Can’t stop Procrastinating? Here is some help

Do you find yourself procrastinating despite a real desire to complete that outstanding project or task?

You can’t explain it, but every time you think of dealing with that task, you remember 101 other things that need doing first.

You find yourself stuck!

You can’t understand why there is so much resistance to getting that project or task completed.

Let me shine a light on the probable source of the problem. You are experiencing one of the following…perhaps you’re experiencing two, or maybe all three root causes.

The 3 things that could be working against you are…FEAR, UNCERTAINTY or DOUBT.

FEAR:

If fear is stopping you, then the best antidote is to START. Do the smallest action you can think of to get moving. For example, if you want to write that blog post, then open up a blank document and type the heading of your post, save the document, and that’s it. Come back tomorrow and write the first sentence and see how fast that blog gets written.

UNCERTAINTY:

If uncertainty is causing you to procrastinate, the answer is to build momentum first by doing ONE THING. Stop looking at the end picture or the list of all the required steps to accomplish the goal. Instead focus on one step in the process. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t make that a big deal. Just pick one thing and do it. It does not matter where it fits in the sequence, just do that one thing. Then ask yourself what you can do next, and do that. You will find your flow.

DOUBT:

If you find yourself procrastinating because you are not convinced of your ability to succeed, the best strategy is to FINISH something. Pick one small item that is almost done and finish it. The sense of accomplishment will give you the energy and confidence to get more things done.

Any one of FEAR, UNCERTAINTY or DOUBT is helping you procrastinate. Don’t become good friends with them. Get rid of them FAST!

Challenge yourself to pick the one thing you believe is holding you back the most and try the remedy I’ve suggested. Let me know how you go: nancy@thriveatwork.com.au

Get Noticed at Work in 7 Simple ways

1. Know your Worth

2. Master Self-Promotion

3. Make your Presence felt

4. Speak with Impact

5. Role-model Resilience

6. Become Interesting

7. Help Someone Succeed

Get the complete guide for an explanation of each of the 7 ways.

It is a key resource for you if you are tired of waiting for others to notice you and want to create change yourself.

Get the complete guide here

How to communicate with impact

Communicating with impact is a powerful skill to have.

But how do you ensure that people do what you desire following a conversation with you?

Here is a simple but powerful tactic you can use.

Before you speak with your audience, whether it’s an audience of one or of many, be very clear on 3 key things.

Make no mistake, if you want to use your communication to create results you have to be crystal clear and be able to answer the following questions without hesitation.

  1. What do I want my audience to FEEL to make this communication memorable?
  2. What INFORMATION do I want my audience to have to make this communication meaningful and relevant?
  3. What specific ACTION do I want my audience to take as a result of my communication with them?

If you devote a few minutes to answering these questions before each communication you deliver in person or in writing you are guaranteed of getting a result from your communication. That is, you are guaranteed of having impactful communication.

This is imperative. You must do it. Don’t brush it off as being simplistic.

Do it, master doing it each time and watch your influence grow.

Try it and let me know how you go… nancy@thriveatwork.com.au

Six things you must do to create career luck

As someone once said…Luck is what happens when Preparation meets Opportunity.

So here are some preparation tips to ensure that you are ready when career opportunities present themselves.

These tips will help you stand out to the people that matter. Do them and you will greatly increase the chances of being noticed, rewarded and elevated.

Here are six things you must do to create your own career luck.

1. Do something outstanding that will get you noticed.

This has to be something over and above your day job. You could solve a problem that your boss, or a colleague, has been struggling with for a while.

By doing this you will leave a positive impression on them. And when a major opportunity comes along, the chances of them putting you forward or recommending you will be greater.

2. Build a network of advocates.

Having people eager and ready to vouch for you is better than tooting your own horn.

Make sure you let your leaders know your recent accomplishments so that they can mention you in discussions with their peers.

This is how people get approached for new or more challenging opportunities and for roles that require a step up.

3. Understand the politics of promotion in your organisation.

Find a sponsor in your organisation. This is someone who will put your name forward when leaders are looking for the right person to take up an important role or challenge.

In the corporate world, a good word from a senior leader (a sponsor) has become the best way to set you apart from all those others seeking the same opportunities.

