Work & Life
These articles address organization, productivity, career path and other work-related topics.
Do the Work You Were Born to Do
Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to do in life from the time they’re in diapers. There are people who were always going to be doctors, people whose athletic skills destined them for the Big Leagues, people who always knew they wanted to study spiders, fish, the economy, etc. If you’re over 30 and you still don’t know what you want to do “when you grow up,” here are a few …
6 Questions to Ask When You Don’t Reach Your Goals
This week I taught a class on goal-setting. Somebody raised a question that I hear so often, I was inspired to write about it today. The question was this: “What happens if I give myself a deadline to achieve my goal, and the deadline comes and goes, and I didn’t achieve it?” When that happens, it’s time to dig in and find out what went wrong. NICELY. Don’t brow-beat yourself; assume you did the best …
How to Stop Sabotaging Your Own Goals
Recently, in a class I was teaching on goal-setting, someone raised the topic of self-sabotage. “Why do we do that to ourselves?” I asked the class. “Habit,” came the immediate reply from a participant. “We don’t mean to do it, we just do it,” said someone else. They are so right! The question is, why on earth would we develop an uncontrollable habit of sabotaging ourselves? Don’t we want to accomplish our goals? Maybe we …
Is Depression Hiding Your Career Path?
“I’m not really passionate about anything.” I hear this from my career counseling clients regularly, which doesn’t surprise me since most people I see are at least mildly depressed. Depression doesn’t “do” passion. You could even say that depression and passion are mortal enemies. They can’t stand to be in the same room together. Depression — even the common, mild “blahs” — chases passion away. If you don’t feel passionate about anything, it’s not because …
Procrastination Can Be Productive
Procrastination can be productive, especially for creative types. Often when I talk with people who are down on themselves about not moving forward, it turns out there’s something that’s not yet in place — something they need before they can take the next step. Maybe it’s a decision that needs to be made, or information that’s not yet available. Maybe there’s something inside them saying, “Stop! What are you doing? You’re going the wrong way!!!” …
4 Motivation Killers and What to Do About Them
When it comes to my career, I’m definitely motivated. As a self-employed therapist, teacher and self-help writer, I’ve always got several pots on the stove, and I rarely lack energy to do what needs to be done. But when it comes to home improvements… Ehh. Not so much. Oh, sure, I’d like to rearrange the living room, maybe get some new furniture. Maybe do some painting. Actually, now that you ask, I’d like to change …
Never Waste a Day Again
I was sitting with a client the other day who’s having a hard time getting unstuck after a series of challenges in her life. She feels like she’s just going through the motions and spinning her wheels. It’s extra difficult for her to feel that way because she’s been a workhorse her whole life. She’s the hero in her family, and everyone relies on her for emotional and material support. Nowadays, all she wants to …
Which Career is Right for You?
If you have a feeling there’s something special you’re supposed to do in this lifetime, that’s your heart calling to you. It’s saying, “Give your gifts to the world!” What if your heart has been calling to you, but you can’t figure out what it’s saying? Finding your true calling is both easier and harder than you might think. It’s totally easy because it’s right there under your nose, and has been all along. Certain …
Go With the Flow of an Unproductive Day
Recently I had one of those days when nothing went smoothly. The chores I’d planned to do before going to the office were thwarted by unexpected circumstances. Clients didn’t show for appointments. I found myself aimlessly checking for emails that never came. I couldn’t get behind anything on my To-Do List to salvage some productivity out of the day. All in all, the day was a complete dud. At some point I realized that I …
10 Steps to the Perfect “To Do” List
Having never been detail-oriented, let alone organizationally gifted, I’ve always had a hard time following to-do lists. Still, I have things I want to accomplish, so I’ve made lists all my life. Usually they collect on my desk with other scraps of paper until I throw them out, either accidentally or on purpose. But this year, something shifted for me. I changed the way I make my to-do list and found that I actually started …