before. She must have restocked on her supply of leaflets as almost every other person was responding to her positive energy and accepting a leaflet.

This time around I was really intrigued and I wondered what it was she was promoting. Maybe some high energy drink or a Zen meditation practice?

Alas, it was no more than a leaflet promoting a local hair saloon. They were certainly lucky to have someone like her promoting their work.

I also wondered what more this lady was capable of achieving if she was be employed in other jobs. It was intriguing too how she ended up distributing leaflets – maybe an in-between job or perhaps she just loved being out in the open, meeting and connecting with thousands of strangers!

I shall be back in the same area for a presentation on Friday – and I will be looking out for this lady. Maybe I will talk to her – and maybe I shall even offer her a job!

The point of my story is this – just how passionate are you in what you do?

Do you get people raving about what you do and how you do it?

You never know who is watching you in action – and what it could lead to.

From today onwards, remember that no matter how docile your job maybe or even if your work seems like drudgery, at the end of the day it’s up to you how much you put into it – and what you get out of it.

You have a choice – do something with joy or do it with pain. Which one will you choose?

PS One other thing – practice people watching at every opportunity. You will learn some amazing lessons for your life.

Photo courtesy of Beth Rankin

Why Working from Home is the Future

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:55:09 +0000

I was recently interviewed by a radio show about working from home, which has always been seen as a luxury for a few lucky and high profile people. But now more and people are looking at flexible working as an exciting prospect.

The question though is whether working from home equals higher productivity. Just what would it be like to say leave the buzz of going to the office and having the social life with colleagues and working from the comfort of your own home?

Here are some of the questions I was asked in my interview and my answers:-

Q Why do you think more and more people are considering the move away from the office?

I believe that more and more people are getting into the idea of working to get the life they love rather than just living to work.

There is this concept called Corporate Social Responsibility which is all about companies doing the right things for the right reasons. This includes things like being ethical in their business dealings, making sure they are environmentally friendly and also that they look after their staff.

At the same time, we must appreciate that not everyone is capable or even wants to work at home on their own. We are all social animals and we need the daily face to face interaction with other people. One can simply not survive by working at home in front of a screen for endless days.

So working partly at home might be the way forward for some people.

Also, most importantly it takes a lot of discipline and focus to work from home without being distracted! It is easy to start doing the housework or dealing with personal stuff. So even though it may seem attractive to work form home, you must balance the pros and cons – you may not have the discipline or fortitude to do it.

Q Should businesses encourage people towards flexible working …..and how can the business benefit from flexible working?

Every one nowadays is much more aware of work life balance and I am finding that more and more companies are becoming aware of this idea that a happier workforce is more effective.
And part of having a happier work force is to allow people to work from home too.

With the growth of the internet and general IT, a lot of clerical jobs can be done from home. Companies should encourage more flexitime and working from home.

Q Not all businesses have the luxury to be able to offer staff flexible working hours and the ability to work from home….does that put them at a disadvantage?

Some businesses just cannot be run from home and it is a nature of their business. It doesn’t put them at a disadvantage as I expect their competitors will be facing the same challenge.
But they can do more to make their staff happier – providing better health care for example, job sharing perhaps.

Q Do you think industries and business are ready to adopt the technology which can make the dream of working from home and reality?

Yes – now is as good as time as any. I don’t think they have a choice but to do so and adopt the technology which can make the dream of working from home a reality.

More and more industries will have to adopt or they will be left behind. Thanks to the internet employees are able to rapidly learn which companies are providing the best working facilities etc and the better companies will attract the more talented people.

Q Finally, how do you manage to work from home yourself?

Well, I also do other things as well as coaching so I do fulfill my social needs through my consultancy and other work.

But when I first started working from home, I learnt to be very disciplined and had to draw my boundaries around my work time and personal time.

I have a spare room at home which is my office and I only enter this room during office hours. Also one has to be disciplined enough not to look at work emails in the evening or weekends!

During my coaching days, I make sure I go out for a short walk a couple of times every day and also visit my local coffee shop / library for some human interaction.

