Study Binge drinking at happy hour can affect sleep and work

Study Binge drinking at happy hour can affect sleep and workStudy Binge drinking at happy hour can affect sleep and workThink happy hours help you unwind after work? Think again. A new study shows how a single binge drinking episode affects the gene that regulates sleep.According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Previous one in six U.S. adults binge drinks at least four times a month. This statistic may include those Friday happy hours youre enjoying with coworkers.Now, new findings from the University of Missouri School of Medicine explain how even a single episode of binge drinking can affect the gene that regulates sleep, leading to sleep disruption in mice. The studys primary author is Mahesh M. Thakkar, Ph.D., Professor, and Director of Research, Dept. of Neurology, University of Missouri School of Medicine.Thakkar isnt saying not to socialize with coworkers but says remain aware of how many drinks youre having.Limit yourself and practice moderation, Thakkar says. O ur research suggests that a single episode of binge drinking (five drinks) affects sleep. Thus, moderation or drinking two drinks may have minimal effects on sleep. Also refraining from drinking alcohol on consecutive days will prevent alcohol tolerance development.Binge-drinking can lead to sleep disturbancesTo prove the research, a mouse model was used, and Thakkar monitored the effect of binge drinking on sleep patterns. Thakkar found mice exposed to binge drinking experienced a significant increase in non-rapid eye movement sleep four hours post-binge, followed by increased wakefulness and reduced sleep during subsequent sleep periods. Thakkar also discovered post-binge mice did not experience an increase in a sleep-promoting chemical, adenosine, in the brain nor increased sleep pressure during sleep deprivation. The research also revealed binge alcohol consumption affects the gene that regulates sleep, resulting in sleep disturbances.What we have shown in this research is that a particular gene - which is very important for sleep homeostasis - is altered by just one session of binge drinking, Thakkar said. We were not expecting this. We thought it would be affected after multiple sessions of binge drinking, not one. That tells you that as soon as you consume four drinks, it can alter your genes.In addition to sleep disturbances, Thakker discussed the after-effects of binge drinking.Thakker says binge drinking profoundly impacts job performance. Imagine going to work feeling very sleepy because you did not have good night sleep, adds Thakker. Thinking, decision making even things like driving become difficult.So, the next time theres a work outing with alcohol, limit drinks to two and call it a night.

Recession-Proof Your Career

Recession-Proof Your CareerRecession-Proof Your CareerA road map to resilienceOnce upon a time in the world of work, professionals at all levels could expect to not only keep their position, but move up the ladder based on their dedicated service and eventually retire from the same employer with a good pension. Those days are history. And in fact today quite a different scenario shakes the lives of professionals in all organizational ranks.How do you manage and recession-proof your talents within a global economy where constant technological and (thus) organizational change are commonplace? How do you sustain your career in a work world where theres no job security?Lets take a look at two different approaches to career management that illustrate the answers pretty neatly.Keith was a director at a telecom company who was blindsided when his position was eliminated. Hed noticed that his division wasnt performing as well as in prior years, but concluded the situation was beyond his cont rol and adopted a wait and see stance. Keith didnt update his skills - nor did he study for certifications in his field. He also didnt have a clue about other industries where his skills could be applied. When he was laid off, Keith didnt know where to begin.Mary Anne, in sharp contrast to her colleague, continually remained one step ahead of the curve throughout her career. elend only did she heed the early warning signs in the division and study global industry trends, but she actively diversified her personal career portfolio. She continually expanded her skills sets, achieved professional designations, became a recognized expert in her field and carefully maintained her network. She also clearly identified her marketable skills, maintained up-to-date career marketing tools and became knowledgeable of the other industries to which she could transfer her experience.Consequently, Mary Anne is well-positioned and armed with knowledge of her internal and external options, as well as tools to launch her search in advance of job loss. zu sich re-employment efforts were more focused, efficient and successful. Would you rather be looking for work with 15,000 others from your industry or three months in advance?Unfortunately Keith didnt fare so well.In todays ever-changing business climate, managing your work life requires vigilance. The basis of successful career management is the process of dealing with continuous change. Nothing can equip you better to manage change than adopting the strategy of exhaustive situational assessment - understanding and awareness of your total environment. Just as its an integral part of every pilots training, you can incorporate this basic principle into your own career management to optimize your career resilience.Think of your career as a business and of yourself as the owner of that small business. Your career, in essence, is the product. Similar to any entrepreneur, you wear a number of hats that range from research and develop ment to marketing and senior management.For example, as RD manager, you diversify your product offerings, develop new or improved versions of your products and identify new applications and uses. As product manager, you need to understand how your product measures up to the competition, what its features and benefits include and how to price it effectively. As marketing director, you must be constantly alert to industry trends within your industry and across others you also need to understand customer needs and market changes over time. As sale manager, you create visibility for your product, introduce it to the marketplace, identify potential buyers and close the deal with customers. Finally, as CEO of your business, youre accountable for overall product quality and effectiveness.Just as any organization needs a business plan, so does your career. It remains in your control to develop a business plan and strategy for effective career management, to articulate your guiding mission a nd values and to define your product identitt. Through this combination of roles, you build a career that will satisfy and better position you in the marketplace.At the heart of your planning should be the knowledge you acquire of internal trends (your department, division or business unit) and company and external trends (your industry, related industries, and others). Become and remain informed about emerging trends and technology advances both within and outside of your company through research, courses, seminars, professional/industry associations, business publications and other sources.Equally important is to engage in activities that boost your visibility and credibility in your profession - those pursuits that aid you in becoming a known entity in your field or industry. What are some of the avenues that will help you build professional status? They includeIdentifying your talents, expertise and interests as the basis for designing and executing your career vision.Developin g a strategy and game plan to turn your career vision into a reality, complete with a plan B in the event of unforeseen circumstances.Maintaining a leadership role on committees, special initiatives or as a board member on professional, civic or community organizations that allow you to meet other movers and shakers.Achieving recognition in your area of expertise through speaking engagements at professional meetings, conferences, seminars and other venues attended by those in your industry.Authoring articles or books on business topics and being interviewed by the media in industry publications that are read by recruiters, hiring managers and other executives in your field.Actively developing, expanding and maintaining business relationships and other contacts - keeping in quntchen periodically.A proactive approach to planning, directing and managing your professional life - in terms of a new position, occupational direction or industry change - is how to recession-proof your car eer and avoid being caught unexpectedly in the tides of change without a lifeline.

