Salary negotiation tips from Uber executive Bozoma Saint John

Salary negotiation tips from Uber executive Bozoma Saint JohnSalary negotiation tips from Uber executive Bozoma Saint JohnJust because you may know your worth doesnt mean you know how to ask for it. Asking for the salary you want can be a stressful negotiation at any stage of your career. We know that our starting salary in one job can set the tone of how much we earn in anotherbei. No one wants to have a botched salary negotiation follow them throughout their career.To get the best possible outcome for your paycheck, you need to arm yourself with knowledge about best practices. As part of your battle preparation, consider the advice of Bozoma Saint John, a powerful brand executive who has been given the monumental task of re-hauling Ubers tarnished brand image1) Say a number firstPrior to working at Uber, Bozoma Saint John ran advertising for Spike Lee and worked as an Apple Music executive. In a CBS interview after being hired at Uber, she shared her best tips for salary negotiatio n with Gayle King.Give the number first, Saint John, the Chief Brand Officer at Uber, toldKing. Make it high as hell because then you can be lowballed.Saint Johns advice is backed by science that finds that the first number given in a negotiation becomes the anchor for the rest of the conversation. Take control of your career by putting down the first anchor.2) Do your homeworkOf course, before you can shoot your shot and aim for the salary of your dream, you need to do a reality check of what are industry standards for your salary. Before giving a high number during negotiations, Saint John advises employees to walk in prepared Do the work. Dont just call a number out of the sky.Discussing salaries can be difficult, but ask trusted colleagues what they are earning, so that you can have a ballpark number of what you should be earning. And if your colleagues are not forthcoming, turn to the internet The Bureau of Labor Statistics has average salary datafor over 800 occupations. And i n some industries like media and entertainment, employees are sharinganonymous salary-transparent databases online.Knowing what numbers your peers are earning allows you to shoot above them, Saint John says Know the range and then exceed the range, because then you negotiate down just a little bit. But if you allow someone to give you the number and its too low, theres no way for you to go back up.3) Bring your whole self to the tableDoing the work is not just about the research and stats you learn, but its also about how you present this information. You may think you need to perform as someone else to do the work, but to get rewarded with the salary and job you want, you need to discuss your unique attributes.For Saint John, doing her job well means not playing games and being her whole self at workBring your whole self to work. I think its really important because bringing your whole self is a very human thing, she told Glamour magazine. This is not the resume, this is the stuff that makes you, you. Its what makes your story interesting and unique. Bringing your whole self to work is the mantra for me as I sit in my office and do the work.

The One Thing You Need to Re-Enter the Workforce

The One Thing You Need to Re-Enter the WorkforceRe-Entering the WorkforceThe One Thing You Need to Re-Enter the WorkforceWeve heard plenty about the cultural phenomenon of career-oriented people leaving the workplace to become at-home parents (either stay-at-home or work-from-home). What we dont hear enough about is the other end of this odyssey, when you realize the time has come to RETURN TO WORK. This is often the point when you realize you no longer possess the single most important thing youll need in order to re-enter the workforce. Nope, its not a suit that fits (though thats probably an issue as well.) Its self-confidence.For at-home parents, theres no single POP of the confidence bubble its more of a long, slow pfffffffffffffttttt. After one, two, maybe even 10 or more years without external validation that is, no accolades from respected colleagues, no glowing performance appraisals, no promotions, no raises ones professional confidence dissipates.And now they expect you t o go on interviews and speak coherently about things having nothing to do with other peoples ingestions or excretions? Who remembers that kind of stuff? Its a serious problem.The solution to getting over this overwhelming emotional hurdle will be different for everyone, of course. But the best thing I did to boost my confidence enough to re-enter the workplace after 10 years of working from home welches to take a temp job that I was overqualified for.Temping or contract work or whatever you want to call it provided just the safety net I needed to bridge the gap. I had been a corporate technical editor in my previous life, and even though I had kept my skills fairly sharp over the years, I was overwhelmed at the thought of jumping back into a permanent, full-time gig. So I signed up with a staffing agency. I told them up front that I would be looking for a real job and might need time off for interviews. I told them that if my kid got sick, Id need to take a day off. To my surprise, that was OK with them.I soon accepted a three-month job as a proofreader of retail sale flyers. Proofreading was something I could do in my sleep (which was a good thing, as my body took awhile to readjust to a desk job.)Heres how it wentDay 1 Arrived before boss. Waited awkwardly in lobby for 15 minutes. Watched people streaming in to work. Became painfully aware of being overdressed. Boss arrived, showed me where the bathrooms, elevators, fire exits, and my cubicle were. Yikes My computer was a Mac (Id been on a PC for several years) and the company was using newer versions of Word and Outlook than I was used to. Filled out papers. Didnt really do any work. No one talked to me. (Nobody ever talks to the temp. I think its a rule.)At exactly 500 p.m., I high-tailed it to my car. The longing to see my kids was a physical ache. I pictured them lying on their beds in fetal positions, wondering why their Mommy had abandoned them (I should probably mention that Id abandoned them to Dad, whod rearranged his work schedule to be home in time for the school bus). I quickly broke down and sobbed the rest of the way home. At 530 I ran into the house, grabbed my sons (then ages 9 and 7) in a bear hug, and cried, Oh my babies, my babies Im not making this up. They gave me strange looks and inquired what the heck was wrong with me. We had all survived. Even my husband was fine.Day 2 and Beyond I knew what to wear. (Yay) My new ID badge let me enter the building all by myself. (Yay) And they finally gave me some WORK to do. They put a proof sheet in my left hand, and a red pen in my right and Stella got her groove back I wowed them with my speed and accuracy. More importantly, I wowed myself. All my fears that Id lost it were brushed away as the weeks went on. My confidence seeped back in.About six weeks into the three-month temp job, they offered me a permanent position. I knew it wasnt the right fit for me, long-term, and by then I was so confident I turned it down.Tempin g wont be the right move for everyone, but it worked wonders for me. It allowed me to brush up my rusty skills, readapt to the working world, and get my family over the logistical and psychological hump of Mom not being always-available. And it prepared me for the job that later led to this oneDo What You Need to DoIf youre approaching the back-to-work transition, consider what will make it less intimidating for YOU. Some people return to their old employers (perhaps in different capacities). Others take continuing education courses to brush up on the latest skills or technologies. And everybody should start tapping into their networks former colleagues, friends, or family members can help you get up to speed on what its like in that jungle out there. If they dont know of any job openings, they might at least be able to help you get an informational interview, which is just what it sounds like an interview where you gather information (about the company, the industry, or a certain t ype of job) with no expectation of hiring.Go on as many interviews as you can land (informational or real), and pay attention to everything. Even unsuccessful interviews are valuable for seeing the kinds of questions hiring managers ask, what people wear to work in various settings, and a number of other details. The first one is always the worst, so try to get it out of the way as soon as you can.Once you break the barrier of your own self-confidence, youll be ready to tackle the rest of your career.

