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Quintessential Careers Blog |
Call to Action: Conduct a Spring Cleaning of Bad Work Habits Posted: 28 Mar 2016 07:00 AM PDT Spring is here, and it’s time to clean out the old and welcome the new! This season, why not apply a spring cleaning approach to your habits and productivity at work?
Spring on its way! In fact, the first day was March 20th, so it’s time to say goodbye to the grey, sweep out the grime, shake out the dust, and clear out the stale air of a long cold winter. This spring, why not take the same approach to stale, unproductive work habits? Give your attitude and your output a fresh boost with these simple moves.
Make a big plan and a small plan
Set large, overarching goals for the year ahead. (Even one goal is a great start!) Set a timeline and start building a plan to get you across this finish line. But while you’re thinking big, think small. Don’t get overwhelmed by one massive goal off in the distance. Set others that are achievable right now, this week—or even this hour. For example: Clear the clutter off of your desk. You’ll be surprised to see how these small plans can propel you toward the bigger ones.
Communicate (even if it feels weird)
Communication styles are built on habits, and habits are built on the structure of existing relationships. So if one of your current relationships doesn’t lend itself to open communication, changing this can be tricky. For example, if you need to keep your boss updated on your daily tasks, or ask for more help and feedback, this might be challenging if your boss is cool and distant; if you already have an established pattern of talking to each other this way, it can be difficult to change. But habits can change. Apply a little pressure. Get out of your chair and pay a visit to her office. Pick up the phone. Start small, and take future cues from your boss’s reactions. Even if it doesn’t feel natural to open a channel of communication where no channel currently exists, the payoff will be worth it.
Stay flexible
In the spring, schedules tend to explode. The quiet, busy, regular pace of the cold winter months suddenly erupts into overlapping vacations, a spike in new orders, the arrival of new employees, the departure of old ones, and general shake ups that affect how and when the work is completed. Keep an open mind and place your trust in your team. Roll with the changes.
Shift your priorities for the season
In the spring and summer, children leave school. This means parents have to shift their schedules. This means the non-parent employees have to do the same. Again, as the sun comes out, activities, demands, and priorities evolve, and you and your team will accomplish more if you can work together and adapt to a new normal.
Change what isn’t working
Springtime means rebirth and renewal, and it may also mean reevaluation. If you’re throwing yourself into the same course of action repeatedly, or trying to solve a problem using the same ineffective methods, now is the time to recognize this. Get rid of old habits and patterns that simply aren’t serving you anymore (if they ever did in the first place). This year, increasing your productivity at work may mean finding a new job altogether. A new job might bring a fresh outlook and a brand new path to success and fulfillment.
If you’re ready to take the leap and turn your attention toward the next chapter of your career, we’re here to help! Visit Quintcareers and explore the resume building and job search tools that can put your plan in motion. The post Call to Action: Conduct a Spring Cleaning of Bad Work Habits appeared first on Quintessential Careers Blog. |
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