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Some Inspiring Quotes for the NEW YEAR

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Inspiration can come from anywhere and as we step into the New Year, we all can do with inspiration, motivation to make our days in another year more worthwhile.
Here are some that I would like to share with you:Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.
- Hamilton Colt

Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.
- Confucius

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
- Marian Wright Edelman

Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.
- Ayn Rand

Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.
- Tom Blandi

This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!
- D.M. Dellinger

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

Careerbright – Career Article and Information for Professionals and Working Women
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Will our Jobs be more Stressful in 2010?

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With a year full of layoffs behind us, it is for sure that the employees worldwide have been affected by more stress at work. And as for the prediction of the New Year 2010, you can kind of expect the jobs to get more stressful, but it all depends on how your industry and company is doing of course.
Stressful in the sense of more work per person; there have been more layoffs than ever before and with slow or no hiring the work pressure on those still at work increases. You may have seen that in recent past your responsibilities have increased and perhaps the hours at work as well. Most workers have been unable to say “no” to having more on their plates for the risk of layoffs/downsizing. That sure does amount to more stress at work.

What do you say – will our jobs be more stressful this new year?

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Filed Under: Career Self-Help

5 Steps to Overcome Challenges of a Career Change

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Career change has been the buzzword ever since the recession hit hard across the globe. There have been reports and articles talking about the new shift in the job scene in this century and a career change might be likely for many of us to get moving with the flow.

These are the times when we are seeing more people returning to school for a new degree or higher education in their field of work or planning on changing their careers to the “new world post-recession” workplace where the cleantech and “renewable energy” sectors might be the dominant hiring industries.

Change is everywhere and a career change might be on your agenda as well this year.
Very well said by Anthony J. D’Angelo:
Become a student of change. It is the only thing that will remain constant.
Well, easier said than done, transitions can be stressful and traumatic too. In this article let’s evaluate what are some steps that you can take to overcome the challenge of a career transition.
But first – What is the difference between job change and career change?
Let’s first look at the definition of job, according to the dictionary:
  1. A piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one’s occupation or for an agreed price
  2. A post of employment; full-time or part-time position
  3. Anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility

A Career according to the dictionary is:

  1. An occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one’s lifework
  2. A person’s progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking

I am sure you get the point that there is a large difference between a job and a career. You may change a job within a career of choice but a career change is a larger and perhaps a longer process. However a well said explanation of the difference between a job and career comes from Earl Nightingale:

The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!

What makes a career change daunting is that it requires and update or retraining on your skill set (well, most often) and that often takes a long time and effort. Here are 5 steps you can tailor to your needs on the way to overcoming the challenges of a career change:

Identify your Fears

Identify and list your fears of a career change. Why do you fear this transition and what aspects of this transition seem the toughest to you? Sometimes eliminating the negatives before getting on the positives is the best way to proceed on the new path. To identify your fears and then attain the freedom from fear releases the tensions and enables the positives to take the place of the uncertainties which reside deep within. List everything possible that seems like a hurdle or any unknown fears that you have.

 

Embrace and be Inspired by this New Change

It is now time to move on to the positives and let the positives only inspire you to an excited beginning. It would be a new change and it would not come easily and happily to you if you do not accept the change with your heart and mind. The second step is mental preparedness and feeling excited about this new step in your life. Take time and write out at least a few pages in a document on what is motivating you towards this career change, for example: more money, more satisfaction at work, a new challenge or any other need. The point is during the career change process you will need a lot of inspiration and motivation to drive the change and do your best to have it flow from you first.

 

Identify your Goals

As for every achievement in life, you cannot get there unless you have a goal in mind and also not only in mind but in concrete plans. Clarify your goals first. When changing a career you must identify your short-term goals and long-term goals towards achieving either new skill set or preparing for a new job. Spend time in planning and making your goals SMART.

 

Financial Planning

Now with your goals in mind chart out your estimate on financial commitment towards this career change. Money matters and financial pressures and tensions are the worst of tensions that can drive you off from any commitment, take care of them at the very beginning and this can be achieved by careful planning and practical analysis of what all is covered during your new career change move. You may also discuss this important step with your spouse, family or coach to get a good handle of what the near future might have in store for you as go for higher studies, certifications or retraining.

 

Seek Mentors and Those who have been there


Now with your personal fears, goals and planning taken care of, it is time to move on to the 5th but again a very important step towards the career change. Ask others. Ask and you shall get, there would be many questions as you walk this new transition.

Would a new degree help in getting my dream job?

Does a short-term course suffice for getting the skills I need?

Will there be a demand for this new career or field around 5 years from now?
There would be numerous questions on your mind right now. It is time to list them first and then seek guidance and help from mentors, career experts or those you know have been through a similar transition. It always helps to ask and cuts down on your anxiety curve. The sooner you learn from others experience the faster you would be able to transition satisfactorily.

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Losing Your Job May Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You – Guest Post

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Losing Your Job May Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You
By Allison Maslan

You have heard the story many times. What seems to be a tragedy, such as in an illness, job loss or divorce ends up turning to triumph when the person ends up making drastic positive changes through their forced set of circumstances.
Many have found themselves jobless in these trying times, frightened and wondering what to do next. The interesting twist is that a large percentage of those laid off have often said that they did not “love” their job. The job has represented security, which is of prime importance, however, in many cases, their work was not completely satisfying or fulfilling. In fact, a study prior to this economic downturn showed that 87% of people polled disliked their jobs. Since we spend approximately 75,000 hours at work from age 25 to 65, this seems to be an even sadder circumstance than a difficult job market.

Connie Delonge, president of Breakthrough Grief Recovery, wanted to start her own business for a very long time, but was afraid to take the leap and leave her job. She had been in the mortgage business for years for financial reason’s only. “It is very stressful work and even though I am good at it, it was never very fulfilling for me.” Connie’s true passion has been grief recovery support which she had been doing for years on a volunteer basis through Horizon Hospice of Poway, California.
“This economy forced me to find a new way to pay the bills. My gut was telling me that at this point in my life, I could no longer work at a job that was unsatisfying. Life is too short to not go after your dreams. My life coach, Allison Maslan, helped me move past my fear of becoming an entrepreneur, and then supported me in laying out a step-by-step strategic plan to create my own grief counseling business. I have not been this excited about my life in years.”
Connie is just one example of many individuals that are taking advantage of a challenging time and turning it into an opportunity to take the entrepreneurial leap. Slowdowns don’t have to be roadblocks to starting new businesses, experts say.

It might seem counter-intuitive to start a new business when the economy is flailing, but a recession can actually be the ideal time for launching a new enterprise. In fact, many well-known and successful organizations were born during hard times because it is often easier to start a new company than find the right job during a recession.

Here are some examples of companies that laid the groundwork of their enterprise during tougher economic times. Hyatt Corporation opened its first hotel’s doors at the Los Angeles International Airport during the Eisenhower recession (1957 to 1958). Bill Gates and Paul Allen launched Microsoft during the recession in 1975. CNN started its humble beginnings as a little-known station called The Cable Network News during the 1980 recession. The Fortune 500 is full of companies that were founded during down times: from Johnson and Johnson, to Disney, Cisco and Intel.

Prerna O’hara, president of Your Company Concierge has been working with the Blast Off Program over the past several to months develop her dream business. She was also employed as the Concierge/Patient Liason for a San Diego medical and day spa. When they let her go due to the down economy, it was the perfect excuse for Prerna to speed up the pace of her new business launch. She is taking the expertise she offered her employer and putting it to work for herself.
“I may have taken longer to get my business up and running, so losing my job has actually motivated me to open for business now. As Allison has said, poverty is a great motivator and failure is not an option! I have had so much fun putting all of this together. I am so passionate about my new business and I am dedicated to making it work.
A recession can offer many advantages to a budding entrepreneur including, lower rents, better deals with suppliers, and employees are often willing to start in for less.
Often the worst of times can end up being an opportunity for the best of times, just as turning lemons into lemonade could be your most profitable and satisfying venture.
If you have a vision, go for it. It is never going to be the perfect time to go after your dreams. But if you don’t do it now, years could pass and you may find yourself saying, “Why didn’t I?”

Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH has been an entrepreneur for the past 25 years and has a vibrant array of nine successful businesses to her credit. She is an author, life and career coach, homeopathic physician and international speaker. Allison is the president of The Blast Off Life and Business Coaching. Through her years of working with thousands of clients on a one-on-one basis, she has come to understand how and why human beings create their own personal limits in every aspect of their lives. Her Blast Off One-on-One Coaching Program and Blastation Interactive Life Coaching Software help people tap into their passions, learn to release their self-limiting roadblocks, and guides them through a step-by-step flight plan for success and fulfillment in all areas of life. www.myblastoff.com 888-844-3550

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Moving towards a Larger Purpose and more Meaningful Career

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Have you ever felt that you are in a career or job because you have been doing what you have been doing for quite some time and you are good at it too, not because you like or love what you do now but because you are in the routine humdrum – you are comfortable with what you are doing now. But there is a colossal difference between doing what you love and having a meaningful career than being in a job or profession just because of others’ expectations or because you kind of fit in it like a round peg in a round hole; much similar to the difference between living and existing.

But if you have given thought to it or are ready to explore more into what you would love to pursue, you have taken the first step toward realizing your true talent and moving towards your calling. Some thoughtful insights and practical analysis can help you move towards a larger purpose and a more meaningful career. }

In a very interesting book titled “Don’t Waste Your Talent” by Bob McDonald and Don. E Hutcheson, the authors talk about escaping the dreaded Lemming Conspiracy. Read carefully these thoughts here and see how it applies to your career (if at all);

Throughout our adult lives, we experience regular cycles of stability and change. We launch ourselves into the beginning of our careers.. At first everything seems fine. We may feel that we are a good match for a system at the beginning. The system’s values appear to match our own. Our lives seem interesting and exciting.
But with each passing year, we grow and change. We become different on the inside. We have new ideas, meet new people, have new goals and new wants. But the systems in which we remain do not change their views of us. To our systems (and this includes out family systems) we are always the same. Our systems assume we have remained on the same path, and that we have the same commitment to the systems’ values and rules that we always had.
Systems have only a limited view of us. We are whole people, but systems see only limited roles and functions. How many middle-aged men have awakened in the middle of the night with the nightmarish realization that their lives feel utterly meaningless and their energies re being wasted? How many middle aged women have suddenly seen their lives lose meaning when their children leave home? Or how many to build a family? One 45-year old women we know, a successful marketing director, realized suddenly one say that she was living the life that others expected of her – not the life that would express her own true self. Her family hard-driving professional women wake up in their late thirties and realize they have forgotten of origin had blinded her to life’s alternatives.

Some food for thought as the year ends and a new one begins. Are we ready to evaluate our systems and aspirations?
What would you do to this New Year to make a change that accelerates you toward a more satisfying career and happier life?

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3 Important Short-term Goals of Entrepreneurship

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When planning your entrepreneurial venture, I am sure you have been given a lot of advice on measuring your short-term and long-term goals and have a vision of the same order from here on. There can be a lot said about these goals and they all differ in different circumstances. But here are the three main important short-term goals that I advice the budding entrepreneurs to have in mind and in writing as they begin on the exciting path to entrepreneurship.

First Break Down your Ideas
When you dream of seeing your ideas as a product or service, it is most often very difficult to curb the flow of what can be done. The idea is great and the possibilities are ever-expanding; but these things are also most often the reason for a “multi-directional” start to try out all possibilities and see what works. Or simply many diversions and fewer results. Sure enough you want to make a million at least in the second year revenue cycle or at least some profits this year. Great, but first break it down even further. Focus on the first three months first. What do you want to achieve, how you want to achieve and what tools you need to get it done – but just the plan for the first three months.

