So you’ve been working in your job for years and finally that opportunity for promotion which you’ve been waiting for comes along but it’s not going to be that simple is it? You see the rest of your colleagues and team have been waiting for it too and suddenly you’ve turned from a close-knit group of comrades to rivals all vying for this rare opportunity. God only knows when the next chance for a promotion will come up – probably when Stefan, your current line manager, dies but he looks to be in good shape and you can’t see that happening unless he gets hit by a bus. To make matters worse he drives everywhere so there’s definitely no chance of him catching a bus let alone get hit by one. No – You’re going to need to get this job and beat everyone else – so how do you do it?

You will have to be the one that stands out, that’s how – but it’s not going to come down to this application alone – you see when it comes to working in a close knit team your boss already has a good idea of who is capable and who isn’t so you need to sow the seeds for promotion well before such an opportunity arises.

Here are 5 things you can start to do that will help you standout for that promotion when it comes along.

1. In every team meeting always take a notepad and pen with you and appear to be writing and interested in whatever issues your boss thinks are important. It doesn’t matter what you’re actually writing in this notepad of yours, hell you could be playing hangman or doodling some drawings but as long as he see’s you as interested and engaged in what he has to say you’ll look like someone who takes what he thinks seriously with a genuine interest and with the same priorities.

2. Never be seen to become emotional, upset or angry. In the working environment it’s a sign of weakness unfortunately. When your boss has to choose who to promote he needs someone he feels he can count on that’s going to be strong and sale the ship in his absence – not someone who’s going to fall apart under stress. Someone who is seen to become angry or annoyed too often or even upset will be seen as too vulnerable or a liability to handle a senior position. People in management tend to make ruthless cut-throat decisions such as asking people to work longer or deny them annual leave when a job needs doing. Someone who’s seen as too emotionally weak doesn’t fit the criteria for someone with a backbone strong enough to make those tough calls or handle pressure. Now that’s not to say you can’t be softer once you get the job but you need to at least show you have a strong side to you.

3. Volunteer for overtime when the boss asks for it so he can remember you as stepping up. When cover is required and he is seen to ask for it be sure to step up. If its not asked directly by him and through someone else, you don’t have to do it. The point is he remembers you as the one stepping in when cover is needed. If someone else is asking and then seeing you step in, he won’t really know too much of you going out your way to help the cause so its better to do it when he asks so you’re on his radar.

4. Always dress well around your seniors although I accept this can be annoying to always do. A few years ago, when I worked in the corporate environment at a major bank, it wasn’t mandatory to wear smart clothes all the time as we weren’t working with the public or partners but I always made sure I wore a shirt, trousers and a decent suit. Many other people always wore casual clothing as it was acceptable to do this. However a re-structuring came along and we all had to reapply for our jobs. One strange thing I noticed was the people “perceived” by senior management as taking their job much more casually through their sense of dress were made redundant. Oddly people that always gave the impression of professionalism (regardless of being good at their job or not) were retained. I realized here that image was everything and it goes a long way. Its not always what you know or how hard you work but how hard you are perceived to be working sometimes and people make snap judgements based on your appearances. It’s one of our biggest senses (sight) so give a good impression always, even if you are not as good as someone else, image can compensate for that.

5. Try and be the best at what you do among your colleagues. If you get promoted and your colleagues perceive you as not good enough for the job, they can come to resent you. If you actually try to be the best in what you do and they can see that, it becomes acceptable for them that you are the natural choice and your boss will see that too. He will want to promote someone he feels the rest of the team can come to respect while maintaining harmony and they will respect people who are actually good at their job and work hard. So be the best you can be.

Bio: Saj Devshi teaches psychology students on his website Loopa Psychology Revision– You can find him lurking there.

The post 5 Ways To Standout and Get That Promotion appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.

http://ift.tt/1FZ6OlS

Welcome to the battle for progressive conscious awareness!

Today’s fight is between the challenger – YOU, and the reigning champ –“Procrastination”!

Alright you two, I want a clean and efficient fight! No eye gouging, no hair pulling, and no ear biting!

The winner gets full control of the conscious willpower of the individual!

I hope you’ve laced up your gloves. Are you ready?! Ring the bell!

5. Start by Asking “Where is Procrastination “Pointing” Me?”

Stop perceiving procrastination as a problem to be overcome, and start perceiving it as a compass pointing you directly toward its own solution.

First on our list is sort of a self-trick, because it’s actually a transcendental, empowering truth in disguise! The key to really start buckling down on procrastination is to:

1. Stop worrying about why you’re procrastinating.
2. Become consciously aware of what it is that you’re actually doing instead of what you’re “supposed to be” doing.

If you’re avoiding work that others are insisting is of serious importance – and you just can’t get motivated enough to take it seriously (i.e you’d rather do something like read about a topic that genuinely interests you) – your problem isn’t procrastination.

Procrastination is a symptom of your source issue.

Your true problem is an incongruence between your internal, non-conditioned goals and aspirations, and your current external reality.

There’s a difference between procrastinating on something you genuinely want to be doing, and falling back into unconscious“default” behavior mode, where you just succumb to endless internet browsing instead of increasing your knowledge or skill-set.

The internet is the best example of conscious empowerment or unconscious self-abuse.

Unlimited knowledge and distraction are simultaneously at your finger tips.

How strong is your conscious will?

If you take away only one thing from this first suggestion, let it be this: don’t beat yourself up for having previously been led to believe that you need to be doing un-fulfilling work in order to be deemed a “successful” human being.

The majority of dissatisfaction and un-fulfillment in our world is not a result of being lazy and unmotivated; it’s a subconscious response to the fact that you’re engaged in work that is not congruent with who you actually are as an individual.

