Those who say “quitters never win” are fooling themselves. If you stick something out just because you’re afraid of giving up—and it’s something that no longer serves you—you’re wasting your time. And ultimately, you lose. Sure, you’re not a quitter. But you sure as hell aren’t winning either.
When it comes to work, quitting is sometimes the best move you can make. Often, it’s a necessary step for forward movement, growth, and pursuing your life’s purpose.
Still, as we all know, quitting sometimes really isn’t an option. Not because it isn’t the right thing to do; sometimes, you just can’t feasibly move on. Maybe you just can’t financially afford to leave your current job. Or maybe the health insurance coverage isn’t something you can give up. Or maybe the stress of leaving right now would be far worse than the stress of simply sticking it out for a while longer. These things happen. This is reality.
You can’t always pick up and move on the second you realize it’s the right thing to do. In fact, it’s rare that a decision to quit can be acted on quickly. It takes time and preparation. So, if you know it’s time to quit but doing so right now simply isn’t possible, try the following:
Emotionally disconnect
Remember: It’s just work, it’s not YOU. Many people—myself included—think of work as an extension of their identity. So, if you’re in a job you hate, you can start to hate yourself. Now is the time to put it in perspective. You are not your job. Your job is simply providing you with something—whatever that thing is that makes quitting impossible. Focus on that and break the emotional connection.
Find a friend
Happiness has a lot to do with relationships. Even if you’re ready to leave your job, you can still enjoy the social side of work. Find a person—just one is all it takes—who gets you. Having a friend at work makes every day easier.
Get out
Don’t just hang around in an environment that feels like it’s slowly draining you. Get out and breathe some fresh air. Take lunch out of the office, go on walks throughout the day, or just take a few minutes to sit outside instead of stewing in the frustration that surrounds you. The more perspective you can get, the more you’ll be able to deal with the current situation.
Take steps
It might not be feasible to quit right now, but circumstances will change. Start saving money, learn new skills, network and make connections. Prepare yourself for a time when you can leave this job and find something more fulfilling…because it will happen sooner or later.
Stress less
I call this “managing the inner game” and truly, this is the most important point here. Believe me, once you know that quitting is what you’d like to do but it’s just not possible at the moment, your stress will skyrocket. This is a natural result of feeling trapped. Every instinct in your body is screaming, “FIGHT OR FLIGHT!” It’s also a result of feeling stagnant. You want to move forward and yet, due to circumstances beyond your control, you’re standing still. Don’t ignore these emotions; manage them. Actively work to get your stress under control so you don’t end up making some irrational, emotional decision you’ll later regret.
Effective management communication is essential for guiding teams and lifting morale during times of disruption and uncertainty — like right now. But what if communicating with employees has never been one of your top strengths? And what if your staff members are working remotely? For many managers, keeping employees informed and making them feel supported while working at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging.
Trying to muddle through the coming weeks and months without taking action to improve your management communication skills is not an option, however. The ability to deliver clear messaging — including through virtual communication — will be just as critical as your business transitions into the next new normal and uncertainty persists. Maybe your whole team will continue working remotely, or perhaps you’ll need to manage a mix of off-site and on-site employees and contractors. Either way, they’ll need a steady stream of reliable information — and reassurance, too.
To improve your communication abilities in the near term, and set yourself on the path to mastering management communication over time, consider the following strategies:
Communicate more frequently
During times of transition, no amount of communication is too much. A good rule of thumb is to communicate two to three times more often with your remote employees as you did in person.
For example, if your past practice was updating your in-office team once a week on Monday morning, consider changing the frequency to every other day — Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To underscore the importance of these additional check-ins, keep calls on time and limit cancellations.
Promote virtual communication
Effective virtual communication, particularly video conferencing, is obviously essential if your entire team is working remotely. But it will remain critical as you begin to transition back to working in the office. There’s a good chance many employees will still work remotely at least part of the time in the months ahead. (Research hows 74% of workers would like their company to let them work from home more frequently as a result of COVID-19.)
Even when some of your employees return to the office, you can’t relax your efforts to help everyone stay connected. Continuing to make all key meetings virtual is one option. If a meeting must be held on-site, promptly fill in off-site staff on any decisions made pertaining to their projects.
You can do a lot to make virtual communication successful now — and as your team members transition back to the office. That includes making sure employee communication isn’t hindered by easy-to-solve tech obstacles. Learn as much as you can about the collaboration and data-sharing apps your company uses. Aim to become a source of support for helping staff members troubleshoot issues when they arise. And by better understanding how these tools work, you’ll feel more comfortable using them when communicating with employees.
Embrace transparency and straight talk
While it can be tempting to sugarcoat difficult news, that approach can easily backfire. Be as transparent as possible when sharing the latest information about the state of the business. Stick to the facts and avoid speculating, even when asked to.
This does not mean stonewalling, however. You can still keep a positive tone to your responses with something like, “I know everyone has this question, but we just don’t know yet. In the meantime, we’re encouraged at the progress the company is making to stabilize because of your efforts.
Listen actively — and with empathy
The ability to listen actively to employees is the mark of a good manager. If you’re the one who’s doing all the talking, all the time, then you can’t tune in. And it’s more vital than ever that your team members know they are heard and that you take their concerns and questions seriously.
Don’t assume you know exactly what your workers are feeling. Check in on them individually, asking questions and then listening with an empathetic ear.
What does it mean to listen actively? It means truly focusing on the individual’s words rather than silently formulating a response while they’re speaking to you. During video meetings, take note of nonverbal cues. In short, give the other person your full attention.
Make yourself available
Also let your employees know they can come to you. Institute a virtual open-door policy and make yourself available to hear their concerns and ideas.
By communicating with your team in a two-way fashion, instead of always delivering messages from the “top down,” you’ll create a sense of trust — and inspire their ongoing support for the company’s efforts to manage change now and moving forward.
Paint the big picture
Another way to boost your communication skills as a manager is to help your staff understand the connection between their duties and the broader strategic goals of the organization, which may be evolving rapidly right now.
Engagement and productivity rise when people know that their work matters. It’s always important to remind them how much their contributions and commitment are valued and how they contribute to the bottom line. So, be quick to offer appreciation and share any wins the team achieves.
Keep their future in focus
While there’s likely no shortage of pressing projects or concerns for you and your employees to focus on right now, you should also get workers thinking about opportunities that lie ahead for the company as well as for them as individuals.
To rally everyone around the same vision, make it clear how the company’s mission and values continue to guide the organization. Above all else, remind them that you’re all in this together.
Effective management communication is a requirement for business leaders guiding their teams through any major change. It’s also a skill set that many executives need to polish. So, don’t be discouraged if your traditional and virtual communication abilities need some refinement. Now’s an ideal moment to improve how you are communicating with your team. They need to have confidence in your words — and know that you are listening to what they have to say, too.
It might be difficult to imagine your future career-wise, post-pandemic, given that we’re still profoundly experiencing COVID-19. Unfortunately, no one knows if the world will return to “normal” and when. However, we can start to reevaluate and re-envision our career trajectories in the meantime.
As resilient, flexible, and adaptable people, we have overcome specific crises before and will continue to do so. While we aren’t able to change our current surroundings, government, or economy at this time, we can always take steps to improve ourselves and reflect on whether we’re truly satisfied with our current careers. The pandemic has had a widespread impact on all industries since the start of March. As employers continue to adapt, some new roles are being created as a response to the pandemic. These new roles might provide additional opportunities for newly out-of-work job seekers, causing a lot of employees to rethink their professions and pivot.
After the pandemic, there are several predictions that people will travel less and work from home more. Many companies may even shift to an entirely remote workforce. Those who are unable to continue with their previous jobs right now, because of quarantine restrictions or economic fallout, are being forced to rethink their careers, even though it’s tough to plan for an uncertain future. With all of these factors in mind, we came up with a few questions to help you rethink your career trajectory, including the development of your talent and potential, during these difficult times.
Should you pivot?