Not Success Not Failure Just Get it Done
In most practical situations do not expect any success or failure in the first three months of your starting a venture. It is too short a time to evaluate if you are either. The focus must be on how you went about your plan. Analyze your time frame of achievement of the set goals. What went well and what did not, again it is not success or failure but the analysis on how you carried on the first steps and what you learnt from them matters most. Your focus should be on getting on the ramp, well begun is half done; there is a lot of truth in this saying! Now accordingly set course for the next breakdown of your plan.
Remember: your goals should always be measurable.
There is a lot around on the Web to learn on goal setting but some good influential message comes from the “Goal Setting Guru” Zig Ziglar. I suggest that read some good articles on goal setting and also see this 5 minutes video:

Now Fuel Motivation
Often the startup phase is the most daunting period of any ideas’ evolution. Doubts, fears and lack of a concrete turnaround often can weaken momentum of achievement. Most often failures or just giving-up happens at the start-up phase. Be prepared for this phase – seek motivation internally and externally. Depending upon what type of a person you are you may seek motivation from within or through a group of friends or an entrepreneurial circle.
Internal Motivation is what you can do yourself to bring out the best in you. It may be the challenge to meet the target goals for the week or the month, or some incentives that you look forward to (want a new car with your first year revenue? Better work for it now and meet your goals).
External Motivation comes through friends, co-workers, family or a think-alike group. Although networking can be very time consuming, it is a good idea to start upfront and fuel your motivation. A lot can be achieved when two or more minds think together and the earlier you begin the better it could be. Else seek a mentor or a coach who can guide you through the first steps on the entrepreneurial path which can often be jittery.

Needless to say whenever you focus on the short-term planning always keep the long-term goals in mind but note that the long-term goals reaching depends on the success of your short-term achievements and with the changes and success and failure in your short-term goals the long-term ones might most probably change. Focus on the short-term first, always.

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Self Promotion for Introverts – A book review

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What is your elevator pitch?
“Hmm.. do I really need one? I don’t think I can say a lot about myself or …”

How are you at networking? Are you promoting yourself and your products/services effectively?
“Networking is not my cup of tea, I am an introvert and just pushing myself and my products to others is not what comes naturally to me.”

  • Jumpstarting your visibility
  • Using your introverted preferences (e.g., writing, researching, listening) to your advantage
  • Promoting yourself without bragging
  • Managing negative self-talk – those voices of self-doubt in your head
  • Public speaking for private people
  • Networking without a bullhorn, both online and offline
  • Selling that’s not overly slick
  • Interview skills and résumés that emphasize your accomplishments

Pretty much covers a lot of topics that many of us are looking for in our daily careers or when planning to join the entrepreneurial bandwagon. The books helps a lot in learning how to use your inner strengths and skills to craft the tools and tactics for self-promotion and getting out there and gaining visibility.
You may get this book from Amazon.

(Please Note: I have not been paid to write this review, it is a sincere opinion and my wish to present the readers of this blog to get to know good books that bring value to day to day work life and overall improve our strengths)

These thoughts are just not from introverts from the rest of us as well. Self-promotion and networking is not everyone’s cup of tea and some help from good books will be always welcome. If you nodded on any of the statements above or all of them, this is a book you must have on your bookshelf now – Self-promotion for Introverts – the quiet guide to getting ahead.
In today’s tough economy and ruthlessly competitive job market, nobody can afford to go unnoticed. Too often, introverts get passed over while their chattier – although not necessarily more gifted – colleagues get the jobs and the promotions. But it doesn’t have to be that way, according to business communication coach Nancy Ancowitz, author of SELF-PROMOTION FOR INTROVERTS®
Whether you are aiming to get hired or promoted, avoid getting laid off, promoting your own business, selling a product, or just want to be heard and recognized, you’ll find such useful tips as:

“Help, I have a presentation coming up and no way can I do this. I am just not made for public speaking!”

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Blogging as a Career

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Amit-labnolLet’s meet Amit Agarwal who is a famous blogger based in India. He is also called “the founder of the Indian blogging revolution”; and authors the hugely popular and award winning Digital Inspiration blog where he writes about computer software, consumer gadgets, mobile phones and web applications that help us become productive. Digital Inspiration website is an award-winning technology site with 5,000+ articles, how-to guides and video tutorials on all things related to personal technology, software and useful web apps.
Amit also writes a weekly column on personal technology for Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times.

