An Action Plan to Achieve Career Goals - Your Career Intel

An Action Plan to Achieve Career Goals - Your Career IntelYour career isnt just a job you do to pay the rent. A successful career means planning ahead, understanding yourself and your values, enlisting help, being patient but flexible and doing something every day that moves you toward your goal.If You Dont Know Where Youre Going, Youll Never Get ThereHave a vision for your career. That vision can be anything doctor, CEO, IT specialist, geschftliches miteinander owner, stand-up comedian. From that end point, work your way back to where you are today. Ask yourself From where I am right now, what are the steps I need take and what accomplishments do I need to attain to get to that end point? Your career plan should list both short- and long-term career goals and the actions you must take to achieve them.First, Know Thyself An honest self-assessment is the essential first step in planning your career and will require some serious reflection on your part. What are you good at? What are y ou not good at? What are your skills? What interests you? What bores you? What are your values? What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? Consider taking the Myers-Briggs personality testto gain further insights.Enlist Your ManagerThink about how your manager can help you achieve your goals. Talk to your manager on a regular basis to discuss your goals. Your manager can remove obstacles, offer guidance and advice and adjust job performance metrics to match your goals. You should be prepared to show how your goals coincide with the needs of your organization.Time and FlexibilityWhen setting your professional goals at work, realize youll need patience. Reaching your career goals doesnt happen overnight. At some point, you will either hit a wall or seem to plateau. Thats when its important to stay on target and keep up those daily routines. Its a good idea to remain flexible. Goals can change over time or due to new circumstances. Keep your eye on your long-term goals, but b e willing to adjust along the way.Actions Every Day Achieving your career goals is a continual process. The following should be routine for youUse criticism and feedback to improve but ignore the naysayersContinuously research trends in your industry as you learn about your chosen vocation , youll complete mora and advance fasterNetwork with people in your industry but also talk to people outside of your field youd be surprised howthat can sometimes unexpectedly open a new doorAlways improve enhance your current skills and acquire new skillsTake calculated risks, try something new or take on a task a bit outside your comfort zoneTime ManagementAs you plan your career, remember the old saying, All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. (And that goes for Jill, too.) Of course, you want a successful career but not at the price of enjoying life. A robust career plan should balance your work and personal life. Of course, if you choose your career that dovetails with your values and int erests, work can be fun and engaging.

5 Signs Youre Not Getting Enough Sleep, Based on Your Work Performance

5 Signs Youre Not Getting Enough Sleep, Based on Your Work Performance True or really true? Better sleep helps us live and work better.I dont think it will be longer until we include aspects of lifestyle screening in recruiting practices. We already have personality assessments, and our lifestyle can impact our personality just think of how you feel after three nights of inadequate sleep. You wake up feeling groggy, moody, irritable, and that list goes on right?Dr. Christopher Barns, a researcher at Washington University, discovered that if you sleep less than 6 hours, youre mora likely to do terrible things on the job like fake receipts and reimbursement claims and lie to get incentives. Professional ethical behavior is a no-brainer characteristic of a hire worthy job candidate. So with that being the case hiring managers and recruiters should definitely be asking about sleep habits in interviews. Actually, Arianna Huffington founder of Thrive Global even believes that we should be listing our sleep habits on our rsums. So whos heading over to their LinkedIn summary or skill section to add something new to their electronic rsum?Five things youll probably find yourself doing if youre sleep deprived1. Social loafingThis concept means that we put less effort in a group task rather than when working alone. If were sleep deprived the belastung thing we have is energy, whether that means physical, emotional, or mental strength. Depending on others to do our job and opting for the easier way out can cause us to be disliked and have interpersonal problems with co-workers. On top of the loafing Barns has discovered that leid getting enough sleep causes us to be mora likely to blame others for our mistakes and lie and take the credit for something we havent done.2. Lacking self-control and being a bit abusiveIn the book Why We Sleep neuroscientist Matthew Walker mentioned a study that showed when a supervisor doesnt sleep well they have less self-control and are more a busive in their behavior the following day. Why is that so? Well, a lack of sleep affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls innovation, self-control, and creativity. Plus, stress hormones are difficult to regulate when were not sleeping enough. So now you know, you can add the question did you sleep well last night to your morning office routine.3. Forgetting simple thingsWhen we get a good nights sleep out muscle tissues grow and experience recovery, our bodys metabolism regulates, and our brain is energized. Forgetfulness is a common sign of not enough sleep, and a foggy brain cant communicate well. More than 85% of corporate executives, employees, and educators blame ineffective communications as a primary reason for failures in the workplace. Effective communication is a key performance indicator.4. Cant seem to think outside of the boxNeuroscientists link sleep with innovation, and being deprived of it is associated with impaired mental ability. In fact, a 1999 study proved that just one day of poor sleep affects innovative thinking and flexible decision-making. If your performance shows that you lack impact and creativity, do things that have proved to boost creative thinking. Learn about something out of your comfort zone, try to eat healthier, and surround yourself with creative and resourceful thinkers. Sometimes this is easier said then done right, but change begins with a step.5. Taking more time then youd like to complete easy tasksThe more sleep-deprived you are, the slower you become at getting tasks done at work, according to a 2012 Journal of Vision study. And because its taking you more time to get stuff done, youre working more. Plus Reuters reported that according to researchers from Brigham and Womens Hospital the accuracy and speed on a computer-based task decreased the longer study participants were awake. And because its taking you longer to get stuff done, youre working more and become burnt out. The thing about that is when were not functioning optimally the body eventually becomes used to it, and it becomes normal. We wont really know how even more amazing our work performance will be until we habitually get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night.Ready to get to the next level in your career and job performance? Start with prioritizing your sleep.--Rachel Montanez is a career coach and career development speaker. Check out her website here.