Gender Studies

Gender StudiesGender StudiesThoughts and notes from Ladders editor-in-chief on why the glass ceiling is leise firmly in place.Does the boys club still present barriers to women seeking $100K+ positions?After decades of legislation and corporate policy intended to level the playing field and let qualified women into senior positions, disparities remain - but experts tell Ladders that the real problem may lie in the sociology of networking tactics.Professional women looking for high-powered jobs have the career-development and job-search savvy they need. However, many of them still lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to working their networks, according to George Washington University sociologist Lisa Torres and others who study corporate hiring patterns.The Catch-22 Women and men tend statistically to network with members of their own sex - and because men have historically been in more influential positions, male networks are often more powerful.Women have tended to be better connected overall, but they and many of their female contacts tend to work in more female-dominated jobs, sociologist William Bielby, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, told reporter Kevin Fogarty. So their networks may be wider, but dont reach to as high a level as men, who tend to be better connected, particularly in getting professional news, to more high-status people.Bottom line Women who understand these networking tangles can take better steps to address them, both by strengthening their personal pitches and extending their networks to span the gender gap.

How to Build a Culture of Accountability

How to Build a Culture of AccountabilityHow to Build a Culture of AccountabilityA culture of accountability is an organization of accountable employees. Results are communicated and understood by everybody. Accountability is determined proactively, before the fact, not reactively, after the fact. When a mistake is made, the response is not finger pointing and excuses it is about solving the problem and learning from mistakes. Every employee feels a sense of ownership for organizational results and will do what it takes to achieve those results. Now, who wouldnt want to work in that kind of culture? Even more importantly, how do you create a culture of accountability? It starts and ends with leadership Leaders - starting at the top, and at all levels will send a clear and consistent message (good or bad) about how we do things around here. So, what can leaders do to encourage a culture of accountability? Walk the Talk Nowadays, organizations are so afraid of lawsuits that they w ont admit mistakes. That kind of excuse making and blaming others will cascade down and permeate throughout the organizations. When a leader can stand before their employees and say I made a mistake and this is what were going to do to fix it it tischsets a positive example of accountable behavior that employees wont be afraid to emulate. Define Results and Expectations Dont wait for a mistake to happen and then waste energy finding who is to blame. Instead, set clear standards and expectations before the work even starts. Then, make sure all employees are aware of and understand what results the organization is trying to achieve and what the expectations are for all employees. Every employee should have a line of sight to the organizations desired results. Gain Commitment Without commitment, we get complianceor even resistance. Ill try is not commitment. Ask Do I have your commitment?, and listen to any concerns. Work with the employee to overcome barriers and figure out w hat needs to do to obtain their commitment. Be Open to Feedback and Problem Solving In other words, never shoot the messenger.Have an open-door environment where any employee is empowered to bring any problem to anyone in the organization without fear of repercussion. Hire Accountable Employees Dont just hire for technical skills and experience, hire for cultural fit. Look for a track record of admitting mistakes and overcoming obstacles. Coach Employees on How to Be Accountable Many individuals come from backgrounds where they never had to be accountable. They are used to awards for 5th place. They may have to learn new skills and behaviors, like critical thinking and problem before they can begin to thrive in a culture of accountability. Consequences and Reinforcement Ultimately, there has to be consequences for consistently poor performance and reinforcing for positive results and behaviors. Without this, employees will soon catch on that accountability is all tal k and no action. Hold Each Other Accountable ? In a culture of accountability, leaders dont just hold employees accountable for results. Everyone holds everyone accountable Every employee takes ownership of organizational results, not just their own little part of the world. Again, leaders can role model, teach, and reinforce this kind of ownership mentality. Culture will change in a positive way when leaders consistently practice these 8 principles. If they wont or cant, then perhaps its time to find new leaders.