Hello Amit, tell us something about yourself and how you got interested in taking up blogging as a career?

It happened by chance.

I was working for software company in Hyderabad and was not exactly bored with my 9-to-5 job but wanted to do something on my own. One of my colleagues had a blog and that’s how I got exposed to this blogging thing for the first time. Initially, I thought of using my blog to get freelancing projects but that changed very soon and now I make a living directly from the blog.

What according to you is a successful blog? Are the success benchmarks set on the number of visits or the amount of money a blog makes or something different?

It depends. For some people, success may be defined by how many dollars they make at the end of the day but I think its more to do with influence and not just traffic or money.

If what you write can create buzz (i.e. there are conversations happening around your blog), I think you are successful. If people in your industry value what you write, you are successful.

This of course doesn’t apply to “private” bloggers who write mostly for their friends and family members.

What are some of the advantages and drawbacks in this profession?

You are your own boss. You not only get to do what you love but you also get paid for it. But I think what matters most is that you have a platform to share your voice and opinions.

The downside is that there are risks involved which are not in your control. What if search engines decide to put your site out of their index? What if you there are no online advertisers in your industry?

What have you found most challenging so far?

When you start a new blog, it’s almost like putting a billboard in the middle of a desert. Nobody knows about you – some people will only accidentally stumble upon your site and if they like it, they’ll probably help in spreading the word. Like all new bloggers, that was my biggest challenge – finding readers.

What does your typical work day or week look like?

It’s more like a 9-to-8 job now. I rarely cover “breaking news” so never really face that “time pressure.” I have about 500 feeds in my newsreader so it takes about 2 hours daily to clear the queue. Site management (like comment moderation, design tweaks), social media interactions (mostly twitter and facebook), emails, etc. take another two hours. The remaining time goes in writing stuff.

Weekends are mostly reserved for family.

How do you see blogging as a career evolving in the next 5 years?

I think more and more youngsters (especially college students) will start jumping into the blogging bandwagon. They may not take blogging as a “full-time” career but it will at least help them pay most of their utility bills.

Some tips or advice for those looking forward to taking up blogging as a career?

Always have a fall back plan. Get some good education, gain work experience and then maybe think of taking up blogging as a career.

Even if you have good ideas and write really well (blogging is all about writing), establishing yourself in the over-populated blog world can take months so don’t feel disheartened during the early stages. Just keep on writing and they’ll come.

Your website and contact information?

Twitter – http://twitter.com/labnol

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/digital.inspiration

YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/labnol

Resources that help you Launch a Blogging Career

Problogger has very useful tips for those wanting to launch a career in blogging and for the advanced bloggers. You can also subscribe to the problogger forums and learn from the members/mentors and others who are in the same boat as you. Some recommended blogging resources are also a must see here.

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Creating New Jobs – News from the White House

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On Thursday December 3, 2009, the White House is on the course to find the way out of recession – the only way to create more jobs and keep the millions others from losing their jobs in the coming year.

CNN reports:
President Obama and some lawmakers are searching for a way to stem this unrelenting loss of jobs, which is casting doubt on effectiveness of many of his economic programs, from his $787 billion stimulus plan to his $75 billion foreclosure prevention initiative.
The guests will also include small business owners, academics and non-profit leaders.
On the schedule are discussions on green jobs, small business employment, infrastructure and exports. Also, breakout groups will look at ways to encourage business competitiveness and to better prepare workers for the economy of the future.

The White house Blog reports that there are signs that the Recovery Act is working (the Recovery Act: On February 17th, 2009, the President signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or Recovery Act, into law. This Act is an unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, save and create millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so that our country can thrive in the 21st century). Read more about this act at the White House website.

It is in fact a good idea to end the year with some concrete plans for job recovery and financial stability plans for the coming one. The outcome depends on how soon the government can get these acts and proposals in practice. Let’s hope that we see results and it not a mere hype or “stunt” as some people say who are skeptical about this summit.

