Do your eyes glaze over with the vacant stare of a dairy cow when reading most company websites, brochures, case studies, and white papers? Once I interviewed with a company whose tag line was Trust. Value. Integrity. It took me forever to figure out what their business was. After scouring their site and search engines, I deduced they were loan origination technology developers. Can you imagine what this does to potential business? Their website was jargon-jammed with corporate speak and communicated nothing.  The powers-that-be who insist on cliché, jargon and words with no marketplace meaning undermine their own profit potential and branding power. As E.B. White wrote in  The Elements of Style, these are the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words. Let’s take a look at a few of the offenders.Blue sky thinkingThis is the idiot brother of thinking outside the box from the dysfunctional brain dump family. This phrase, meant to convey inclusive creative thinking and brainstorming, had impact the first ten million times a project lead said it during a Powerpoint presentation. There’s an ad agency I won’t name whose site headline is this:COMPANY NAME + BLUE SKY THINKING = RESULTSWell, I hope those results are good. Especially if you’re an ad agency and I’ve invested a weighty chunk of my marketing budget on your services. You better be thinking creatively.  If I pay for a service, shouldn’t I expect a result? Do other agencies charge extra for results? Is that what makes you unique? What the ad agency headline should say:COMPANY NAME + CLICHE = UNORIGINAL x LAZYRule: Reward your site visitors/potential customers with a meaningful message. The results will be in the black ink.Cutting edgeUnless you’re employed by a blacksmith or scissors company, stop saying this. If your technology, product, idea or blue sky thinking is so advanced, why degrade it with an overused description that won’t rent any space in your reader’s mind? Here is the opening line from a university hospital radiology website page:We offer cutting edge technology applied to patient care based uniquely in both an academic setting and community hospital.Zzzzzzz. Wh-wh-what? Oh, sorry. I fell asleep typing that. As a patient in your hospital, it is my hope that your technology is modern when you’re scanning my innards for something foreign. By “cutting edge technology” do you mean digital imaging? 64-slice CT scanning? I’m relieved they “apply” cutting edge technology to patient care. If they didn’t, all that expensive diagnostic equipment would monopolize the bedpan closet while the patient lies there like a breathless fish.Rule: When you go for grand statements like cutting edge, your language comes out limp, false and flabby. Tell a detailed fact instead.Wrap your mind aroundCan you wrap your mind around why someone would use four words to say understand? Effective communicators don’t speak in pretentious imagery. If your mind is wrapped around something, I suggest you seek cutting edge medical technology applied to patients immediately.Is there a case for these phrases? Maybe their familiarity makes some people feel like a part of something. Speaking the lingo makes them a local. Possibly. But be careful with the words employed in branding your business. The freshest voice is the memorable voice. For example, societies loves their proverbs. In the West, we say,Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.In Korea they say,Even a fish would stay out of trouble if it kept its mouth shut.Where there are no tigers, a wildcat is self-important.You enjoy reading the unfamiliar more because it’s fresh and new.Rule: Take it easy on verbose, overused expressions. They turn your branding into background noise.Mission CriticalThis is a personal peeve from working with so many U.S. defense contractors. There aren’t enough backspace buttons for this phrase. It’s said so much in this industry that it no longer has any impact. Preventing terrorist attacks at home or abroad is no joke, so stop using language with all the punch of a shadowboxer. A Homeland Security white paper reads,DHS is comprised of many organizational elements with a single purpose: to enable, support and expedite the mission-critical objectives of DHS’ seven operating components and Directorates…Was this message meant for humans? Here’s another sentence two paragraphs down,S&T must work with its valued customers in the creation of ORDs that accurately reflect their mission-critical operational requirements through active participation in the requirements development initiatives.What?Rule: Tighten. Revise. Rewrite. It’s simple: don’t repeat words, ideas or phrases unless they add muscle to what you want to say.There are tons more, like tee it up or take offline. Here’s the point, you’ll call your company’s marketing copy and content good when itDoesn’t waste words.Speaks authentically to humans, whether business to business or business to consumer.Makes the reader believe you’re an industry authority.Asks something of the readers.Rewards the reader with new ideas, understanding, inspiration, and meaning.And on that note, I need to edit this article. It’s never going to be perfect, but a good polishing helps us fail a little better with every draft.