Regardless of where you are, it makes sense to start by asking yourself how much you may need or want to change. Like most things, change comes in different degrees, and career changes may range from small role changes, such as switching tasks or focus within your current job, to substantial career transitions, like reinventing yourself, pivoting to a new industry, or embarking on a new profession.
Do you know what you need?
Even before the crisis, people struggled with their own career choices. One of the main problems is that people tend not to have a thorough understanding of their talent and potential, so they end up in careers that are poor fits for their interests, abilities, and skills. The current reset may represent a significant opportunity to address this issue, so long as you can work out what you need and fill in the gaps when it comes to your professional toolkit.
Are you happy in your current role or career?
Take a career assessment. Are you pleased in your career and love the work that you do? If you aren’t, think about how you can best invest in yourself to change your career. Spend all the time you can evaluating your new career alternatives, understanding the skills (both soft and hard) that those careers demand, learning and training, and rebranding yourself as needed. The upside is that we’ve never had more free, online resources to reskill, upskill, and nurture our curiosity than we have right now.
How will you measure your success?
In your new career or role, how will you measure success for yourself? An important yet often forgotten aspect of goal setting is to understand very clearly exactly what you want to achieve through those changes so that you can aim for the right goals. Many people are finding themselves with more time to think, reassess their priorities, and reset some of the foundations of their careers right now. The main thing is that you look for improvements to your current situation, and sometimes that’s achieved through minimal tweaks to the status quo.
Whether you are an experienced professional with many years in the workforce or just out of college, a resume is your passport to new and exciting fields of endeavor and should be regarded for the power it possesses.
Here are some Dos and Don’ts to consider.
DO keep your resume updated
Regardless of how much or how little time you may have in your current position, you constantly are gaining new experience. Waiting too long between updates could mean forgetting to add that experience to your next renewal. Also, with the volatility of the job market, you never know when you may need your resume. Rushing around to add new content because you are suddenly out of work typically leads to a less-than-stellar document. By keeping it current, you will be less harried should the unexpected happen or an intriguing opportunity to advance your career presents itself.
DO make sure your resume speaks to the intended audience
For those who have amassed work experience, it is likely that not all experience will be apropos to positions that interest you. A ‘one size fits all’ approach rarely works well if this describes you. Identifying and targeting best-fit story points that speak to your audience’s needs assures you supply those employers with a focused resume. While some experience will certainly cross over, such as a sales professional looking to move into a consultative role, your ‘great closing percentage’ will be of little consequence to the company needing a new admissions officer.
DO seek professional advice
This may seem like a no-brainer to some, but believe it or not, there are still those who insist on going it alone when it comes to this vital piece of career strategy. No one knows their own career better than you do. However, putting that information together to create a document that will blow away your competition may require massaging by an expert who knows how to strategically nuanced content based on your professional goals. At the very least, if you are committed to writing your own resume, you may want to research professional resume writing books to guide you in current resume development methods.
DO NOT add on to the bottom of an existing document
Have you ever seen an old beat-up car with a brand new fender? The new part typically only makes the rest of the car look even worse. The same is true of a resume that simply has new content added on. Take the time to rebuild your resume completely when you feel the need to add in new experience. The new information should be integrated and become a part of the bigger and better picture – not an afterthought.
DO NOTembellish your expertise
Trying to overcome certain shortcomings in your career by overstating your abilities will only lead to disappointment for all involved. Be honest with yourself and your potential employer. Remember, no matter what they may have advertised as a requirement for the position, these requirements are a wish list in many cases. Your skill level may not line up perfectly, but it may very well be closer than anyone else who has applied. Be brave and take a chance. It is always better to lose honestly than to win dishonestly. It will always come back to haunt you.
DO NOT worry about the length
Too often professionals shortchange themselves by being overly sensitive about the length of their resume. The number of pages has no impact on employers looking to fill a position. The key is in making certain the information is clear, concise, and lines up with the needs of the employer. Think about the last book you read. If the story was interesting from start to finish, did you concern yourself with how many pages it took to tell the story? Of course not. Your resume is no different. No HR professional has ever turned away a job seeker because the resume was too long, especially if it proves them out to be the best-qualified candidate for the job.
