Archives for October 2015

October 27, 2015 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Beat Procrastination

What, primarily, causes procrastination? Productivity requires goals, which require thoughts. We think, we determine the goal, and then – don’t act. Why do we not act?

Our emotions get in the way. Fact: Because of the way our brains are structured, emotions always win over thoughts. We know what we have to do, we just don’t feel like doing it. Why should that be the case? We procrastinate most when we are in a bad mood. Mood management is key in productivity. So, get positive.

Happiness increases productivity. In order to manage mood, we must become positive. Optimism is required to prevent procrastination, and the greatest motivator is progress. Learn to celebrate each little win and optimism increases, progress increases, and then productivity increases. Thus, we get rewarded.

Receiving a reward is a great motivator for many of us. After progress is made, treat yourself. Or, use penalties as motivation. One device is to give a friend money, which you will receive back only if you achieve your productivity goal; this is negative reinforcement which requires commitment on your part. And that is a part of peer pressure.

Surround yourself with people who have high goals, and are people you admire. Some would say that who you associate with determines the type of person you become. Job performance is more dependent on self-image than actual performance. Join with peers and hold one another accountable.

Some useful tips to become more productive each day: get a routine, focus, manage your mood. Don’t check email in the morning, this may make you reactive and in some cases, emotional. Your focus is lost, you may become stressed and distracted. Research has shown that due to distraction, your IQ can drop as much as 10 points. At work, determine whether tasks can be done faster, or not at all. Decide what’s important and don’t do much else. Stay focused, even if you must change your environment. Eliminate distractions. Develop a system, get a routine so that tasks become automatic. Define goals the night before, write them down.

Good time management is about feelings. Manage your mood and become positive; productivity is the result. Stay busy, but not rushed, and increased job satisfaction and productivity will follow.

If you are feeling overwhelmed or need a little help focusing on your goals, please contact me and let’s schedule a complimentary 20 minute coaching session to see how we can, together, get you back on the right track.

P.S. Imagine you were offered the opportunity to be coached both on-site and virtually – by the leading expert in the real estate assistant industry through the 10 most important areas of a real estate agent’s business. Introducing The Real Estate Assistant Playbook. Designed for both real estate assistants and agents, The Playbook offers the training you need to excel in the business of real estate today! Visit TheRealEstateAssistantPlaybook.com for more information.

Photo courtesy Flickr/brettjordan

October 20, 2015 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Working from Home

One of many great advantages in real estate assistance is the opportunity it affords to work from home. Many real estate assistants enjoy the independence and autonomy of the virtual work environment. More and more employers recognize its advantages to themselves and their employees in increased productivity and decreased expense, and a successful transition is easy to make for most. Here are a few tips to help make the transition to the virtual work environment go smoothly.

So let’s examine the number one most important aspect of working outside the office – employer expectations. For those who are transitioning in the same job, will the requirements be the same? Will support be the same? What about equipment, supplies? It is imperative to establish a thorough understanding of these aspects before transition. IT support is important, and the contractor may have to gain independence in some computer areas by enrolling in classes, for instance, or establishing contacts through computer companies for support. Be able to outfit your home office with the same supplies you use in the formal work place. An understanding of your responsibilities is imperative.

Set up a separate and dedicated area in the home as office. Choose one that affords the least distraction, be it from environment, to family and friends, and establish boundaries. Just because you’re are at home does not mean you are always available. Establish a daily routine, possibly patterned closely to your former work routine. Take breaks as always; resist the temptation to be available to address emails and take phone calls any time and any day. Begin and quit working at established times and maintain this structure.

Set measureable goals for productivity, find what works best for your own personal work habits and through interaction with other telecommuters. Stay connected to the office by attending meetings and maintaining social relationships with co-workers through phone calls and social get-togethers. Continue networking to boost your career contacts. Continue to work closely with your office supervisor and co-workers. Eventually establish your own best work-style. Document your productivity and time as structured by your employer, as well as in your own personal records, and provide written documentation of your accomplishments to your supervisor regularly. Do not depend on company evaluations alone.

There will be requirements that you must meet as an independent contractor, such as taxes, licenses, and perhaps permits. The IRS has information available on its site under “Self-Employed Individual Tax Center”. Plan to increase insurance and retirement savings, since they will now be your own responsibility instead of your employer’s. Maintain your technical skills.

Now, enjoy your new work and life-style. Continue to develop self-discipline, and remember, to be successfully employed at home, always meet and exceed employers’ expectations.

Image courtesy of Unsplash.com

October 15, 2015 By Kim Hughes Leave a Comment

Realizing Your True Passion

It’s interesting to meet people who seem to really love their careers, since we would all like to spend our working time at what we enjoy doing. However, most all of us have to making a living. Is there any way to reconcile the two? Is it really possible to realize what your true interests are in a career, other than making money, or is it all just being lucky?

Well, according to those who have achieved the goal of pursuing their passion in their career that is exactly one of the first steps – being curious. How did they go about finding their passion? How does one begin to determine what their true passion is and turn it into a living? One of the tips is to think back to the things you enjoyed most as a child. An examination of the traits that defined you as a child may be valuable in self-examination now. We are, at the central core of ourselves, still the same person. We may gain some insight into what defines us as adults by remembering what we enjoyed most as children.

While we must make a living, perhaps we should grant ourselves some leeway beyond just making money in our choice of careers. For some people, that is their passion, regardless of the job. We devote a large part of our lives to work; perhaps it is possible to actually enjoy that time through greater control of our lives and where we spend most of it. Advantages might include working at home, for instance, or flex time. Our curiosity may lead us to focus on different priorities.

Another aspect to consider is avoiding artificial limitations, such as perceived lack of abilities or education. We each have unique abilities to apply to our livelihoods the same way we employ them in everyday life. Focusing more on what we personally are very good at gives us some good insight. We enjoy doing things we are good at. Discover those individual attributes you possess and consider how to incorporate them into a career.

As the experts advise, after a time, we must stop talking and act. When you realize your current career is not working, begin taking steps to leave it. Perhaps start a new line of study incorporating your unique attributes and your passion while planning your exit. Develop a plan that affords you more satisfaction with your work-style and life balance while pursuing your passion.

Imagine a career so satisfying that you must remind yourself to stop working at the end of the day, and that you think about and look forward to in your down-time! You have realized your passion.

Image courtesy of Unsplash.com