Ask The Entrepreneurs is a regular series where members of those involved in the Young Entrepreneur Council are asked a single question that aims to help Lifehack readers level up their own lives, whether in a area of management, communication, business or life in general.

Here’s the question posed in this edition of Ask The Entrepreneurs:

What daily/weekly ritual do you keep that keeps you sane as an entrepreneur?

1. Meditate Stress Away

“My daily ritual always involves at least fifteen minutes of meditation. When I meditate I give my brain a break. As an entrepreneur my brain is on overdrive. The key to getting real, quality work done is to take a break and tune in. Meditation offers you time to release and recalibrate. For my free guided meditations visit www.gabbyb.tv.”

-Gabrielle Bernstein, Gabrielle Bernstein Inc.

2. Lift Off the Frustration

“Lifting weights, especially heavy ones, has been something that I have come to rely on as an entrepreneur. The frustrating obstacles that we face every day while blazing new trails can add up. Personally I am driven by my own stress and anxiety, of which I have plenty. Sometimes the only thing that can relieve some of the pressure is a good ass whoopin’ at the gym!”

-Andrew Bachman, Scambook.com

3. Break the Rules!

“During my work week, I’m super strict on my nutrition, workouts, sleep and business regimen. To combat this, I constantly break the rules on purpose and have a “cheat day.” Blow off an event, put back a few beers, or sleep in on Friday. Remind yourself that you are human, and the reason you are an entrepreneur is so you can have the freedom and flexibility to make these decisions for yourself.”

-Matt Wilson, Under30CEO.com

4. Focus on Loved Ones

“Playing with my son every day and spending time with my family keeps me grounded and focused on why I’m doing what I’m doing. I always think of how my business and work affects my family, and ways to constantly improve upon that.”

-Tim Jahn, Entrepreneurs Unpluggd

5. Join the Team!

“I try to play at least one team sport every week. I find that while your head is in the game and you’re cheering for your teammates, all the stress and work waiting for you washes away. When I return from the game, I find that much of that stress turns out to be gone for good, and I’m refreshed and ready to take on the week’s challenges.”

-Jason Evanish, Greenhorn Connect

6. Coach a Team!

“I coach 3rd-5th grade AAU basketball. No matter what’s going on with Modify or in my personal life, I always forget everything stressful when I walk onto the court with the kids. They’re eager to learn and I can’t help but focus only on their growth. And if I’m really stressed, I can just tell them to do more sprints! (Just kidding.)”

-Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

7. Touch Base Often

“I begin each day with a 5-minute check-in call with my accountability partner. We share our daily goals and discuss on-going challenges and projects. This daily check-in ensures that I make steady progress, and it’s great to know that someone who understands is just a phone call away for support and encouragement.”

-Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems

8. Mentor Another Entrepreneur

“Sometimes running your own business can be exhausting and you can lose track of end goals and the passion that got you started in the first place. I find that mentoring other young entrepreneurs reminds you why you started your business. Also, the feel-good vibes you get from helping others are the best way to recharge.”

-Vanessa Van Petten, Science of People

9. Read Your Calendar

“Our calendars hold a lot of information about how we spend out time. If you sit down and scroll through your calendar to take a look at the meetings, phone calls, projects, and tasks that you have had over the past week, it will give you clarity about the things that you have accomplished and about what you can do differently.”

-Dmitriy Katsel, AdU Network

10. Set Boundaries for Sanity

“I will not and do not (except before a big launch) answer or read emaisl within a few hours of my shut-eye time—nor will I read email on my phone IN bed. Sleep is sacred, and so is my schedule. A client wouldn’t dare call me at midnight; so why would they expect an email reply? YOU need to cut the email cord, not them. So do it. And turn off push notifications on your phone while you’re at it!”

-Lindsey Donner, Well Versed Creative

11. Surf…the Internet?

“I’ve found that the best ideas and most productivity occurs when you actually completely disconnect from the work you’re doing. For me this has been surfing…in the ocean! Anything that forces you to be completely present for even a few hours a week does wonders for your mind, body and, as a result, your business.”

-Srinivas Rao, BlogcastFM

(Photo credit: Businessman Standing Alone via Shutterstock)

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country's most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentoring, and resources that support each stage of a business's development and growth.

At the end of the first week of every month, we’re going present the best of what Lifehack had to offer in the previous month. We know our readers are busy — not just with other aspects of their lives, but also reading articles elsewhere — so if you’ve missed out on some of what we brought to you last month, now’s your chance to catch up.

So, without further adieu, here is The Best of Lifehack from January 2012.

Searching for the Perfect Productivity Tool

One of the newest contributors to Lifehack, Jan Makulec, discusses why it’s not necessarily wrong (or right) to have found your perfect productivity tool…and searching for it isn’t necessarily the time suck that many say that it can be.

How I Use GoodReader

GoodReader is an incredibly versatile app, and Lifehack editor Chris Smith dives right in and suggests how you can get the most out of what for most is a very under-used app on their iPad or iPhone.

How to Become Clutter-Free for Greater Happiness and Productivity

Ciara Conlon is timely with this post on how to get rid of clutter so that you can improve your productivity and be happier as a result. January isn’t just a month for resolutions; it’s a month of “clearing the decks” too.

5 Management Practices That Kill Employee Productivity

Yet another new addition to the Lifehack contributor ranks, Marissa Brassfield writes about a few management practices that will do more harm than good to your team’s productivity.