While this list is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your resume, adhering to it will have a lasting and positive effect on what is arguably the most important part of your personal career portfolio.
Success is an individual pursuit because everyone defines success in a different way.
But there are a few surefire habits that can help you reach your goals, no matter what they are.
Here are 7 habits of successful people you need to adopt:
Be purpose-oriented
A purpose gives direction to life. Without it, you end up living by somebody else’s standards, or just follow the crowd and never live up to your full potential.
But, hey! You’re an individual.
What’s more, you have powers within you waiting to be unlocked. Any vision you create in your mind’s eye today can be the life you live. To get there, though, you should have a clearly defined purpose — one that you follow day after day.
If you haven’t done this yet, now is the time. In fact, you’ll need to be purpose-oriented in order to be able to develop all the other habits of successful people.
Describe your life purpose, include details about every aspect of your life. Be sure you want these things and aren’t just doing what others expect you to do.
Do what successful people do first thing in the morning
How you begin your day is crucial.
If you fill your morning with successful habits, you’ll see progress every single day.
To begin, wake up a bit earlier than you have to. This can improve your whole day if you also dedicate this extra time to some healthy, productive and positive behaviors.
One of the main habits of successful people is having a powerful morning routine. They plan their mornings the night before, then wake up with determination, ready to kick-start another great day that will get them closer to their goals.
What they do at that time, however, is equally important.
They first make their beds and welcome the day with a few positive affirmations. Some include their daily workout now, as they don’t usually find time for it later on in the day. Plus, they eat a healthy breakfast to keep them energetic until the evening.
It ‘s also important to set some time aside for your spiritual and mental well-being. The health benefits of meditation are tremendous.
Then, perhaps read from an inspirational book to feed your mind with positive thoughts. Make sure you breathe deeply, too— just let go of any tension before you continue with your day.
Embrace failure and try again every time
To change your habits, you’ll need to change your mindset.
Something you’ll need to accept early on (in order to form the habits of successful people), is that failure is not just part of the process, it’s a stepping stone. You need it to form the mental patterns of a winner and continue trying until you finally reach all your goals.
Most people avoid trying new things, as there’s always a chance of failure.
However, that’s exactly why they don’t make any changes and continue living the same life that makes them miserable. Instead— know that failure is powerful and that you can benefit from it.
Learn from it every time you make a mistake. Analyze exactly why that happened. Then, make a plan on what to do next time to perform better.
Create the ideal daily routine
If you start your mornings energetically, great! Keep it energetic until the evening. Don’t worry, you can do so with the right daily schedule.
Your successful habits should be combined in a certain way, and it’s best if you have fixed time slots for everything.
However, don’t be in a hurry to create the ideal day just yet.
Test a few versions first. See when you’re most productive in the day and save your most important work for then.
Take breaks and use them to stretch, take a daily walk, drink water, talk to a loved one, or check your to-do list. That’s the healthy type of multitasking.
Your whole day can be an example of success if you manage to structure it effectively. Plan what time you’ll start your wind-down process in the evening. Use the time before bed to declutter, prepare for tomorrow, let go of the stress that followed you at work, and smile for doing your best.
If that sometimes feels a bit overwhelming, remind yourself that it’s what successful people do.
Take risks
Wanna build successful habits? Well, you’ll need to become a risk-taker.
All high-achievers learned how to take risks, accept uncertainty, embrace change, go out of their comfort zones, and do something (even when the situation looked hopeless).
Often, you might hear from others that your goals are impossible. Remember though, you are your best motivator and shouldn’t let others interfere with your vision.
Impossible is just a limitation you set for yourself— you can easily remove it and be unstoppable.
Change your habits by taking risks often.
Build confidence in your abilities
You won’t make it without confidence.
Confidence is one of the top qualities of winners in any field. The truth is, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities long before you’re successful. That’s why you should let go of the doubts and fears and just keep telling yourself you can do it until you actually start making things happen.
Confidence is not just one of the habits of successful people, it’s an attitude of life that should support everything you do. In fact, it’s proven to be a bigger success trait than talent itself.