Just because you have a female manager doesnt mean youll get better pay

Just because you have a female manager doesnt mean youll get better payJust because you have a female manager doesnt mean youll get better payThe more women in management, the better, goes current thinking. But new research published in European Sociological Review shows that having more women in management doesnt necessarily benefit the women who work for them, nor does it help even out the pay gap.In the study, called Are Female Managers Agents of Change or Cogs in the Machine? Oxford researchers investigated whether or bedrngnis female managers promoted greater gender equity in organizations and whether both female and males earnings were affected by having a female manager or a male manager. Researchers found little to no effect on pay for female or male employees with a female manager.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThere are very good reasons to believe women should benefi t from having a female manager, so we were surprised to find that this is not the case, said the papers lead author, Margriet familienkutsche Hek, in a release. I believe the next step is to dig deeper into the mechanisms of how this occurs.For the study, researchers used manager-employee linked data from nine European countries to test their hypotheses across industries such as manufacturing, health, higher education, transportation, financial services, and telecommunication.Despite the widespread presence of women in organizations, theres still a gender pay gap. Women in the sample earned about 7% less than men, no matter which gender their direct supervisor was and regardless of how many female managers were in their organization.While other studies have shown that women in management have been motivated to fight gender inequality in their organizations, this study appears to contradict that.Of course, there are some simple reasons why women in management arent able to do more to help the women under them they may be in lower management where they lack the power to change much of anything, especially issues of pay. Then theres thequeen bee theory they may not be driven to change the pay gap, perhaps because of a need to align themselves with the status quo.In a more hopeful interpretation, maybe it shows that female managers treat everyone fairly.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