4. Network within and outside your organisation.

Make time each month to attend a networking event in your industry or in the industry you want to get into.

At each event, your goal should be to have deep and meaningful conversations with at least two people. And remember to be memorable – in a good way.

In your current organisation, make it a priority to set time aside each week to catch up with people you have been introduced to by others or who you’ve met in meetings but have not had a chance to get to know better.

Having a wide network will allow you to reach out and help someone or be helped when the time comes.

5. Keep your credentials up-to-date.

Update your resume every time you complete a major project, go for a course or learn a new skill. You don’t have to wait to get a promotion or to be looking for a new job to update your resume.

Make use of the power of LinkedIn – keep your profile up-to-date, include accomplishments as you make them, connect with people you have met at networking events, comment on things people in your network have published so you can become more visible. You can even publish your own posts.

6. Interview every 6-12 months.

This might sound pointless or even feel like it is going too far but I highly recommend it if you want to stay top of mind when recruiters are filling positions.

Even if work is going swimmingly and you’re not thinking of changing roles, apply for your desired next role, secure an interview and see where you stand in terms of what will get you that next role.

Find out what you need to work on or learn. Get familiar with the questions recruiters ask at that next level. Get feedback after every application or interview so you can gather evidence of what you need to work on.

This will ensure that when you’re ready to move on, you will go out into the job market equipped and confident.

Women in the Workplace – study findings

A recent study called “Women in the Workplace” that was conducted by a partnership between LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company has revealed that in Corporate America…

“Women are less likely to receive the first critical promotion to manager—so far fewer end up on the path to leadership—and are less likely to be hired into more senior positions. Women also get less access to the people, input, and opportunities that accelerate careers. As a result, the higher you look in companies, the fewer women you see.

This disparity is especially pronounced for women of color, who face the most barriers to advancement and experience the steepest drop-offs with seniority.”

It is not very different in Corporate Australia.

I ponder this reality and it makes me ask…how might we break those barriers for ambitious, clever, and highly deserving working women of colour?

And what about the generations of brilliant young girls, with big dreams, coming through high school and university? How do we pave the way so that their ambitions can be realised?

What are your thoughts? Drop me a line at nancy@thriveatwork.com.au

And you can find the study here:

https://womenintheworkplace.com/#key-findings

Preparing for a presentation in 7 easy steps

Prepare, prepare, prepare.

That’s what any communications expert will say if you ask them the one tip they have to help you ace a presentation.

As you read this you may be a novice at delivering presentations. Or you may have delivered a number of presentations such that it has become second nature to you. If you fall into the first category then read on and make sure you implement most, if not all, of the steps below when preparing for your next presentation.

And if you are the seasoned presenter, check out the steps listed below and let me know what I can add to them for benefit those still learning to master the skill of Presenting.

Before I get to the steps, I want to make sure that you are on the same page with me. I am focusing not on HOW to deliver an outstanding presentation. Instead my focus here is on all the key things you should do BEFORE going into the presentation. It’s the preparation part. The hard work that makes delivering the presentation become the easy bit.

Step 1: Decide on what your primary reason for the presentation is. Be very clear on why you are delivering the presentation. What is your intention? Is it to inform, to persuade, to teach or some other reason?

Step 2: Be crystal clear on what it is that you want your audience to be able to Do, Know or Feel as a result of spending the time with you. Do you want them to feel empowered or do you want them to have the facts?

Step 3: Plan your beginning. Determine how you are going to open the presentation. Remember that it is critical to develop rapport with your audience in the first minute to ensure they listen to your message. Will this be via a story, a quote or a fact?

Step 4: Be clear on how you are going to build credibility. This is when you tell your audience a bit about yourself and why you are qualified or well suited to be presenting to them on that particular topic

Step 5: Build the body of your presentation. Decide how you are going to structure and ensure easy flow of the presentation to keep the audience engaged and to deliver maximum value.

Step 6: Plan the Question and Answer segment of your presentation. How many questions or for how long will you be open to questions? Are there some questions that you would defer to another session or take offline? Prepare some common questions that you can use just incase you get none from the audience. Also remember to prepare for those uncomfortable questions designed to make you look bad. Think through how will you deal with those.