Oh, how we all long for the weekend. There’s a certain buzz in the air once Wednesday passes by (ergo, we’re over the hump) and in the home stretch of what is known as “The Work Week.” Well, to some of us anyway. There are, however, those who work hard and play…er…occasionally. The cubicle is not necessarily everyone’s work environment, nor is a 9 to 5 schedule everyone’s to adhere to. Schedules can be static or fluctuate, often depending on the type of work but there is also the likelihood that it is the person themselves that dictates the work day—and work habits. Everyone needs to take—and make—time where work yields to fun and frolic (or, in my case, football). There’s several reasons that we all have to do this consistently—I like to refer to them as The Four RE’s. (I’d have called them “R’s” but I believe those “R” spoken for.) While you can do them in varying order throughout your “weekend” it is important to note that if you’re new to the idea and practice of adding value to it, you should start by implementing them in the following manner until you’re well-rehearsed: RElax You’ve had a long week; face it, five days is a long haul no matter the work involved. You need to spend a little time relaxing. What your idea of relaxing is will differ from your co-workers and friends; you may like to garden while one of your colleagues likes to practice bonsai. It doesn’t really matter. Sleep in if you can or want to; enjoy the morning paper or a book – preferably on paper, but a good…umm…ol’(?) review of your RSS feeds works just as well – or simply take notice of your surroundings while doing very little to nothing at all. Just do it. Relax and you’ll start to add value to your weekend…and be able to better handle the next RE… REcharge With only a couple of days to spare, it’s important to refuel, revitalize and recharge the batteries. I’m not talking about your mobile device batteries (although charging them while leaving it off and out of reach isn’t a bad idea if you can make it happen); I’m talking about your constitution – your inner batteries. Burnout can easily take hold if you are always “turned on.” What happens when you leave your mobile device on all the time without plugging it in? I don’t want to use the term “it dies” – so I’ll use “it runs out of juice” instead. Both can apply though, depending on how you look at it. Even if you spend some time recharging, you’ll at least be able to get back to work for the upcoming week with ample energy to last. Plus, you’ll have the ability to perform the next RE… REview I can’t stress enough the importance of this one. You need to keep tabs on yourself, both at work and at rest. The most opportune time to reflect on your week is when you’re clear enough to do so – and the weekend should provide that clarity. I say “should” in that if you’ve not implemented any of the RE’s leading up to this point, then you’re not in any shape to do this one yet. It is crucial that you review the past and “preview” the future when you’re not occupied with other matters. Once you’ve finished this process – which generally occurs throughout the weekend with final realization near the end of it – you’ll be on your way to (or immersed in) the fourth RE… REady The weekend provides you with a ton of opportunities. In fact, some of your best experiences will happen during your time away from the office – some of which will help you when you’re at the office. But you’ve got to be able to see them and take advantage of them when they present themselves. You’ve got to be REady. Finding yourself in this state is a process that will happen with practice. With the other RE’s taken care of, this one will enable you to do spontaneous activities during your free time. Your mind won’t be cluttered with things that matter elsewhere but have no foundation in your current place or time. This means being focussed; being prepared; being able to go with the flow. It ultimately means just being the best you can be wherever you are. The value of your weekend is whatever value you choose to give it. Your weekend may not be everyone else’s – both in terms of days of the week or how you choose to spend it. The value of your weekend may not matter to you so much; but it should. Because how much you value your weekend is a direct reflection of how you value something far more important: You.

There are 1,523 articles about how to get noticed, be presentable, and format a résumé for getting hired at a big company with a real HR department. OK, I admit I made that number up.  But there’s a lot. But what about getting hired at a little startup? What if you want to be employee #10?  Or #1? Surely the rules aren’t the same when there is no HR department, no recruiter, and the founder is going to show up to the interview (at the coffee shop since there’s no office) wearing Birkenstocks and a T-Shirt that says:

The rules are different at a startup, and that extends to getting a job.  Here’s some tips for how to land that awesome, exciting, enviable, high-stress, low-paying job. 1. Approach it like getting married When you work with only a handful of other people, all struggling to make ends meet and sharing a cramped little space, it’s more like a family than a workplace. No one has a title, everyone helps everyone with everything, everyone works too hard and too long, you eat most of your meals together, you work on crises together, and you also share in the pure elation that is getting revenue from happy customers. What does this mean in terms of your behavior, attitude, and expectations?

“Can I get fully emotionally behind these people and this idea?” is more important than “What is the working environment?” “I am passionate, helpful, thoughtful, and ready to both argue and set arguments aside as necessary” is more important than “I need to know the plan of action and what is expected of me.” “Will this be fun?” is more important than “How will this look on my resume?”

1. Do your homework Don’t just spam your resume and standard cover letter at the company. A startup is equal parts personal and professional, so it doesn’t make sense for you to want to hook up with “just any old startup.” So do your homework first: Check out their website, blog, Twitter, etc. Find the founder’s blog, Twitter, etc.. What you should ask yourself:

Do I like the way they approach selling and marketing? Would I be proud to work here? Do the founders sound like people I could rally behind? Does it seem like this company thrills its customers? Do I understand how this company makes money?

Of course this is sensible advice regardless of what kind of job you’re seeking, but in a startup you’re much closer to the lifeblood of the company and the whims of the founders, so it has to be a good fit. Besides, companies get spammed with cookie-cutter resumes and cover-letters all the time — you need to stand out as startup-type material! 3. Your personality, intelligence, and cover letter is more important than bullets on a resume HR departments look for key words in your resume to “weed out” people who don’t qualify.  Education, years experience, technologies, sales numbers. These are (mostly) irrelevant for startups. Why? Besides being a three-time entrepreneur myself, I constantly meet and talk with startup founders. Almost never does their resume “prepare” them for starting a company, and it doesn’t matter. What does this imply for you? If bullet points and education didn’t matter for the founder, it doesn’t matter for you. If you explicitly say the following, you’ll impress the founders and stand out from 99% of the crowd: “Look, we both know bullet points on a resume doesn’t tell you whether I’m “startup” material. “It’s stuff like getting things done, making intelligent choices, knowing when to question what we’re doing and when to just make it happen. Knowing how to fail fast and be honest. “That stuff doesn’t appear on the resume, so let’s just get to the interview so we can both see whether I’m a good fit.” At my company, you’d instantly earn a spot on the interview schedule. 4. Engage the company beforehand Nothing gets the attention of a new startup like other people talking about them! You want their attention? Want to stand out from the pack before you even send in the resume? Try some of these:

Leave comments on their blog.  (Real, insightful stuff — not “Great point.”) Review their product on your blog; make sure they know by pingbacks, Twitter, and an email. Talk about them on Twitter using their @Twitter name so they see it. Talk to a friend about their product, collect their feedback, and present that to the company as “We were talking about you and I thought you’d be interested in what we said.” Ask insightful questions to their support team — questions that might require the support person to ask other people inside the company.  Now multiple people have heard of you.