Job Interview Questions for Home Health Aides

Job Interview Questions for Home Health AidesJob Interview Questions for Home Health AidesIf youd like to make a living as a home care aide or a home health aide, improve yur chances of landing a job in the field by familiarizing yourself with the common questions people in your profession are asked during einstellungsgesprchs. Prepping for your vorstellungsgesprchin this manner will likely make you mora confident and self-assured when you meet prospective employers. Moreover, your answers will be well thought out and comprehensive, giving you the edge over the competition. Keep in mind thatinterview questionswill be specific to the unique job youre applying to, so dont expect the sample questions below to be the only ones asked of you. Types of Home Health Aide Interview Questions Depending on the job, you might be interviewed by an agency (if you are working with a home health aide service or agency), by the family of the client, and/or by the client him or herself. The questio ns you are asked might depend on who interviews you. For example, the clients family might ask you more questions about your bedside manner and your ability to handle the clients particular situation. Regardless of who interviews you, there are a few types of questions that you might get during an interview for a home health aide job. Common interview questions. Many questions will be common interview questions you might be asked at any job, including questions about your work history and your skill sets. Some of these common interview questions will be personal questions about your character. For example, expect the interviewer to ask why you are interested in the field. Caregiving, after all, can be taxing, stressful and requires a lot of hard work. What makes you want to pursue this field that can often be thankless? Questions about practical experience. You will be asked about your practical experience in the field. For example, what types of conditions have you helped clients m anage in the past? Specifically, theyll want to know ifyou have ever cared for someone in a condition similar to the client or clients. Employers will also want to know if there is any aspect of this patients condition that makes you uncomfortable, so they can address the matter early on and before youre faced with this situation. Practical experience questions also include questions about technique. You might be asked about a specific skill, such as how you would appropriately transfer a patient from a bed to a wheelchair, or whether or not you know how to handle a catheter. Behavioral interview questions. Employers want to know how you will handle various situations with your clients. One way they will try to figure this out is to ask you behavioral interview questions. These are questions about how youve handled certain work situations in the past. For example, you might be asked about a time you had to handle a difficult patient or family member, or a time you had to make a diff icult decision. The idea behind these questions is that how you behaved in the past gives the interviewer insight into how you might behave on the job. You might also get some situational questions. These are similar to behavioral interview questions, but they are about how you would handle future work situations. For example, an employer might ask what you would do if a client was unresponsive. Questions about the industry and/or company. If you are interviewing with a particular agency, you might get questions about why you selected this agency, or what you like about the organization. Be sure to research the organization before your interview so that you know a bit about the company. You might also get more general questions about the healthcare industry, or home health aides. You dont have to be an expert, but make sure you can say something about how important home healthcare is for certain populations. Tips for Answering Home Health Aide Interview Questions Here are some t ips for answering job interview questions well Highlight your experience. Before the interview, look back at the job listing. Circle the skills and qualities in the listing that seem most important to the job. Then, think about experiences youve had that demonstrate these skills. You might want to look back at your resume and titel letter to refresh your memory. By thinking of particular experiences ahead of time, youll be able to come up with examples more quickly during the interview.Demonstrate your soft skills. Patience, empathy, and communication are all important soft skills for a home health aide. Display these skills during your interview. For example, be sure to listen closely to the questions being asked. Answer in clear, easy-to-understand responses. Be sure to smile and be friendly to everyone you meet. The way you act in the interview will show the employer what kind of aide you might be. Use the STAR interview technique. When answering a question using a specific examp le from your past, use the STAR interview technique. Describe the situation you were in, explain the task you had to accomplish, and detail the action you took to accomplish that task (or solve that problem). Then, describe the results of your actions. This technique is particularly useful when answering behavioral interview questions.Practice, practice, practice. Thoroughly practice answering common interview questions, including the questions below. Ask a friend or family member to ask you questions so you can practice. The more you prepare, the more easily you will be able to answer questions during the actual interview. Practice will also help you feel more relaxed during the interview so that you can put your best foot forward. Sample Home Health Aide Interview Questions Answers Personal/Common Interview Questions What made you want to become a home health aide?What motivates you to do your best as a home health aide every day?What shifts can you work?How would your forme r employer describe you?What are your greatest strengths as a home health aide? Questions About Your Practical Experience What formal training do you have in healthcare?Do you have first aid/CPR training?Do you specialize in any particular conditions, age groups, etc.?Do you have experience with quadriplegic care (or another condition related to the patient)?Are you comfortable doing light housework?Do you have experience with monitoring a patients vital signs?Do you have experience with bathing patients?How do you keep your patients family informed about the patients progress?How do you maintain the privacy and dignity of your patients? Behavioral and Situational Interview Questions Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision regarding a patient.Describe a time you went above and beyond for a patient or for a family.Tell me about a time you had to deal with a particularly demanding client or family member. What did you learn?Describe your most rewarding experience with a client.Describe a time you resolved a conflict with your patients family. What was the problem? What was the outcome?Describe a time when you had to provide emotional support to a patient.Tell me about a high-stress situation you dealt with, and how you handled it. Tell me a time you had to explain a new concept to someone.Tell me about an emergency situation at work. How did you handle it?Have you ever lost your patience with someone you were caring for? What happened?How do you tell a patient something they do not want to hear?Have you ever made a mistake while working with a patient? How did you resolve the error?How would you handle a patient that resists your care?What do you do if you suppose a client is being abused by his or her family members?What would you do if, 15 minutes after your shift, your replacement has still not arrived? Questions About the Company/Industry What do you think is the future of home healthcare?Why did you select our agency?Do you have any questions about our organization/family/client?Why do you want to work for this agency?What do you like and dislike about home care?What specialties or interests do you have in regards to home care?

