According to a study, being constantly late costs a South American country $2.5 billion a year. Being perpetually late is not only expensive to your success but to those around you. Perhaps this is why punctual people always have an edge over those who do not value the importance of time. In an age where everyone seems to be constantly engaged and distracted by variety of things you tend to appreciate the one who is always prompt. Here are some things this type of persons will always understand.

1. You have anxiety in check

All the needless worries of being late doesn’t put you under pressure or subject you to stress. You are elegant and never seem to be in a rush. This air of calmness and certainty makes settles you and offers you a more optimistic persona. Furthermore, punctual people have a more balanced life and are able to look after their personal well being.

2. You always have a feeling of accomplishment

Being punctual adds to your confidence, you are sort of assured that you have worked harder than every other person that should have been there before you. You understand your worth even before approached for an assignment as you believe in your ability and skill that you will always be on time. Somehow you never cease to spell this out to anyone that is concerned about the subject.

3. You are predictable

If you say you will be at a place by 10 am, you are there. People can predict you for coming on time. Beyond that being predictable makes you more reliable as people can entrust you with tasks and assignment because you will deliver on time.

4. You always create a lasting impression

When you are prompt at calling someone or being present for a meeting at the right time, you create an impression. Your ability to be punctual speaks volumes and you create an aura of value. People are attracted to you and want to have you on their projects or teams.

5. You are in control

Somehow the world awaits you. You are always determining the flow of events, or sometimes the outcomes and eventualities of meetings and events. Nothing holds you or stops your flow of being the first person to appear in the room. Most times this utters a commanding signal to whoever comes later.

6. You are respectful

You are being adored by others because you are considerate and warm. Your valuing other people’s time and showing up early means the other person or people are special and you really care about them.

7. You can get that job by being early

You seem to have one skill that many employers are looking for – being punctual. Your showing up early is enough to get you the job because being punctual also oozes confidence, integrity and character.

8. You are attracted to people who are like you

They say like attracts its kind. You are not an exception on this because you find that you sort of admire and adore others that are like you. You can connect and build relationships better with other people that are punctual, because you know what it means to be punctual.

9. You are turned off by late people

You cannot seem to tolerate or understand why anyone should ever be late. Being late for five minutes, (even before the scheduled time) puts you on the spot and kind of makes you try to even be a more punctual person. Because you cannot really imagine or figure why anyone should ever commit himself to showing up late, you speak and throw shades at lateness.

10. You enjoy all the goodies before any other person comes

Whatever attention, item, package or opportunity that is made available for the person who comes early is taken by you. You seem to be favored on many of such occasions and it triggers your desire to even be more punctual. You are punctual because you have not only seen the benefits, you have also experienced it.

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Business leaders measure productivity by the quality and quantity of output over input. Management seems to have a big part in a business. They decide, implement actions, and take the control. The professional skills and roles of managers are important to be adapted and put into practice not only by business people but all people who want to do and be more everyday.

1. Prioritize tasks

Lining up your daily tasks can be one of the effective ways to be productive. Focus on what is important by asking what are the things needed to be done first or by measuring the value of each task needed to be accomplished. It is essential to assess the things needed first to finish the right job at the right time.

2. Manage time properly

Get an early start. Doing things now instead of later is the ultimate secret that business people use to get more done, providing a schedule and record to help them track their activities and progress during the day. They reward themselves with a break that is short enough to avoid wasting time but long enough to refresh and clear their minds.

3. Know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’

“I nourish myself by saying “no” when I mean no, and “yes” when I mean yes. I know what I want.”

What keeps people from saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’ (when they mean ‘no’) is the fear of losing opportunities. In some cases, there are people that don’t want to be rude to others and make others feel rejected, so they take the responsibility. But, it is all up to you. Come to think of it, everyone has their own desires and priorities in life. There is nothing wrong with saying ‘no’ to the things you don’t want and you are no longer interested in doing, as long as saying it will do no harm to others.

4. Begin with the end in mind

Business people have a clear picture of the goals they desire to achieve or to have at the end of the day, week, month or even year. It helps them focus more on important concerns. It also involves the idea of “believing in yourself” that you can do it. Efficient and timely strategies can lead to successfully achieving the goal. Nothing happens in waiting for things to come your way, so the most important step is to make it happen.

5. Keep on learning and finding new ways

Knowledge can be found everywhere. It is not only something people can get in school, but is also acquired through their personal experiences. Productive business people look for hobbies that will encourage their learning everyday. They explore. They are open to new great things that could help them grow mentally, physically, and emotionally.

6. Allocate resources efficiently

In business terms, resource allocation is the proper assignment and management of scarce resources to effectively support an organization’s goals. Management knows how to maximize their time (to get duties done before the deadline) and power (to create and accomplish more productive things everyday). They learn to value what they have today and create wise actions out of it, because not all things will be present at all times.

7. Use the right tools to stay productive

Productive tools can improve the level of productivity and maximize efficiency while working. Mobile phones, although not objectively stated, are obviously essential when dealing with your team, for example, in group projects, since it can bridge the gaps of communication with the members. With the rise of technology, productivity applications on mobile devices are highly useful and powerful and helps business people keep track of daily agendas and increase their productivity level.

8. Live for today

“Work smarter, not harder.”

Productive business people normally dwell on things they have yet to achieve, but they always have breaks intended to appreciate life and to focus in the ‘now.’ They avoid worrying about things regarding the future that can ruin the day.

9. Deal with the unexpected

Unexpected events can come anywhere, at any time, to anyone. Business people prepare for the worst. They learn to keep everything in mind to deliver a quick and meaningful response.

10. Get organized

Like beauty, organization comes from within. It has to start within oneself before other people can actually see it. Organized people know how to keep everything in its proper place. They carry a journal and love to make lists. They are busy categorizing so everything will fall into place.

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Leading a serious business is actually a lot more than being able to pay your employees at the end of each month. The competition out there is pretty tough, so you need to put in your finest effort to keep every member of your team happy, no matter if you’re a head of a large company or a small business. The concept here is quite simple – if employees are taken care of and they have something to look forward to, your business will grow and your office will spread out.

Usually, when companies need to work on boosting productivity they tend to use incentive programs, which can work pretty well but it’s not enough, because a large percentage of them have deadlines. In order to solve this problem, you should devote yourself to coming up with various perks which will keep your employees on the edge. If you do introduce them to your business, there will always be something fun going on around the office, so you’ll actually be working on productivity and entertainment at the same time. Check out these ten perks, maybe they turn out to be the perfect match for your working environment!

1. Incentive Monday

Mondays are slow. Even though most people use weekends to recharge their batteries, it can be difficult to devote one’s attention to work. That is why you should take initiative and motivate your employees and introduce something called Incentive Monday to your business. Start by creating a weekly task that needs to be completed, and offer some kind of bonus to the employee who achieves your expectations. By doing this, you’ll improve the quality of your services because everyone will try harder because of that award you’ll grant, and the best one will enjoy its perks! Besides, every Monday will be like having a clean slate, so every member of your team will be motivated to do better next time.

2. Loyalty Cards

Not all perks should be funded from your company’s budget. Once you settle on a certain location, your business will affect all other ones near you – for example, during breaks and after work, a number of your employees stops by to the closest shop to get groceries, right? This is something you should use by making a deal with that shop and together, you can create some kind of loyalty program. Therefore, you’ll have a positive effect on local economy, and you’ll make your employees happy by those discount perks (which should come as a result out of your agreement). If you have no previous experience in this area, check out this list of ten quite successful loyalty projects from which you can learn a lot.

3. Office Library

If you want to become a truly successful leader you need to work on your education constantly, but you also need to encourage others to do the same. This can be provided by conducting direct strategies, like organizing courses, but there’s a more subtle way of doing it. If you invest in an Office Library project you’ll enable employees to have a quiet place where they can enjoy great books. Apart from giving the world one more library, you’re also providing members of your team with a place where they can relieve from and gather more useful knowledge, which can only turn out to be good for your business. Having books around the office is an awesome perk!

4. Family-Friendly Office

Every office can and should develop a family-friendly attitude, no matter what kind of business you’re in or in which stage of growth you’re at. Pick a day, any day of the year, and make it an official Family Day for your company – you can organize small tournaments, educational seminars or some kind of a treasure quest. By introducing this perk to your business, you’ll actually be investing into future generations that might inherit the work positions of your employees. Besides, this kind of organization encourages having and developing family bonds, which is exactly what society needs right now.

5. New Gadgets & Software Updates

It’s pretty common and recommended for a company leader to enable the technology necessary for completing their tasks, but why stop there? There are all sorts of new, cutting edge pieces of technology which aren’t just useful, but pretty entertaining as well. If you’re worried about costs, you should look at the whole thing from a different angle – many startups and small businesses have great ideas for new gadgets that need testing and promotions, so there’s always room for making new deals. If you do some research, you’ll encounter a lot of free things you can use as perks, like this PowerPoint plugin for example, which can help a lot when it comes to visualizing of your services.

6. Travel Perks

Keeping in touch with your partners and establishing new arrangements worldwide is important for any type of business but this can be exhausting and time-consuming. You could outsource this job to an employee who deserves this position, and allow them to enjoy traveling perks while spreading the good word about your company. Again, this is one other way to enable your employees to widen their horizons, which is always a good idea. Besides, this is an excellent opportunity to create a new partnership with an airline, and broaden the diversity of your travel perks!

7. B-day Perks

If you want your employees to be happy, you need to let them know you care. Everyone looks forward to their birthday, even though some may say they don’t really like celebrating it. Taking an hour out of your work hours to share a cake, exchange some cards and have a nice conversation should be just enough, but you can always go a step further and invest a bit more perhaps. For example, you can extend your loyalty card deal we have mentioned earlier and enable your employees to have additional discount perks on their big day.

8. Snack Day

The fact is, everyone loves free food. If you introduce food perks to your business, you’ll definitely cause the level of dopamine to rise around the office. If you don’t have enough funds to do this on a weekly basis, you can have your Snack Day each month in the beginning. Additionally, you can focus on providing energy snacks and drinks in order to increase productivity, so you’ll end up with happy and hard-working employees. It would be great to pick the slowest day in your office and make it an official Snack Day, so you can speed up the pace. Before you do, make sure you do some homework and find out which snacks are healthy and nutritious but tasty at the same time!

9. Nap Time!

In order to reach maximum productivity around the office, you should encourage your employees to take a certain amount of breaks. It’s a scientific fact that breaks help a lot when you want to get more work done. If you want to enable your employees this amazing perk you should know that the best way to do it is to provide them with energy pods! When everyone get used to them, your energy pods will become a quiet place where they can rest their minds. Obviously, after a short but effective nap every member of your team will be able to continue their work with a new-found enthusiasm.

10. Suggestion Box

This is a pretty old method, but that doesn’t mean it’s not efficient. People in your office need to know their voice counts, and that they have the power to adjust their environment according to their needs. This awesome perk won’t cost you a dime, but it will be a significant change when it comes to the working atmosphere. Besides, I’m sure you’ll be able to learn about many great ideas, and find a way to indulge their requests when the time comes.

By introducing these perks to your business, you’ll create a unique environment for your employees, which will make them proud to be a part of your company. This will obviously affect their ambitions to stay on their current positions, to try harder and show real progress. I hope you decide to make at least some of these perks part of your work routine, and if you do, I’d like you to let me know how it goes!

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