Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Become Unbusy

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, Joshua Becker provides some tips for becoming less busy and reducing stress in our lives, starting with recognizing that being busy is a choice. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 4 Things to Do on Sunday to Reduce Stress for the Week

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 4 Sunday Prep Activities That Will Curb Your Stress All Week: "If we don’t have an attack plan for the week, it can feel like we’re fighting a schedule hydra: Once we finish one task, two more take its place. And that’s not a fun place to be."

• How to Show You're Passionate in a Job Interview: "To succeed in your next job interview, you need to figure out how to convey what matters most to you. Here’s how."

• Why Being Generous is Critical to Your Business Success: "Whatever you sell, whatever you stand for, if you want to stand out and reap more rewards, you have to give more. The receivers of your gift will give you more in return."

• Building Employees into Leaders: "We already talked about ways individuals can develop their own leadership abilities, but as a leader, there are some steps you can take to give your team a little push in that direction."
• Ten Habits of Incredibly Happy People:"Happiness spreads through people. Surrounding yourself with happy people builds confidence, stimulates creativity, and it’s flat-out fun."

How to Manage the Stress of a Big Project

Sometimes it feels like the deadline will never arrive or that the big deadlines just keep coming. It is easy to get on the roller-coaster of stress and feel like you’ll never be in control of your work life again. However, there are ways to deal with the stress-filled times at work to make them more manageable.

Implement the following steps to reduce your stress at work.

Tackle the worst first. There are parts of every project or every responsibility that we have in our jobs that is something we dread or find ourselves putting off. Take the opposite approach. If you dislike the phone calls you need to make for the project tackle those first in the morning or take on the budget tracking that frustrates you. When you get rid of some of the worst parts of your work first it frees you up to work on things you enjoy later, when you’re feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment at putting some of the most stress aspects of your project behind you.

Talk to your manager. Many of us put off discussing our stresses with our manager because we don’t want to give off the impression of being overwhelmed or incompetent at something. Your supervisor is there to help and wants to see projects completed well and on time. If the stresses you experience threaten the success of the project your manager will want to know. In addition, he or she should be interested in your well-being and might be able to help you identify strategies to be more effective in your work or perhaps can take some things off your plate to help you devote additional time to the more important project.

Work for focused and brief spurts. Consider setting aside dedicated periods of 45 minutes throughout your day to focus exclusively on your project without allowing for outside disruptions, including phone calls or checking of emails. It’s likely you’ll find you accomplish more throughout the day with this approach, leading to reduced stress as you see the end in sight.

Pay attention to your health. It’s critical to reducing your stress levels to take care of yourself by exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, eating well, and engaging in a mindfulness practice such as meditation or yoga.

By putting into practice these four steps you can learn to more effectively manage the stress in your work life.      

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 4 Tips to Explain the Gap on Your Resume

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below from Fast Company provides four tips for explaining gaps in your resume when at a job interview, starting with being upfront about the gaps. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 10 Time Management Tips That Work

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 10 Time Management Tips That Work: "The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage."

• How to Create a Tight-Knit Company Culture: "To scale culture successfully, you can't just rely on senior leadership or the founders to push it from the top down. Culture is co-owned by leadership and your on-the-ground culture teams to make sure it's bottom up, too."

• Why You Should Always Ask For More Money: "Experts say it’s essential to always ask for more money because when you don’t negotiate, you signal to the company that you don’t value your own worth."

• How to Earn Loyalty as a Leader: "We earn loyalty when we take ownership for what should be done. We don’t simply give people what they ask for; instead, we own the goals and outcome for our customers and colleagues."
• How Successful People Handle Toxic People:"If you set boundaries and decide when and where you’ll engage a difficult person, you can control much of the chaos."

How to Support a Colleague After a Layoff

When your company restructures and lays off staff it often creates a mood of uncertainty and stress for everyone involved. But what do you do when you’ve been fortunate to retain your position while a good friend and colleague was let go? It can be difficult to know how to handle this situation.

Here are three tips for supporting a colleague who has been laid off.

Say something. Don’t let the awkwardness cause you to bite your tongue. Of course, the situation can feel tense, but your former co-worker needs to know they have your support. It can be as simple as saying “I’m so sorry to hear the news; is there anything I can do to help right now?” He or she might be in shock and unsure of what to do next so be prepared for some silence and a desire to be alone for a while.

Write a recommendation. When the time is right, and if you can sincerely help, offer to write a letter of recommendation. It will be useful for your colleague to have new, well-written statements of support for their accomplishments, skills, work ethic, and qualities.

Pass along job tips. Once you’ve become clear on your former co-worker’s new plans, offer to send along any job opportunities you become aware of through your network or the job boards you stay up on. But be considerate and don’t bombard him or her with emails, particularly if they are experiencing some depression following the layoff. It can feel overwhelming and hopeless to have too many opportunities thrown in front of you.

There are other ways you can support your friend or colleague, such as offering to review an updated resume, driving your former co-worker to a job interview if transportation is an issue, or simply inviting him or her out for a coffee. The important thing is to listen to what your friend needs and offer that through your support, whether it’s taking on the role of cheerleader or the voice of reason.    

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 12 Changes That Will Upgrade Your Life & Career

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from The Financial Diet, Chelsea Fagan describes 12 changes you can make to upgrade your entire life and career. Check out the video to learn more.