Secret Techniques for Best Resume Writers Only Handful of People Know

Secret Techniques for Best Resume Writers Only Handful of People Know Employing a writing service is the perfect approach to have a well-written essay to use as a guideline to guarantee the essays you write are hitting each of the essential points and are at the appropriate depth needed for your academic grade. Custom writing means a critical company with high standards. Resume Writing is an art that allows you to get noticed in the work marketplace. The majority of the templates are offered by named, resume writing specialists and thus the quality is quite great.Read my essay writing service reviews and my guide to selecting the very best service for everything you will need to understand about how to pick the best writing businesses. Through all the writing procedure, you ought to be in direct contact with your writer so that youre able to monitor the progress. Its critical that the service you select knows for aya theyre only choosing the very best essay writers. When your e crafting your resume, you are going to want to be sure youre including the correct info. Vital Pieces of Best Resume Writers Therefore, if youre a bartender searching for a better job, a Bartender Blank Resume Template can help you a good deal. The very first key is to realize how resumes are organized. Employing Word, you can make your own templates for just about any application, including resumes. Preparing a web-based version of your CV or resume is among the simplest methods to edge in front of the pack in your job-hunt pursuits. Nobodys perfect, but anything you send to a prospective employer has to be absolutely flawless. Our resume builder is the quickest approach to create a resume that can help you get your fantasy job. The piece you truly need the hiring manager reading is your latest work experience (and be sure you tailored that info to fit the work description). Every one of them boasts a clean appearance, yellow accents, and Roboto font, which will provide a modern appearance to your documents. For the majority of people having the appropriate document, it has ever helped them to minimize the time of writing a new one for each new job which comes up. Resume writing isnt a simple job and a great deal of factors have to be considered if you desire a resume that will be effective. You may find a number of great resume templates, but youll have to decide if theyre likely to help or hurt your odds of landing an interview. Indeeds resume editor makes it effortless to get into your work experience, education, and techniques. Youre better off to showcase your skills by your experience or have a short and descriptive collection of only the important skills needed by the employer. Along with describing your professional background and degree of expertise, your resume is the ideal location to highlight your abilities. Best Resume Writers for Dummies The purchase form will also help show us what kinds of jobs you are considering getting. There are many techniques to create a one of a kind and professional resume online so youre going to be ready for your next employment application and interview. Some is great advice, but some can land you in hot water when it has to do with applying for jobs. Studying resumes of individuals who hold, or have held the sort of job that youre pursuing, is also beneficial. Preparing an accurate resume isnt a simple endeavor Resumes may be used for a number of reasons, but most often theyre utilised to secure new employment.1 advantage for employers to internet resumes is the substantial cost saving in comparison to traditional hiring methods. The resume is your very first contact with a possible employer. Youre telling the employer what you would like from them. Every employer loves to seek the services of sales people who have already developed client relationships inside their industry. Facts, Fiction and Best Resume Writers The resume file is going to be parsed from the front of the chain to the end, and stop at the first available input reader that may process the file. Or you may select a pre-written resume from your area. The very first section on our resume is going to be a simple education section. The application only provides Json output formatter at this time, but new kind of formatter can be used easily. Why Almost Everything Youve Learned About Best Resume Writers Is Wrong An excellent sample resume should offer you a notion of the info you will need to put in your own resume. A resume builder is going to have you simply offer your information into a webpage. The upcoming free resume template was made in the shape of a brochure. The site will inform you exactly how many views your resume has.

Should We 86 the 9 to 5

Should We 86 the 9 to 5 It welches 630 a.m. I knew because I could hear my dad barreling down the hallway and into my room. The sun is barely up and its already a great day, he would say to me in a booming voice. I certainly couldnt tell how happy the sun was after he flicked the light on in my room considering it was still considerably dark outside. In my teenage and hormone-fueled disposition, I would grunt and abruptly turn the blankets into a cocoon. I was not the morning lark my father was. His quick-witted banter, loving nicknames, and persistence in rising his night owl were clear indicators of the tendency of the early birds worm victory. Though this may not seem like a science-laden claim, the truth is there is biological and naturalistic evidence to support that each human has very different needs when it comes to sleep. Chronotypes are what theyre called and they are the explanation to why you may find that even with months of a certain shift, your body still hasnt adjusted to the hours you keep.Are you a snooze slapper or an early riser?Just yesterday, an employee of my company walked in after waking up an hour later than normal for her shift and exclaimed how awake and productive she already felt. Knowing that this employee has night owl tendencies could be important to understanding when she will be more helpful in accomplishing company goals.Night owls are those people who have a hard time aufgabeing asleep at night no matter what time they woke up in the morning, while morning larks/early birds are those who fall asleep early and wake up with or before the sun. Dont fit either of these? Then youre known as a hummingbird. Studies of a gene called PER1 have lead researchers to believe that 16 percent of the population are night owls, 36 percent are morning larks and 48 percent are right in the middle (hummingbirds).A pillow to rest your headHow can an office be suited to both the night owl and morning lark? Though western culture accepts the need to wake up to an alarm with sleepy eyes, evidence shows that adjusting the workday to our body might be more of a winner than doing the opposite.Companies offering flextime see more engaged employees and turnover rates of less than 5 percent. Having more choice in work schedule could save $15 million a year by reducing absences and stress. Accommodating or lack thereof your employees sleep schedules can mean the difference between extreme productivity and lethargic deadlines.Ill sleep when Im deadWhen our brain cells work, they produce waste product that needs to be removed in order to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. Because this process is energy intensive, our awakened bodies are only working at about 5 percent of their performance capabilities. Sleeping boosts the process speed and efficiency by shutting all the normal awake processes (movements, thoughts, memories and signal analysis) d own, switching to clean mode.The truth is that when my dad jarred me from my sleep for school, I was not reacting as either chronotype. I was being a teenager. Most humans wake up the latest in the years of 13-21 than any other time in their lives, but that doesnt mean you dont feel the toll of working early in the morning as an adult.A light at the end of the sleepy tunnelMany professionals accept that waking up to alarms, drinking coffee for boosts and being too tired to sleep at night is normal. While it is impossible to change your genetic chronotype, it is possible to trick your body into gliding through work schedules and social calendars.Bright light is the answer. Owls should brave the drawn curtains and shed light into their mornings by leaving open the shades and going for a walk or run as soon as you wake up. Larks who have the late shift should do the opposite with active evenings and bright lights at night.Whether you are a morning lark or night owl, you will probably f ind that your sleep schedule interferes with your work life, social life or anything in between. By learning your routine and changing a few habits, you can survive that jet lagged business trip or end of the quarter overtime.