10 ridiculously simple steps for writing a book

10 ridiculously simple steps for writing a book10 ridiculously simple steps for writing a bookWriting is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words. - Mark TwainAs the bestselling author of five books, I can tell you without hesitation that the hardest part of a writers job is sitting down to do the work. Books dont just write themselves, after all. You have to invest everything you are into creating an important piece of work.For years, I dreamed of being a professional writer. I believed I had important things to say that the world needed to hear. But as I look back on what it really takes to become an author, I realize how different the process was from my expectations.To begin with, you dont just sit down to write a book. Thats elend how writing works. You write a sentence, then a paragraph, then maybe if youre lucky, an entire chapter. Writing happens in fits and starts, in bits and pieces. Its a process.The way you get the work done is not complicated. You take one s tep at a time, then another and another. As I look back on the books Ive written, I can see how the way they were made was not as glamorous as I once thought.How to really write a bookIn this post, Ill teach you the fundamental steps you need to write a book. Ive worked hard to make this easy to digest and super practical, so you can start making progress.And just a heads up if you dream of authoring a bestselling book like I have and youre looking for a structured plan to guide you through the writing process, I have a special opportunity for you at the end of this post where I break the process down.But first, lets look at the big picture. What does it take to write a book? It happens in three phasesBeginning You have to start writing. This sounds obvious, but it may be the most overlooked step in the process. You write a book by deciding first what youre going to write and how youre going to write it.Staying motivated Once you start writing, you will face self-doubt and overwhelm and a hundred other adversaries. Planning ahead for those obstacles ensures you wont quit when they come.endbearbeitung Nobody cares about the book that you almost wrote. We want to read the one you actually finished, which means no matter what, the thing that makes you a writer is your ability not to start a project, but to complete one.Below are 10 ridiculously simple tips that fall under each of these three major phases plus an additional 10 bonus tips. I hope they help you tackle and finish the book you dream of writing.To download a complete reference guide for all 20 writing tips click here to get them all for free.Phase 1 Getting startedWe all have to start somewhere. With writing a book, the first phase is made up of four parts1. Decide what the book is aboutGood writing is always about something. Write the argument of your book in a sentence, then stretch that out to a paragraph, and then to a one-page outline. After that, write a table of contents to help guide you as you write, then break each chapter into a few sections. Think of your book in terms of beginning, middle, and end. Anything more complicated will get you lost.2. Set a daily word count goalJohn Grisham began his writing career as a lawyer and new dad - in other words, he was really busy. Nonetheless, he got up an hour or two early every morning and wrote a page a day. After a couple of years, he had a novel. A page a day is only about 300 words. You dont need to write a lot. You just need to write often. Setting a daily goal will give you something to aim for. Make it small and attainable so that you can hit your goal each day and start building momentum.3. Set a time to work on your book every dayConsistency makes creativity easier. You need a daily deadline to do your work - thats how youll finish writing a book. Feel free to take a day off, if you want, but schedule that ahead of time. Never let a deadline pass dont let yourself off the hook so easily. Setting a daily deadline and regular writing time will ensure that you dont have to think about when you will write. When its time to write, its time to write.4. Write in the same distribution policy every timeIt doesnt matter if its a desk or a restaurant or the kitchen table. It just needs to be different from where you do other activities. Make your writing location a special space, so that when you enter it, youre ready to work. It should remind you of your commitment to finish this book. Again, the goal here is to not think and just start writing.Phase 2 Doing the workNow, its time to get down to business. Here, we are going to focus on the next three tips to help you get the book done5. Set a total word countBegin with the end in mind. Once youve started writing, you need a total word count for your book. Think in terms of 10-thousand work increments and break each chapter into roughly equal lengths. Here are some general guiding principles10,000 words = a pamphlet or business white paper. Read time = 30 -60 minutes.20,000 words = short eBook or manifesto. The Communist Manifesto is an example of this, at about 18,000 words. Read time = 1-2 hours.40,00060,000 words = standard nonfiction book / novella. The Great Gatsby is an example of this. Read time = three to four hours.60,00080,000 words = long nonfiction book / standard-length novel. fruchtwein Malcolm Gladwell books fit in this range. Read time = four to six hours.80,000 words100,000 words = very long nonfiction book / long novel. The Four-Hour Work Week falls in this range.100,000+ words = epic-length novel / academic book / biography. Read time = six to eight hours. The Steve Jobs biography would fit this category.6. Give yourself weekly deadlinesYou need a weekly goal. Make it a word count to keep things objective. Celebrate the progress youve made while still being honest about how much work is left to do. You need to have something to aim for and a way to measure yourself. This is the only way I ever get any work done wit h a deadline.7. Get early feedbackNothing stings worse than writing a book and then having to rewrite it, because you didnt let anyone look at it. Have a few trusted advisers to help you discern whats worth writing. These can be friends, editors, family. Just try to find someone who will give you honest feedback early on to make sure youre headed in the right direction.Phase 3 FinishingHow do you know when youre done? Short answer you dont. Not really. So heres what you do to end this book-writing process well8. Commit to shippingNo matter what, finish the book. Set a deadline or have one platzdeckchen for you. Then release it to the world. Send it to the publisher, release it on Amazon, do whatever you need to do to get it in front of people. Just dont put it in your drawer. The worst thing would be for you to quit once this thing is written. That wont make you do your best work and it wont allow you to share your ideas with the world.9. Embrace failureAs you approach the end of th is project, know that this will be hard and you will most certainly mess up. Just be okay with failing, and give yourself grace. Thats what will sustain you - the determination to continue, not your elusive standards of perfection.10. Write another bookMost authors are