Step 7: Design your final words so that you close with impact. Will you share a final thought, a quote or an image?

If you complete these seven steps before going into any presentation, the hard work will be done and you can go into your presentation knowing that you have done your best preparation and that all you have to do next is manage any nerves and deliver an outstanding presentation.

Go forth, prepare and present then let me know what worked for you and if you have any additional tips or questions.

An Evening with Oprah – my notes

 

 I am the master of my fate,

  I am the captain of my soul.

        (Invictus)

What an amazing experience to be in the same room with Oprah in Sydney, to see her in the flesh and hear her voice live was a dream come true. I took notes on my phone and can now share them with you. They are things that spoke to me and I hope they mean something to you too.

  1. Turn up the volume on who you are.
  1. What do you really want? What does that look like for you? People have a lot of difficulty answering these questions for themselves. Learn to be a great manifester of what you want for yourself.
  1. Live in a place of surrender. That which is greater than you can see what is beyond you. Connect to the spirit you are.
  1. Honor your calling. Pay attention because life is speaking to us all the time – instinct, gut, higher consciousness, spiritual GPS.
  1. Your purpose is every small moment that connects your life together. Every life that you touch and every person that has been touched by you – that is your legacy. Use your personality to serve
  1. When things go wrong it is your life force pushing you in a different direction.
  1. What is your thread, where is it leading you? Let no one keep you from your journey. Let nothing dissuade you from where you want to go. You are your only explorer your heart the unreadable compass.
  1. Pay attention to what makes you curious and happy. Notice when you’re most alive.
  1. Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service – Martin Luther King.
  1. Life speaks to you in whispers. Learn to listen attentively. Whispers are always trying to move you in a different direction.
  1. Every argument is about needing validated. Did you hear me and did what I say mean anything to you. I see you, I hear you and what you say matters to me – if you understand this you get success.
  1. What you give out comes back. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Do unto others what you want done to you.
  1. You cover your life with the intention you bring. The intention drives the outcome. You’re sitting in your intention. You are where you are because if the intention that created your action and thoughts.
  1. “No” is a complete sentence.
  1. You become what you believe.
  1. Be responsible for the energy you bring into a space. Keep yourself positively strung and your vibration high.
  1. Your greatest power is love – show it, give it, live it.
  1. Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism – Rev. Jesse Jackson.
  1. Failure means to keep trying with a higher understanding, or push in a different direction.
  1. To find your compass you must surrender – that is, let go of your narrative and your attachment to the outcome.
  1. Ask, how can I be used.
  1. Practice gratitude, for others and for yourself. This is the quickest way to move out of feeling down.

————–

An absolutely awesome night!!!

Do you keep promises you make to yourself?

In Bill Phillips’ book Body for Life, he explains why keeping promises to ourselves is much more important than it appears on the surface.

Bill writes, “When you set an important goal you must promise yourself that you will finish what you start, no matter what. That vow, although it might be very easy to break, is by far one of the most important ones to honor. You see, the very essence of confidence is self-trust. Would you trust anyone who repeatedly lied to you? Someone who broke the rules of the game again and again? Of course you wouldn’t. So if you’ve developed a pattern of not honoring self-promises, this is a great time to make a change. If you can’t honor, trust, and depend on your own word, well… that may be the root of a lot of challenges in your life – a lot more than you realize.

The thing about lying to ourselves is that we never, ever get away with it. On the surface we may fool our minds into ignoring and not admitting what we’re doing, but deep down, in the place where all truth resides for each of us, in the place where we know and see ourselves as we really are – in that place, we are causing pain and damage every time we’re not totally honest with ourselves…

…It doesn’t have to be like that though. No matter how long it has been like that, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Contrary to what many people think, it’s a lot easier to keep the promises we make to ourselves than it is to break them.

Keeping these promises unleashes enormous energy and potential. That potential emptiness created by self-deception will become filled with strength, certainty – and yes, confidence – if you honor self-promises. (We’ve all heard the phrase “The truth shall set you free”. Well, nowhere is that more true than when we apply it to our relationship with ourselves.)”