How to Develop Mental Toughness

Mike Martel serves up a great piece that has a greater impact on your productivity (and confidence) than we’d all like to admit: mental toughness. He explains how mental toughness can be developed — and why it’s important to do so.

Productivity Made Simple: The Series

Karol Krol puts together a stellar series — especially appropriate for the beginning of the year — on how you can get into the GTD system with a simpler approach. The series is broken down into several parts:

1. Productivity Made Simple: Where to Start with GTD
2. Productivity Made Simple: Selecting What to Do Next with GTD
3. Productivity Made Simple: The 7 Main Elements of GTD
4. Productivity Made Simple: The Key to GTD – Your Daily Graph of Activity
5. Productivity Made Simple: How to Keep Your Projects from Killing You

If you’re still looking to become more productive this year, you can’t go wrong with this series — or with any of the articles in The Best of Lifehack: January 2012 edition.

(Photo credit: Golden leader of business team via Shutterstock)

Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and "productivityist". Read more of his writing and learn more about him at MikeVardy.com, and you can also follow him on Twitter.

It’s no secret that career success often depends on the quality of the relationships you develop with your managers and co-workers. Although office personalities vary considerably, there are certain rules that always apply because we are all human. Here are 9 to keep in mind as you strive to lead, influence, and collaborate with people at work.

1. We always want more

As human beings, we are usually not comfortable with our current level of achievement. Once we attain success in some fashion, we scarcely take the time to celebrate before moving on to the next big thing. And when it comes to job satisfaction, we want what we don’t have. For example, employees in big business want to become free-spirited entrepreneurs, while many entrepreneurs wish for the security of a full-time job. Give us the freedom to try other things so we see why our situation is so great.

2. Everyone wants to feel valued

We want to feel like we are making a contribution to the organization, that our work is making the world a better place. Even if the job is to put the wrappers on chewing gum, we need to understand the big picture and why our role is critical to the company’s success. Tell us.

3. People want to talk about themselves

Human beings are self-absorbed by nature, so when you encourage us to tell you about our family, our hobbies, and our pet projects, we feel closer to you. If you want to build strong relationships, remember birthdays and children’s names.

4. People want to be part of a group

We are a social species, and we want to fit it at all costs. We may even sacrifice our own ideals for this privilege, hence what is known as mob mentality. Gain broad support for your projects by rallying colleagues to your side.

5. We might want to help you, but we still want something in return

Most humans do genuinely want to assist others, but the part of us that looks after #1 first is alive and well. If we’re being honest, most of us will admit that when we do someone a favor, we expect to reap the benefits at some point in the future. Try to do your share even if no one is asking.

6. We want to take action

Although human beings are not huge fans of change, we’re also not content with the status quo. If things are too peaceful, we get bored and want to shake things up a little, and in times of uncertainty, we want to do something – anything – to bring about a resolution. Be wary of knee-jerk reactions.

7. Once a decision is made, it’s made

We humans tend to hold hard and fast to our decisions, even if they’re turning out to be the wrong ones. This is primarily due to cognitive dissonance, or the feeling of discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs. If you want someone to change their mind, start persuading before they have too much invested.

8. We believe the worst won’t happen

This belief is the reason we still haven’t protected ourselves against the future flood that will wipe out downtown Manhattan. Despite what the scientists say, we refuse to come to terms with the inevitable. But while we’re thinking that other people get fatal diseases and go bankrupt, someone in the organization should be planning for the worst-case scenario.

9. We make the same mistakes over and over

Human beings don’t learn from the lessons of the past, and we like to blame others for our misfortunes instead of taking a hard look inward and sharing responsibility for negative outcomes. Don’t fall into this trap. Life circumstances change all the time, but you take yourself with you.

(Photo credit: male businessman in suit with laptop via Shutterstock)

Alexandra Levit is a career and workplace expert at the Intuit Quickbase Blog , a daily source for advice on how to be exceptional at your job. You can follow her on Twitter at @alevit.

They are mad, evil geniuses I tell you!

Every year I watch the sale of Girl Scout cookies with amazement. These sweet, innocent and friendly girls all become masters of marketing, sales and business through the months of January and February. And you know what? I happily buy Girl Scout cookies every year. I open my wallet for them, and admittedly it is because I buy through my personal “connection” (aka: dealer) of these addictive cookies. One would think they are pushing drugs with how people talk about the cookies, but that is all part of their genius plan!

Here is the truth: the cookies aren’t special. We all enjoy home baked cookies more than we do mass-produced cookies, but at the same time, I definitely will crave and even horde the cookies. No one better touch my thin mints! Why do I do this every year? Because, I buy more than the cookie. I buy the “sizzle with the steak”, and watching the geniuses work, I have learned a lot about business. Here are six business techniques I’ve learned from the delightfully, ingenious Girl Scouts.

1. Sell The Idea – The Sizzle

My father always says when it comes to sales, “sell the sizzle not the steak”. The idea is rather common. Sales is about selling the story, the image and everything around the product, not the product itself. I personally like the saying, “ride the brand”. Brand your sales with an image and then ride it. Apple computers have done very well, as people crave to be part of the Apple computer family. They want the image and the community that comes with Apple, and all someone has to do to join this select group of people is purchase an Apple product. The same idea is used in personal branding.

When it comes to Girl Scouts, the sweet girls are part of the Girl Scout cookie idea. It is their fundraiser. It is an organization that teaches girls so much, from knitting to car mechanics. By buying Girl Scout cookies we are helping an organization that helps people in our own town and community succeed. So to play off one of my favorite movie lines – Girl Scout cookies are made with real Girl Scouts, as we are buying into the image with the cookie.

2. Back Up The Product – The Steak

Call me old fashioned, but I feel a product needs to be quality, as quality backs up the sizzle. If Apple computers were junk, people wouldn’t want the image of being an Apple fan. True, one may be able to find comparable products for cheaper, but their products are still good products. The idea is that their brand demands a high price, while their product backs up the brand. Girl Scout cookies are good. They may not be my grandmother’s cookies, but they are still good. They are also slightly unique in the style / taste, which makes them stand out from other cookies. Thus, they are able to make a good steak to back up that sizzle. As manufacturers, product managers and business people, we need to make sure our products can back up the brand that goes with them. For me, it is a matter of taking pride in what I do, and I firmly believe the manufacturing company for the Girl Scout cookie takes pride in what they do.

3. Motivate Your Sales Force

Did you know there are bonuses for troupes that meet sales levels? The girls know they are paying for trips and activities with every sale. Troupe leaders are really good at motivating Girl Scouts each year to sell the cookies. Additionally, many troupe leaders will teach the girls how to sell. They are great at doing it, and above all they are passionate about doing it.

4. Order In Advance

Starting in January in my area, Girl Scouts are asking for orders for their cookies. When it comes to business, this same idea directs part of our sales. By getting advanced orders, we know how much to manufacture. That commitment is great for any business, and why I encourage businesses to find a revenue stream that encourages pre-ordering.

5. Keep Product On Hand

Even with the orders, most troupes purchase additional cookies. These will then go on sale outside businesses or are taken with them when they drop off the pre-orders. Why? There are always, always those last minute purchases. There are always people who decide they actually want more than what they first ordered, and you need to fulfill that order. Every industry is slightly different, but learn how much product to have on hand.

6. Timing is Everything

I believe Girl Scout cookies are the bane of most New Year’s resolutions. Why? About 20-30 days is when people who are on a diet start craving sweets. Even if you are not on a diet, 20-30 days after the holiday is another time to crave sweets, and guess who comes along? Those, sweet innocent, mad geniuses with the perfect fix to your craving. They are there when the timing is right, and they don’t worry about it for the rest of the year. This not only creates an exclusiveness of needing the product then and there, but it fulfills a desire that is going to be there. Not only do they have their timing down, they have mastered that buy it now or loose it mentality. Two timing essentials at one moment!

Conclusion

The girls in my community are geniuses in business, and I think many Girl Scouts carry these sales techniques as they grow up. As someone who was never a Girl Scout, but had a lot of friends who were/are, I know these techniques can help anyone out.

So the next time you go out and buy your Girl Scout cookie “fix”, take note of the seller’s genius. I know I will be when little Rachel (my “dealer”) calls to get my order.

(Photo credit: Young Scout Girl via Shutterstock)

Extraordinary management requires extraordinary thinking, and these creative workplace strategies are proven to supercharge team productivity over a sustained period. The following are innovative ideas used in companies all over the world to help high-performance teams crank efficiency up a few notches.

1. Schedule a FedEx Day

Australian software company Atlassian holds what it calls FedEx Days once per quarter to drive employee motivation and productivity. During these intense 24-hour periods, employees can work on whatever project they want so long as it doesn’t fall under their normal job responsibilities. The only other stipulation is that they must present their completed project to their colleagues the next day.

Atlassian cranks things up even further by enabling employees to vote on each other’s projects, giving an award to the winner and, in some cases, green-lighting top ideas for full production. The influence of FedEx Days on employee motivation and overall productivity is so strong that author Daniel Pink recommended it in his book “Drive.”

2. Install a Love Machine

Second Life founder Philip Rosedale improved company culture by incentivizing employee recognition with the Love Machine. This series of video monitors lets workers leave short messages for specific individuals to recognize work well done, help given and other timely accolades. This system, as Rosedale explained, enables teammates to “tip each other for good work, and also to keep a very high degree of awareness about what everyone was doing, even as the company grew.”

3. Transition to a ROWE

Not all employees can function at their peak during the 9-to-5 workday; similarly, not all employees can focus in an office environment. A ROWE, or a results-only work environment, enables workers to essentially set their own hours and work wherever they feel most comfortable. Employees are measured solely on results, and preset quotas of vacation days, sick days or core hours are all thrown out the window.

The ROWE concept was devised by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson of CultureRx for Best Buy; CultureRx has since helped 40 more U.S. companies transition to this innovative workplace strategy. Michael Reynolds, the president and CEO of SpinWeb, saw productivity double after his company enacted a ROWE.

4. Let Employees Drive Bonuses

Another Second Life workplace strategy Rosedale revealed is that of employee-driven bonuses. Each teammate gets $1,000 per year to allocate to coworkers as he or she pleases. This peer performance review takes the onus of dividing bonuses away from managers, who may not be as closely connected with office leaders and peak performers.

5. Adopt “Thinking Days”

Barry Glassman of Glassman Wealth Services doesn’t send his employees to pricey conferences; instead, he sends them home for a day once per quarter, with pay, to watch presentations on Ted.com and brainstorm ideas for the business. Glassman also dedicates a half-day each quarter to an all-staff meeting in which each employee presents his or her favorite Ted.com presentation.