embarrassed by their first book. I certainly was. But without that first book, you will never learn the lessons you might otherwise miss out on. So, put your work out there, fail early, and try again. This is the only way you get better. You have to practice, which means you have to keep writing.Every writer started somewhere, and most of them started by squeezing their writing into the cracks of their daily lives. Thats how I began, and it may be where you begin, as well. The ones who make it are the ones who show up day after day. You can do the same.The reason most people never finish their booksEvery year, millions of books go unfinished. Books that could have helped people, brought beauty or wisdom into the worl d. But they never came to be. And in one way or another, the reason is always the same the author quit.Maybe youve dealt with this. You started writing a book but never completed it. You got stuck and didnt know how to finish. Or you completed your manuscript but didnt know what to do after. Worse yet, you wrote a book, but nobody cared about it. Nobody bought or read it.Ive been there before.In fact, the first couple books I wrote didnt do that well at all - even with a traditional publisher. It took me years to learn this, but heres what nobody ever told meBefore you can launch a bestseller, first you have to write one.What I mean by that is so many writers sit down to write their masterpiece, assuming thats all there is to it. Just sit down and write. But as Ive studied the worlds most gifted and successful authors, Ive noticed this is not what the masters do. They are far more intentional than simply sitting and letting the words flow.Every great writer needs a ordnungsprinzip they can trust. You and I are no different. But an authors system for how they produce bestselling book after bestselling book is not always the easiest thing to access. So, as a matter of survival, Ive had to figure it out for myself and create a clear book-writing framework that works. This is what I call the Write a Bestseller Method which helps me get a book written and ready to launch.This is the part that I never learned in any English class. Producing work that sells is not just about writing what you think is good. Its about finding an idea that will both excite you and excite an audience. Its about being intentional and thinking through the whole process, while having proper accountability to keep you going.In other words, the writing process matters. It matters a lot. You have to not only finish your book but write one worthy of being sold. And if you want to maximize your chances of finishing your book, you need a proven plan.Writing books has changed my life. It helped m e clarify my thinking, find my calling as an author, and has provided endless opportunities to make an impact on the world and a living for my family.If youre serious about doing the same, click here to learn more about the Write a Bestseller Program.Bonus 10 more writing tipsIf you need some help staying motivated, here are another 10 tips to help you keep going in the process11. Only write one chapter at a timeWrite and publish a novel, one chapter at a time, using Amazon Kindle Singles, Wattpad, or sharing with your email list subscribers.12. Write a shorter bookThe idea of writing a 500-page masterpiece can be paralyzing. Instead, write a short book of poems or stories. Long projects are daunting. Start small.13. Start a blog to get feedback earlyGetting feedback early and often helps break up the overwhelm. Start a website on WordPress or Tumblr and use it to write your book a chapter or scene at a time. Then eventually publish all the posts in a hardcopy book. This is a little different than tradition blogging, but the same concepts apply. We created a free tool to help you know when your blog posts are ready to publish. Check out Dont Hit Publish.14. Keep an inspiration listYou need it in order to keep fresh ideas flowing. Read constantly, and use a system to capture, organize and find the content youve curated. I use Evernote, but use a system that works for you.15. Keep a journalThen, rewrite the entries in a much more polished book format, but use some photocopies or scans of the journal pages as illustrations in the book. You could even sell deluxe editions that come with photocopied versions of the journal.16. Deliver consistentlySome days, its easy to write. Some days, its incredibly hard. The truth is inspiration is merely a byproduct of your hard work. You cant wait for inspiration. The Muse is really an out-of-work bum who wont move until you do. Show her whos boss and that you mean business.17. Take frequent breaksNiel Fiore, the author of The Now Habit, says, There is one main reason why we procrastinate It rewards us with temporary relief from stress. If youre constantly stressed about your unfinished book, youll end up breaking your schedule. Instead, plan for breaks ahead of time so you stay fresh minute breaks, hour breaks, or even multiple day breaks.18. Remove distractionsTry tools like Bear or Scrivener to let you write in a totally distraction-free environment. That way, email, Facebook, and Twitter wont interrupt your flow.19. Write where others are writing (or working)If youre having trouble writing consistently by yourself, write where other people are also working. A coffee shop or library where people are actually working and not just socializing can help. If youre in a place where other people are getting things done, then youll have no choice but to join them.20. Dont edit as you goInstead, write without judgment first, then go back and edit later. Youll keep a better flow and wont be interrupted by const ant criticism of your own work. And youll have a lot more writing to edit when its time to do so.Its not just about the writingMost books go unfinished. Thats the reality. And those that do get finished quickly fade into anonymity amongst the hundreds of thousands of new books that are published every year.If you want to be different, youre going to need a plan. Ive tried to share that with you in this post. But maybe you want to not only get your book done, but you want to make sure its something worth selling. You want a proven plan, something you can trust - checklist that ensures you will get the work done.The Write a Bestseller program is just that.Remember Before you can launch a bestseller, you have to write one. Fortunately, Ive broken down my process piece by piece - this is what Ive learned from publishing five books and from talking to many of the worlds bestselling authors.In this program, I share with you exactly what it takes to write a bestselling book and why this is something you need to be thinking about from Day 1. This quick but thorough online course will help youFigure out how to come up with a compelling idea for a book and turn it into something people will want to readFinally finish that book manuscript youve been playing with for yearsFollow a proven plan to write not only a good book but one that will continue to sellTo learn more about that and have me walk you through each step of writing a best-selling book, click here.You can also download a complete reference guide for all of these writing tips here.This article first appeared on Goins, Writer.

Master your Employer Brand with these Resources

Master your Employer Brand with these ResourcesMaster your Employer Brand with these ResourcesMaster your Employer Brand with these ResourcesIn todays crowded recruitment marketplace, your employer brand is a powerful differentiator.Employer branding pulls the right people to your company and helps you retain valued workers.Use the resources below to create an employer brand that reflects your company values and highlights its unique culture.Attract Millennials with your Employer BrandingBring the best and brightest Gen Y workers to your company.Interview Questions that Reveal Your Employer BrandNever underestimate the power of your employer brand, especially in candidate interviews.Manage Online Reviews by Putting your Employer Brand FirstEach response has the potential to impact your companys image.How to Curb Negative Employee Reviews of Your CompanyRespondto their root cause and focuson employee satisfaction.Evolve your Employer Brand as your Company GrowsSavvy geschftslebenes use employer brand to attract talent. Heres how your company can too.Internships Programs and Co-ops that Boost Employer BrandInternships have become ameans to seed the talent pipeline.Watchfire Signs The Power of Employer BrandingEmployer brand is a focal point for this manufacturing companysrecruitment efforts.Four Steps to a Successful Employment BrandEvery company including your small business has an employment brand. Learn more in this on-demand webinar.

What You Dont Know About Professional Summary Resume Examples

What You Dont Know About Professional Summary Resume Examples If you follow the advice above you will have an interesting, compelling resume summary that is likely to make the reader want to find out more about you even regardless of your lack of work experience Utilizing dot points is going to be the optimum approach to draw attention to how your skills very closely match the job requirements. If you continue seeing a skill or tool mentioned you dont know a lot about, search for free or low-cost on-line courses on the topic to bolster your skill collection. Click the next link for more advice on ways to construct a resume using college involvement as experience. Part-time work has supplied a good grounding in the practical application of academic understanding. As a new graduate its wise to begin your resume with education in place of part time work experience. As a student, you may not have much work experience. If you think you dont have enough experience for the appropria te job, then you are able to combine your experiences designation wise. The resume profile is among the critical elements of a good teaching resume. There are lots of resources available on how to a great resume summary, but its tough to find decent suggestions for how to do it if dont have any work experience. Your resume says a great absprache about you. Instead, consider starting with a brief overview of your career and abilities. Include thename of the organization youre applying for to demonstrate the employer youre genuinely interested in becoming part of their team. Recruiters and school district hiring managers have a tendency to not like them since they concentrate on the requirements of the work seeker rather than the requirements of the school district. The truly amazing thing about an expert summary is that instead of focusing on what you would like from a teaching job or assistant principal job, it summarizes what you could do for the school and the way it is pos sible to donate to students academic success. You have the remainder of your resume to list your prior employment and education. Unlike an objective, which tells an employer what you aspire to gain from work, a summary statement emphasizes what you could provide an organization. The most importing thing to keep in mind when writing a resume summary statement is that it must be relevant to the position youre applying for, it should tailor to the particular job listing. You ought to make sure your resume summary statement concisely demonstrates why youre a perfect candidate for the particular job and business. Rather than stating what you would like, make the previous sentence of the profile statement all about your urge to add to the employer. Resume is a sort of document employed by individuals that are seeking for employment. In case you havent had an internship, look at completing one before you submit an application for an entry-level position. Career objectives are most us eful for people targeting one specific position, since they permit the applicant to directly absprache with requirements of the business and show how they are going to fit in the workforce. Your resume objective must reflect what you might have to offer and the way that it might be beneficial for the hiring company. A Startling Fact about Professional Summary Resume Examples Uncovered Based on who you ask and the way youre using it, summary statements can be an entire waste of space or an entire game changer. Youve got to frame such statements which make you distinguish yourself from the crowd. If you do decide to move forward with a resume summary statement, be sure to take care of it as your personal highlight reel. If youre going to compose an objective statement, it should be specific. 1 A resume summary is a brief, snappy introduction paragraph that gives a summary of your very best work. Youre going to compose a resume summary which gets far more interviews. The resu me summary will act as their sales pitch. Whilst you write your summary for your resume, attempt to think of what you want them to discuss with you, and what exactly you desire an opportunity to discuss. So, you must brew up your professional achievements in a couple of crispy lines and compose the resume. Your measurable achievements ensure it is real.