So how can you take this knowledge and apply it to your business, career, health, finances and relationships? Are there promises that you are making and not keeping? How does that affect your energy, motivation and progress? How does it make you feel about yourself?

So what can you do to make this shift? How about starting small? How about setting daily goals and sticking with them? How about making the commitment to establish a business plan with activity goals and financial goals so you know where you are headed?   How about giving yourself permission to fail? How about agreeing to measure and adjust along the way so you know you are not “stuck” with a plan that is not ideal? What else can you do?

The significance of keeping promises to ourselves is profound. Examine your own habits to see if in fact you break the promises you make to yourself. And if so, make the shift to putting your promises at the top of your commitment list.

“Who Am I?” – a self-discovery activity

As you navigate life’s ups and downs there can come a time when you find that you have lost touch with yourself. Questions about who you are, what your purpose in life is or what your passion is can start to dominate your thinking.

This can go on for a long time without resolving. So to shortcut that long winded process, you need a guided model to help you unravel your thoughts so you can quickly discover the answers that exist inside you. To help you do this, below is an exercise to get you started.

Instructions:

  1. Find a quiet spot where you will not be disturbed for 45 minutes to an hour (or longer)
  1. Arm yourself with paper and pen or your favourite journal

(Tip: It is best to write on paper rather than type on your computer because the physical act of writing allows you to process what exits in your subconscious)

  1. Take 3 deep breaths to slow your thoughts down
  1. Start completing the statements that follow

(Tip: Write whatever comes to mind without censoring your thinking)

  1. Once you have completed the exercise, read over your answers and notice any patterns and insights that emerge – you should get some interesting self-understanding

Note: some people prefer to be guided through this process. If you are one of those, or would like to go deeper through this process contact me at nancy@thirveatwork.com.au for a personalized self-discovery session. As an output of this session you will receive a detailed report that you can refer back to and digest at your leisure.

Ready to start? Here are the self discover statements for you to complete:

  1. I am…
  2. I am at my best when…
  3. The best thing that could happen to me is…
  4. People notice that…
  5. When I am proud of myself, I…
  6. I am very happy that…
  7. I get lost in time when…
  8. I look forward to…
  9. I am passionate about…
  10. I am good at…
  11. I wish others knew…
  12. I am happiest when…
  13. I am proud that…
  14. I would like to…
  15. Five adjectives that describe me are…
  16. The three things I have enjoyed about this exercise are

Avoid these 3 mistakes on your resume PROFILE section

Writing a winning resume is a daunting task for most people. Making it even harder is the fact that we tend to update our resumes when we’re feeling the pressure of needing to make a career change or are embarking on the job search journey. These moments tend to be full of pressure and quite stressful for most of us. The result can often be less than impressive.        

In these circumstances, there are 3 mistakes you are wired to make:

  1. You blurt out everything

You know your career progression and accomplishments intimately and include as much as you can in the profile section. When you blurt everything out your profile sounds generic – a jack-of-all trades with nothing to focus attention on. You fail to sift out the crucial aspects that will get the reader’s head nodding. Because you fail to stand out you wonder why you don’t get any interviews.

What to do instead: Follow the “less is more” principle. Decide on the 2-3 aspects of your expertise and accomplishments that you want to focus on and write about those succinctly.

  1. You hesitate to sell yourself

For most of us, talking about people we admire is easy, yet talking about our own accomplishments can be challenging. This is because we don’t want to brag or appear boastful or arrogant. However, mastering the art of the “subtle brag” could be the key to writing a great profile section.

What to do instead: Pretend that your greatest advocate is introducing you to someone they respect. Write the 2-3 top things they would say to showcase your expertise and accomplishments. Be very complimentary.

  1. You write “filler”

This is a common mistake, where you get drawn to include things like “excellent communicator, team player, great at time management”. Whereas these are recognized requirements, they don’t deliver a differentiated profile because they don’t really say much about what makes you special. They are claims that everyone can make.

What to do instead: Use key words that your industry understands and that show that you have the depth of experience the reader is looking for. This will ensure that your resume gets to the “Yes” pile.

Try these tips the next time you’re updating your profile section or pass them onto someone who needs to know them.

As always, if you need help, you can reach me at nancy@thriveatwork.com.au