If you can pick out the names of some founders or employees, you can make it even more personal. 5. Be “proactive,” not “reactive” This rule isn’t just about getting their attention; it’s also about how your your attitude in general. Startups have an infinite number of things that need doing. Everyone needs to make decisions every day and take responsibility for the results. Implications:

If you’re stuck, you go get the answer. You don’t check email and wait for the next meeting. If you’re done with something, you find something else to do, whether that means asking someone or just doing. Prioritize action today over planning for tomorrow. Prioritize asking questions over making assumptions. Prioritize gathering information over shuffling things around a whiteboard.

This kind of “Get Things Done” attitude should permeate everything. Startups need people who are OK with moving fast even if it means you don’t always make the right decisions. That’s just life. Most people can’t cope with this kind of “cowboy” attitude, and that’s OK! It’s weird and hard. It’s also why most people aren’t cut out to be in a startup. If you are, that’s awesome! Now make it known in your interview and cover letter. Do you have more tips? Leave a comment!

Looking for a promotion, but your boss barely even knows your name? It’s a common problem, especially in today’s environment. Cost reductions and downsizing usually results in supervisors having 2-3 times the normal amount of reports. So, how do you stand out in the crowd and differentiate yourself from everyone else? Since your communications skills and style molds much of the impression on you as a worker, I’ve put together a few tips to help improve these skills. While these alone can’t get you a promotion, it will definitely put you on the right path.

Have an Opinion? Speak Up! We’ve all seen the movie where the little guy in the office speaks his opinion in a conference room. All around the table, the rest of the suits grow quiet, first stare at him, then turn to the boss to see how they should react. Later, the little guy goes on to get his big break and becomes wildly successful. Now, this may be an over-exaggeration because after all, it is the movies. However, in the real world, there is some truth to this… just maybe not as dramatic. What you may not realize is that most people in a work environment try very hard not to stand out in the crowd. They’re afraid to draw attention to themselves and possibly be seen as a trouble maker. The truth is most (good) managers are looking for people who have an opinion and aren’t afraid to speak their mind. Even if you’re opinion turns out to be wrong, it’s still admired that you spoke up. Be a Quick Responder In a world where we’re constantly bombarded by emails, phone calls, and tweets, it’s become commonplace to not expect a response from people for days… sometimes weeks at a time. After all, we’re all busy doing our own thing. What gets noticed are the people who respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner. Even if it’s just to say; “Thanks!” or “I got your message and will get back to you soon”, it conveys that you’ve received the message and you will be looking into it. It’s the same concept as talking to someone one-on-one. We nod, give facial expressions, and say “uh huh” as someone else is talking to confirm that we are in fact listening. The same concepts should apply to all forms of communication. Focus Your Communications In other words, don’t bulls#%t! If you can’t interject anything productive into the conversation, don’t talk at all. But when you do have something productive to add, speak up. This trains people to know that when you talk, you’re talking for a reason. That you have something important to say and they should listen. Otherwise, if you’re just talking to talk or trying to stand out, people will just see you as a blowhard, with nothing important to add. Always Be Constructive Notice I said constructive — not positive or cheery. It’s not appropriate to be positive or cheery in all situations. A good example of this is when someone gets laid off or your team misses a goal. Having a constructive attitude towards both good and bad situations portrays a good balance of professionalism and humanity. That you understand and recognize that things are tough, but things still need to be done. If You Don’t Know, Say So We’re all very busy. Aside from our regular work duties, there’s meetings, conference calls, and webinars that can take up to 50% of our work days. Nobody has time to listen to rubbish, and more times than not, it can be spotted a mile away. If you don’t know the answer to something, say so: “You know… I don’t know the answer to that, but I will find out and get back to you this afternoon.” The key here is to follow up on your promise. You may not know the answer to the question, but you will find out and you will get back to them. Take Responsibility We’ve all been there before—something goes wrong and it’s your fault. The worst thing you could do in this type of situation is to try to lay blame on someone else or “weasel” your way out of it. If something goes wrong and it’s your fault, or even partially your fault, own up to it and take responsibility. Even though you did something wrong or made a mistake, by taking responsibility for it, you’ll earn more respect in the long run. Don’t Brown Nose Like anyone, this is about the most annoying type of office personality. Chances are, you can identify that person in your office, and if you can’t, it’s probably you. The cold hard fact is nobody respects them—including the boss. Sure, it may get you invited to the executive golf outing, but you’ll probably end up as the caddy. Any I missed? These are a few tips that I’ve used to improve my reputation around the office, especially with the higher levels. But, as always, there can be many more that I missed. If you have any additions, please feel free to add them in the comments.