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Steps to Reaching Your Full Potential

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 8 Steps to Reaching Your Full Potential: "Commit to regular time for personal development and strategic thinking — space to think and feel. Begin with a couple of hours each week and expand from there."

• The Ultimate Guide to Bulletproof Habits: "The most direct, fulfilling route to greatness is not through grand strategy, clever maneuvers, inborn talent or the right connections; it’s the path of small, consistent and patient steps repeated again and again."

• Why Mindfulness is a Must-Have Mental Skill: "mindfulness provides for a non-confrontational intervention where you develop the skill to choose to pivot your thinking and stop the broken record of unhelpful thought looping on repeat."

• 4 Ways Working Dads Can Make More Time for Family: "The men surveyed rated work-life balance as the primary factor to consider when measuring success and as the third most important criteria for choosing a job."
• 5 Tips on How to Find a Mentor:"Ask what you can do to help your mentors. You may have assets they need. Don’t be a pest, but do send a relevant article or a post they might find interesting, or promote their work to your network."

How to Prepare for Your Upcoming Business Conference

Getting the most out of your attendance at a business conference is not just good for your career but it also demonstrates good stewardship of your company’s commitment to you and the resources that make your attendance possible.

Here are five ways to prepare for your upcoming conference so you can get the most out of it:

Dress for success. Don’t hesitate to go shopping and add something new to your wardrobe for the conference. It’s important to feel confident and often looking your best can increase your confidence level and enable you to make those important connections.

Set up contacts in advance. You might not get a list of attendees in advance, but you’ll likely know some of the speakers or panelists who will be there. Identify a few people to get in touch with prior to the conference, letting them know you’ll be attending, and try to set up lunch or even a quick coffee. 

Be clear with yourself about what you are looking to gain from the meeting.

Plan your schedule. Don’t wait until you get to the conference to decide how you’ll use your time there. Even if you’re unable to get a detailed schedule you can get a general sense for the keynote presentations that you want to attend.

Pack your business cards. Be sure to have your business cards at the ready and up-to-date with your current job title and accurate contact information.

Get rest. Conferences can be very busy and overwhelming so prepare for this by getting enough rest in advance, and if possible, take a nap on the plane if you’re flying.

Use the time away to recharge your batteries and gain some new ideas for your company and career.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Create Your Best Future

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Success magazine, author Rachel Hollis discusses three things you can do today to create a more positive and successful life. Check out the video to learn more.

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Paradoxical Habits of Successful People

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 8 Paradoxical Habits of Successful People: "Successful people are passionate about their work, but they don’t let it skew their thinking. They have the ability to step back and look at their work with a critical eye and to accept their mistakes."

• A Revolutionary New Approach to Time Management: "When stress rises, the need to feel in control rises too. Often that leads to reaching for the time management tools to cram more in to already loaded to-do lists. Which only leaves you feeling more depleted."

• Why Women Are Still Making So Much Less Than Men: "The idea that I could ask for more, that my skills and talent were worth more, never crossed my mind."

• 5 Skills Critical for Success & Career Advancement: "In fully committing to choices which serve your career advancement first, your personal brand will start to take shape. You’ll start being deemed as someone to watch and follow."
• How to Talk With a Coworker Who's Having a Tough Time:"For as long as negative emotions show up at work (which is probably forever), you’ll be better off if you have some strategies to help your colleagues through it."

5 Ways to Increase Focus at Work

Life is full of distractions and, unfortunately, those distractions don’t leave us once we enter out place of employment. From the internet, to our mobile phones, and co-worker’s gossip, we have plenty of opportunities to find ourselves struggling to stay attentive to the task at hand.

Consider implementing the following five ways to remain focused while on the job.

Keep a healthy snack close at hand. Hunger can be a big distraction and when we try to deal with our hunger by eating salty or sugary snacks, we’ll find ourselves with decreased energy and we’ll be craving those unhealthy treats for much of the day. Bring in healthy treats to keep nearby, such as nuts, dried fruit, bananas, carrots and celery, or a protein-filled smoothie. You’ll avoid getting away from your desk to grab the chips in the vending machine while finding yourself with increased energy and focus.

Work for specific amounts of time on one project. Have a plan to your day and spend a dedicated amount of time, ideally about 45 minutes, working on one project. Avoid the temptation to multitask and bring brief, focused attention to one job. You’ll find that you’ve accomplish more in shorter bursts of time than spending several distracted hours on a project. Following your 45 minutes of dedicated work give yourself a quick break as a reward.

Take a walk. A great reward after your successful 45 minutes of dedicated work is a brisk walk around the office building. Getting outdoors will help you regain focus, increase your energy levels, and can help stimulate new ideas that can resolve a problem or issue you’re having with your project.

Seek out a private work space. In some instances, we might need more privacy, especially if you work in a cubicle with a lot of co-workers nearby. Find an empty conference room that you can utilize for some dedicated work and take advantage of it or locate a quiet corner with a desk. Sometimes a change in scenery can allow us to be more focused.

Identify your specific distractions and make a plan. Think through the situations you find most distracting, from gossiping with co-workers around the coffee machine to browsing Amazon when you should be getting some work done and develop a specific plan to deal with them. It might be as simple as rewarding yourself after focused work time with a visit to the coffee machine or a brief time of online browsing.

A few small tweaks to our work practices can enable us to be more focused, more productive, and more joyful on the job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below. Matt D'Avella takes a look at essentialism and how a disciplined pursuit of less can have a positive impact on our lives and careers. Check out the video to learn more.