Weekends are a great time to step away from the pressures of work, spend some quality time with your family and loved ones, and recover physically and mentally from the previous work week.
Related:8 Ways To Deal With The Monday Blues
As the weekend comes to a close and Monday morning nears the horizon, consider these three ideas for getting your week off to a fabulous start:
Arrive 30 Minutes Earlier Monday Morning
Close your door and forward your office phone. Use this time to plan your week:
Review your calendar for last week, this week and next week.
Review your project list.
Review your "to-do" lists.
Review your annual goals - business and personal.
Review your inbox (paper inbox).
Review your e-mail inbox and key folders (but try to refrain from beginning the process of responding to e-mails during your planning time).
As part of your weekly planning, identity the top three goals you'd like to achieve this coming week - what are the three MOST IMPORTANT tasks or projects you need to accomplish?
For each of these top three goals, what is the very next action you need to do (or delegate to someone else)?
Schedule And Protect Time Blocks
Schedule blocks of time on your calendar to work on tasks associated with your top three goals. Time blocks of 60 to 90 minutes generally work best. Ideally time blocks should be uninterrupted time behind closed doors in your office whenever possible (or away from your office).
Entering the work week with clarity on your goals, a clear plan of action, and sufficient time scheduled to work on them feels good and will almost always have a positive impact on your productivity and results for the week.
Hit the ground running on Mondays... get a positive start on your work week.
All the best to you for a great week!
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Everyone has heard of New Year's resolutions. You know, those promises we make to ourselves about things we'll do better in the year ahead. Sometimes these resolutions work, while other times we end up with gym memberships we never use! But have you ever heard of a career resolution? It's actually the same thing as a New Year's resolution, only career-focused.
However, with something as important as a career, you don't want to break these resolutions. That's why it's important to keep these goals manageable.
Here are four simple career resolutions that are easy to stick to and achieve.
Be Self-Aware Of Where You Stand In Your Career
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Being honest and self-aware of where you are in your career is the most important step in making strong career resolutions. If your career is going nowhere and you're unhappy, then it may be time to consider a career change, which will take you down a different path entirely.
But if you're happy and in good standing with your career, it's a lot easier to set goals for the year and build out a long-term career plan.
Find A Way To Grow Your Career
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Career growth is a very broad spectrum that means something different to everyone. It could be something as simple as improving on a weakness or building on a strength. It could also be learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities at work.
On a larger level, it could be seeking a promotion or moving into a leadership role.
Whatever the goal is, make sure it includes growing professionally. The worst thing you can do is stay the same! If you're not growing your career, you're dying—and becoming a lot less valuable to your employer. There are always ways to upskill!
Better Serve Your Professional Network
With current colleagues, former colleagues, and other professional acquaintances, you've probably built a solid professional network through the years. A strong professional network can come in handy if you lose your job or are looking to make a career change. However, you shouldn't just rely on your network when you're in need!
It's important to find ways to offer value to your network. This could include checking in with members of your network from time to time. Exchange messages on LinkedIn to see how they're doing or share relevant content of interest. If you can help someone in your network going through a career challenge, you should!
Maintaining a strong professional network is like an investment. If you want it to pay off, you have to put some time into it and be consistent.
Take Care Of Yourself
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Working on your career is hard work! It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Whether you're working to grow your career or looking for a new job, it's important to find balance.
Your family and health always come first, so make sure your career goals don't interfere with that. If you want to set aside time during the week to work on your career that's fine, but don't miss important family events or milestones.
Don't let your career goals get in the way of your health goals. Go to the gym, take a walk, or go for a jog. Balance is key to maintaining healthy career and life goals. Sometimes you just need to adjust that balance as you go.
Need help sticking to your career resolutions?
Become a member to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.