Let this voice guide you out of the maze of illusions, and into domains of wondrous self-exploration, excitement, and growth!

4. Start With The Hardest Task First!

Note that the hardest task is typically also the most important one for most people.

You shouldn’t be tackling it just because it’s hard or the most important, but because upon completing said task – everything else will be cake in comparison!

Also, you’ll be creating and building motivational momentum as you experience yourself plowing through your most difficult, important, or tedious task(s) first.

This is especially effective when you get your biggest challenge out of the way first thing in the morning/day.

This is a neat little trick you can play with yourself, because it creates elevated mood, confidence, and self-momentum for the rest of your day.

Don’t knock it until you try it!

3. Time Box That Task!

It seems like this article is just destined for one boxing pun after another 😉

Time boxing is an incredibly useful technique that helps get your momentum going in a positive, constructive, and productive direction.

What you want to do is identify a task that you need/want to complete, and set a timer (I use Online-Stopwatch for everything, including writing articles) for say, 20-30 minutes.

The goal of time boxing is to consciously focus only on the work at hand, as intensely as possible for the allotted time.

This is a critical point of time boxing: the entire purpose of this activity is to focus ONLY on the task you wish to accomplish. While that timer is ticking, you do nothing BUT that one task.

No checking Facebook.

No texting.

Nothing but the task until that timer goes off.

Then when the time goes off, you give yourself complete and total permission to stop working.

Knowing your work time is finite not only increases your mood and focus, but it also prevents you from over-thinking about variables that don’t matter. Instead of aimlessly spinning your wheels while things continue to be left unfinished, time boxing allows you to neatly and quickly nip that issue in the bud.

The real beauty with time boxing however, is that after that 20-30 minutes you’ll be so “in the zone” – you’ll actually prefer to continue working!

Time boxing makes you more conscious of the fact that it’s not really fear, anxiety, or procrastination that’s stopping you; it’s simply a matter of overcoming the initial momentum of those emotions!

It’s like pushing a boulder up a hill. When it crests, you can let go and everything works itself out naturally as a consequence.

It suddenly becomes blatantly obvious that the true challenge is enduring the pre-cresting period – not the final goal itself.

Learning to “create the conditions” that allow for increasing personal momentum via action is incredibly self-empowering!

2. Make Time for (Guaranteed) Fun!

If you consistently schedule yourself a period of the day where you’re guaranteed uninterrupted time to enjoy your favorite activity/method of relaxation – you’re essentially re-wiring your risk/reward system.

This is the same concept as “re-conditioning yourself”.

What you’re actually doing is allowing yourself to create feelings of excitement regarding the fact that you’ll get to do something you enjoy later in the day, week, etc.

This can often make it easier to move through work that might not necessarily be exhilarating, but needs to be done.

“Batch” this suggestion with the time boxing tip above, and you’ll really be packing some punches ;).

You’re far more likely to maintain self-discipline and action if you’re rewarding yourself for doing so.

Don’t settle for society’s risk/reward system; build your own!

This is also incredibly empowering for anyone who has ever experimented with this approach. I use it on days where I feel a bit too “meh” to hit the gym, but I know my routine and progress depend on it.

So, what I do is imagine the lunch I’ll be able to make and enjoy after my workout. Sometimes I’ll just start making lunch, and that’s enough of a catalyst to make me want to hit the weights for 60-90 minutes.

Every single time I do this, I get to the gym and think “Man, the hardest part is always just getting started; once I’m here, everything’s awesome!”.

Which brings us to our final punch-tastic, procrastination-pummeling point…

1. Just Get Started NOW!

If you’ve been paying attention to the several points above, you’ll notice that “just getting started” is one of the most common denominators regarding procrastination.

This is because the hardest part is always going to be going from your “Zero Point” (point of complete rest) to your “Non-Zero Point” (anything that’s more than complete rest). Newton’s First Law of Motion graces us with its presence yet again.

It doesn’t matter how big or how small these steps are; what appears easy to one person is a nightmarish, bang-your-head-against-the-wall-fest for another. This is why it’s incredibly important not to confuse other people’s goals with your genuine goals.

Missing that first step will simply have you spending your time boxing shadows instead of procrastination.

Time boxing is a fantastic way to “just get started”. As we revealed above, it will often create the conditions necessary to allow you to just keep working (taking action). You’ll probably end up working longer than you would have if you didn’t implement that strategy.

If you can muster the courage to start saying “no” to the people, places, and activities that are incongruent with you, you’re making progress.

If you can then muster further courage to begin consciously replacing those things with people, places, and activities that are congruent with you who actually are as an individual, reality then opens up and becomes a treasure trove of opportunity.

The only condition is that you start becoming more conscious and deliberate with how you’re investing your time and energy – beginning right NOW.

Conclusion

Learning to gradually cope with, and eventually overcome, your own personal desire to procrastinate is a huge step forward in the right direction.

No longer will your life be a series of distractions, each baiting and pulling you in different directions.

No more will everything appear to be urgent and require your attention immediately.

You’ll learn to “have eyes” for what’s truly worth doing, and what’s a genuine waste of time.

Mastering your time and attention is the true secret to mastering your life across the domains of career, relationships, health/fitness, and hobbies. Until you begin doing so, you’re reality will be contingent on people and organizations who have already done so.

So lace up those gloves, move (don’t stick!), and refuse to stay down for the count! 🙂

Jason Demakis is a psychology & philosophy-based personal development writer, certified personal fitness trainer, and nutritional consultant. With a focus on prioritizing conscious decision making and behavior, Jason strives to motivate and inspire others to achieve their true potential and fulfillment. You can find more of Jason’s writing via his personal website, JasonDemakis.com.

The post 5 Principles for Pummeling Procrastination appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.

http://ift.tt/1Ohhgai