Glassman reports that Thinking Days have supercharged team productivity and new ideas. They’ve also raised employee morale, kept teams connected and exposed workers to a bevy of keynotes from the world’s top thinkers.

The GWS Thinking Days also play on a phenomenon studied by Simone Ritter and his fellow researchers at the Radboud University Behavioral Science Institute: the role of the unconscious mind in creative output. Ritter asked two groups of university students to devise solutions to an everyday problem. One group spent 2 minutes on a distracting task before compiling their answers, while the other group got to work immediately.

Both groups came up with about the same number of creative ideas, but the first group was far better at picking its most creative idea than the second group. This pattern held up in subsequent experiments, leading the researchers to believe that the unconscious mind helps us determine which of our ideas are worth pursuing.

Conclusion

One of the toughest tasks managers have is fostering employee productivity and efficiency over an extended period. These strategies promote a productive office culture that organically motivates workers.

(Photo credit: Closeup portrait of group of business people with hands together via Shutterstock)

Effective leaders set their teams up for success. This requires that they avoid any management practices that could potentially kill employee productivity. Inept leadership styles come in all flavors, from the disorganized or forgetful boss to the extreme micromanager. Here are five practices that are guaranteed to sink your workers’ efficiency — and the alternatives to supercharge it.

1. Fearmongering

Fear is a powerful motivator, but managers who regularly threaten job security and employees’ livelihood run the risk of paralyzing their team. Employees who are afraid to lose their job may bow under pressure, waste company time looking for jobs “just in case” or gossip with coworkers — all activities that kill morale and decrease productivity.

Instead, cultivate a culture centered on trust, respect and engagement. Such a work environment encourages growth, learning from one’s mistakes and effective communication. Engaged workers who aren’t afraid of being fired can relax and focus on doing their best work. Similarly, disengaged workers can destroy team morale from within.

2. Calling employees out in public

Managers should praise publicly and counsel privately. Criticizing a team member in front of his peers is embarrassing for him; it also has an awkward, demotivating effect on his coworkers, who may now be fearful to make a mistake.

If you need to counsel an employee, do so in a way that won’t attract attention or distract others. This is especially important in offices with glass-walled meeting rooms or open floor plans, where it’s easy for others to see and hear sensitive meetings.

When I worked in an open-plan office, I’d initiate all one-on-one “development” meetings with an instant message or a short email that explained why I wanted to speak with the team member. Then I’d approach the employee and say something like, “Hey, let’s go take a walk. Will you be free in 10 minutes?” We’d then head to a nearby park, where we could speak freely. Because the company had cultivated a culture of trust, feedback and engagement (see No. 1), employees learned to look forward to these “walks” as opportunities to improve.

3. Avoiding project ownership

Managers who hold the strings in every regard aren’t leaders — they’re tyrants. Employees who are mere pawns can quickly become disengaged; they have little incentive to go above and beyond in any particular task.

Employees who have ownership over a project are emotionally vested in its success. That small measure of recognition builds accountability. An employee who is the point person for a project may go above and beyond to coordinate his teammates, meet project deadlines and communicate their progress with you.

4. Ignoring top performers

What practices separate your peak performers from your average performers? Ineffective leaders micromanage top performers or ignore their prowess altogether, essentially getting in their way or demotivating them.

Good managers recognize and acknowledge high-performance workers. Give these team members responsibilities that best leverage their skills. Meet with these individuals and ask what tools they need to do their very best work. Try to understand their work processes and how they may differ from the rest of your team.

5. Running ineffective meetings

Managers love meetings because it enables them to catch up on projects and disseminate instructions to key team members all at once. Many employees hate meetings because they’re poorly managed, irrelevant to their work responsibilities or held at a time of day that isn’t conducive to a long attention span. This disconnect between managers’ needs to stay “in the loop” and employees’ distaste for meetings can add up to energy lulls and decreased productivity.

Try these tips to running effective meetings to alleviate productivity loss in your office.

Conclusion

In an office setting primed for productivity, every leader would intuitively know how to manage their teams to peak efficiency. By avoiding these management practices, managers will be five steps closer to that optimal environment.

(Photo credit: Businessman Office via Shutterstock)

January is an amazing time to starting thinking about what you want in life. It’s fun and exciting to dream about how awesome a new year will be. You set goals, you get excited…

Then the excuses set in.

“The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse.” ~Author Unknown

If one of your goals this year is to really start the business you have been wanting to start, these might be some of the excuses:

“I don’t have time.”

“I don’t have enough money.”

“I don’t know what to do!”

In the 50 millionaires I interviewed last year, I found a common theme. They have a No Excuses Approach. That doesn’t mean they don’t have any excuses. They do. But they don’t let their excuses stop them from getting something they want.

So if you truly want to make 2012 the year you kick butt and take names – You need to get rid of the excuses. So here are some reasons for the excuses and how to get past them.

Reason #1: FEAR

Fear is a basic survival mechanism. When ever we don’t know the outcome,  fear comes to the forefront of our minds. That’s when we make excuses so we don’t have to move forward. Get over your fear with these tips.

Reason #2: DIFFICULTY

How difficult or long you think the task is really matters in what you accomplish. Based on coaching many clients, most people have A to Z thinking when it comes to starting new projects. They know they are at the beginning right now (A), but they want to know every letter in between A and Z before they start.

Because that is extremely difficult to know, the “it’s” can turn into excuses.