I also have a number of business and personal friends with whom I connect with during the day and they provide me with my human interaction.

How to Create Bliss at Work

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:48:31 +0000

As an employee, you carry out a very important role in your company, one that may not always be recognised. You might also face some of the following challenges:

• Little fulfilment at work
• Long working hours
• Conflicting demands on your time and loyalty
• Little balance between personal life and work commitments
• Tight deadlines
• Time management pressures
• Strained relationships with the important people in your life
• Tight personal finances
• Lack of any say at work
• Internal politics and a rigid company structure
• Bullying within the workplace
• Few promotional opportunities

You are therefore faced with a number of dilemmas in your workplace.

On the one hand you want to be involved in rewarding, enjoyable and fulfilling work, get recognition and promotion for your efforts, and be appreciated for the key role you play in the company.

On the other hand you want a balanced life with time for the things you really want to do with a full and interesting social life. Of course you want to have clarity about your career, job duties and you want to continue to be healthy, fit and stress free.

One key to resolving these seemingly conflicting challenges is to get clear about just how much you love the work you do? Is what you do something you jump out of bed every morning, or would you rather be doing something else?

How motivated are you with your work? And how do you cope with the day to day routine office work?

A UK survey last year found that almost 2 out of 3 people are dissatisfied with their jobs. This means that they are either apathetic about finding what they really love doing or they are resigned to being in this situation.

No matter how good things are in other parts of your life such as family, social life and relationships, work is a major part of your life, and not to be neglected.

Since for now you have chosen to be in the job you are in, it is up to you for the time being to make the most of what you do. Of course in the long term, you can either change your job or even embark on a new career. But for now, you can get to love more of what you do right now.

Assuming that in the short term you are not able to change jobs, there are a number of things you can do to begin enjoying more of what you currently do. Ask yourself – is it the job or is it you? And what can you do to make your current work more enjoyable?

Stop acting the victim. YOU are responsible for your life and if you can’t immediately change the job you are in, then it is up to you to make the most of it.

Here are some tips for getting to enjoy your current job.

1. On the way to your workplace, get yourself motivated to face the day. Think of how the work you have allows you to have your life outside of it, such as a great social life. A positive attitude will make the day more pleasant and productive.

2. Keep your work in perspective. You can only do the best you can in each situation. Look beyond yourself and your work, and consider the bigger picture. Do some voluntary work to gain a broader outlook. Find a way to contribute to society in general.

3. Remember that you are more than your work. Do not have your identity too strongly tied to the job you do. Give up thinking that your work life “should” be a certain way. Such expectations of what you were supposed to be, as set by your parents and teachers, stop you from enjoying what you currently do.

4. Plan your time. In your to-do list include long term projects as well as the more imminent things that need doing. Prioritise your to-do list – do the most important things first. When performing any task, ask yourself – is this the best use of my time? Schedule in enough time for your studies etc.

5. Concentrate on the task at hand. Do not let yourself be distracted by worrying about all the other things to be done or losing energy over the undesirable situation you find yourself in. Stay in the moment.

Be ruthless and take care of a task before it gets on a possible procrastination list. For example, sort your morning post immediately in one go – open it, file it, act on it or bin it there and then.

6. Clarify anytime you are not sure or where you are faced with conflicting demands. The more clear and upfront you are with your manager and the other people you work with, the better it will be for you in the long term.

7. Delegate wherever appropriate. Decide if there is anything that can be delegated, or that more fairly belongs to someone else’s work load. Always remember the “3D” rule – do it, dump it or delegate it – never handle a piece of paper twice.

8. Have regular breaks. Get away from your normal workplace even if only for five minutes. Try taking a break from the laptop, emails and do leave the mobile behind. Make sure that you do have that lunch break – it is not just for food but also for fresh air and a mental break.

Eat a healthy lunch and if you must snack, make sure it is healthy too – an apple rather than a bag of crisps. Look for ways of energising yourself other than from adrenaline and caffeine.

9. Learn to relax no matter how challenging the work gets or how demanding your bosses become. At the end of the day it is only a job, and you are much more than that. In years to come, you will look back and wonder what the fuss was.

10. Contribute towards creating a pleasant work environment. Do not gossip in the office as it just creates negativity all around. Do not listen to any gossip either. Minimise your time with people that you do not resonate with or like.

Learn to have more fun at work. Laugh more and chill out. Perform with a more fun orientated approach.

11. Review your day before you leave for home. Look at what worked well, and what could be improved the next day. If you feel satisfied with the day’s work, then why not reward yourself later that day. You deserve it.

12. Switch off once you leave work. You are already at work a third of your time, so do not continue to keep it buzzing in your head during your supposed free time. Mentally say good bye to your work space the moment you leave for home.

See your work as a game. Life is meant to be fun and if you are going to spend a third of it at work, you might as well enjoy the game.

How to Stay on Top of Everything Despite Growing Demands on your Time

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 23:44:46 +0000

As a senior manager, you may well be facing growing demands on your time. Perhaps you are facing some of the following challenges:-

• Long working hours
• Tight deadlines
• Time management pressures
• No balance between personal life and work commitments
• Lack of optimum health and fitness
• Lack of hobbies
• Stress and burnout

You may be faced with the challenge of staying on top of things both at work and at home. No matter how good things are in other parts of your life such as family, social life and relationships, work is a major part of your life, and not to be neglected.

On the one hand, you want to be involved in rewarding, enjoyable and fulfilling work, get recognition and promotion for your efforts, win more clients, become a partner and build a more profitable practice.

On the other hand, you want a balanced life with time for the things you really want to do with a full and interesting social life and also be in a fulfilling relationship. Of course you want to have clarity about your career path and continue to be healthy, fit and stress free.

The key to resolve these seemingly conflicting challenges is to get clear just what you want to get out of your work? Is work the end all and be all for you?

Focus on the bigger picture and reflect on what you want from your work. Explore what is actually under your control and learn to let go of what is beyond your grasp. To help you do so, here are my tips for staying on top of things:-

1. Plan your time – at the end of each day, plan the next day. Prioritise your to-do list – do the most important things first. Sounds really obvious but do the most important things first. It is amazing how we let less important but easier tasks come in the way of that vital action.

When performing any task, ask yourself – is this the best use of my time? Schedule in enough time for resting, quality time with family etc.

Review your master to-do list on an on-going basis and question yourself if a task is even important to you anymore. Perhaps you can simply drop it.

Also remember to apply the 80 / 20 rule in all areas of your life.

2. On the way to the office, get yourself motivated to face the day. Think of how the work you have allows you to have your life outside of it, such as a great social life with your other university friends. A positive attitude will make your day more pleasant and productive.

3. If you find yourself procrastinating, be accountable for completing your tasks to a colleague. Choose someone who will not be critical if you fail. Such a support structure alone will help you greatly to eliminate procrastination. Tackle the toughest task first. Start this at the beginning of the day or when your energy is the highest.

4. Be selfish for a while and demand what you need in order to create some breathing space in your life. You will then have that initial reserve of time to eliminate those things you have been procrastinating.

5. Keep your deck clear, once you have cleared all outstanding tasks. Be ruthless and take care of a task before it gets on a possible procrastination list. For example, sort your morning post immediately in one go – open it, file it, act on it or trash it there and then.

Delegate as much possible. Decide if there is anything that can be delegated, or that more fairly belongs to someone else’s workload. Always remember the “3D” rule – do it, dump it or delegate it – never handle a piece of paper twice.

6. Keep your work in perspective and remember that you are more than your work. Do not have your identity too strongly tied to the job you do. You can only do the best you can in each situation. Look beyond yourself and your work, and consider the bigger picture. If work ever gets too much for you to cope with, remember what attracted you to your career in the first place. Connect again with the difference you make in the lives of your clients and customers.

