High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Protecting Time at Work by Setting Boundaries

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!

• Protect Your Time at Work by Setting Better Boundaries: "As a time management coach, I’ve seen a variety of ways in which people have successfully set boundaries with their colleagues.... here are some examples of boundaries you can set and strategies for communicating them to others."

• How Hiring Has Changed in the Last Decade: "Love it or hate it, Glassdoor has fundamentally changed the job search process by providing a platform for employees, candidates, and companies to share their thoughts and views on a company."

• 50 Best US Cities for Starting a Business in 2020: "In the following dispatches, you'll find a road map for turning forgotten ZIP codes into boomtowns--or simply for answering the age-old question: Where should you go next?."

• 4 Ways You Benefit from Serving Others: "You’ll see more money in your pocket and create a thriving business if you serve others, but what’s the point of wealth if you’re not happy? Good news: Science confirms that serving others makes you feel great."
• 7 Quick Reads to Keep You Motivated:"Whether you’re coming back from a relaxing getaway or just craving some new motivation, you’ll get a little brain food to fuel the next phase of your career."

6 Simple Ways to Be More Innovative in Your Job and Career

Your career development and success depends on being innovative in your work, finding news ways to do things, and seeing obstacles, challenges, and opportunities before others see them.

Sometimes we're tempted to think that innovation requires some mystical process or is an innate skills possessed by the few. However, we all have the ability to think creatively and innovatively and we can implement some simple strategies to aid in the process.

Here are six ways to become more innovative:

1. Take a walk. Studies have shown that we get some of our best ideas when walking. In addition, walking, particularly in nature, provides a boost to our feelings of well-being, lowering stress, and making us more open to new ideas.

2. Learn a language. Spending some time on a new language challenges your brain to think in ways that are unfamiliar to you and opens you up to some new experiences and knowledge.

3. Meditate. You don't have to become a monk or some kind of guru to experience the many benefits of meditation, however, taking just a few minutes to calming breathe each day can make you more aware of new ideas and ways of doing something.

4. Meet with friends. Don't isolate yourself. Be sure to have fun and spend time with your friends and colleagues, especially a diverse group that holds different views. You'll be challenged to think differently.

5. Create something new. Anything, it doesn't really matter. Write a short story, compose a song, or paint a still life. The act of creating something new will inspire you to see things in new ways.

6. Read a book. Of course, reading is a great way to explore new worlds, meet new people (past and present) and learn about new subjects and fields, therefore, encouraging innovation and new ideas.