What 30 Days of Productivity Taught Me About Finding Time

What 30 Days of Productivity Taught Me About Finding Time Article by Lydia SweattWhen I welches 8 years old, I took piano lessons and singing lessons, and I played violin in the schools symphony all at the saatkorn time. Except for the symphony, I didnt care for any of those extracurricular activities, but I especially hated learning piano.Twice a week, always on a school night, my mom would drive me to the piano school, hoping my music teacher would unlock some untapped potential deep inside of me or at least expose me to something that might become a true passion.But things didnt work out the way my mom planned. My piano teacher welches stern and classical, and I was young and unfocused. Every practice began with a warm-up and what felt like an interrogation about whether I had actually done my homework. When she asked me to play the assigned pieces, it was clear I hadnt touched any part of my keyboard or even glanced at the sheet music outside of the practice room. My practice book was filled with notes from her, all expressing disappointment Please practice or Redo while countingWell, the book was filled until page 32. Not long after that, I quit.Sixteen years later, Im a full-fledged adult with bills, very little free time, and just enough youthful indiscretion to blow my tax return on a MacBook. My old laptop had stopped working, and at first the MacBook was a simple upgrade. That sleek machine soon became much more, mostly because it came with an addictive music-production program called GarageBand.As much I wanted to hide from my strict piano teacher when I was little, I couldnt deny my love for music. GarageBand sucked me into a world of quantizing drum patterns and transitions from bridges to choruses some mesmerizing blend of art and science. I spent hours transfixed by the music I could make.But for all of that musical inspiration, I didnt even consider getting back into piano, even thoughits the main instrument in most vergammeln music production. Oddly enough, I didnt even think of touching the keys again until I was confronted with a personal development challenge. It was a simple one Find 30 extra minutes each day to do something productive and document it. If finding time for personal development is what truly separates achievers from the ranks of the ordinary, the thinking went, then by the end of the month I would be some 15 hours ahead of those who dont seek to push themselves.The simplest strategy was to make the most of my lunch break. In a busy working world, its always tempting to skip lunch,because that feels more productive. In reality, skipping breaks entirely can have a lot of negative effects. Instead of eating lunch, resting for a few minutes, and getting right back to my day job, my idea was to try to get the benefits of a quick pause from work while still using every minute constructively.Laura Archer, author of Gone for Lunch 52 Things to Do in Your Lunch Break, attempted a similar challenge after skipping lunches took a toll on her health. Missing a break here and there didnt seem like a big deal at first, but then Archerstarted feelingexhausted all of the time, even on the weekends. She knew something was off. She depended on caffeine more and more. At the office, she found herself surfing the web for vacation getaways.Archer wanted a way to incentivize her own breaks, to guarantee theyd be fun and rejuvenating. On her blog, GoneForLunch.com, she shared her experiences and challenged others to explore a range of sitting, active, indoor, and outdoor activities. What used to be months of endless work became a calendar full of activities Archer could reflect on with joy, like when she learned to knit or speak a little Italian.The hardest bit is getting away from your desk, Archer tells me. I think, for me, as soon as I was out of the building, I didnt look back. I think its just that initial hurdle of being like, Yes, you are going to do this.When I started the challenge, all of the things I wanted to do were quick and practical grocery shopping, mailing a package to my brother in Japan, flipping through various mobile apps to pay bills. I built a typical to-do list and fragmented it into these daily 30-minute slivers of spare time around lunch.However, getting these kinds of things done wasnt particularly exhilarating. Aside from the occasional walk outside, or that one lunch break where I learned about the nuclear deadliness of a compound called red mercury via the Stuff They Dont Want You to Know podcast, none of my new-and-improved lunch breaks seemed especially fulfilling.To make matters worse, things became busier at work. I didnt take the time to think about what I wanted to do for lunch other than eat, so the productive part of my breaks always felt rushed. I also wasnt bringing my lunch to work, so I often had to spend some of what would have been productivity time picking up food. I didnt have a ton of time to go expl oring, so I settled for quick-hit tasks like making phone calls that were long overdue. That wasnt much better.Soon, I came to dreadmy lunch breaks. When I saw the clock nearing noon, Id sink into my chair and try to think of something new to do on my break. What started as a mission to free up my time had become a burden. At noon, Id still be sitting there and the more I sat there, the better my chair began to feel.I really dont want to go out into the world, I would think to myself. Has my chair always been this comfortable?Most of my tasks had made me feel like I was scrambling for something to do, and now I didnt want to do anything. This was exactly what Archer had warned me about.Normally with my lunch breaks before, Id go for a walk or sit on a park bench or go shopping, and those were probably my three things I would do, she says. You kind of feel a bit weird sometimes. Youre like, I know that Im empowered by taking my break, but I dont really feel that different.I was star ting to see where I went wrong. A lot of my lunch break decisions were made on-the-spot as a way to simply push me through the challenge. In Smarter Faster Better The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg writes that people fail more often when they make hasty, half-baked decisions. When you rush into something for the benefit of simply having a plan, things dont really pan out.Duhigg calls this need for decisiveness cognitive closure. Its a good trait to have when it keeps you from constantly weighing decisions, but not so great when you pick one just for the sake of being productive, he writes.Unlike cognitive closure, my lack of motivation at lunch had nothing to do with personality. Duhigg writes that scientists see motivation as a skill. That means even when you dont feel like getting things done, you can get back on track with sheer will. The trick is that motivation has to be practiced in a specific way,Duhigg writes. To fully tap in, you have to fe el like youre calling the shots.When I think about the moments when I feel totally in control, I think about being creative. I think about music. I think about those times when Im in flow, too engaged in what Im doing to worry about coloring inside of the lines when I feel free to create, without hesitation.One of the places I get to exercise this kind of control is in GarageBand or Logic Pro X, the new-and-improved version with a bigger sound library.I can come up with a soothing melody and then layer it with a squeaky analog sound that probably breaks all of the rules of composition, but in those moments, if it feels right, its right.Suddenly, it all clicked for me.By the time noon rolled around on Day 10 of my challenge, I wasnt sinking into my chair for the regular what-should-I-do-today brainstorm. Instead, I raced over to pick up some pages from the printer. The sheets were lined with tiny pianos, all of them dotted on various keys that make up the basic chords I wanted to l earn.I walked down to the office parking lot and lifted a huge keyboard from the trunk of my car the same Casio keyboard I used as a kid before I got bored with my lessons. I set it down next to a shady tree andresumed my failed piano education from a decade and a half earlier.One by one, I pressed random keys. I remembered being told where middle C is and even the sequence of stepwise notes that snake their way from the white to black keys across the piano. For the most part, my skill level was right where I left it. I still had no idea what I was doing, and thats not a great feeling.I poked around for a few minutes. Then, I took one last look at my sheet of chords before folding it up and stuffing it into my pocket. One day I would learn how to play them, I decided, but not today. If I was going to do this, Id rather know how the chords are built, and that would mean avoiding the shortcuts. Instead of trying to play three or four keys at a time, Id have to master the individual k eys first and truly fall in love with the journey.The keyboard gained a permanent space in my trunk. Because I always had it with me (along with spare batteries), I could always find a way to practice. If I had to leave the office for food, Id have a quick meal and then start practicing on the spot, which sometimes meant propping the keyboard on top of my trunk, right in the parking space. Some days I would find a vertical slab of concrete high enough to stand and play.None of that was too embarrassing until people started to linger around me. I was learning to read sheet music during each lesson, so anyone who got close enough could hear me talking myself through it. Looking back now, standing on the side of the road playing random notes and talking to myself probably looked a little crazy.With consistent practice (including weekends), it didnt take long to break through some of the barriers I couldnt get past as a kid. It took a ton of brainpower at first. I went from feeling men tally drained while playing with two hands to doing it without much thought. By the end of my challenge, I had learned to play some basic practice songs, like The Woodchuck and Hannah From Montana. Sometimes, I was actually a little shocked at how easily my left hand answered the notes of my right.Now, when I flip open my MacBook to make a beat, its more than just fun. Its structured. When I load a beat-making program, I dont use the default audio schauplatz that lets you use the laptop keys to make sounds. I actually prefer hooking up my keyboard. I take the time to wire it to my laptop because now I actually understand the formula behind what happens when I strike a triad chord or play A minor.I only wish my younger self could have known the joys of playing and not just the agony of messing upduring a recital.The downside of keeping busy during a designated time of rest is that you dont always feel like squeezing productivity out of every minute. Sometimes you just want to eat, s lowly in my case, and watch a couple of videos on YouTube. Sometimes you just want to sit with your coworkers and talk about how crazy Black Mirror is. Some days you might want to be completely alone, lost in your thoughts.The more I strung together a list of unrelated, random things to keep me busy, the less I became interested in doing anything at all. Until I decided to home in on one thing and truly work toward an exciting goal, everything else was just something to do.Ive decided to keep practicing the piano during my lunch breaks. I dont think Ill do it every day, but I keep my keyboard in the trunk of my car, just in case. When I get that urge to practice, I just chew a little faster.Versions of this article originally appeared on SUCCESS.comand in the October 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.Lydia Sweatt is the web producer for SUCCESS.com. She recently earned a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Dallas native. She enjoys painting , a hefty taco, and discovering new music.