7. Concentrate on the task at hand. Do not let yourself be distracted by worrying about all the other things to be done or losing energy over the undesirable situation you find yourself in. Stay in the moment.

8. Learn to handle emails and phone calls effectively. Only answer emails in 2 or 3 bursts a day or as little as your work allows. Limit the number of newsletters you subscribe to and resist the temptation to respond to emails instantly. The fewer you send out the less emails you will receive.

9. Have regular breaks. Get away from your normal workplace even if only for five minutes. Try taking a break from the laptop, emails and do leave the mobile behind. Make sure that you do have that lunch break – it is not just for food but also for fresh air and a mental break.

10. Learn to relax no matter how much work you seem to have piled up. At the end of the day, it is only a job, and you are much more than that. In years to come, you will look back and wonder what the fuss was.

Learn to stay on top of things at work – and soon you will be feeling like you are on the top of the world.

People around you will wonder what has happened to you

Get into Action and No More Excuses!

Arvind Devalia — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:33:49 +0000

Are you very creative when it comes to thinking up excuses?! Would you rather be a beach bum than get on with the really important things in life?

Having fun on the beach is of course fine – as long as you have made the time for it

Procrastination is the art of putting things off and most of us are highly skilled at doing this!

Our excuses for not doing something may temporarily make us feel better, but excuses do not pay your business bills. They simply allow us to justify not taking action.

With the business world getting tougher by the day, can you afford to be so slack?

By putting things off until the last minute, you waste a lot of time and energy worrying about them. There is a simple way of breaking out of this trap – get into action.

Whatever you wish to accomplish, start right now. When you’re truly committed to reaching a set goal, there will always be something that can be done right away, so get started. Action gets you where you want to go. Excuses hold you back. The choice is yours. So what are you waiting for?

Ask yourself – what I am procrastinating about? Make a list of everything that you can think off, identify the most unpleasant job on your to do list and get stuck into it first, before you do anything else.

This will give you a great psychological boost and set you up for success. Everything else will seem easy. When faced with a large onerous task, break it down into small chunks and allocate say 15 minutes to it every day. Then chip away steadily and soon you will feel that you are making rapid progress.

By putting off the difficult tasks until the end of the day or the end of the week, you are simply allowing them to become more daunting. Remember you don’t want to spend your weekends catching up.

Also ask yourself what things you can give up that are not necessarily helping you create the life you want.

What 3 things can you give up this week that will stop wasting your time?

For example, a nephew about to take his GCSEs cut down on watching TV by half an hour each week until he was watching less than 2 hours a week.

Do you constantly check your email in-box every few minutes? Well, then stop it from today!

To get really motivated for action reflect on what it’s costing you to put things off. You are simply building up a lot of future pain and stress by not doing it now. Just feel that pain! Then imagine your rosier future if the task was to be completed now. Visualise how great you will feel once you have completed a long put off task.

Tell yourself that you deserve better. Grit your teeth and get determined to have a procrastination-free life. Tell yourself you are worth it. To help you get started, here are some tips:-

1. Plan your time

At the end of each day plan the next. In your to-do list include long term projects as well as the more imminent things that need doing.

2. Prioritise your to-do list

Sounds really obvious but do the most important things first. It is amazing how we let less important but easier tasks come in the way of that vital action.

Review your master to-do list of and question yourself if a task is even important to you anymore. Perhaps you can simply drop it.

3. Tackle the toughest task first

Start this at the beginning of the day or when your energy is the highest.

4. Be accountable

Make yourself accountable for completing your tasks to another person who is interested in your success. Choose someone who will not be critical if you fail. Such a support structure alone will help you greatly to eliminate procrastination.

5. Be selfish for a while

Demand what you need in order to create some breathing space in your life. You will then have that initial reserve of time to eliminate those things you have been procrastinating.

6. Keep your deck clear

Once you have cleared all outstanding tasks, make sure you don;t pile up things again. Be ruthless and take care of a task before it gets on a possible procrastination list. For example, sort your morning post immediately in one go – open it, file it, act on it or trash it there and then.