“I really need to know how I’m going to market the book I want to write. Even though I haven’t written it yet.” – Person who then proceeds to listen to the latest podcast on book marketing, but still doesn’t start the book

It keeps us from even taking the first step!

Reason #3: BELIEF

If you think you will die if you try public speaking, then you won’t ever do it. Instead (to satisfy our ego) we decide to make excuses. It’s easier than changing our beliefs, but it leads to a life filled with excuses. If you believe you can do it, no matter what, you will not let an excuse stop you.

Instead find and replace your limiting beliefs.

Combat Any Excuse

You don’t necessarily need to which reason is behind the excuse to move past it. Here is what you can do:
Recognize Them

The better you are at being honest and recognizing them as excuses the easier it will be to discount them and counteract them. If you don’t notice them, ask a friend to stop you every time you give an excuse. It brings a lot of awareness to your excuses! (I know from experience.)

Logically Counteract Them

Here are a few common excuses, plus an article for each to help you counteract them:

• “I don’t have time.” - 50 Business You can Start in Your Spare Time
• “I don’t have enough money.” – How to Start a Business Without Money
• “I don’t know what to do!” – How to Start a Small Business

Take Immediate Action

Then take immediate action. Choose the first step that you can do and do it. Derek Sivers told me the following:

“Whatever scares you, go do it because then it won’t scare you anymore. With almost anything once you do it, it’s not as scary as you thought it was.”

Rinse and Repeat

Even if you get rid of one excuse another may pop up. Be diligent in recognizing them and moving anyway!

A No Excuses New Year

This year, stay motivated and excited. Don’t give your excuses your energy. They are only a small bump in the road. Try these techniques and have an amazing year!

“We will either find a way, or make one.” – Hannibal

(Photo credit: Businessman Jumping a Gap via Shutterstock)

After paying off $70,000 and quitting her corporate job, Jaime started her own business. Four years later she has been on CNN, MSNMoney, Success Magazine, Fortune, Yahoo's homepage twice and more. She is a business coach and speaker plus she interviews self made millionaires weekly for their tips, advice and stories. An Eventual Millionaire is a person with a goal to become a millionaire, eventually, but they are dedicated to an enjoyable life and an enjoyable business now. Download the Eventual Millionaire Manifesto.

Many people now find themselves looking for employment. It is not easy. The job market is highly competitive with many applicants for each vacancy. How can you maximize your chances of getting a being employed? Try this 11 point plan.

1. Identify your transferable skills

List your main areas of expertise. How many of your skills are transferable to other lines of work? This list constitutes much of what you will be selling.

2. Write and practice saying your TMAY – “Tell Me About Yourself.”

Prepare a short sales pitch for the product you are selling: you. In one minute or less you should be able to explain your key skills (see Item 1 above), your main achievements (with the names of some employers or customers) and a description of the sort of work you are looking for. Your TMAY will be invaluable in networking situations and when interviewers say, “Tell me about yourself.”

3. Set objectives for yourself

Getting a job is a job. It takes many hours of hard work. You have to be your own boss and set goals. If you want to get, say 3 interviews per month, then you might have to apply for 12 positions per week. Set objectives for networking, applications, interviews, skill development, research etc.

4. Polish your résumé

Your résumé (or CV) is the critical document that will determine whether or not you are called to interview. Ideally your résumé should be no longer than 2 pages. It should list your key skills, achievements and recent responsibilities. Have some experts read your résumé and listen carefully to their feedback.

5. Network like crazy

Many of the best jobs are not advertised. How can you possibly hear about them? Your best chance is by networking. Contact everyone you know and tell them about the kinds of opportunities you are looking for. Ask them to let you know if they hear of anything. Go to meetings of local business people or in your specialist field. Meet other people and link to them (see below). Have a business card printed with your name and contact details and give it out to those you meet.

6. Use LinkedIn

There are many internet social networking sites that you can use including Twitter and Facebook. However, by the far the most important for job-seekers is LinkedIn. Register, load your résumé and key skills then link to everyone you can think of – friends, colleagues, customers etc. See if you can get some former bosses, colleagues or customers to recommend you. Join some relevant groups. Use linkedin extensively for research and job hunting. Read up on how to get the most from it.

7. Apply, apply, apply

You need to kiss a lot of frogs to get one prince. Don’t wait for the ideal position to be advertised and invest all your hopes in that. It is better to apply for lots of jobs that you could do. Tailor your cover letter (and if necessary your résumé) to suit the position and its stated requirements. Get into the habit of making your target number of applications every week. Search all the jobsites and use RSS feeds and alerts to find out about suitable new opportunities.

8. Do your research

When you get called for interview try to prepare. Research the company, the position and the interviewer if you can. Use the internet and use contacts to find out all that you can. Anticipate any likely questions and prepare your answers – especially for the tricky questions that point to weaker areas in your application. Prepare some intelligent questions of your own.

9. Sparkle at interview

If you have done your research then you are already in good shape. Remember that the interviewer already thinks you have the necessary skills or they would not have called you so the key thing they are looking for is your attitude. Show your drive and enthusiasm without appearing desperate. Ask some good questions.

10. Stay focused

Don’t let rejection get you down. Be persistent. Keep working your plan even though you hear nothing from many applications and get rejected before or after interview. This is normal. Don’t get angry or resentful. Keep going. There is a great job for you out there – you just haven’t applied for it yet.

11. Have a plan B

If all else fails you should have a plan B. Consider starting your own business, working as a contractor or moving into a very different field. Many people look back on their change of career as the best thing that ever happened to them – though it seemed terrifying at the time.

Good luck with your job hunt this new year.

(Photo credit: Business deal via Shutterstock)

Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.

You read it right. I have a surefire way to make this your best year…ever.

It does not have anything to do with how many more books you read or how much better your productivity becomes. Instead, it’s the addition of what I consider to be the missing element in many people’s personal or business success planning.

Too often, many folks try to educate themselves in the areas that they want to improve in. There’s nothing wrong with this, but where people often fall short is when they try to achieve their goals as solo efforts. For some reason, some think that the journey to success must be traveled on their own.

The fact of the matter is that there is a much better approach to achieving success, which will guarantee a better year for you compared to all past years. In addition to education and acquiring knowledge, if you adopt the approach that you will no longer attempt to achieve all your goals in isolation, you will reach higher levels faster.

Actively Being with Like Minded People

The surefire way I’m referring to is to actively be with other like-minded people who are also interested and committed to achieving the same type of goals that you are. Some of these people may have more experience than you do in certain areas and therefore are in a position to help you.

They can share with you their experiences that made them successful so far and even point out any mistakes they have made or failures they had along the way. These can help prevent you from making the same type of mistakes — some of which can be costly.

By having people share their direct and relevant experiences with you, your learning curve can be shortened which in turn will help you reach your own success faster. But having experienced people to talk about past successes is not the only benefit of being with like-minded individuals.

Increased Motivation and Accountability

Not all other like-minded people will necessarily have more experience than you. Some might even have less experience compared to you but that doesn’t make them useless to spend time with. Being with all types of like-minded people, whether they have more, less or the same level of experience compared to you, will have the ability to motivate and inspire you further in working towards your goals.

This is something that you definitely can’t get if you work on your goals alone. You miss out on the motivation that others can provide. This is something that I personally notice all the time in my own experience.

For example, when I attend training sessions with other ski instructors, whether they are on the snow or indoor educational programs, I always feel more pumped up from the group motivation I feel with my colleagues. This helps me work towards being a better ski instructor myself.

You also can get some accountability to ensure that you do the steps that you have to work on in order to progress. This is yet another huge benefit that you can get when you have other people to push you a bit. Quite often, you don’t have any accountability at all when you are solo and therefore can easily slack off on the things you must do to get better.

Look for the Right Groups of People

In order to be with other like-minded people, look for the right groups of individuals in the form of special interest clubs in your area. You can also network with others at events like conferences, meetings and seminars. You can even form your own informal groups of like-minded people to meet on a regular basis to help each other.

I will be using this very approach for an area that I am new to: real estate investing. I want to invest in real estate to help secure my own financial future but I’m a newbie in this area. So to help me, I will be checking out real estate investment clubs in my area as well as networking with other like-minded people I meet at seminars.

I’m certain that this type of activity will help me make this year my best ever, and it will do the same for you just by adding like-minded people into your regular schedule.

Feel free to share below how you would include other like-minded people into your life this year.

(Photo credit: Shallow Depth of Field Shot via Shutterstock)

Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.

As 2011 draws to a close, we reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead. So to help you make 2012 the best year yet, check out our recently-wrapped New Tools for the New Year series to get you started:

New Tools for the New Year: Communication
New Tools for the New Year: Lifestyle
New Tools for the New Year: Management
New Tools for the New Year: Money
New Tools for the New Year: Technology

On behalf of the editors and contributors at Lifehack — and its parent company Stepcase — I’d like to wish a safe, happy, prosperous and productive new year to all of our readers.

(Photo credit: Happy New Year via Shutterstock)

Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and "productivityist". Read more of his writing and learn more about him at MikeVardy.com, and you can also follow him on Twitter.

This has been a tough year for a lot of businesses. The economy has yet to rebound (it may never fully) and with a downtrodden economic situation often comes a despressed workforce. I’m not talking about the overall unemployment problem; I’m talking about the problem that those who have jobs are dealing with: elevated stress and a heavier workload.

If you’re a manager of a team or are running your own business that requires you to be a rock solid manager of your own self, there’s rarely a better time than the start of a new year to tweak your system and explore new tools to helpy you with your overall management skills. As part of our year-end New Tools for a New Year series, I’m going to offer some new tools for you to try and help you get a better handle on management in the coming year. Some will be specific tools that require specific time and attention to become familar with, while others will simply be tools that are new in name only – as in, you’ve been using something similar for years and may just need a bit of a reboot to get a jumpstart to the new year.

Asana

You know, I’ve tried a ton of task management apps – both aiming to improve collaboration between teams and aiming to improve individual efforts – and no web app has come close to getting it as right as Asana has. We’ve touched on this new player in the productivity realm before, and I’ll be doing a deeper dive in the next couple of weeks as to what the results of long term use of Asana is.

The people behind Asana understand that seamless connection is the key to improved productivity – and better management. There’s no bottleneck that they’ve put in place; the information involved with tasks, priorities and assignments can flow as freely as you want. With a new iPhone app now in the App Store, now Asana can go with team members anywhere.

As for barriers to entry, they are few and far between…if any. Price certainly isn’t one; Asana is free for teams of up to 30 people.

If you’re not using a task manager so that you and your team can manage all they’ve got on the go, then Asana is your best bet – bar none.

37Signals

Another great resource you should look is to 37Signals. Whether you decide to use any one of the company’s popular software solutions (Highrise, Basecamp, etc.) or start to align your own mandate with theirs, it’s a good place to start.

Jason Fried has not only put together a stellar team that offers fantastic tools for you to better manage your work and team, but his book REWORK (co-authored by David Heinemeier Hansson) is required reading for any manager or entrepreneur trying to make their way in the world today.

Oh, and his TED talk on “Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work” is another great thing to let your eyes – and brain – absorb.

MeetingBurner

Another thing that can really slow down workflow and kill momentum is meetings. Whether it is through overkill or unwieldy tools or distraction, meetings can hinder progress more than help it along. Even iwth the advent of online meetings through Skype or similar tools haven’t made meetings really all that better.

But MeetingBurner can change all of that.

It’s simple to use, incredibly robust and flexible (it can be used for webinars, for example) and you can get in and out of it as needed. We’re going to take a more comprehensive look at MeetingBurner in the coming weeks, but let me say now that going to a meeting – online or off – hasn’t been terribly pleasant for me until this service came along. MeetingBurner’s mission says it all:

“The world wastes billions of dollars per year in inefficient and ineffective meetings and we are going to change that. With MeetingBurner we want to build a community of online meeting fanatics who want to change the world by making meeting easier, faster, and more efficient.”

I think perhaps the idea that you can burn through a meeting and have more takeaways than giveaways says something for progress in this area of technology. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking to have the same effect on your management results.

Conclusion

You want to start off the new year right, putting your best foot forward in your work and in life. Giving these new tools a test run to start things off in 2012 may just extend the reach of your foot that much further.

(Photo credit: Businessman Cheers with his Tablet via Shutterstock)

Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and "productivityist". Read more of his writing and learn more about him at MikeVardy.com, and you can also follow him on Twitter.

Another year is coming to a close this weekend, and it’s been a banner one here at Lifehack.

As you’ll see below, one of our most popular posts of 2011 was our 100 Best Lifehacks of 2010 article, which flows nicely into this post which will outline the 100 Best Lifehack of 2011. Unlike last year’s list, there’s a few changes we put into place before delivering this list to our readers.

First off, the overall top 10 posts are determined by overall traffic during the past year, as well as engagement on social networks. The articles come from a wide variety of our website’s categories, whereas the remaining 90 articles are divided up into the primary categories that we write about at Lifehack: Communication, Lifestyle, Management, Money, Productivity and Technology.

Those 90 posts were decided on based on visits to each article, social media interaction, comments and then were finally curated by the Lifehack editorial team. Each category has 15 articles that made the cut for this year’s list as well.

You’ve got a lot of reading to do here, os let’s get started…

Top 10 Most Popular Posts in 2011

1. 60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days
2. 7 Not So Obvious Habits To Maximize Your Productivity
3. The 100 Best Lifehacks of 2010: The Year in Review
4. The Best Productivity Apps For Your Shiny, New iPad
5. 10 Things To Stop Doing in Your Relationships
6. Five Reasons to Choose an Android Tablet Over an iPad
7. 7 Epic Strategies for Introverts (by Introverts) to Ignite Your Social Skills
8. 7 Reasons You Should Eat Eggs for Breakfast
9. 8 Ways To Get Smarter Every Week
10. Everything You Know About Weight Loss is Wrong

Communication

1. Why You & Your Business Need to be Involved in Social Media
2. How to Work Through Blog Burn Out
3. How to Deal with Criticism in One Single Step
4. 7 Ways to Build Your Network Without Using People
5. 5 Simple And Obvious Tips For Better Communication
6. Simplify Family Life With A Communication Station
7. How to Write Better and Faster
8. Start a Conversation with a Stranger without Sounding Desperate
9. Do You Unnecessarily Point Out Flaws?
10. Getting NaNoWriMo Done: How to Write a Novel in 30 Days
11. How to Hack Language Learning
12. How to Get a Book Contract in 6 Months (with a Blog)
13. Mind Hack: The Philosophy of One
14. 3 Ruthless Email Responses to Achieve Inbox Zero
15. Starting A Blog in 2012? Avoid These 7 New Blogger Blunders

Lifestyle

1. What a Karate Weapon Taught Me About Achieving Big Goals
2. 6 Easy Tips for Living with 100 Items or Less
3. 10 Ways Improve Your Memory & Boost Brainpower
4. Instant De-stress Tips: 7 Foods You Should be Eating Right Now
5. Why Fear is Your Friend
6. 10 Insanely Awesome Inspirational Manifestos
7. 7 Benefits of Exercise (and Why Weight Loss Isn’t One of Them)
8. Breaking Bad Habits in 28 Days
9. Eating Ancestrally: How To Start Eating and Living Like A Human
10. From Nag To Shag – The Ultimate Marriage Hack For Men
11. The Best Decision You Can Make for Your Business — That Has Nothing to do With Money
12. Enrich Your Life By Making it a Story to Tell
13. How to Get Your Husband (or Wife) to Help Out More
14. 7 Morning Hacks to Jumpstart Your Day
15. 10 Wise Lessons: What I Wish I Knew When I Was Younger

Management

1. Virtual Assistants: Worth It?
2. Today’s Career Challenge: Start Networking Like a Pro
3. 4 Famous Workaholics (And The Secrets of Their Success)
4. Improve Your Professional Credibility – Write a Book
5. How to Make a Plan That Will Help Your Business Thrive
6. How Logging Your Day Can Lead To Higher Effectiveness
7. 7 Simple Steps to Resolve Any Problem
8. The Art of Stress-Free Work
9. How to Get a Do-It-Yourself MBA
10. Beating the Meeting Monster
11. Sensors and Intuitives: How to Bridge the Communication Gap
12. 35 Reasons You Should Work With a Coach
13. Living With Your Deadlines
14. Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start Your Own Business
15. The Absolute WORST Day to Take a Vacation (It’s Not When You Think!)

