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Staying Focused on your Resolutions and Goals

Goals, Motivation, Productivity / By My Holland / Goals, Resolutions

Staying Focused on your Resolutions and Goals Recently, we’ve written a blog about resolutions and adopting new habits. People can forget them or lose focus. Many procrastinate and justify their delay with what they promised for the new year. Now, we’re sharing tips to keep you focused. Adopting these will help you stay on track. Here they are: 1. First, go over each and check for the following attributes. Specific. If you want to lose weight, by how many pounds? Attainable. Is it achievable? For example: Lose 20 lbs in one year. Relevance. Will your resolution make you better? For instance: Is losing 20 pounds healthy for you? You should consult a doctor to know your ideal weight. Rewrite your resolutions if these are missing the above. 2. Place reminders where you can see them. It’s easy to become distracted at home and work. Before you know it, you forget what you planned to do to achieve your goals. Successful people have reminders all around them. Some are direct, like post-it notes, while others are subtle, like a small round sticker on a watch’s strap.Others use technology like their smartphones. What’s important is to create reminders that will work for you. 3. Write a to-do list before sleeping at night. Every person doing this will swear that they accomplish more than they have without one. A list reminds you of what tasks are important or urgent. Don’t forget to put a checkmark by a finished task on your list.You’ll always feel great and proud of yourself. 4. Attend to one task at a time. Machines are the only true multitaskers. Sure, you can cook a meal and talk on the phone simultaneously. But it’s different when you try to accomplish focus-intensive work. Quality will suffer when you work on two or more tasks simultaneously. You become inefficient, less productive and end up spending more time. 5. Find an accountability partner. This person could be anybody who can check on you regularly. You don’t have to see them in person. A call or text message will be okay. Studies show that when people are accountable to others, they feel obligated to act and keep their eyes on their goals. 6. Pause to relax. Can’t figure out that problem at work? Take deep breaths or short walks, especially when you’re stressed. These are good for the mind and body. You’ll feel recharged when you return to your tasks.

Resolutions are Good but Focus on Habits

Nhận Thức, Goals, Productivity / By My Holland / Resolutions

Resolutions are Good but Focus on Habits Most people create new year’s resolutions to improve themselves, set things right and take complete control of their lives. Making these is a form of reset to clear the slate. Save more, losing weight and quitting smoking are some examples. But according to a study by the Journal of Clinical Psychology, less than half of people with resolutions were successful. The rest couldn’t make their promises happen. There are reasons, but maybe these can be narrowed down to a few. Old Habits Habits are defined as repeated practices and behaviors that do not need thought. These are learned and challenging to give up. According to experts, actions repeated for more than two months become habits. Making coffee and taking a shower after waking up are examples. Now imagine a person who wants to save more but sticks to the routine of buying coffee every day at Starbucks before going to work. Old habits are hard to break. Lack of Awareness People often fail to recognize habits associated with other actions, like eating potato chips while watching a movie or a sports event at home. They can forget about losing weight if this is part of their new year’s resolution list.Only with careful thought will people realize that many ingrained practices are stopping them from realizing their resolutions. Lack of Commitment If losing weight is one of your resolutions, can you abstain from eating your favorite pastry? Commitment means making sacrifices and avoiding old habits. Most people revert to their old routines because they aren’t fully committed to their resolutions. Worse, they’ve become comfortable with their present habits, which makes them more hesitant to change. » Adopt New Habits It’s okay to write resolutions but follow through with a list of new habits. For example: saving more by looking for an alternative to Starbucks. If a cup of Starbucks coffee is $3.00 versus $1.00 from a grocery, that’s a difference of $2.00. In 20 days, one could save at least $40.00. Taking a different route to work to avoid Starbucks can be a new habit too. Yes, it’s a simple illustration, but applying the same principle with other resolutions can result in big changes. Even with greater challenges, begin with a small act and expand on it. Try something new with your resolutions in mind. Constantly thinking of ways to achieve these will soon become a habit. Source: adapted from Tal Ben Shahar Chúc Mừng Năm Mới!

Tips on Having an Effective One-on-One Meeting

Khả năng lãnh đạo, Productivity, Workplace Culture / By My Holland

Tips on Having an Effective One-on-One Meeting Many employees think one-on-one meetings are useless. They go through the motions and expect nothing to come out of it. The reason could be simple. The wrong questions are being asked and nothing worthy is discussed. You want to get the most out of these sit-downs as a leader. These are not ordinary conversations, although you want to set a conversational tone to create a relaxed atmosphere. Much feedback can be gained from one-on-one meetings if done right. The challenge is that many bosses don’t realize that it’s their responsibility to conduct meaningful discussions. If you’re a manager, boss or the top person in your organization, take note of the following before you call or schedule a sit-down. 1. The first step is to review notes from past meetings. It will give you an idea of where your starting point is. 2. The next step is to prepare questions relevant to the person you’re to meet. Don’t waste time on subjects your employee doesn’t know about. Avoid templates or generic questionnaires. These don’t do much good today. However, there are basic questions that you should consider and here are several: • What’s new? The answer could be anything and that’s okay. This is a conversation starter and an ice breaker. • Where are we with this project? (or anything ongoing). You’re asking for updates and a progress report. • Are there concerns or problems you would like to bring up? • What is your solution to the problem you’ve mentioned? • Do you need any help like support from other departments? • “Do you need more funds?” instead of “are you operating within budget?” The latter implies a colleague is a spendthrift. • Are you on track to achieve your weekly/month/quarter/year goals? • How can I be of help? Encourage your employee to keep talking. So don’t forget the following: · Go on… · Why do you think that? · Tell me more. · Give me an example. 3. Listen and take notes, which means putting on silent distractions like phones. You may not agree, but acknowledge what your employee is saying. Also, you shouldn’t talk too much or too little. Offer suggestions and advice when you can. 4. Recap and plan for the next meeting. Summarize everything discussed and ask your employee if you missed anything. Also, determine what needs to be addressed the next time you meet. After your meeting, evaluate how you did and find out how you can do better next time.

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