Customize this Outstanding Web Designer Resume Template

Customize this Outstanding Web konzeptioner Resume TemplateCustomize this Outstanding Web Designer Resume TemplateWriting the Web Designer Resume TemplateCreate Resume Websites have become as essential to corporations as phone numbers, which means that every company needs a website. While there are plenty of services to help create websites, a real business website is developed by a professional designer. For your Web Designer resume template to stand out, you need to show your creative side and your progressive Internet programming side as well.Resume Template for Web DesignerArnold CaineProfessional SummaryCreative Web Designer utilizing a wide variety of design techniques to enhance search results and drive revenue. Invites success by meeting the design needs of the client, utilizing the latest security measures to protect each website and staying ahead of programming trends. Looks forward to being creative and practical with each website design.Core QualificationsCertified HTML ExpertAdaptive Design DevelopmentEcommerce UtilizationExternal Service ManagementInternet Security ExpertCustomer CommunicationsExperienceWeb Designer, September 2011 May 2015Alabaster Design New Cityland, CASimultaneously worked on three large projects that had tight deadlines and large design teams attached to them.Created several innovative security measures for larger websites that are still being used.Developed a comprehensive comparison of the major ecommerce service providers that allowed the company to make the best possible decision for each client.Webmaster, June 2001 September 2011Grill Incorporated New Cityland, CAResponsible for answering all webmaster email or distributing it to the proper people.Performed website updates as required by the marketing team.Assisted in working with a web designer on additions to the site.Education2001 Bachelor of Science, Internet EngineeringUlysses College New Cityland, CACustomize Resume

5 ways to shake off your morning haze and find the energy to work

5 ways to shake off your morning haze and find the energy to work5 ways to shake off your morning haze and find the energy to workHave you ever had one of those mornings where, exhausted, you roll out of bed before the sun comes up, only to see something that makes you want to run all the way back home at the beginning of an hours-long commute?Heres how you can power through when youre not in the most cheerful or energized mood when you get to work.Keep it moving literallyGet up, get up, get upBefore your energy escapes you during your daily crash at noon, do something about it. Go for a walk well before you actually feel waves of sluggishness clouding your head.Change your surroundings if you feel a fog coming on - take a brisk walk outside, to the water cooler in the pantry or to a far-flung parte of the office.Theres no need to live in a fog.Stay ahead of your hungerThe same goes for food at work - eat before youre super hungry.Whether youre possibly vitamin- or mineral-deficie nt (see a medical professional) or just have trouble managing your energy because your food choices backfire, eat things that will give you energy without a drastic crash.Load up on healthy snacks, eat on time, and consistently hydrate with water.Need some ideas and/or inspiration?While were on this subject, heres how celebrities eat to manage their energy.Listen upPut on your earphones and turn the volume up a little bit Tune into a podcast or an audio book if youre able to follow along with a story while you work.If paying attention to a chain of events doesnt work for you, listen to music that helps your thought process and sparks creativity.Lighten up and enjoy others companyIf youre not in the best of moods when you come in, take a deep breath and give yourself permission to have a different type of day.When people are nice to you, be nice back.but also recognize when you need some spaceThat being said, you dont need to give all your time away. If you can, work in a conference room or dining areaif you just need some time to yourself.(And give your toxic coworker some space - you have other things on your plate.)So get ahead of your day - dont let it get ahead of you.