Congratulations! You’re out in the real world, living on your own, holding down your own job, building your career one day at a time. You made it through high school, through college, through the job hunt, and now you’re here: at work! But you’re not entirely comfortable, are you? Something is slightly wrong with the world, but you can’t put your finger on it. You like your job, more or less. You like your company and coworkers, more or less. Your career seems to be on track. And yet you feel anxious, out of place, rudderless. I think I know what’s bothering you. The Past The first twenty years of your life have almost no similarity to the rest of your life, and the rest of your life can be a very long time. The crucial difference is that for the first twenty years of your life, your existence is highly structured, more than you ever realized. Every year, you move up a grade in school. Every year, you get a “promotion” complete with a new job title: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior. You get a new set of classes with new teachers, with new classmates. You get to choose some or all of your classes, every semester. You receive individual grades for each class, for each paper and test! Middle school, high school, college, grad school. You know the whole process from an early age, and there’s little question about your future. You can look ahead five, ten, fifteen years and know exactly where you’ll be. And there is a profound security in that kind of knowledge. The Present You’re at work. You were hired for a particular job for a particular boss at a particular company…and nothing’s changing. Title You have the same job title, year after year. If you are just starting out as a Junior Researcher or Assistant Developer, then maybe after one or two years you’ll get to be a regular Researcher or Developer. But then what? You may go five or ten years before you get another change in job title: Senior Researcher, Special Developer, etc. In school, your “title” changed every year, and that change carried with it a sense of progress, a sense of change and growth and importance. Now, you have no idea when you might be promoted, and it depends on the economy, on your coworkers, on your boss or clients or a hundred other things you can’t control. This can be frustrating. Feedback In school, you got grades on everything. Gold stars, check marks, letter grades, numerical grades, report cards, SAT scores. Constant, measurable feedback on how well you were doing on every little thing. You can develop a very clear picture of yourself with that much feedback. Good or bad, the knowledge is reassuring. But now, there are no grades. You submit reports and hear nothing back. You write drafts and get minor editorial notes. You develop software applications and just get tasks crossed off your To-Do list. At most, your boss says, “Good work” in passing. An entire year passes in this manner, during which time you feel adrift, nervous, uncertain. Hoping that you’re doing well, hoping your contributions are being noticed and will be rewarded. Finally, you have a performance review, an awkward and semi-formal meeting in which your one little mistake is blown out of proportion and you’re too nervous to remember all of your accomplishments. Activities Your life in school prepared you in just the wrong way for your life at work. In early school, your classes are chosen for you, the class material is outlined by the government (of all things). In later schools, you have some say in which classes you take, and what sports or arts you’re involved in. Then in college, a world a freedom! Of choice! You can pick all of your classes, pick your major, even invent a major! Study abroad, switch from economics to veterinary science just by filling out a form, play sports, start clubs, join a fraternity, take summer and winter classes. You’re in charge of everything! Then you get a job, and suddenly, all of that freedom is gone. At work, you do what you are told to do, on someone else’s schedule, to someone else’s standards, regardless of whether you think it’s the right thing in the right way. You have just fallen from the pinnacle of being in control to the depths of being controlled. The Future As I said, back in school you knew the shape of your future: where you would be, and when. But now, who knows? You can hope for a cost-of-living raise, you can hope for a performance bonus, you can hope for a promotion, but the bottom line is that you don’t know if they will ever happen, not for certain. Sometimes at interviews, you’re asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” This is one of the most ridiculous questions imaginable in our day and age. When you consider the unpredictable nature of our global economy, and the radical impacts of new technologies, it becomes more and more impossible to predict the future. Whole industries are springing into existence every day, and whole industries are becoming obsolete, albeit a bit more slowly. Unless you work in the military or the government, there is a high likelihood that you will work for many different companies in many different roles, reinventing your career and your goals as often as every five years. Some people find that fact unsettling, even frightening. Others find it exciting. The bottom line is that you start working as early as 20 and could still be working at 70, or later. That’s 50 years of totally unstructured career time. 50! Take a moment to consider how much time that really is, how much time you will spend muddling along and figuring things out for yourself. How to Cope

Be patient. The first thing you need to do is accept the fact that working life plays out much more slowly than school life. There are fewer changes, and they can be quite far apart. This is normal. Be yourself. Stop comparing your career path to those of your friends, your peers, and especially your parents. You are none of those people; you are you. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the exact same job as someone else. Your life, your work, your career is a completely unique thing of your own creation. It will play out at its own rate, in its own way. Focus on yourself, and let others take care of themselves. Be flexible. There is no way to predict what sorts of challenges or opportunities will arise for you, personally. Just being in the right room at the right moment could mean the difference between getting an exciting new assignment, or suddenly (and unpleasantly) realizing that you want to find a new job, or a new career path. Pay attention to the big picture, and remain open to the possibilities that present themselves.

Want something more concrete? Here are two examples from my own life:

I went to college to become an aerospace engineer, and left with a BA in English Literature. I have no idea whether one is any better than the other. I only know that I graduated with the skills and knowledge to support myself and my family in a career I enjoy, which is really all that matters. I took a job as an executive assistant. It was just supposed to be a way to pay the bills until I found a “really good” job, but I discovered a way to turn it into a “really good” job and spent the next six years publishing books and journals as an editor and artist for that same company.

Take the time to reassess what you are doing and your reasons for doing it. Where do you think your career is going, and why? Are you happy with where you are and your apparent progress along your career path? School taught you to follow a plan. But in life, and at work, no plan survives first contact with reality. The ability to adapt (and a sense of humor) will take you farther than any plan.

During my days at a midtown Manhattan office in New York, I had to come up with ways to reduce stress. I read articles, joined discussion forums, went to therapy, tried every cliché suggested to make office life more bearable but eventually I just had to figure out what worked in my environment. After all, suggestions to take a coffee break and breathe didn’t work at my office: the coffee machine was often broken and there was too much dust in the air. Hopefully you like your job and you don’t work in an office resembling a shoe factory from the industrial revolution but anyone can make use of the practices I suggest for making your everyday office life less stressful or just more pleasant. I’m no health professional and my source of knowledge on the topic are the years of experience as a stressed-out office worker and the many resources (some professional) that I came across during those years.