Why You Need to Be on LinkedIn Even When You Have a Job

Why You Need to Be on LinkedIn Even When You Have a JobWhy You Need to Be on LinkedIn Even When You Have a JobA question I frequently get when training job seekers on using social media is Wont my boss think Im looking for aleidher job if Im using LinkedIn?With over 180 million LinkedIn users in the world, I honestly dont think that even half of them are actively seeking work. More than likely, they are happily employed and happily networking. It is a mistake to think of LinkedIn as a giant job board and your profile as just another resume. The power of any social networking tool is in the actual networking.So if you are currently employed and not taking your LinkedIn use seriously, youre making a grave mistake. Heres why.You need to have a large network so you can use it laterImagine you just got laid off. And you have 10 people in your LinkedIn network. You suddenly realize that you should have invested more in getting to know people. So you start to add people like crazy to your n etwork.If LinkedIn doesnt blacklist you for suspicious behavior, then the droves of new people you are inviting to your network will question your intentions. They might think, I havent heard from this guy in 10 years, now all of a sudden hes lost his job and wants to connect. What does he want from me?Its always better to dig your well before you need to drink from it. If you havent been building social equity with your network, youll have little to draw from later. So dont wait until you need it. Build a strong network on LinkedIn now. Be active. Provide value. Stay in touch.Opportunities come to you. Recruiters look for passive candidatesWhen a company hires a contract recruiter to fill a job requisition, that company isnt looking for someone unemployed. They wouldnt need to hire a contract recruiter for that. There are enough unemployed people to fill every single job vacancy in the country. What the organization needs is someone who is not actively looking, called a passive can didate.In other words, the recruiter is paid to steal and pillage from competitive companies, convince the happily employed person that the grass is greener and get a huge commission from the new hire. Companies who use these types of recruiters are willing to pay you more than what you are making now in buchen to snatch you away from your cushy job. If you arent on LinkedIn, you are reducing your chances of being discovered and having the opportunity to make more money.Industry groups can offer you value and connectionGroups on LinkedIn have really matured. Ive found that the discussions on groups are more engaging, people are less shy about speaking their minds, and the content is improving in quality. Of course this depends on the group this is just from my own experience. However, if you find the right groups in which to participate, the value to your network - and the knowledge youll gain - is huge.Not only will you be exposed to berichterstattung, and new ideas, but youll ha ve a chance to demonstrate your expertise through commenting and discussion. Sometime alliances are formed. For example, I was part of a group whose leader would entice you to click links to download some attractive research reports. But in order to download each report, you had to fill out a lot of personal information. I found this practice annoying and said so. Pretty soon, others in the group were agreeing with me. One guy in particular contacted me and we hit it off. Turns out we do similar things, but on separate continents. Thus both of our networks grew stronger.Keep your resume up to date just in caseA resume is a static thing. You write it once when you are actively looking for work. You get your job. Then you forget about it. LinkedIn profiles tend to stay up to date with greater accuracy than any other online profile. Recruiters know this. They know that your profile will be more accurate than your five-year-old resume.When you keep your profile up to date, writing your new resume will be that much easier. Instead of staring at a blank piece of paper trying to remember your start and stop dates, youll just check your profile and know. Look, you never know when youll need a resume. Most employment these days is at-will. Your company doesnt need any reason to let you go tomorrow. Be ready.Read the news feed for your industryThe average time spent on LinkedIn is just over four minutes per visit. The company finds this dismal fact upsetting, and does what it can to keep you on. And some of the ways it does that are actually quite good. You can get customized news delivered daily. Based on your industry, the types of articles you share, and who is in your network, your daily news feed is likely going to inform you of things you should know about your job.On many occasions, Ive found trending news items that I was blind to until I saw them on LinkedIn. You can customize how your news is displayed and what categories you are interested in reading about. M y favorite is the ability to see what news items are trending in my own network. Id like to know what my peers are reading. Wouldnt you?

