Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 19 Small Habits that Can Bring Big Results

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 The Art of Improvement presents 19 small habits that can lead to big improvements in your life and career, including doing what you say you're going to do and journaling every day. Check out the video to learn more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How a Journal Can Help Change Your Mindset

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!

• How a Journal Can Help Change Your Mindset: "How we think ultimately influences how we behave. Getting to the truth about our mindset can help us shift our beliefs and take action to make important changes to our life."

• How to Talk to an Employee Who Isn't Meeting Their Goals: "Start by asking your employee how they think they’re doing on their goals. In addition to an overall assessment, ask them to list key metrics and examples by which they measure their performance."

• 5 Ways to Make a Steady Freelance Income: "Keep reading to learn about five different freelance jobs that offer competitive compensation, and find out how to train yourself to thrive in each position."

• What Separates High Achievers from Mere Dreamers?: "That would be the person who is generous, honest, and who gave credit to other people for their own ideas."
• Why Great Leaders Need to Be Their Best Selves:"Your best self is who you authentically are at your core. Your best self is wise, fearless, and leads you towards what is best for your life."

8 Steps to Your Best Day on the Job

Instead of hitting the snooze button, dreading the office and your co-workers, you can get up with energy and enthusiasm to face the day.

When you do that you’ll be on your way to having your best day at work, ready to tackle the opportunities that come your way.

Like anything in life, your best work day comes from preparation. Here are eight steps to prepare for your best work day … and weeks … and months.

Get good sleep. It all starts with this. You have to ignore all those loud voices telling you that the only way to succeed is to work longer than everything else, sleep be damned. Adequate sleep is critically important to success and most of us need 7-8 hours every night. If you must, schedule it in and treat it like one of your other key tasks of the day.

Exercise. After you awake begin your day with some movement. Choose something you enjoy: a bike ride, a run, some push-ups or burpees, or maybe just dance wildly to a favorite song.

Meditate. You don’t need to go off to a monastery to learn how to meditate. Download an app or check out some meditation practice on YouTube. Even five minutes every morning will slow your mind and help you get settled in and focused on having a good day.

Write. If you don’t keep a journal now is a good time to start. It does not have to be complicated. You’re not writing for others so don’t worry about doing it “right.” Consider writing a few lines about the events of the previous day, note some projects you are working on, take some time to brainstorm possible solutions to any issues, and end by jotting down several things you are grateful for in your life.

Eat energizing foods. Your breakfast should provide you with energy and you’ll want to eat something with protein. Avoid a lot of breads and sugary cereals.  Try eggs and yogurt with fruit. Add a protein smoothie. Pay attention to your body in order to discover the foods that energize you and the ones that slow you down and be sure to eliminate the latter from your diet.

Greet everyone with a smile. Set the tone for your day and in your relationships with your colleagues and manager by greeting everyone you meet warmly. Smiling has a therapeutic effect on the one smiling and on the one receiving the smile. So, don’t be stingy with that grin.

Move before lunch. Particularly if you have a sedentary job, be sure to get some movement in before you grab your (healthy and energizing) lunch. Perhaps go for a brisk walk around the building or the surrounding neighborhood, or maybe you have time to pop over to a nearby gym for a quick workout. You’ll enjoy increased energy and focus for the afternoon.

Plan tomorrow. Before you leave work, plan for the next day. Write down the major tasks or goals you have so when you arrive tomorrow morning you are focused and ready to get after it.

Implement these eight steps tomorrow and you’ll be on your way to a better and more productive day on the job.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Increased Productivity, Clarity & Mental Health Through Journaling

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 Ragland offers tips for developing a daily journaling practice that can provide increased productivity and clarity, and supports your mental health. Watch the video for more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: How to Tell if a Company's Culture is Right For You

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!

• How to Tell if a Company's Culture is Right For You: "Congratulations, you got the job! Now you have to decide whether to take it. You’ve done your research and know the ins and outs of the company’s public profile, but how can you assess cultural fit?"

• Can Gratitude Make Millennials More Successful?: "Some of the most productive people seek out opportunities to continually learn, grow, and reflect."

• How to Become a Master Connector in 5 Easy Steps: "What I noticed was, they all shared (and share) a willingness to connect those they know with one another. They want their friends to be friends with their friends, and always consider who should know who."

• 10 Must-Have Apps to Streamline Your Life: "If you tend to surf social media throughout the day and see articles that pique your interest but are fairly long, this is the app for you. Pocket allows you to save articles, videos and websites for later when you’ll have time to digest them"
• Fun Journaling Prompts to Transform Your Boring Gratitude Practice: "It's no secret that practicing gratitude is a key to success. Some of the world's most successful people swear by it."

4 Habits to Add to Your Morning Routine

All too often we spend our mornings rushing around, scrambling to get ready, eat a decent breakfast, take a shower, and get the kids off to school. But if we change up our routine and spend thirty minutes adding a few new habits to the morning, our days could be much more productive.

You don’t have to radically change your morning routine to see positive results. Even adding just one or two of the habits below can make a big difference.

MOVE. One of the best ways to start your day is to incorporate some type of exercise into your morning routine. You don’t need to invest in an expensive gym or club membership to see results. Find a space in your home that allows you some privacy and room to move, increasing your alertness and creative flow. If you like to dance spend ten to fifteen minutes get your groove on to your favorite songs and check out the next idea to pair your movement with music or a podcast to inspire you to have a great day. You can find many simple and short workouts online that don’t require you to purchase any fancy equipment. 

MOTIVATE. Gain some daily motivation by reading inspirational literature, listening to a motivational podcast, or enjoying some music that lifts your mood. This can be done in concert with some exercise, as noted above, or you can listen in while showering, eating, or even on your morning commute. You might want to check out these podcasts.

JOURNAL. A great practice for the morning is to take a few minutes to write in a journal. This activity can assist you in focusing on the important items on your to-do list, while also providing an opportunity to note those things in your life that you are grateful and thankful for. A daily practice of gratefulness has been shown to have great benefits for well-being.

MEDITATE. In addition to exercise, journaling, and filling your mind and ears with some motivational or inspirational thoughts, spend a few minutes each morning in meditation or prayer. You might also find it useful to add an empowering mantra or repeated line of prayer that will put you in a mindful and confident state to begin your day.

Add one or all of these four habits—moving, meditating, journaling, and getting motivated—to your morning routine and you will set yourself up for a successful and productive day.

5 Career Benefits from Journaling

A daily practice of journaling is one habit you might consider adding to your life to see some immediate improvements to your career and work life.

Simply setting aside as little as ten minutes each day to write can help bring a focus and clarity to your life and provide several unexpected dividends.

Here are five ways journaling can benefit your career and enhance your life.

Journaling allows you to process your thoughts and feelings. Writing provides an organized way for you to gain some understanding of the events of the day, and the emotions that accompany them. This can aid you in working through situations or circumstances that contribute to difficult emotions--such as fear, anger, or sadness--and can help provide an honest look at factors contributing to success or failure.

Journaling helps you set your focus for the next day. When you take a few minutes at the end of the day to write you can spend some of that time setting your priorities, listing a few of your major tasks for the next day, and enabling you to be more focused and prepared when you awake the following morning.

Journaling helps you recognize your successes and accomplishments. When you commit to a daily practice of writing you have a record of your accomplishments and can look back over time to acknowledge your successes and appreciate your achievements.  

Journaling can be a way to recognize the good in your life. Life is busy and many times we rush through life without taking account of the good we experience and the things we can be grateful for. Journaling is a great opportunity to take stock of the good you encounter daily, and enables you to read again regularly as a reminder.

Journaling helps you retain what you’ve learned. When you take the time to write down some insight or knowledge you’ve gained during the day, you are better able to recall it and apply that knowledge later.

   

You don’t have to be a prolific writer to benefit from journaling. Try spending ten to fifteen minutes a day writing and you’ll likely soon recognize some of the advantages to your life and career noted above.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Win the Morning, Win the Day

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 Chase Jarvis speaks with Tim Ferriss about his book Tools of Titans and highlights several practices that contribute to success, including a regular journaling practice. Check out the other recommended practices by watching now:

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Daily Habits That Will Make You Successful

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 Entrepreneur, Daniel Ally shares 5 crucial habits to incorporate into your life daily in order to be successful.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 7 Tips to Boost Your Reputation at 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!

• 7 Tips to Boost Your Reputation at Work: "You might be sabotaging your success by choosing the wrong words when you speak. Your word choice influences how others perceive you."
• Keeping a Journal to Become an Outstanding Leader: "Extraordinary leadership is rooted in several capabilities: seeing before others see, understanding before others understand, and acting before others act."
• 6 Things Great Leaders Do Differently: "It’s through a leader’s actions—what he or she does and says on a daily basis—that the essence of great leadership becomes apparent."
• Sleep Deprivation is Killing You and Your Career: "The short-term productivity gains from skipping sleep to work are quickly washed away by the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on your mood, ability to focus and access to higher-level brain functions for days to come."
• 9 Phrases Smart People Never Use in Conversation: "In everyday conversation, it’s the little things that make all the difference. Try these suggestions out, and you’ll be amazed at the positive response you get."

5 Habits for a Successful Career (and Life)

Habits. There are good habits and there are bad habits and all of us have a mixture of both. The challenge is to encourage and build upon the good habits and eliminate the bad.

Our habits can have a significant impact on our careers and that is one reason it is so important to build on and add to our good habits.

With that in mind here are five habits that can enhance your career and life:

Sleep. It is important to your intellectual and emotional well-being to ensure that you get enough sleep every night. Set a bed time that allows you to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night and stick to it. Avoid watching TV or drinking alcohol right before bed.

Meditate. You don't have to be a monk to enjoy the benefits of meditation and you don't need to meditate for long periods of time. A simple practice of 5 minutes of attention to your breathing can bring great benefits.

Eat. Focus on eating healthy and energy-producing foods, while avoiding a lot of sugar, salt, and alcohol. You'll feel better and have more creative energy to apply to your work and home life.

Move. Avoid a sedentary life. This is especially important for those who spend long hours in front of a computer. Be sure to stand up and take a break every hour. Walk around the office or get outside. Do some light stretching.

Thank. If needed adjust your attitude and be grateful: for your job, your family, your co-worker, where you live. Find something to be grateful for every day. And a bonus habit: journal. Keep a daily journal where you can write about your progress and note those things in your life you are thankful for.

A great resource for developing good habits is Gretchen Rubin's new book Better Than Before. Learn more about it and check out helpful resources at her web site.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Increasing Productivity

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

In this video from Fast Company, entrepreneur Sarah Kauss suggests that journaling for 5 minutes a day can help you to be more productive.

Learn more in the video below: