How to find motivation at your lowest point

How to find motivation at your lowest pointHow to find motivation at your lowest pointWhether its achieving a target at work, losing a certain amount of weight, or saving money for your dream purchase finding motivation can be incredibly difficult at the most important times. Although many challenges come with a physical battle, conquering a lack of motivation and overcoming personal hurdles undoubtedly begins within our own minds.Our thoughts often determine whether or not we can find innerhalb motivation and having even the slightest of doubts can stop this from happening.One afternoon last week, sitting outside enjoying the glorious summer sunshine, we spoke with Ben Edwards, a self-confidence expert and relationship coach, who gave us his tips on how to find motivation even at your lowest point.Begin the day rightIf youre someone who sets 10 alarms with a 2-minute gap to help persuade you to get up, dont. Set one alarm and push yourself out of bed. This will immediately trigger y our mental ability to conquer a small barrier. Having an extra 20 minutes of time to either get ready, make food or perhaps participate in a quick exercise session will leave you feeling fresh.Another useful tip is to leave your phone across the room not on your bedside table. This encourages you to get up, move and stretch instead of rolling over and checking social media. If you can successfully tackle the first task of your day, it will inevitably put you in a good mood and motivate you to achieve further targets.Create a visionFor many, seeing the potential outcome of hard work, such as driving a dream car or being in a personal office, can spark motivation. Visual thoughts allow you to create the scenario in which you imagine yourself and no doubt about it, this will feel good. Pair this with a podcast or up-beat music playlist and youll feel like Rocky before his final fight. Its also important to think positively although this is easier to say than do, having doubts in the ba ck of your mind will impact your motivation. Challenge these head on with a more proactive attitude.Write your goals downFrom completing simple tasks such as arranging an appointment, to yearly goals of reaching a certain milestone, write down anything you wish to complete. Putting this somewhere that you often reisepass or can easily glance at will give you gentle reminders to not give up. Having a tick list also allows for a visual representation of how many tasks youve completed, giving immediate feedback. The feeling of removing something from your list can fuel ambition to conquer the next.Dream big with small actsWhen motivation is at an all-time low, reassess the situation and begin small. Doing an hourly workout five days a week or arriving to work 30 minutes early each day isnt a realistic goal early on. Instead, take small steps and constantly improve. A quick 5-10 minute workout each morning with a gradual increase as the weeks pass will be more beneficial to your mentali ty. Begin to put yourself into a routine and stick with it. Do tasks at a similar time in the day until your mind locks it down.Remember, without consistency, youll never finish start small and work your way up.Remove distractionsA big part of the battle when finding motivation is removing distractions that could disrupt your workflow. In a modern age where social media has taken over lives, its difficult to avoid checking regular updates. We all know how hard it is to put our phones away for the day, so leave it in another room when youre tackling tasks. If youre in the middle of a workout, leave it across the gym/room until you finish. If youre sitting in an office completing a large task, turn your phone upside down and put it on silent productivity levels will increase, leaving you motivated to complete the next goal.This article was originally posted on YourCoffeeBreak.co.uk.

Skillsoft Introduces Curated Collection of Professional Effectiveness Resources

Skillsoft Introduces Curated Collection of Professional Effectiveness Resources Skillsoft Introduces Curated Collection of Professional Effectiveness Resources The Professional Effectiveness Collection was designed to meet the needs of the Learning Age, in which organizations must develop their workforces professional skills to sustain growth and remain competitive, said Russ Howard, Senior Director of Product Management Content Products at Skillsoft. Whether its for employees who are new to the workforce or seasoned professionals who are taking on a new role or polishing their skills, learning is crucial for filling knowledge gaps and ensuring success for employees and their organizations. Skillsofts Professional Effectiveness Collection empowers individuals with a continuous learning solution that can be tailored to their needs while supporting broader business objectives.Skillsofts Professional Effectiveness Collection includes courses, digital books, and video content covering a range of topics from basic communication skills to business ethics. The collection includes dynamic video content that provides moment-of-need support for learners, as well as formal courseware for more structured learning. The content is flexible and scalable depending on an individuals and organizations needs and includesMore than 130 courses comprising over 130 hours of instructionMore than 100 hours of content from video-based vignettes and simulationsApproximately 1200 videos covering more than 70 hours of content2070 digitized, full-text books, including over 130 in audio format andOver 170 summaries of leading business publications.