Here are 4 practical tips to alleviate office stress: 1. Bathroom Yoga Disclaimer: I’m not a yoga instructor and I learned these basic exercises by taking yoga. If you have any doubts I strongly recommend you consult a professional before any physical activity. In the land of cubicles it is often very difficult to find private space. The cubicle dweller can only find time that is anywhere close to private in the bathroom, where you can end up once a day for a mini yoga session! Find out when quiet time is at your employee bathroom (or lounge room) and get in there for some 5 minutes of basic stretches:

Gently stretch your neck to the right, left, forward and backward Stretch your arms above your head, pushing towards the ceiling Pull your shoulders in, squeezing them against your neck then let go; do this 5 times Balance on one foot at a time; count to 10 on each foot, 5 times each foot Spread your feet apart so they’re aligned with the outside of your hips then spread your arms at shoulder height and hold; count to 10 Align your feet with your hips, spread your arms and push them backward; count to 10 Put your hands behind your back, clasp them together and gently push upward

1. See the Light! When lunch time comes, take the break and get out of the office. This will break your day up and recharge some of the energy you’ve spent in the morning. It will also get the little hamsters in your head to run at a different pace – it’s good for them! – while your mind processes information different from the morning dose’s. When you get back to work you should feel refreshed and be better able to concentrate. Also, there are several contributors to stress in the office from which you need a break; fluorescent light and sitting in the same position for extended periods of time are a couple of examples. At first you’ll find obstacles or excuses not to get out during your lunch break so here’s some motivation:

Excuse 1: “It’s cold outside!” Think of the crisp air you can breathe instead of that stale office air. If you find there’s too much pollution then you can look forward to going back to the office. Excuse 2: “I have so much work to do I must eat at my desk.” Get out after you eat at your desk and walk once around the block. If you’re overwhelmed by work you probably will not be able to concentrate as much as needed anyway, taking longer to do the work so you might as well go out for 10 minutes and better perform when you get back. Excuse 3: “I’m tired/don’t feel like going out.” Would you really rather have your boss find you in the office and ask you to do a “quick thing just this once” that’ll keep you in the office till 10pm? Or are you tired because you’re working till 10pm, breathing tiring stale air, because you didn’t get out and re-energize the day before?

1. Look Away from that Monitor! Looking at a computer monitor for extended periods of time has negative effects such as dry and sore eyes, headaches and blurred vision, all of which contribute to increased stress levels (in addition to poor eyesight). Make sure to take periodic breaks from your monitor!!! You should take your eyes off that monitor at least once per hour. Try doing it for 1 minute. If you need help remembering download a timer for your computer (there are many free ones), program your Outlook to remind you every hour or get a kitchen timer – whatever works. During your 1 monitor-free minute:

Close your eyes for 10 seconds Open them and focus on a point far in the distance Switch your focus to an object that’s less distant from you, then one less distant than that and so forth till your focus is back at your desk Then do the reverse: focus on an object that’s farther from your desk, then the next farther object and so forth till you’re looking at the farthest point from you

1. Schedule Time for Cleaning and Clearing At least once a month (best if once a week) go through the surface of your desk and through your Documents folder in your computer and de-clutter. You’ll become overwhelmed if you keep watching piles of work get higher as they balance on top of squishy stress balls and you’ll become frustrated if you can’t find files in your computer because you saved them in a random folder “just for now.” Here’s what you can do:

If you haven’t cleared your desk in a long time (or ever), do your best to take a little time every day for a week to clear it. Pick a corner and take in your hands the first thing you find there. You either need it or you do not: if you don’t need it, shred the papers or throw out whatever else it is then pour some expired gooey food on it. On top of your keyboard or in your lap (or from wherever you will have to move the items), start to separate files into categories depending on where you need to file them, if you need to mail them, submit them. Finish a corner and move on to the section beside it (the same day or the next but don’t stop!). If you find you have little time go through 7 items every single day and toss or put in its place everything that you pick up – make sure to pick up everything. Once you’ve cleared your desk you’ll find generations of dust bunnies grinning at you. Grab a roll of paper towels, a mild cleaner or some water and wipe your desk and everything that’s on it. Do a section a day if you need to. Wipe your desk once a week or every other week. The best days for cleaning and clearing are Fridays and Mondays so that you start the week feeling like everything is under control and you can concentrate on your job.

It might seem so but these practices do not take a lot of time out of your day. When I first started I had to keep remembering to get up or stop but a couple of weeks of practice and they were part of my everyday schedule. I became more productive, much happier and less stressed-out and even my co-workers started regularly asking me for tips. Some even said I was like their workplace health guru!

So you want to apply for that cool new job you saw online today. You want it really badly, right? Well, first you have to get the interview. Here are some things you need to check before you hit the send button, or else your application will end up in the trash. Make it short and sweet. Don’t fluff up your job descriptions with whole sentences as to how you were a liaison to so-and-so and consulted for such-and-such. Words like “liaison,” “filing,” and “communication” tell us that you’re trying to cover for having done very little work.

If you answered phones for a living, write that you “answered phones,” don’t say you worked “Advanced Customer Service”. When you write “supervised three employees” or “designed advertisements” we know exactly what that means. Less is more. Unless you’ve been in the work force for many (read 15 or more) years, your resumé should only be one page long. I’ve received a number of multi-page resumés from people applying for jobs, and I have to tell you, I only skim them. Whereas I’m more likely to read every word on a one-page resumé. Make it pretty. Take the time to make your resumé stand out. If you’re a graphic designer, you better bet I’m looking for a smartly designed resumé as well! I want it to be pretty. If you want to work in my art department, you have to work hard to show me what you can do before you even get the interview. I’m not saying that if it’s just a standard resumé you won’t get the interview, but others who took the time will rise to the top of the list. Objective: I want this job. Yes, we know that your objective is to get this job. You don’t need to tell us that. Chek yur speeling. Please use spell check. It takes two seconds. Don’t forget to spell check your cover letter as well. It doesn’t matter what job you’re applying for. It doesn’t matter if you’re not going to do any writing at all or if you’ll have editors going over your work. When I get an application in my inbox and there are typos, it goes straight in the trash. Wait, what? You ask. You don’t even look at the resumé?! That’s right. I don’t. You could have been the perfect candidate. But when a job requires attention to detail, that applies to your cover letter. Dear Sir. Typos aside, one of my biggest pet peeves is being referred to as a man in a cover letter. I find it offensive (and very little offends me). I can’t tell you how many resumés I threw directly in the trash after reading the first three words of the cover letter. I’m deadly serious on this one. When the job posting says to contact “Stephanie Lewis,” I expect to be referred to as “Ms.” or “Mrs.” One applicant started his cover letter with “dear sir” and continued on, rather carelessly, referring to me as a man. If you don’t know for sure that you are writing to a man or a woman, address your cover letter to “to whom it may concern” or “dear sir or madam.” It may sound old fashioned and it may make you feel a little awkward, but believe me, on the other end, a “dear sir or madam” is not in any way out of the ordinary. Write your own resumé! Or if someone else writes it for you, make sure you know what’s in it, backwards and forwards. Or better still, go back in and reword descriptions in your own voice. I will freely admit that I have my husband help me with my resumé. If I get stuck, he’ll take over and have me describe (albeit haltingly) what I did at a certain job and make it sound like a coherent person wrote it. Hey, we all get flustered and nervous, especially when there’s a job we really want. But I promise you that after my husband is done, I go back and rework things to sound more like me. That way I know exactly what’s there and when I get to the interview, I’m not left stammering and stuttering when I have to confirm what is written. Software proficiencies. This can be a tricky one. Usually you know what is expected of you with software. If you’re a graphic designer, you should know Photoshop and InDesign like the back of your hand. But what if they list Excel or PowerPoint? You may not be able to tell from the job listing what exactly is expected of you. Speaking from personal experience, I always thought I was horrible at Adobe Illustrator until I had to take a test at a placement company where I scored an A+. I was shocked. I completely underestimated myself. However, when I hire someone because they say they’re capable of using the office suite and they sit in front of a computer and ask “what is this (the computer)?” well, that person isn’t staying long. (True story!) Yes, we really do look at your Facebook profile. Before I bring anyone into an interview, I google them. I look at their Facebook and MySpace profiles. Once, when we were looking for an editor and though we found a good candidate, we sat down and googled him. As it turned out he was all over the internet, topless and labeled as a home wrecker. We threw his resumé away. Another person had listed himself on MySpace as a convicted felon just so he could look “cool.” Seriously people, make your Facebook and MySpace profiles private! You can say all the stupid stuff you want and we’ll never see it! Unless you have a blog we can get to … that’s a whole different story. Just take care of your web presence. You are what you tweet. So you got the interview, huh? Good for you! Don’t let down your guard yet. Aside from dressing the part, (make sure you take the tags off of your new suit), minding your manners, sitting up straight, and relaxing (not too much!) there are some very important things to remember: Be honest. Don’t say you’ve completed a master’s degree if you’re still in the program. I don’t care if you’re only one class away. You never know what could happen between now and then! Just, well, don’t be an idiot. Someone I know interviewed a person who had gotten a speeding ticket on the way to the interview. He wanted to know who was going to reimburse him for the ticket. We’re not hiring you because we’re bored. We’re hiring you because we have a problem that needs fixing. And we want to do it as fast as we can so we can get back to work. Can you solve our problems without giving us new problems? Sell yourself as being able to solve our problems. Ultimately, we don’t care what your career goals are. We just want to get back to work doing what we do best and put the interview process behind us.

In my last article, I alluded to the teachings of the venerable Barney Stinson, many of whom consider to be The Master of Awesome. Not only does he “walk the walk” and “talk the talk”, but he can also pen a solid opus about it. I recently read his work, The Bro Code, which is essentially a bible for the brotherhood of men. If you adhere to the carefully/comedically crafted code, you’ll become a “balanced bro.” Needless to say, I’m working on it. I’ll get there eventually.

But, as usual, Mr. Stinson got me thinking: Why isn’t there a code out there that helps you keep an awesome mindset at work? I was on to something. However, someone was on to it before I was. His name is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, noted psychologist and author of Flow—the Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “chicks sent me high”) explains how when you’re in a state of flow, anything you’re doing can be truly awesome. The Basics of Getting to Flow “Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”—Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi So how do you get to this place? Well, here are some of the basics you can put into place to help you “achieve flow”: 1. Get Evolved Then Get Involved One of the first things that is a factor in “getting to flow” is to immerse yourself in whatever task is at hand. This is much easier to do when you enjoy your work, so if you’re not there then find a way to get there. Nothing will hamper you progress more in life than doing something you don’t like doing for work…no matter how much you get paid. It makes it difficult—if not impossible—to achieve a state of flow when you can’t find joy in your work. Right now, I’m totally immersed in writing this piece. Nothing else is distracting me. Now, it took some mental prodding to get me here, but now that I’m here I feel the words just flowing through me. It’s a really freeing feeling to have. 2. Addition Through Subtraction Flow only works if you commit yourself fully to a lot of focus on a very limited area of tasks and goals. If you’ve ever watched the night sky you’ll find it’s much easier to focus on a shooting star than on fireworks…and that’s how your mind works. Remember, when you split your mindset, your focus splits as well. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that negative energy coming from outside sources needs to be cast aside as well. Disgruntled colleagues and impatient clients are just two examples of the many counterproductive elements that can disrupt your flow. Eliminate them either through limited or no engagement during the process. I’ve found that flow generally happens for me when no one’s around. For those things that you know you need absolute solitude for, schedule to do them when outside distractions will be nonexistent (or at the barest of minimums). Oh, and unless your task is to “research web articles” or something similar, turn off the Internet. Seriously. Use an application like Freedom, the LeechBlock extension or something else to do it. There is no bigger tool for destroying flow than the very thing that enabled you to come here in the first place. The word “enable” is used for a reason here, folks. On second thought, just turn off your computer. After you’re done with this, of course. 3. It Does Matter If It’s Black Or White Flow is more readily available to you when you know the stakes. Goals and expectations must be clear. A loose deadline makes flow that much more difficult to attain—mainly because procrastination can rear its ugly head. If these aren’t set for you, set them for yourself. Be ruthless. The state of flow is so all-encompassing that you need to be strict with yourself so you can get there easier. Self-discipline is such a key factor. One of the things that helps me with this is to have a junior legal pad (white for my own creative work, yellow for my regular workplace) next to me while I’m working. Before I get down to work, I write down my objectives for that session (usually about 3-4 items at a time—very similar to Leo Babauta’s Big Rocks). I keep them manageable, a mixed bag of things that will take some time with stuff that won’t. Don’t put too much on this list at once or you’ll feel overwhelmed and both flow and progress will grind to a halt. Highlight each item (or cross them off, whatever works for you) as you finish them. Once you’ve done ALL the tasks listed you can either add 3-4 more to the pad or close up shop for the day. By keeping these basics in mind and making them a regular habit, you’ll find yourself in a position to feel a great sense of accomplishment and have achieved what you needed each time you get down to work. You’re no longer going to be working as hard towards getting to flow. Flow will be there when you’re ready to get back at it.