Let go of the past
Last but not least, if you want to do what successful people do, you need a clear mind.
A clear mind will help you make good decisions, focus on work, build discipline, and keep your vision in mind. To make that happen, you need to leave the past and anything connected to it behind.
Why?
It’s harmful to your mindset and behavior in the present. You can’t build the habits of successful people if you’re constantly comparing your current life to your past, or reminding yourself of painful situations from back when you were less confident and less responsible.
By looking in the past, you’re basically reliving it all over again, and taking a step back in your personal development.
Once you let go, you make room for so much more. You can finally change your habits more easily and let positive transformation into your life. You can breathe freely, enjoy life, take action to reach your goals, and form a better mindset.
We all start a new year, a new job, a new relationship with good intentions – but statistically, few of us ever succeed.
Fewer than 40% of people set goals. And out of that small group of goal-setters, fewer than 8% actually achieve progress.
That means that out of 100 people, only 2-3 will ever do enough of the right things and achieve success.
Quite frankly, staying committed to a goal — despite failure, frustration, and feelings of inadequacy — is a set of skills that few of us ever learn. And the results are crippling. No matter what the goal — personal or professional — the thing that’s really lacking is commitment.
Too often, commitment ends up being a phrase that’s uttered in the heat of passion. “Yes, I promise to do that.” or “I’m definitely making that change today!” or “I’m starting that right now!”
The pattern is unmistakable;
You hear an idea. You see a new “thing” that sounds awesome, and you’re on it. You want to give it a shot.
After doing it for a while, maybe you get bored or you don’t give it a chance to work the way it’s supposed to, and you find yourself quickly moving on to the next thing.
You didn’t commit. And so you repeat a frustrating cycle that robs you of your joy and happiness. So How Can We Break The Cycle? If you’re ready to beat the “commitment curse”, here are 11 ways to get started:
COMMIT TO KNOWING WHO YOU ARE
How often do you take the time to really question yourself and your motives?
Is it just at the end of each year when you are reevaluating your life? Or do you always follow your gut, walk to the beat of your own drum, and walk away when something stops giving you joy?
It’s important to know you are — and if you don’t, it’s important to figure it out. So think about it. What kind of person are you? What kind of person do you want to be? Knowing who you really are can help you follow through with the goals you set for yourself.
COMMIT TO YOUR PATH
Yes, it is completely possible for your path to change. After all, change is inevitable. But your path, while you are on it, should be your commitment. Once you pick your path, you should be all in. One hundred percent. And then don’t stop until you get to the end of your goal.
Whether it’s losing 10 lbs or 100 lbs, you’ve got to stick with it until you get there. And if you need to set small goals like 10 lbs, 10 times until you get to the 100, then do that. The key is to stay completely focused on your path.
If you are looking for a bit of help with figuring out who you are and the path you want to follow, check out the completely free and wildly comprehensive Lifebook assessment that gives you an accurate report of your wellbeing in 12 key areas of your life.
COMMIT TO YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Whether it’s making time for your spouse, your kids, or just taking time to walk your four-legged best friend — committing to your relationships is one of the best ways to develop complete commitment.
It’s easy to get lost in the hustle of business and forget about what truly matters. It’s understandable that everybody gets busy, but make sure you aren’t so busy that you can’t afford to spend even twenty minutes a day letting your loved ones know you appreciate them.
COMMIT TO YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH
You’ve made your resolutions. You’ve cut out sugar. You’ve been to the gym at least three times a week. You’ve cut out meat from your diet, or added extra meat to your diet, whatever the case.
But slowly you find that you’re losing momentum. That’s the time to re-commit. Even if you have to commit again every single month this year, just commit — even short term — for just one more month. Completely!
And then next month you can re-commit again. And again each month after. If you can’t go all in, take the baby steps!
COMMIT TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
Read that book. Take that class. Go meet a friend. Commit to doing the things that make you laugh, make you happy, and simply make your life better.
And if that doesn’t help, don’t feel bad about seeking professional help. Sometimes positive thinking doesn’t always do the trick. Sometimes you need someone who’s professionally qualified to really help you deal with your issues.
If you aren’t at your best, you can’t give your best to anyone else. So commit to being mentally fit as well as physically.
COMMIT TO YOUR FINANCIAL HEALTH
If your saving habits pale in comparison to your spending habits, it’s time to make a new commitment. Start with a six-month emergency fund. Then work your way up to saving 20% of what you make.
Not sure how to do that? Shop at discount clothing and food surplus stores. Make shopping lists (and stick to them). Save your pennies. Maximize your employer’s retirement (if it’s offered) or build your own retirement plan.
Give yourself a reasonable budget — so you can be generous without going broke. Whew! Finances are tough, but once you commit to getting them on track, you’ll be glad you did.
COMMIT TO THE HUNGER
There is something to be said about the human spirit — and human behavior — when hunger comes into play. Commit to your success the same way you commit to finding food when you are famished.
Question everything. Thirst for more knowledge. You don’t know it all — in your field or in life. So when you can’t figure something out or when you are just plain curious, commit to finding the answer — from an actual human being.
Google is great, but Google won’t introduce you to someone in your field who may be able to teach you something new. Commit to feeding your hunger for knowledge, new skills, and bettering yourself.
COMMIT TO EXCELLENCE
Don’t half step. If you’re going to do it, do it the best you can. Set your expectations high enough to reach them but not so high you continuously let yourself down.
Sure it seems easier said than done, but lots of people are pulling it off. Work hard, risk failure, and most importantly, be consistent. If you slip, get back up and keep going. Don’t beat yourself up but do commit to excellence in business and in life in general.
COMMIT TO TRYING NEW THINGS
So maybe you don’t have to say “YES” when your crazy brother-in-law asks you to go skydiving (unless that’s on your bucket list), but don’t turn down every invitation to step outside of your comfort zone.
Go paint the picture. Sing the song. Go on the date. Eat the sushi. Try the new business plan. You don’t have to say yes to everything, but committing to saying ‘yes’ more often than ‘no’ will increase your quality of life tenfold.
By the way, trying something new isn’t easy for most people. If you are feeling nervous about trying something new, here’s a trick by pioneering hypnotherapist Marissa Peer, who teaches a quick trick to make it easier.
COMMIT TO BOLDNESS
It’s OK to make the first move. It’s OK to ask for what you want. It’s OK to do something unpredictable. It’s OK to take risks. It’s OK to commit to boldness.
Say the things that need to be said. Do the things that need to be done, even if those things are looked upon unfavorably. And do them unapologetically.
If you commit to being passive, the world will pass you by. So stand up, be seen, be heard, be bold.
COMMIT TO CHANGING THE WORLD
Whether it’s teaching your children to say “Please” and “Thank You” or teaching a room full of people how to do CPR — commit to doing one thing that will help make the world a better place.
Donate your time. Donate your money. Donate your clothing. Pick up someone else’s trash and throw it away. You don’t have to start your own soup kitchen, but you could volunteer weekly or monthly at one and help change a life. It may even be your own that changes.
Here is an empowering truth about commitment. It doesn’t have to be something big or audacious. The dangerous misconception about commitment is that it only involves you making some big, grand gesture.
Follow-through is the key to commitment. So, don’t plan on doing everything on this list. Start small. One at a time. One day at a time. One week at a time. Do one thing that matters. And keep doing it even after you are bored or discouraged.
Many underestimate the importance of a good night’s rest. Getting enough sleep is vital to maintaining optimal health and well-being. It’s as essential as regular exercise and eating a balanced diet.
Conversely, being sleep deprived negatively affects brain function. Cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance are all affected by the amount of sleep that you get.
35% of Americans don’t get the recommended seven hours of sleep each night.
On average, Americans currently get only 6.8 hours of sleep each night.
In 1910 the average person slept 9 hours a night.
Roughly 20% of Americans have a sleep disorder.
Since 1985 the percentage of adults getting less than six hours of sleep each night has increased by 31%.
97% of teenagers get less than the recommended amount of sleep.
