Andy Knowles, MD of Jak Inc, shares his top tips for keeping smiling…
I’ve had an interesting journey over the last ten years.
Starting a family business wasn’t part of my career plan, and things were going nicely for me at Coca-Cola enterprises. I had a great boss, loved the brand, and there was bags of opportunity for career progression.
But somehow, here I am with a portfolio brand business, sporting an annual turnover of £1m plus.
Interestingly, one of the challenges many entrepreneurs face is burnout or fatigue. I’ve attended many personal development seminars over the years, including a three-day trip to Kentucky, where I met a handful of truly inspirational mentors. I even found myself finishing their sentences, as I’ve read their books repetitively!
Because of this, I’ve learned an awful lot over the years about how to fight the fatigue. Below are my top 15 tips to help you stay focused, and be more positive at work…
1. Utilise Your Commute
Don’t write off your time in the car as ‘wasted time’. Listen to audio books, podcasts or inspirational music on your commute, and use that time to learn something new, or get fired up.
2. Get Places Early
Arrive early and focus on the tasks ahead. Even if you’re only ten minutes ahead of schedule, use that ten minutes to wake up and get your head straight. You’ll be grateful for it later in the day.
3. Your Emails Aren’t Always A Priority
Avoid checking emails first thing. Instead, focus on the tasks that can’t be put off. Check your emais periodically throughout the day, which will stop you from getting bogged down in them.
4. Stop Procrastinating
Are you making the most of your time? It’s easy to put things off until later, but those things will pile up, and when you finally have to face them, you’ll wish they were done earlier. Schedule your day in advance, and stick to it.
5. Take A Break
Plan breaks into your day to allow for recovery. Trying to do too much all at once will wear you out, and you’ll lose sight of the end. Take a moment to re-focus on your tasks, and come back to them shortly.
6. Take Something From Your Meetings
Take notes from your meetings, and leave them with clear and achievable objectives. Write down your action points, and share them with the involved parties.
7. Don’t Neglect Your Health
Exercise is proven to reduce stress, and the resulting feel-good factor can boost your productivity.
8. Pace Yourself
Rushing tasks will only create more errors, which you’ll inevitably have to fix. Take your time, and get it right.
9. Support Your Colleagues
Share your achievements with the people around you, but don’t forget to support them too. Be there for your colleagues when they need a little positivity boost, and they’ll be there for you when you need one yourself.
10. Stay Compassionate
Negative colleagues can get you down, but try to remain compassionate towards them. People are usually negative for a reason, but don’t let it affect you too.
11. Collaborate
Never be afraid to ask for help. Collaborate with others to achieve mutual goals, and be aware that sharing the load of some of your tasks can help you get through them.
12. Accept That Some Things Are Boring
Unfortunately, not everything at work is fun, but those things still need to be done. Bite the bullet and face the mind-numbing tasks head on. The sooner they’re tackled, the sooner they’re done and out of the way.
13. Accept Criticism
Don’t be offended by negativity, and instead try to understand any criticism aimed at you. Take that feedback constructively, use it to improve yourself and your work.
14. Relish Your Days Off
Sometimes it’s okay to spend your days off in bed, but try a few different activities too. Variety is the spice of life, and leaves you in a more positive mood.
15. Adapt
Businesses have to change to survive. Make sure that you’re open and adaptable when it’s important, and do your best not to resist it.
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Jak Inc are the North East’s finest print, design, and marketing agency. Keen to reinvent your brand? Visit www.jakinc.uk and find out exactly how to do it.