Always remember the “3D” rule – do it, dump it or delegate it – never handle a piece of paper twice.

7. Take care of yourself

Look after your health. This is key as sometimes we procrastinate simply because we are just too tired to take on another thing. Have an early night at least once a week, with ideally eight hours of sleep.

8. Reward yourself

Pat yourself on the back when you finish any task and especially something that you saw as difficult or challenging, and one that had been put off for a while.

Choose a personal reward that really excites you, and something that will encourage you to tackle even more of those outstanding tasks.

Just think about how much more time you will now have for fun.

If you are in business, then think about your bottom line. That should be enough to spur you into action.

Have a fun and productive week of action.

Leadership in the Current Climate of Change

Arvind Devalia — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:32:45 +0000

The world is today changing rapidly and this is affecting the world of business as never before. Globalisation, the Internet and emerging economies such as in India and China are bringing huge challenges to businesses in the UK and the western world.

Organisations are generally driven to change either by the desire or philosophy to be the highest quality, best, first or leader in an industry; or they are forced to change through painful circumstances such as high turnover, loss of revenue or loss of industry position. Our focus here is on change due to the latter.

It is more pertinent than ever for effective leadership to create and lead change. When change is completed effectively, the organisation adapts and learns, and achieves its goals. However all too often change efforts fail as they are met with resistance and fear. Change can be as minor as relocation to a different office or as major as rapid growth or downsizing.

If you and your company don’t take advantage of change, change will defeat you. Stability is actually bad news for today’s company – it requires change to succeed. By redefining what change is, companies can change the dynamic of “change equals death” to “change equals opportunity.”

Management can’t force employees to overcome their fear of change through short-term motivation. A deeper, longer term and more empathetic approach is needed. More than ever before, companies need to fully embrace the philisophy of “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) and this begins internally by fully considering the needs of employees.

Here are some simple tips to provide leadership to bring about change:-

1. Embrace change as a positive feature of today’s business world and see it is a positive thing. A simple review of new industries that have developed in the last decade will demonstrate that change is here to stay. Change is more rapid then any other time in history, it is not going away and is a completely natural process. See it as a renewing cycle for organisations and individuals. Reframe and rename change into renewal and you can create more buy in.

2. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable, as any time we try something new, we feel awkward and uncomfortable. It is part of what it takes to change. It helps to reframe the feeling. Instead of feeling uncomfortable you and your staff could decide to feel excited, jazzed, energised or renewed.

3. Create a clear vision and define where you want your business to be. Do the work necessary to fully believe in and commit to the change. Develop and sustain your belief in the change effort, and communicate that belief with your actions and words.

4. Build a case for change. Understand where you are now and decide where you need to be. Present and outline the facts as a clear compelling reason for change. Build excitement for the future in order to overcome the discomfort created by change. Build commitment and awareness of the need for change.

5. Build a powerful guiding coalition within your business by identifying who you need as sponsors of your plan for change and gain commitment to the change effort by communicating your compelling case for change. Think together about alternative strategies to achieve the change, create transition plans and think about how you will overcome barriers.

Assemble groups with enough power to lead the change effort, working together as a team. Make sure that each person fully understands their role in the change process and feels appreciated for their contribution.

6. Identify the people in your organisations who are early adapters and change agents. They are the visionaries, forward thinkers and influencers. Work with them and they can bring up the rest of the staff, including those who may be inclined to be negative and resistant to change.

7. Remember that organisations are people – just as your organisation is changing so are your people. Each individual is going through his or her own personal process of change. Remember that motivation usually involves recognizing employees for their contribution; having some power over a certain amount of decisions; and acknowledging them for the strengths they bring to their work.

8. Put the change into perspective. Explain why things must change – link the change to world events, business trends and other themes, so that your staff realize that they are part of something much larger than the change that you are presenting to them.

9. Be up front about the consequences, if any, if they don’t adopt the change – people need to know what their options are. At the same time people need their hands holding, at least temporarily. No one wants to look stupid. When you ask the people in your organisation to change, they need a certain amount of training and a short time where errors are allowed.