7 secrets that will make you build good habits

7 secrets that will make you build good habits7 secrets that will make you build good habitsBuilding good habits can be hard. Real hard. Nearly half of dieters give up within a week.FromStick with ItForty percent of dieters quit within one week and mora than 50 percent end up weighing mora than they did before they started their diets.So what really helps? Does anybody have some answersthat could make lasting changes three times easier to achieve? Actually, yes.Dr. Sean Young is amedical school prof at UCLA who studies behavior change and hes helped people build good eating, sleeping and exercising habits. He sums up his work in thenewbookStick with It A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life-for Good.So what can we learn from Sean? Lets get to it1. Small Steps Beat Big DreamsYoure dreaming about having that awesome beach body. Big dreams are exciting but theyre also intimidating. And thats probably why they usuallystaydreams.Want to build the good eating and exercising habits that will get you there? Then think small. Real small. No, even smaller.FromStick with ItFocusing on small steps allows people to achieve their goals faster than if they focused on dreams. Focusing on small steps also keeps people happier and more motivated to keep trying because they get rewarded more frequently.The goal is to build a habit. So consistency is the most important thing because without consistency, well, its elend really a habit. Instead, its a thing you do sometimes-kinda-when-you-feel-like it-maybe.And its easier to be consistent when something is so small youd feel silly if you didnt do it.BJ Fogg, head of the Stanford University Persuasive Tech Lab, calls it Minimum Viable Effort. Heres whatBJ saysMake it tiny. To create a new habit, you must first simplify the behavior. Make it tiny, even ridiculous. A good tiny behavior is easy to do - and fast.And this works. Focus on small steps, not big dreams and youll make progress.FromStick with ItThe women who (d id this)were more likely to keep eating healthier throughout the six-week study. They also lost more weight than the women in the other group. In fact, those who had focused on dreams actually gained weight. Many studies confirm this principle to change behavior, focus on the day-to-day process, rather than the outcome.Once youre doing it consistently, make the steps bigger. That works far better than being too ambitious initially and quitting.(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my new bookhere.)So, baby steps for the win. But how are you going to maintain change when you get busy or get distracted?2. Call For BackupIts not called Alcoholic Anonymous its called AlcoholicsAnonymous. When people want to make big changes in their lives they need people, notperson.Get help. Sean says it makes a big difference.FromStick with ItBe around people who are doing what you want to be doing. Social support and social competition foster change.And other research backs this up.The Longevity Project, which studied over 1000 people from youth to death had this to sayThe groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. For people who want improved health, association with other healthy people is usually the strongest and most direct path of change.To quote an old saying, If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.(To learn the 8 secrets to breaking bad habits, clickhere.)Baby steps. With friends But you can still flake out. Why? Because you didnt answer a critical question3. Ask Why Is This Important?Too many attempts at fostering good habits start with something akin to Itd be nice ifNope. That habit isnt going to last. But when the doctor says, Change your diet or youll be dead in six months Wow, change getssomuch easier.Ask yourself, Why is this important? And what answers will actually get you motivated? Sean says the research points to three big areas to focus on.FromStick with ItThe big three m oney, socialconnections, andhealth.So consider how this new habit might cause you to gain (or not lose) some cash. How it might improve your relationships. Or how it might benefit your health. Those threewill make the new habit feel meaningful, and that will get you motivated.Research by Teresa Amabileat Harvard has shown thatnothing is more motivating thanprogress in meaningful activities.FromThe Progress Principle Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at WorkThis pattern is what we call the progress principleof all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most powerful is progress in meaningful work of all the negative events, the single most powerful is the opposite of progress- setbacks in the work.(To learn the 6 rituals ancient wisdom says will make you happy, clickhere.)Okay, the steps are simple, youre motivated and you have help. But now you actually have todoit. How can you make sure that actually happens day-in, day-out?4.Make It EasyThe more hoops you have to jump through to accomplish something, the less likely you are to do it. This isnt as inviolate as the lawsof thermodynamics, but pretty darn close.So get rid of as many hoops as possible beforehand.Shawn Achor, author of thebestsellerThe Happiness Advantage, recommends leveraging The 20 second rule.Heres ShawnIf you can make the positive habit three to 20 seconds easier to start, your likelihood of doing it rises dramatically.And you can do the saatkorn thing by flipping it for negative habits.Watching too much television? Merely take out the batteries of the remote control creatinga 20 second delay and it dramatically decreases the amount of television people will watch.Make good habits easier to do and bad habits harder to do and you can turnyour laziness into an advantage.(For more great tips from Shawn on how to be happier and more successful, clickhere.)Alright, now you may have heard some of these tips before. But what advice have you frequently been told that is downright wrong and counterproductive?Youve been told to change your mindset so that your actions will change. Sean says thats backwards5. Act Before You ThinkYeah, you heard me. Act before you think.You read stuff, consider it, dwell on it, mull over it but you dontdoit.Dont try and change your mind so your behavior will change. Change your behavior and your mind will shrug and happily follow.FromStick with ItThat the mind controls behavior is the basis for many top-selling self-help and popular-psychology books. They teach that people can change their behavior by imagining and willing themselves to change. But this is wrong. Most smokers cant quit just by imagining themselves quitting. People dont stick to their New Years resolutions by telling themselves that this year will be different than other years. Managers cant get their salespeople to close a deal just by telling them tovisualize closing it. Social psychologists know now that the truth lies in the oppos ite direction. People need to change their actions and their minds will follow.Tim Wilson, a professor at UVA, did the underlyingresearch and says thatthe easiest way to be good is to just focus on doing good.Heres TimOften, if we want to change who we think we are, one of the best ways to do it is to change our behavior first. If we want to become a little more extroverted, then act that way for a while. Force ourselves to act in an extroverted way. If we want to become better, more pro-social, helpful people, well then go out and do some volunteer work. Often, the story follows the behavior change.