Ever since early man first scratched his desire to “Make fire, find food” and “Don’t get eaten” on a cave wall, goal-oriented people have been approaching each new day in a similar fashion, jotting down in one form or another the upcoming tasks that require their attention.The “To Do List” hasn’t much evolved since those dark perilous days in terms of its primary purpose: the need to plan our day and manage time effectively, but there has been a progression in terms of its complexity.Today, the need for better to do lists — from how to write them, what should and should not appear on them, and most importantly, how to get the most from them — has never been more important.Put aside 15 minutes at the end of each day to write tomorrow’s to do list.When “To Do” ItIronically, the first thing to do each day should not be your to do list—it should already be waiting for you when you arrive at your desk. After all, there are much more important things to be doing first thing in the morning, like getting that first all-important coffee. Put aside 15 minutes at the end of each day to write tomorrow’s to do list.Writing a to do list the day before has many advantages over planning your upcoming day on the morning in question. After all, you have just completed a day’s work and hence should have a good idea of where you are in the grand scale of things. What didn’t you get to today? What tasks will naturally fall into tomorrow’s to do list?Writing tomorrow’s to do list can also be a cathartic exercise; a way of recognizing that everything does not all need to be done in one day.Have you just had one of those days and are now left with that dreaded “I’ve got nothing done” feeling? Write tomorrow’s to do list. You’ll feel better for it.Plan in advance. Look ahead a few days. Is there a big chunk of work looming on the horizon?To Do:Do check tomorrow’s calendar and schedule. Tomorrow’s to do list will likely consist of meetings and any crucial deadlines that are fast approaching.Do plan in advance. Look ahead a few days. Is there a big chunk of work looming on the horizon? Maybe tomorrow is a good time to make a start on it.Do consult today’s to do list and focus on any outstanding tasks. These remaining jobs will likely feature on tomorrow’s list.To Don’t:Don’t start tomorrow’s to do list at the very end of the day, as doing so will likely result in merely jotting down the more obvious of upcoming tasks on your agenda. To do lists help focus and guide you through the day and dedicating a few minutes to the process will save you time in the long run. Most comprehensive to do lists take less than ten minutes to draft.Don’t try and foretell the future. Avoid adding to tomorrow’s list tasks you think might crop up. Your to do list is a fluid entity, and you can always add to it tomorrow if need be.Red tasks (usually) need to be done today no matter what.Color Coded Prioritization Introducing color to your to do list is a simple and effective way of clearly defining and easily categorizing the numerous and varying tasks at hand.When it comes to prioritization, people use different criteria to determine how their tasks should be ranked. Generally, however, the tried and trusted traffic light system works best. Red tasks need to be done today no matter what. Amber tasks are important but it’s not the end of the world if they slip into tomorrow, while green tasks are usually jobs of such low priority that not doing them might have no adverse effect at all.There are numerous ways to designate a particular task with a color. Some people might rate financial impact as the prominent factor and designate the red flag to tasks that either cost (or gain) the company money. For others, it’s simply a matter of how irate their boss will be if the task in question isn’t done in the designated time span.As every business and employee is different, the most universal system is to rate each task between 1 and 3 in terms of importance and again in terms of urgency. Multiply the two numbers together with tasks rated 7 and over designated red, 4 – 6 as amber, while any task with a number between 1 and 3 becomes a lowly green task.After your to do list is completed, quickly scan through the items and classify them with the above numbers in your head. Grab some fluorescent pens and mark each task with its respective color, and then review.To Do:Do take into account previously skipped tasks. If you’ve bumped a task from one day to the next, this task should automatically get a higher priority.Do ignore the rating scale above when appropriate. Something with very high urgency but low impact could still be deemed a red task and vice versa. Purchasing a leaving gift for a departing colleague might by 1 in importance and 3 in urgency (making it a green task) but you should make it a red anyway, as it needs to be done quickly. The scale is not perfect and there will always be exceptions to the rules.To Don’t:Don’t make everything red. Not only would that demoralize you completely, it’s important to remember that prioritization is relative. In theory, you should have an equal number of tasks of each color. The logic here is that it’s simply not possible to give everything the same priority. Something always has a higher relevance than another task upon reflection. Also, a task that is red on one day could also be amber another day. It all depends on what other tasks are on the list.Go Digital There are a number of very good products on the market that make the hassle of finding colored pens and scraps of paper totally redundant. Remember the Milk and Todoist are two of the more popular applications out there with free versions that are likely more than adequate for your to do needs.Digital to do lists are also a great way of keeping a historical record of your workload. How often do you keep old post-its or journals of what you did a few years ago?These applications allow you to bundle tasks into groups and quickly assign color-coded prioritization. Digital to do lists are also a great way of keeping a historical record of your workload. How often do you keep old post-its or journals of what you did a few years ago?To Do:Do try out different products before settling on the one for