10. Be patient while people reposition themselves after first learning about the change – the body and mind simply takes time to do this, so don’t assume a sluggish response is resistance – it’s just human. Also, reward curiosity and alternative ways of thinking. Often, simple acknowledgement or recognition can be enough reward.

11. Be up front and fully honest – change is scary enough, but when the other person feels like they don’t have all of the facts/information, expect a strong reaction. Just as soon as you or the situation changes in some way, let others know immediately – don’t wait for the right ‘time’ or ‘place’ to tell them as waiting only makes it harder for everyone.

12. Create a climate for questioning how and what is done. If your style is autocratic, but you want valuable, creative change then learn to value input. It doesn’t mean that you always have to use the new ideas, but it creates an environment where things can and do change.

13. Encourage constant open communication. Regular communication is vital to the change process. Feedback needs to be ongoing in all directions – up, down and across. At the same time, encourage risk taking and brainstorming. Respect differences and test out new ideas and methods. Keep what works and let go of what doesn’t.

14. Most change efforts fall far short of their potential. Usually that’s because the leadership fails to address the deep behavioural changes they are seeking.

Be prepared for the normal emotional reactions to change. Change can create instability, anxiety, conflict, nostalgia for the past, and fear of the unknown. Help people move through these responses by expressing empathy and using a coaching leadership style.

15. Celebrate success. Acknowledge short term gains and communicate the connection between new behaviours and corporate success.

To conclude, reframe what change is and see it as new opportunities for companies to capture large markets. Whilst change may be seen as a stiff challenge, it also represents an opportunity for inspirational leadership.

Companies that introduce products and services that represent significant changes can well find that they lead to rapid, runaway successes.

Practice leadership based on the courage to live the change you wish to bring about. Apply the principles of CSR, and you are more likely to increase your chances of being successful in these rapidly changing times.

12 Tips for Working from Home

Arvind Devalia — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 23:56:16 +0000

As more and more people seem to be working from home, here are my simple tips for making it a success:-

1. Treat it like any other job

• Start at a set time, take a lunch break, have a finish time (even if you go over it sometimes). Decide how many hours a week you want to devote to your new business and make sure you stick to that as a minimum. It’s great to have the flexibility of taking some time off to do something you fancy, and it’s easy to not make up that time, especially if the sorts of activities you’ve got to do are things you possibly might be resisting, like marketing….

2. Set your hours

• Establish a working day pattern that suits YOU. Perhaps you like working early in the morning or late at night… or maybe having fairly long hours for three or four days with the rest as days off.

• Allocate yourself the hours you want to work during the 24 hours we have at our disposal. It isn’t a 9-5 job. Go for what you want.

• Set yourself a weekly timetable with hourly slots that you can fill in on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings. Make sure to allocate journey times and fit in lunch rather than getting swept along by the day and getting grumpy because you haven’t eaten or you are running late!

• Ensure that the people you live with know what your working hours are, and ask them to respect them. It would be advisable to set some boundaries very early if they don’t.

• If you are required to work in the evening or weekend as that is the time that is convenient for your clients, then deduct that time from your working day (so if you work 6 – 7 one day, then take an hour out of that day or the next) otherwise your day becomes 10 hours long!

3. Get yourself the right resources

• Find an accounting system that works for you.
• Get the best PC and fastest Internet connection you can afford.

4. Create a separate work area

• Set aside some “work space”. If you are lucky enough to have a room that could be used as an office, then great.

• If not, then set aside a chair, an area in the lounge, bedroom or wherever that is your “office”. This will help you set boundaries around your work so that it doesn’t spill too much into your personal “space/time”. Don’t let your work area / study spill into other areas. It is so easy to let it, physically and mentally. Never take papers to bed for example

• If you have an “office” shut the door when out of office hours. Perhaps even put a “closed” sign on the door. Remember that you have a life outside your work.

5. Set your boundaries

• Refrain from deciding to just hang out the washing whilst you wait for the kettle to boil – you wouldn’t do that if you were at work, would you, and it’s very easy to then think I’ll just take yesterday’s washing up to the airing cupboard, I’ll just get the iron out – and before you know it, an hour or so has slipped away…

• Ensure that your friends also know your working hours – and be strict at enforcing these. Just because you’re home, don’t make the mistake of being “available” for your friends to drop in.

So treat it as you would any other job, and do not get distracted by housework, family members etc. It all comes down to setting firm boundaries, both for your self and other members of the household.

6. Create a support network

• When you first start working from home, it is a time for adjustment, especially when you have worked in a busy office, with possibly the daily interactions of dozens of young, energetic colleagues. The most important thing is to get yourself out among the people.

• Do not become isolated and do keep an active social life. Working from home can become very lonely. The difference with working from home is that you can’t just turn to a colleague and have a natter to cheer yourself up as you would in an office. So it’s important to build up a network of people you can call on for a chat.

• Develop a circle of friends, possibly in the same area of work as yours, who you can share a virtual cup of coffee with – it can be isolating working from home. Perhaps schedule in at least one (real) lunch a week with friends – but make sure you stick to having just a lunch “hour”, not the two or three hours it could easily extend into…

• Attend networking functions to make some contacts. One suggestion to try is when you meet someone – particularly someone with their own business is to get a couple of their cards with the view of passing the information on to someone else who might be able to use them (and tell them so). Hopefully they will do the same for you.

7. Nurture yourself

• Make an effort to get out of the house if you been there for too long! Go and get some exercise (gym, park, whatever you fancy) and you will feel a whole lot better for it.

• You do have to get out of the house from time to time or you go stale. You need to be positive and motivated for your clients, which can be hard if you are not getting any positive stimulation from somewhere.

• Have regular breaks for lunchtime etc and share lunch either at home or out at least once a week, but keep it to an hour maximum (unless it is a client you are lunching with, when you can be more generous with your time).

8. Be disciplined

• Plan your day/week/month. And stick to it! With regular working hours/time for yourself.

• Always tidy up your work – don’t leave it around as you’ll be tempted to pick it up.

• Be strict with your time-management techniques. You don’t have someone to keep you honest – so you must be honest to yourself.

• It can be hard to motivate yourself to do the things you don’t want to do (marketing, for example) and when there’s no longer a boss hassling you to do it. But it can also be hard to switch off sometimes because you can’t leave your work at the office.

9. Spend time on your self development and growth

• Allocate a time for your reading material/books as it is part of the learning – do not just fit it in during the weekend.

10. Create your vision and remain focused

• Write out the exciting vision of your independent life and place it somewhere (perhaps several places) where you can see it every day to remind yourself.

• Try to focus your days. It helps to get up momentum. For example, one day could be marketing, another admin, others coaching… It can useful to say spend half a day on nothing but admin/finance or marketing, rather than juggle between different types of work. For example, Friday could be your marketing day.

• One practice that could be useful on keeping yourself focused on what is important is to do daily self-coaching. Imagine your future self coaching you, and write or type out the conversation. This can be done at the start of each work day, and can be brief with just a couple of questions such as ‘What did you achieve yesterday?’, ‘What do you want to achieve today?’

• Other times, you can go much deeper and spend time clarifying your vision of what you want in your life, or work on other issues. Even better, get a real coach.

• It can also help to be really focused about what you can get done in a day and where you are getting distracted. For example, log into emails twice only, and put interesting non-work emails in a folder to read ‘after work’.

11. Celebrate working for your self!

• Above all, have fun. Why else did you do this?!

• Celebrate regularly how wonderful it is not to have a boss, not to have to commute to work, not to be surrounded by office politics etc

• Reward yourself at the end of every week for the achievements/successes you have made and coach yourself on what you would do differently, ready for the next week.

12. Have Courage

And remember, at the end of the day:

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes Courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says:

‘I will try again tomorrow’.”