(To see the schedule that very successful people follow every day, clickhere.)Okay, so youre actually following through. Awesome. What will reinforce the habit so it gets stronger over time?6.Reward YourselfWhen actors would ask the great director Alfred Hitchcock Whats my motivation? he would reply, Your paycheck.Rewards can be tricky motivators over the long run, but in the early stage s of cementinga habit, Sean confirms they can be very useful.If the activity isnt very rewarding in itself, you can try what Wharton professor Katherine Milkman calls temptation bundling.Love listening to audiobooks? Okay, you only get to do that after the report is done for work. Love chocolate? You only get to eat it after you hit the gym.Its a simple formulatie every want to a should.Youwantchocolate? Youshouldgo to the gym first.If you add a reward after a good habit you want to build, its a powerful reinforcer.Charles DuhiggexplainsThe research shows that every habit has three components. Theres the cue, which is a trigger for an automatic behavior to start. Then, a erfahrungen, which is the behavior itself. Finally, a reward. The reward is really important because thats how your brain essentially learns to latch onto a particular pattern and make it automatic. Chocolate, after running, is an obvious example of a reward that many people enjoy. It doesnt have to be chocolate.Wha t matters is that if you want to make a behavior into a habit, you need to give yourself something you enjoy as soon as that behavior is done. It could be a piece of chocolate. It could be having a smoothie. It could be relaxing for 15 minutes and taking a nice shower. Whats important there is that people give themselves a reward.(To learn how to beat bad habits using mindfulness, clickhere.)So the habit is real and getting stronger. Great. How do you make it a set-in-stone part of your day?7. Build ARoutineWhen does it happen? Where does it happen? How does it start? How does it end? Round all those out and repeat.Build a routine.Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.FromStick with ItThe secret to making things engrained in the brain is based on this repetition repeating behaviors, especially if it can be done every day, in the same place, and at the same time, will teach the brain that it needs to remember this behavior to make iteasier to keep doing it.This isnt merely elegant, it has its roots in real neuroscience research. When I spoke to neuroscientistalexanderplatz Korb, he said that the critical part of the brain here is the dorsal striatum.Thats the part of your grey matterthat always wants to do what you have done in the past.When your prefrontal cortex (the rational part of your brain that sets goals) and your nucleus accumbens (the party animal that wants to screw around on the internet) go to war, the dorsal striatum often has thetie-breaking vote on what you actually choose to do.So if you repeat agood habitfrequently, your dorsal striatum sides with the prefrontal cortex and it gets a lot easier todo the good stuff instead of the bad stuff. So construct a good routine that slides you right into performing that habit and youll rewire the dorsal striatum so its pushing you in the right direction.(To learn the 4 rituals neuroscience says will make you happy, clickhere.)Alright, weve learned a lot. Lets round it all up and learn the best way to get starte dSum UpHeres how to build good habitsSmall steps beat big dreams Doing the minimum consistently beats endless overthinking.Call for backup You get more done when you have role models, cheerleaders and people to nag you.Ask, Why is it important? Do it because of money, relationships or health and its more likely to actually get done.Make it easy If you sleep in your gym clothes with your sneakers next to the bed, youre more likely to wake up and go to the gym.Act before you think Change your behavior to change your mind. Dont try and change your mind to change your behavior.Reward yourself Do the trick and you get a treat. It works for Fido and it will work for you.Build a routine Making it a part of your day leads to repetition, and that will rewire your brain for the better.So answer three questions right nowWhats a goal thats really important to you?What easy, small step can you do with a friend regularly to get closer to achieving it?How will you reward yourself after?Got yourans wers? Great.Sendthis post to that friend and tell them the habit you want to build and the step you want to make toward it. Set a time with them to get started.Youre on your way. Yeah, right now its just one little step.But one little step is how you start to make big changes in life.As anotherold saying goes, You can do anything once you stop trying to do everything.Join more than 300,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related postsNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertThis article originally appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.7 secrets that will make you build good habitsBuilding good habits can be hard. Real hard. Nearly half of dieters give up within a week.FromStick with ItForty percent of dieters quit within one week and more than 50 percent end up weighing more than they did before they started their diets.So what really helps? Does anybody have some answersthat could make lasting changes three times easier to achieve? Actually, yes.Dr. Sean Young is amedical school professor at UCLA who studies behavior change and hes helped people build good eating, sleeping and exercising habits. He sums up his work in thenewbookStick with It A Scientifically Proven Process for Changing Your Life-for Good.So what can we learn from Sean? Lets get to it1. Small Steps Beat Big DreamsYoure dreaming about having that awesome beach body. Big dreams are exciting but theyre also intimidating. And thats probably why they usuallystaydreams.Want to build the good eating and exercising habits that will get you there? Then think small. Real small. No, even smaller.FromStick with ItFocusing on small steps allows people to achieve their goals faster than if they focused on dreams. Focusing on small steps also keeps people happier and more motivated to keep trying because they get rewarded more frequently.The goal is to b uild a habit. So consistency is the most important thing because without consistency, well, its not really a habit. Instead, its a thing you do sometimes-kinda-when-you-feel-like it-maybe.And its easier to be consistent when something is so small youd feel silly if you didnt do it.BJ Fogg, head of the Stanford University Persuasive Tech Lab, calls it Minimum Viable Effort. Heres whatBJ saysMake it tiny. To create a new habit, you must first simplify the behavior. Make it tiny, even ridiculous. A good tiny behavior is easy to do - and fast.And this works. Focus on small steps, not big dreams and youll make progress.FromStick with ItThe women who (did this)were more likely to keep eating healthier throughout the six-week study. They also lost more weight than the women in the other group. In fact, those who had focused on dreams actually gained weight. Many studies confirm this principle to change behavior, focus on the day-to-day process, rather than the outcome.Once youre doing it consistently, make the steps bigger. That works far better than being too ambitious initially and quitting.(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my new bookhere.)So, baby steps for the win. But how are you going to maintain change when you get busy or get distracted?2. Call For BackupIts not called Alcoholic Anonymous its called AlcoholicsAnonymous. When people want to make big changes in their lives they need people, notperson.Get help. Sean says it makes a big difference.FromStick with ItBe around people who are doing what you want to be doing. Social support and social competition foster change.And other research backs this up.The Longevity Project, which studied over 1000 people from youth to death had this to sayThe groups you associate with often determine the type of person you become. For people who want improved health, association with other healthy people is usually the strongest and most direct path of change.To quote an old saying, If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.(To learn the 8 secrets to breaking bad habits, clickhere.)Baby steps. With friends But you can still flake out. Why? Because you didnt answer a critical question3. Ask Why Is This Important?Too many attempts at fostering good habits start with something akin to Itd be nice ifNope. That habit isnt going to last. But when the doctor says, Change your diet or youll be dead in six months Wow, change getssomuch easier.Ask yourself, Why is this important? And what answers will actually get you motivated? Sean says the research points to three big areas to focus on.FromStick with ItThe big three money, socialconnections, andhealth.So consider how this new habit might cause you to gain (or not lose) some cash. How it might improve your relationships. Or how it might benefit your health. Those threewill make the new habit feel meaningful, and that will get you motivated.Research by Teresa Amabileat Harvard has shown thatnothing is mo re motivating thanprogress in meaningful activities.FromThe Progress Principle Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at WorkThis pattern is what we call the progress principleof all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most powerful is progress in meaningful work of all the negative events, the single most powerful is the opposite of progress- setbacks in the work.