How to Stay Motivated During the Holiday Season

It may be the “most wonderful time of the year,” but the festive months on the tail end of the year unfortunately happen to often see major losses in productivity. With it being so easy to mentally check out as the holidays arrive, how can we enjoy this time of the year while keeping ourselves motivated at work?

  • Be flexible: Embrace the chaos of the holidays. When you are responsive to change and are willing to adapt, you are more capable of successfully juggling end-of-the-year projects as well as the busy social scene.
  • Don’t overcommit: Maintaining a manageable work-life balance is always important, but you’ll find it to be key this time of year. As tempting as it may be, don’t weigh down your calendar with social engagements. RSVP to all those Christmas parties wisely! Over-doing it can lead to a stall in productivity, which can easily lead to unwanted stress and sickness this holiday season.
  • Network: Take advantage of the events and parties you do attend by meeting new people in your industry and broadening your network. If you pick your parties and your conversations just right, you could set yourself up for better business in the coming year.
  • Clean up the clutter: Forget “spring cleaning”- the end of the year is a better time than ever to organize your life. That stack of papers has been in the corner for two months now. Unless it is vital to current or future projects, let the eye sore go. Clutter causes distractions and can make every job seem a little harder when you have to shift and sift every time you’re attempting to locate something. Simplify your life. Your 2016 self will thank you.
  • Get some help: With many industries being short-staffed and/or picking up at the end of the year, teams can easily become overwhelmed and get behind. Don’t be afraid to contact a reputable staffing company to help you find some temporary help that can carry some of your load. If you are an employer in the industrial, call center, IT, or administrative industries who wants to build upon their team this winter, contact us at (317) 813-8000 today.

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Tips for Starting a New Job

Starting a new job can be an intimidating process. From filling out forms to reading employee handbooks to knowing what to do during your lunch break, there are a lot of roads to navigate. And the first day isn’t the only thing you are probably worried about.

At many companies and organizations, the first 90 days are like a trial run. You will not receive your full benefits until those 90 days are over and you will more than likely have a review. Starting a new job does not need to be all doom and gloom. If you go into the process with the right attitude and the right tools, you can quickly start to own your job and your new environment.

Come Prepared

No matter how many times you start a new job, there will always be forms to fill out. Before you head in that first day, be sure you bring the right paperwork, numbers, and forms you need to fill out tax information and other work-related documents. For example, if your new employer supports direct deposit, then you should bring a blank check, so you can provide your routing and account number.

Make Work Friends

That first day can be overwhelming. Introducing yourself to new coworkers can really ease that tension and loosen you up a little bit. If you are invited out for lunch, take advantage of the opportunity to meet people and learn more about the company. If no one is going out, be sure you sit with new coworkers at lunch and start to gain an understanding for how the office works.

Engage in Your Work

It can be difficult to just jump into the work on your first day, but if you have a chance to, then do it. Engaging in your work on the first day and every day will give you a sense or purpose and ownership. The quicker you get to what you are there to do, the quicker you will lose that tension associated with the first day.

Pay Attention to Details

In life and in work, details are incredibly important. There is absolutely no doubt about that. However, at work you need to pay attention to your orientations, your work, and your coworkers so that you can do more than just survive those 90 days. When you pay attention to details, you pick up on the nuances of the office and your tasks.

Starting a new job does not need to be an intimidating experience. Will there still be nerves? Yes, but those nerves should not keep you from doing an amazing job. When you commit yourself to your work and to success, you will come through the process for the better.

Positioning for Success: Creating Purpose

When you feel like you’re down on your luck and having trouble finding your next job opportunity, it can be hard to find purpose in anything. From filling out job applications to filing unemployment, you may be pretty discouraged. One of the best ways to combat this feeling is to position yourself for success. It’s easy to give up and settle, but you won’t find success by doing that.

Positioning yourself for success can be difficult and is certainly a journey. However, by creating purpose you may just find the success you are looking for. Even if you are currently unemployed, that doesn’t mean you have to be purposeless. Here are a few ways to position yourself for success by creating purpose:

Brand Yourself

No matter what type of career or industry you work in, knowing who you are is important. Branding yourself can be broken down into just that. While companies use brands to tell consumers and customers about their products and services, you need to create a personal brand that tells potential employers about you. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need a logo or a website. It does however mean you need to evaluate your goals, lifestyle, and your professional persona.

Develop Passion

Without passion, much of life will seem pointless and purposeless. If you aren’t excited about what you do for a living, then you’ll have a much harder time finding a job. You need passion in order to make a difference, make a change, or improve your career. Without passion, you are far more likely to remain stagnant in life. By making conscious choices and decisions to develop a passion for what you do, you’ll find increased results in your job search.

If you want change to happen in your life—if you want to find a new or better job—then you need to focus on these factors:

  • Your mind
  • Your attitude
  • Your appearance
  • Your words
  • Your follow-up

When you focus on these things and make efforts to improve them, then you’ll start to see positive changes happening in your life.

Do you have any suggestions for creating purpose in your life or career? Leave your stories and suggestions in the comments section below!