Update:

The White House Blog has updates on this news based on an address by the President at the Brookings Institute.
In Summary, the following steps can stabilize and get more jobs in the US:

1. Helping Small Businesses Expand Investment, Hire Workers and Access Credit

2. Investing in America’s Roads, Bridges and Infrastructure

3. Creating Jobs Through Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Investments

Read the complete article here.

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How to avoid the 5 Major Distractions at Work

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Emails, phone calls, a colleague drops in wants to go for coffee with you or just general conversations, an impromptu meeting, and again that email pop-up – 2 new emails in your inbox. You hardly realized but these little distractions have taken away around 2-3 hours of your productive time at the workplace.
The 5 major distractions at work are:
  • Constant Checking of Emails
  • Colleagues dropping in to Chat or discuss Problems
  • Distracting Noises – Coworkers talking in the nearby cubicle
  • Cell phones and messages
  • Social Websites – Let’s check what’s going on

Here are some tips that you can follow to avoid distractions at work:

Access Email only Thrice a Day
Yes you can do it if you practice so, also if you can cut down to only twice a day then nothing better! You might want to check your email the first thing in the morning since the itch to see what is in the mailbox would not let you get on with work. One of the best ways to get something done in the morning is to check your email from home and plan on your tasks for the day. Else if you are checking at work make sure you reply to only important ones (note the emphasis on important), now make sure you shut off your mail browser or application. It is not important to even open those that might need your immediate attention; you can read them in the next round. Now check again when you get back from lunch and the last time around half an hour before when you leave for home. Follow the same routine, the unimportant ones can wait until after your work time, reply only to those required. Close again (remember it is important to shut off the application else you will be tempted to “just checking” on and off).

Please Do not Disturb
When on a deadline of just in full steam concentration it is best to hang thee “do not disturb” sign outside your office or cubicle, most people respect this sign and would not intrude unless absolutely necessary. It cuts down on the “just checking” colleagues and even those well meaning coworkers who want to discuss a problem with you, but taking that on gets you off tangent.
If you don’t have the sign and even if you do not need it now, it is advised that you get one anyway. You can get it from any local store or just make one up. You can be creative and personalize it as well. It is also diligent on your part to let your manager and other coworkers know that you prefer not to be disturbed during a certain time frame while at work, if there is any urgent matter to be discussed they can approach you close to lunch hour or whatever time you think you might be taking a break from work.

Cellphones and Messaging
You are at work and your wife/husband has called twice. You did not take the call because you just wanted to concentrate on getting this task done, but at the back of your head the voice is telling you, she/he called twice, is everything ok? I must call ASAP. Again a distraction that can be taken care of if you prepare for it and inform your kids and spouse that you prefer not be called during certain work hours, unless of course something very urgent comes up. Also it is generally a good idea not to use your personal phone at work. Switch it off and check if you need to during lunch hour or at a later break time during the day. Your family most certainly knows your office number or official cell phone number, if need be they can get in touch through these numbers only. All other personal calls can wait – the company pays you for your time at work, do justice to it in the best possible way. Same goes with messaging – avoid it. Your friends can wait to get that LOL from you and you should most certainly keep the chatting time after work. No distractions means efficient and faster work and you feel more satisfied when you shut down your computer and head home for recreation and relaxation.

Noises and Talking
You may have a noisy co-worker who is a perpetual chatterbox or someone in the next cubicle in development support who has to be on the phone most of the day. Noises, talking over phone and just chatting in the hallway are one of the major distractions at work. It may not be always possible to get away from them, then just deal with them. Use a noise cancelling headphones or listen to your favorite music (if you can work this way) using headphones only. Whatever works for you try to find the best possible way you can replace the sounds and noise around you with silence, white noise or something that relaxes you and helps you concentrate on the work at hand.

Social Website Menace
Alright it is not a menace but can be if you are an addict to twittering what you are doing every hour or checking your facebook page to get an update from a friend on the other side of the globe, and you are doing all this while at work. As with any addition the first step is to try to be away from it for a certain period of time on a regular basis. So there you go – no going to these websites while at work. Some companies block access to personal email and social websites so they are doing their bit to get the distractions out of your way but I think there is no way they can stop you from checking on our phones or blackberries; it is finally up to you how you deal with these distractions.


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