7 tips for dialing down the toxicity in your life right now

7 tips for dialing down the toxicity in your life right now7 tips for dialing down the toxicity in your life right nowIf you thought that the biggest word of 2018 was extra or woke, were about to rock your world. The real number-one word of the year?Toxic, at least according to theOxford English Dictionary. And whether you use it to describe friendships,the way we treat the environment, or your relationship with the news, it probably crops up in your own life.Knowing that toxicity has become so ever-present that it was recognized by Oxford, we want more than ever to help minimize it for you. Lifes too short to be toxic We reached out to relationship and mental health experts for their advice for keeping things positive - heres what they had to say.1. Take stock of your relationshipsToxicity can easily creep into almost any relationship. If you have a sneaking suspicion that the bad vibes youve been feeling lately are actually rooted in toxicity, you need to evaluate how you relate t o everyone who is closest to you.Licensed professional counselor and coachAnahid Lisa Derbabianrecommends that you consider how mutually respectful, supportive, safe, and positive each of your relationships is. This kind of assessment can help you figure out where the toxicity needs to be tackled.2. Beware of contagious attitudes and emotionsLike laughter and yawning, feelings and moods can be catching - and that can be dangerous.Surrounding yourself with toxic people means you end up toxic,Happy Brain Sciencechief happiness officer Scott Crabtree says. Surrounding yourself with positive people means you end up more positive. Once youve identified the relationships that are especially toxic in your universe, you might consider stepping back from them so youre not absorbing the negative.3. Make a listWhile relationships are a major source of toxicity for many people, they arent theonlysource. Grab a piece of paper and make a list of all of the things and all of the people that may b e bringing you down.A list that identifies the relationships and situations that are toxic for you allows you to make clear choices when faced with those circumstances, rather than reacting automatically, author and heart healing coachSusyn Reevetells us. Start by listing the people and circumstances you are continually complaining about. Remember to include complaints and judgments you continually make about yourself4. Dont be afraid of boundariesThe word boundaries in itself may already be giving you a sinking feeling.Boundaries with the people I love? Boundaries that might keep me from my work or my passions? YikesThink again Once youve identified where things are getting toxic in your life, its time to set your fear of boundaries aside.Strong boundaries ensure that you are the protector of your own personal space and they tell others how to respect those zones, self-care coach andBoundaries With soulmusikauthorCarley Schweetsays. Without boundaries, its easy for toxicity to not only slip into your life, but also to negatively affect you on many levels.Once youve come around to the idea of establishing those boundaries, its time to let practice make perfect.Life coach and licensed therapistLatasha Matthewsencourages you to take as many opportunities as possible to hone this tricky craft. Dont sit back and let negative comments or unreasonable asks pass you by. Instead, set a boundary Everyone has their own personal boundary-setting style, so give yourself the time and space to figure out yours.5. Cut back on social mediaAt this point, youre probably sick of hearing that minimizing your time scrolling the gram is the root of all of your problems, but youre going to have to hear it one more time, because licensed clinical psychologistRamaniDurvasulasays its a great way to minimize toxicity. The comparison game that social media has so many of us playing can breed that toxicity inside your own brain. And how can you fight it on the outside if its running wild internally?6. Practice saying no.Glacier Wellnesshealth and wohlbefinden expert Samantha Morrison calls saying no your best weapon in the fight against toxicity. Arm yourself When you can be your own biggest advocate and confidently excuse yourself from certain commitments or conversations, you begin to take some of the power away from the negative forces that have previously gotten you down.7. Seek out a positive communityBattling toxicity isnt just about eliminating negative influences and cutting the cord on tricky relationships. There are things you can add to your life to dial it back as well. Find a book club, workout group, craft club, or volunteer committee thats all positive. Whatever form it takes, the goal is to surround yourself with people who have achieved something that you are striving for or who are also working toward those same goals, licensed therapistDaniel Olavarriatells us. You will find that the more you surround yourself with positive influences, the less ro om there tends to be for toxicity in your life.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.

3 Tips to Help You Win the Workplace Game of Thrones

3 Tips to Help You Win the Workplace Game of Thrones 3 Tips to Help You Win the Workplace Game of Thrones Thankfully, the stakes are not quite so high in the workplace failure does not lead to death. You can actually just move to another company if things go south.Still, though, you have to do afair bit of maneuvering in the workplace if you want to ascend the corporate ranks (which is pretty much the working worlds equivalent toCerseis game of thrones). To do that maneuvering successfully, youll need political expertise which may be just as important as, if not more important than, your technical skills. According to research from Florida State University prof PamelaPerrew, a person rarely gets promoted without having developed strong political skills.Whether you are an up-and-coming millennial or a maturing Generation X professional, understanding the political machinations of your workplace will be key to outwitting your peers and landing the promotions you desire.Of course, no t everyone wants to move into management. But, if you do,and you are ready to win the workplace game of thrones, then here are three tips to help you climb the corporate hierarchy.1. Findan Influential MentorDuring your journey to the top, youll need toaccept some guidance from a benevolent power broker who has been there and done that, with respect to ascending the companys ranks. Seeking and accepting such guidance will accelerate your own personal development, improvingyour judgment and decision-making.It alsostands to reason that because your mentor isanexperienced member of the upper echelons of the company, they can act as a powerful political ally.Studies show that candidates who are recommended by influential people are much more likely to be invited to interviews and land jobs. If your mentor vouches for you, your chances of landing the promotion you crave skyrocket. Similarly,a study carried out at Sun Microsystemsfound that employees who were mentored were promoted five t imes more often than employees who were not mentored.2. Get Noticed For the Right ThingsDo some of your peers seem to be the golden boys or girls of the company? Do these peers have a knack for getting noticed by senior managers and leaders?Thats because they know either by instinct or by paying attention to their surroundings what to do to get noticed in the firm. What makes someone a golden employee often depends on what the managers and leaders ata given company value, but one of the most commonly valued traits in employees is entrepreneurialism that is, the willingness to take risks, move out of your comfort zone, and take on projects outside of your job description. Being entrepreneurialalso involves schmierblutung opportunities to improve some aspects of thebusiness and presenting potential improvementsto decision makers and influencers. A study from Millennial Branding found 58 percent of managers are either very willing or extremely willing to support entrepreneurial emplo yees, making entrepreneurialism a great way to get noticed at most companies.Another quality that impresses managers, according to the Millennial Branding study, is being a subject matter expert. Sixty-five percent of employers surveyed said subject matter expertise was important to career advancement.So, another great way to get noticed is to be able to give sound specialist advice at times when it is most needed.3. Hone Your Influencing and Impression-Management SkillsThe Millennial Branding study cited above found that managers often looked for soft skills when promoting millennials, rather than hard skills or digital tech savvy.Simply puttingyour head down and grinding it out is not enough you need to demonstrate your soft skills if you want to land a promotion.Professor Perrewof FSU outlines four skills that define political adeptness social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability, and the ability to convey the impression of sincerity. Youll need to practice the se skills and use them regularly if you are to succeed in the workplace games of thrones.