Conference Call Etiquette in the Workplace

Conference Call Etiquette in the WorkplaceConference Call Etiquette in the WorkplaceUndoubtedly, the age of technology has made our lives and jobs easier, and its made meetings much more convenient. But whether youre a manager, employee or job candidate, you should follow this thing called conference call etiquette. You see, its easier to let your guard down during virtual conversations and assume that because the other parties arent in the same room, you can take a more relaxed approach. But thats a dangerous thought. Conference calls - audio or video - should be given the same level of thought and awareness as face-to-face meetings.See this infographic and read about our survey on conference call etiquette.Observing these rules of conference call etiquette will help you maintain a consistent level of professionalism regardless of the meeting format.Conference call etiquette rules for managers 1. Set up in advance.Dont wait until the last minute to prepare for the conference call . Make sure all the necessary equipment is in the room and properly working. Also gather all of your documents digital or physical. Its rude to start the call late because you cant find a file that you knew would be critical to the meeting. 2. Monitor the audio. If most of the participants will be together in a conference room, another part of conference-call etiquette involves making sure the microphone is ideally placed and audio is set at the proper level. This could entail having a long enough cord to move the mike to and from various areas of the conference room table. Also, be aware that talking while youre turning around, looking down or leaning over will change the volume and tone of your voice. 3. Avoid interruptions. Anyone who has the potential to barge in and interrupt your conference call should be notified of the meeting so they wont interrupt you. Just as you would do in a face-to-face meeting to avoid one of theworkplace etiquette breaches,turn off your cell phone and any other digital devices that produce disrupting sounds. 4. Unclutter the room. If youre leading a videoconference, dont let the background be a distraction. Participants dont need to see the sales goals on the whiteboard behind you, the teddybr bear from Valentines Day on your bookshelf, or the empty Chinese food container from lunch. 5. Light the room. Videoconferences also require adequate lighting. Experiment to find the right balance, and if the room is too dark, you may need to bring in a lamp or some other additional source of lighting. Also, some light sources behind you - like a window - create a shadow or halo effect. If you cant close the blinds, place a desk lamp on your right or left side to counter the backlight. 6. Be inclusive. Unless youre making a presentation, dont monopolize the conversation, and dont allow anyone else to, either. Everyone involved in the call was invited for a reason, so give them time to voice their opinions.Etiquette rules for emplo yees/job candidatesFor audio calls, employees and job candidates should follow the conference call etiquette outlined above. If your call will involve video, here are some additional tips 7. Dress to impress. Your attire should be consistent with what you would wear in a face-to-face meeting. Even if youre at home, dont shock meeting attendees with your brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. Dont wear job interview clothes that could kill your chances of getting hired.And dont assume that only the top portion of your body will be seen. More than one individual has been embarrassed to find out later that attendees could see their boxer shorts. 8. Take care with the set. Your backdrop is a part of conference call etiquette. Choose a neutral location that does not anzeige personal items. Managers or hiring managers should not be distracted by cluttered desks or dirty laundry. 9. Silence is golden. Even if the main focus is video, remember that your mike could pick up unwanted sounds, like children playing in the next room or TVs and radios playing in the background. Take the necessary steps, including muting the sound when necessary, to ensure that youre remembered for your responses and not your golden retrievers barking. 10. Mind your manners. Tapping nervously or impatiently on the desk, looking at your watch, checking email, and other types of behaviors can be heard, as well as seen, by the other conference attendees. Make it a point to remain alert and pay attention.Even when conference call attendees are not in the same room with you, todays technology can still reveal background sights and sounds. Observing the rules of conference-call etiquette can help you err on the side of caution and project a professional image.Keep reading Follow the Robert Half Blog for the latest management advice and career insights.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER