Procrastinating? Here’s How To Cure It

We’ve all had our bouts of procrastination, that moment in time that we just want to do our the work later. Most of us can get over it and make up for the slack. The problem here is with the others that chronically fall into this practice.

Now that’s the bad news.

Chronic procrastination is not just a bane for business, it is also a bane in all the things we do. Those who suffer from it practically puts everything off on a later date. More often than not, nothing ever happens to them. Dishes pile up in the sink, the grass grows too high, gas run to empty, phone bills unpaid, etc. are just some of the things chronic procrastinators commit.

While it’s true that seeking professional help works, nothing beats having that internal resolve to actually get moving. If you think you are suffering from chronic procrastination, or probably just want to improve your productivity, you can try doing these four simple tips to beat it:

1.     Narrow down your focus – one of the biggest reasons we put off our work is because of our perception of size. Sometimes, looking at the big picture can so overwhelm us that we end up not doing the job anymore.

To make it easier, break the task down into individual parts. Start with the task that is easiest to do. Put a time limit for its completion. Before you know it, you’ve done your work.

2.     Reward yourself – every time you complete a task, especially the ones you hate the most, reward yourself with something you enjoy. This will give you more incentive to do your work harder, so that you can reap more personal rewards.

Also, you do not have to be perfect. As long as you accomplish a majority of your task, consider it a success.

3.     Be accountable to others – have someone monitor your work, or maybe give an announcement of what you seek to accomplish. This will give you more impetus to finish your work, since all eyes would be upon you now.

4.     Keep up your work – just like the laws of physics, anything in motion will stay in motion. It is the same way with work, or even life. Once you have started something, make sure that you keep on going until you reach your goal.

(Credits to Nadia Goodman’s article from Entrepreneur.com)

Do’s And Don’ts In Writing A Resume

For the job seekers among us, it is important to write the perfect resume. Yes, you may not be able to write perfectly, but you should at least do something that approaches perfection. And that means knowing what to put and what not to put in your resumes.

So, what should you remember?

The Good:

-          Write your job experience in reverse chronological order (that includes your current/last job). It’s up to you if you want to leave your short, irrelevant jobs, but it also depends on who you are applying to.

-          Put your education record to the end of the page. Unless you are a new grad, what you studied or majored in doesn’t really matter in the eyes of the recruiter.

-          Quantify your accomplishments. Instead of ‘managed a department’, why not say ‘managed a department of 20 auditors’. That not only puts a specific number down, it also adds credence to your management skills.

-          Identify your strengths. What are your strongest skills or assets, the things you usually do in all the jobs you’ve done? Put that into your resume as well.

-          Write your description of each skill or accomplishment you made. It doesn’t matter if it is in bullets, full sentences, or snippets. Just be consistent with all of them.

The Bad:

-          Paragraphs. Frankly speaking, no one reads full paragraphs anymore, including the HR staff. If you want to get their attention, minimize paragraphs and go straight to the point.

-          Ambiguity of job titles. Recruiters hate guesswork. If you do have a strange-sounding company title, don’t forget to add a description to it (e.g. Social Marketing Diva – Social Media Marketing Specialist).

-          Information overload. Leave out extraneous facts. Birth dates, religion, hobbies, weight, social security number, marital status, links to Facebook pages or personal blogs, names of children, sexual orientation or life mission statements, leave them out. Really. No one needs or wants to read that in the recruitment office.

-          Lazy proof-reading. Grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, consistency, etc.  are the banes of resumes. Read your work, read it again, have your friends, sister, or even a teacher look over your work. Make sure your resume is free from mistakes.

Workaholic? Not really

How does one starts his day? Should it be one where he grudgingly gets off of bed or one where he looks forward to meeting life's daily grind?

I'm not so sure, but I'm more along the lines of the latter.

Really, that is something that bothers me on some days. The meaning of life, the future, as well as my dreams, maybe all of these play a big role in shaping my current behavior. Still, that should not be a reason to act all doom and gloom, right?

I just probably need a little more inspiration. In my line of work, I really need it. To rephrase Edison, it's "1% percent perspiration and 99% inspiration".

Dreaming to Work

Sometimes, waking up in the morning can be a real pain. But what is even more painful is waking up early in the morning, going back to sleep again, and dreaming that you're already at work!

Wouldn't that be a nightmare?

Just imagine the trouble you'll get yourself into.

Moral lesson: keep two alarm clocks handy. you can never tell when you need to strike twice to wake up.

Welcome!

To those reading this post, I formally welcome you all. My name is MJ Mata, and this is my blog.

Although this isn't my first blog, this is actually my first in terms of my passion: writing. It may be a surprise for some who know me and my background, but this is who I am, and this is what I believe I'm good at.

Writing is an adventure for me, and this is something I truly value in my daily life. For me, the destination is not the main point. I will get there, someday. But what I truly value is the trip itself. Writing, and all its accompanying rules and standards, have its unique quirks that I really find interesting. And perhaps, as I go along, you might find something that will interest you as well.

So come with me in this journey.