(To learn the 6 rituals ancient wisdom says will make you happy, clickhere.)Okay, the steps are simple, youre motivated and you have help. But now you actually have todoit. How can you make sure that actually happens day-in, day-out?4.Make It EasyThe more hoops you have to jump through to accomplish something, the less likely you are to do it. This isnt as inviolate as the lawsof thermodynamics, but pretty darn close.So get rid of as many hoops as possible beforehand.Shawn Achor, author of thebestsellerThe Happiness Advantage, recommends leveraging The 20 second rule.Heres Sha wnIf you can make the positive habit three to 20 seconds easier to start, your likelihood of doing it rises dramatically.And you can do the same thing by flipping it for negative habits.Watching too much television? Merely take out the batteries of the remote control creatinga 20 second delay and it dramatically decreases the amount of television people will watch.Make good habits easier to do and bad habits harder to do and you can turnyour laziness into an advantage.(For more great tips from Shawn on how to be happier and more successful, clickhere.)Alright, now you may have heard some of these tips before. But what advice have you frequently been told that is downright wrong and counterproductive?Youve been told to change your mindset so that your actions will change. Sean says thats backwards5. Act Before You ThinkYeah, you heard me. Act before you think.You read stuff, consider it, dwell on it, mull over it but you dontdoit.Dont try and change your mind so your behavior will ch ange. Change your behavior and your mind will shrug and happily follow.FromStick with ItThat the mind controls behavior is the basis for many top-selling self-help and popular-psychology books. They teach that people can change their behavior by imagining and willing themselves to change. But this is wrong. Most smokers cant quit just by imagining themselves quitting. People dont stick to their New Years resolutions by telling themselves that this year will be different than other years. Managers cant get their salespeople to close a deal just by telling them tovisualize closing it. Social psychologists know now that the truth lies in the opposite direction. People need to change their actions and their minds will follow.Tim Wilson, a professor at UVA, did the underlyingresearch and says thatthe easiest way to be good is to just focus on doing good.Heres TimOften, if we want to change who we think we are, one of the best ways to do it is to change our behavior first. If we want to b ecome a little more extroverted, then act that way for a while. Force ourselves to act in an extroverted way. If we want to become better, more pro-social, helpful people, well then go out and do some volunteer work. Often, the story follows the behavior change.(To see the schedule that very successful people follow every day, clickhere.)Okay, so youre actually following through. Awesome. What will reinforce the habit so it gets stronger over time?6.Reward YourselfWhen actors would ask the great director Alfred Hitchcock Whats my motivation? he would reply, Your paycheck.Rewards can be tricky motivators over the long run, but in the early stages of cementinga habit, Sean confirms they can be very useful.If the activity isnt very rewarding in itself, you can try what Wharton professor Katherine Milkman calls temptation bundling.Love listening to audiobooks? Okay, you only get to do that after the report is done for work. Love chocolate? You only get to eat it after you hit the gym.It s a simple formulatie every want to a should.Youwantchocolate? Youshouldgo to the gym first.If you add a reward after a good habit you want to build, its a powerful reinforcer.Charles DuhiggexplainsThe research shows that every habit has three components. Theres the cue, which is a trigger for an automatic behavior to start. Then, a routine, which is the behavior itself. Finally, a reward. The reward is really important because thats how your brain essentially learns to latch onto a particular pattern and make it automatic. Chocolate, after running, is an obvious example of a reward that many people enjoy. It doesnt have to be chocolate.What matters is that if you want to make a behavior into a habit, you need to give yourself something you enjoy as soon as that behavior is done. It could be a piece of chocolate. It could be having a smoothie. It could be relaxing for 15 minutes and taking a nice shower. Whats important there is that people give themselves a reward.(To learn how to beat bad habits using mindfulness, clickhere.)So the habit is real and getting stronger. Great. How do you make it a set-in-stone part of your day?7. Build ARoutineWhen does it happen? Where does it happen? How does it start? How does it end? Round all those out and repeat.Build a routine.Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.FromStick with ItThe secret to making things engrained in the brain is based on this repetition repeating behaviors, especially if it can be done every day, in the same place, and at the same time, will teach the brain that it needs to remember this behavior to make iteasier to keep doing it.This isnt merely elegant, it has its roots in real neuroscience research. When I spoke to neuroscientistAlex Korb, he said that the critical part of the brain here is the dorsal striatum.Thats the part of your grey matterthat always wants to do what you have done in the past.When your prefrontal cortex (the rational part of your brain that sets goals) and your nucleus accumbens ( the party animal that wants to screw around on the internet) go to war, the dorsal striatum often has thetie-breaking vote on what you actually choose to do.So if you repeat agood habitfrequently, your dorsal striatum sides with the prefrontal cortex and it gets a lot easier todo the good stuff instead of the bad stuff. So construct a good routine that slides you right into performing that habit and youll rewire the dorsal striatum so its pushing you in the right direction.(To learn the 4 rituals neuroscience says will make you happy, clickhere.)Alright, weve learned a lot. Lets round it all up and learn the best way to get startedSum UpHeres how to build good habitsSmall steps beat big dreams Doing the minimum consistently beats endless overthinking.Call for backup You get more done when you have role models, cheerleaders and people to nag you.Ask, Why is it important? Do it because of money, relationships or health and its more likely to actually get done.Make it easy If you sleep in your gym clothes with your sneakers next to the bed, youre more likely to wake up and go to the gym.Act before you think Change your behavior to change your mind. Dont try and change your mind to change your behavior.Reward yourself Do the trick and you get a treat. It works for Fido and it will work for you.Build a routine Making it a part of your day leads to repetition, and that will rewire your brain for the better.So answer three questions right nowWhats a goal thats really important to you?What easy, small step can you do with a friend regularly to get closer to achieving it?How will you reward yourself after?Got youranswers? Great.Sendthis post to that friend and tell them the habit you want to build and the step you want to make toward it. Set a time with them to get started.Youre on your way. Yeah, right now its just one little step.But one little step is how you start to make big changes in life.As anotherold saying goes, You can do anything once you stop trying to do everything.Join more than 300,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related postsNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertThis article originally appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.