7 out of 10 college students don’t get adequate sleep.
Sleep deprivation costs the US $411 billion annually.
37.9% of people reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day or at work in the last 30 days.
Unfortunately, with today’s busy workplace, getting the right amount of sleep is difficult – even though it’s crucial to get enough sleep regularly!
Better concentration and productivity
Those that are sleep-deprived have more trouble refocusing on a task after an interruption compared to someone who’s well-rested.We all deal with those small disruptions at work – the phone rings, a coworker asks for help, or your boss needs you to handle something – it happens all the time.
How quickly you’re able to jump right back into your original task depends directly on how much sleep you got the night before. Getting a good night’s sleep will also increase your accuracy. According to an article in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, one of the largest sleep deprivation studies ever, it concluded that people are about twice as likely to make mistakes when they’re sleep-deprived.
Lower weight gain risk
A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who aren’t getting enough sleep were more prone to late-night snacking, and were more likely to choose high-carb snacks.
Backing up this research was another study at the University of Chicago, where sleep-deprived participants chose snacks with twice as much fat content as those who slept at least 8 hours.
Another way insufficient sleep affects your weight is by triggering a cortisol spike. Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone, and it also controls your mood, motivation, and fear. According to Healthline, over time, high levels of cortisol may cause weight gain and high blood pressure.
Get sick less often
Studies have shown that employees who sleep for 5 hours a night miss 1 ½ times more work days due to illness than employees who sleep 8 hours a night.
According to the Mayo Clinic, lack of sleep can affect your immune system. People that don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus. It can also affect how quickly you recover once you do get sick.
Improves mood
A study at the University of Pennsylvania found that participants who were only allowed 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week were more stressed, temperamental, and mentally fatigued.
Once they were allowed sufficient sleep, they reported a dramatic improvement in mood. We’ve all been there; a bad night’s sleep makes us grumpy and irritable the next day. We tend to overreact when things aren’t going exactly how we would like them to go.
Conversely, when we wake up refreshed from a good night’s sleep, we’re able to handle things better.
Helps with cardiovascular health
Quality sleep is critical to good health, especially for your heart. During sleep, your blood pressure goes down. When you have sleep problems, your blood pressure stays at a higher rate for a longer period of time. This sustained and elevated blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke.
Dr. Susan Redline, a Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School states that “Sleep-deprived people have higher blood levels of stress hormones and substances that indicate inflammation, a key player in cardiovascular disease. Even a single night of insufficient sleep can perturb your system.”
Now that you know how important sleep is for your overall health, here are some tips to help you sleep faster and have better quality sleep:
1. Changes to your daily activities that can improve sleep
Incorporate physical activity into your day, but not right before you go to bed.
Limit your caffeine intake, especially late in the day.
Drink alcohol in moderation.
Don’t eat a large meal close to bedtime.
Quit smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant and will make it harder to sleep.
Limit your daytime naps to short power naps of 30 minutes or less.
2. Changes to your nighttime habits that can improve sleep
Create a good sleep environment. Make sure the room is dark and quiet.
Set up a routine of going to bed at the same time every night. A consistent nighttime routine will help set your body’s internal clock and help you get to sleep each night.
Avoid using technology like computers, phones, or TVs right before bed.
Relax and clear your mind before bed. Consider listening to relaxing music, reading a book, meditating, or taking a hot bath.
Instead of stressing about the events of the day or what you have planned for the next day, relax your mind and think about positive things.
Figure out what works best for you to allow yourself to get a quality night’s sleep every night. It will improve your health, brain function, and mood.
Waking up marks the beginning of a new day. And what you do first thing in the morning can make or break your day.
That’s why you need a new approach towards mornings. Even if you’ve never considered yourself a morning person, there are ways to ensure you start the morning on a high note.
One way to do that is to get enough sleep and prepare the night before. More on that later.
But build the habit of waking up with the first alarm. Otherwise, you’re basically telling the Universe that you aren’t looking forward to your day and want to put that off for later.
If, instead, you wake up passionate to do some meaningful work, excited about the opportunities that might come your way, and determined to do your best job, you’ll crush it.
What happens once you leave bed, though?
Try some or all of the following:
Make your bed;
Drink a glass of water;
Stretch;
Meditate for a few minutes;
Visualize a successful and productive day;
Write a few things you’re grateful for;
Go through (or write down now) your to-do list for the day;
Include a quick workout.
Just imagine the difference in your health, relationships, mood, focus and career if your daily routine begins this way.
The ideal evening routine
When the day is over, don’t take your work home. Your mind won’t be able to relax if you insist on bringing the office home with you.
If you can’t let go of stress and responsibilities once it’s time to get ready for bed, you’re undoing all the great work you completed during the day.
That’s when having an evening routine will help. Dedicate your last hour of being awake to a few of the following activities:
Declutter the room;
Take a soothing bath;
Unplug from electronic devices;
Have a nice chat with your loved one;
Don’t drink or eat right before bed;
Review how you spent your day;
Prepare your breakfast, clothes, and to-do list for tomorrow morning;
Read a book in bed to get yourself to sleep naturally.
We’re all susceptible to the occasional afternoon lull—that 3pm slump where it’s hard to concentrate or focus on your tasks. Here are 5 ways you can give yourself an energy boost and stay productive through your afternoon:
HAVE A HEALTHY SNACK
Choose snacks that incorporate complex carbohydrates, fiber and protein like whole grain crackers, assorted nuts or raw fruits and vegetables. Unlike a chocolate bar, these snacks will elevate your blood sugar steadily and keep it consistent, rather than experiencing drastic highs and lows.
GO FOR A WALK
Take ten minutes to stretch your legs. Working in an office setting can mean hours of sitting behind a desk. Taking some time to move around and get your blood flowing is important and can give you more energy to get through your afternoon.
LISTEN TO UPLIFTING MUSIC
Plug in your headphones and opt for music that is upbeat and high spirited. Music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music have pre-selected playlists that you can choose from via the search bar which are created for light, uplifting songs. Alternatively, you can search YouTube for similar playlists.
STAY HYDRATED
Drinking enough water each day has many health benefits. For beating the afternoon slump, staying hydrated means consistently replenishing your body with the right type of liquids to keep going. Although coffee can help you wake up, it is dehydrating to your system. Ensure you drink enough water to combat the dehydrating effects of coffee and other dehydrants throughout your day.
CHEW GUM
Studies have shown that chewing gum can enhance memory performance, reduce stress and help you stay awake. The chewing stimulates the muscles in your face and increase blood flow in your head. By choosing peppermint flavoured gum, you can give yourself an added boost as the scent has been known to increase alertness. Ensure you practice good manners while chewing gum in the office; chewing with your mouth closed and not blowing bubbles.
Summer is a notoriously tough job hunting season, but don’t despair, we like to think of it as a great opportunity for job seekers to get ahead of the game. And here’s why:
Less competition
While it’s true a lot of decision-makers take holidays over the summer, it’s similarly true that job seekers do as well. So while your fellow job seekers are taking a break, continuing to commit just 1-2 hours a day to your job search will make sure you’re top of mind and being seen amongst a smaller pool of applicants.
Opportunities to temp
With many staff taking summer breaks, businesses still need to keep the ship afloat and turn to temporary workers to fill positions over the summer. There are always a number of temporary positions available that are a great way to get your foot in the door with some top-tier companies, as well as fill your resume with relevant experience.
It’s high season
For some industries. Not all businesses slow down over summer, in fact, it’s the exact opposite for industries like tourism, agriculture and construction. Doing a little bit of research into what industries are hiring during this peak season can go a long way in your job search.
Summer is great for networking
Job hunting in the summer doesn’t have to be a lonesome, lock-yourself-indoors activity. Get outdoors and amongst all the summer activities and events.. and network! Look at your summer plans as an opportunity to meet new people and make important connections. It doesn’t have to be an aggressive elevator pitch to everyone you know (you don’t want to be ‘that guy’); take the opportunity to find out about different workplaces and jobs people have, maybe even inquire about setting up an informational interview.