you. What works for one person may not work for you.To Don’t:Don’t rely completely on online versions. Sometimes there’s nothing better than just jotting down a quick list in a meeting or when you’re away from your desk. You can always transfer these tasks to the respective application later.Don’t get fancy. These applications will take up more time to manage, complete and maintain. Inventing a complex system will only have you fumbling with hot-keys and an assortment of groups rather than quickly adding and completing your tasks.What Not To Do It’s human nature to want to scratch task after completed task off your list but your to do list should only consist of unique tasks for the day. “Reading Email” may indeed qualify as a legitimate task but it’s a safe bet that you likely do this every day and will do it without prompting or reminder.Cluttering your to do list with mundane and ancillary tasks might allow you to scratch off a larger number of tasks for the day but you’re actually defeating the purpose. A to do list is a formulated plan, not a shopping list.“Reading Email” may indeed qualify as a legitimate task but it’s a safe bet that you likely do this every day and will do it without prompting or reminder.To Do:Do keep your to do list concise and devoid of recurring or regular tasks. If you fill in a time-sheet each day, you don’t need your to do list to remind you of this.To Don’t:Don’t bend the truth. Lunch is not a task. Neither is making coffee—unless it’s a coffee meeting. That’s different.Don’t flood your list with superfluous micro-tasks. It’s tempting, but over-filling your list in order to feel like your making headway through your workload is counter-productive.If a task is very small, actually do it rather than adding it to your list. Use your to do list as inspiration for getting a host of small things done before you leave for the evening. Confirm a reservation, order stationary, clean up your desktop. We can get a lot of quick things done at the end of the day if we put our minds to it.Quantify Your Results Tasks on a to do list should be punchy, succinct and contain at least one action verb. Words like “Finish” and “Complete” are what you’re looking for. Stay clear of terms such as “Start” or “Investigate”. Starting something is easy. Focus on the stopping part. Similarly, if you find one of your to do list tasks to be a tad nebulous, it’s likely going to be quite hard to strike it off with a satisfactory “Done!” swipe of your pen.Stay clear of terms such as “Start” or “Investigate”. Starting something is easy. Focus on the stopping part.Avoid describing the action and pin-point the result. A task like: “Talk to Jeff re: options of what to do about the GUI” has no definitive outcome. You can talk to Jeff but how do you know you won’t be talking to him again about the same topic tomorrow unless you set an objective? To do lists have the handy knock-on effect of strengthening direction and making people goal-oriented. “Talk to Jeff and agree on an option for the GUI.” Now we’re getting there!To Do:Quantify your results. Never bog your to do list down with tasks that are immeasurable. Such indefinite tasks are guaranteed to never get off your list. If you know a task can’t be completed on the day in question, either aim for a percentage of the task in a set time scale or identify a milestone and set this as your goal instead. “Work on financial report” will have you there until midnight. “Complete sections 1 and 2 of financial report” will have you home at a respectable hour.To Don’t:Don’t put the completion of a task on your list that has a deadline in the future. Adding “Complete report before Friday” on Tuesday’s list is a prime example of a task that is just going to be ignored until Friday. Of course, your to do list should not only comprise of today’s work schedule but also elements of tasks that will end sometime in the future. Break these tasks down into logical units and focus on the segments. “Friday’s Big Report: Complete analysis of shipping data today” is a good task for a Tuesday.Don’t try and chronicle your day. No one is that prescient. Remember that a to do list is not a diary. To do lists should never be in chronological order or take the format of an essay. You’ll spend more time planning the day rather than actually working it.Your to do list will probably tell less than half the story of how you spend your working day.You’ve Got More To Do Than What’s On Your ListIf you ever feel that your to do list is ruling (or ruining) your life, you need to take a step back and review how you are drafting your lists. Your day will undoubtedly consist of many tasks that you did not plan when drafting your list the day before. An impromptu request from your manager to write a report? Urgent call to head-office to mitigate a growing situation? Your to do list will probably tell less than half the story of how you spend your working day.Always leave enough room for day-to-day tasks and other unplanned events that naturally appear during office hours.To Do:Do remember that some things will take longer than expected while other tasks will take less time than originally planned.Do review your list with an objective eye. If your to do list is full of tasks likely to take up the majority of the day, consider possibly moving some orange and green tasks to the next day or see if you can delegate certain tasks to other members of staff.To Don’t:Don’t get demotivated if, at the end of the day, there’s more things unfinished on your list than completed. Maybe you earmarked too much for one day or a number of unforeseen events absorbed a lot of your working time. “Didn’t-Do Remorse Syndrome” is the feeling of looking at a mostly incomplete to do list and feeling despondent due to not getting through as much as you originally had hoped to.To do lists are not sacrosanct and should be seen as your aspiration for the day. We all aim to get a lot done in the time we’re at the office but some days are better than others. Accept an unfinished to do list as what it is: an opportunity to finish it the next day. There’s nothing stopping you from moving the open tasks to tomorrow’s list and tackling them again with a new day’s freshness.