Money

1. 7 Tips for Reducing Your Overhead Costs
2. Real Ways to Make Money Working from Home
3. 26 Personal Finance Tips from Famous People
4. Why I’ll NEVER Cut Up My Credit Cards
5. Take Control of Meal Times With A Meal Planner
6. 6 Luxurious Timesaving Services That Are Cheaper Than You Think
7. Unexpected Ways The Library Can Save You Money
8. Five Cost-Cutting Features of the Future Small Business You Can Embrace Today
9. How to Use Credit Cards While Staying Out of Debt
10. 8 Tips for Raising Moneysmart Kids
11. 100 Questions to Help You Write, Publish, and Sell Your Ebook
12. The Black Friday Bucket List: 25 Things to Do on Black Friday (Shopping Not Included)
13. Helping Japan: How to Make Sure Your Money Goes to the Right Place
14. How to Negotiate with Car Salesmen and Get the Best Deal
15. 3 Things You Can Do Now to Improve Your Finances in the New Year

Productivity

1. The Pomodoro Technique: Is It Right For You?
2. Productivity with Tablets: Paradox or Reality?
3. How to Stay Productive When You’re Sick
4. 7 Ways You Shouldn’t Be Using Your Calendar
5. The 5 Fundamental Rules Of Working From Home
6. 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Gen Y
7. How Steve Jobs Changed My Productivity
8. Manage Your Energy so You Can Manage Your Time
9. Get the Most Out of Your Week by Starting it on Sunday
10. How I Learned 5 Habits in 30 Days
11. How to Slow Down
12. How to Practice the Art of Detached Focus to Achieve Your Goals
13. 6 Effective Ways to Become Persistent
14. Simplify Your Productivity Tools To Get More Done
15. What Yoga Can Teach Us About Productivity

Technology

1. 5 Tips for Effective Digital Note Taking
2. 10 Android Apps to Help Save You Time & Money
3. 7 Tools to Help Keep Track of Habits and Goals
4. Kindle, Nook or iPad? How to Choose the Right eBook Reader for You
5. Stop Wasting Time – How to Search Like a Pro
6. Protecting Your Online Life With Secure Passwords
7. 5 Things You May Learn From Google+ Launch
8. 7 Tools For Writing On Your iPhone
9. Focus on Art, Not on Features: Simple Online Tools for Writers
10. To Automate or not to Automate Your Personal Productivity System
11. How to Stop Fiddling With Productivity Tools To Get More Done
12. Goodbye Google Reader! (Or the Best RSS Reader Alternatives)
13. Get Over Your Smartphone Addiction
14. Lifehack’s iOS 5 Tips and Tricks Guide
15. The Perfect Productivity Tool

Thanks to all of the Lifehack contributors, without whom this list would not have been possible. And thanks to you, our Lifehack readers. We hope that the articles that we offered up in 2011 — both those that made this list and those that did not — have helped you make waves in 2011. We’ve got more in store for you in the coming year, and we hope you’ll stick with us for the ride.

(Photo credit: 2011 on the beach of sunrise via Shutterstock)

Mike Vardy is a writer, speaker, and "productivityist". Read more of his writing and learn more about him at MikeVardy.com, and you can also follow him on Twitter.

A coach can help you with your X's and O's.

Working with a coach has become quite the norm in our modern work world. From professional athletes to successful business professionals, from mid-life moms to college graduates, the reasons for working with a coach are as varied as the individuals.

Coaching can take many forms, from individual sessions to group workshops, in person, on the phone or over the internet.

Why would you want to work with a coach?

We can’t list them all, but here are 35 of the most common reasons I here from people.

Professional Success

1. I want to make changes or advance my career.
2. I want help with strategic planning for my business or endeavor.
3. I want to be more effective in the way I work or manage my business.
4. I need help to develop my ideas into work that is both financially and personally rewarding.
5. I want to become a stronger leader and learn how to better manage people.
6. I want to build my brand and position myself as an expert in my field.
7. I want to learn better negotiating skills and how to value my work appropriately.
8. I want to increase my income and improve my financial security.
9. I need help to determine appropriate action steps that will allow me to meet my goals.
10. I need help to structure and organize my workday and schedule so I can get more done in less time.

Personal Growth

11. I want to improve my productivity and time management skills.
12. I need to establish stronger boundaries so that my time and energy are respected by others.
13. I want to be more compassionate and less critical of myself and others.
14. I have crucial issues, conflicts or situations that I need to address in my life.
15. I want to develop a greater understanding of my life and my role in connection to something larger.
16. I need to improve my confidence and improve my sense of self-worth.
17. I want to create a life plan that will help me to design the life I want.
18. I am spinning in overwhelm and need help to get my life under control.
19. I know that I have a purpose or a gift that I am meant to share, but I need help figuring out what that is.
20. I need help to identify and assess what my personal wants and needs are for fulfillment and satisfaction.
21. I want to cultivate a sense of gratitude and grace in my life.
22. I need to learn how to better prioritize my goals and responsibilities.
23. I need help to break through the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving my goals.
24. I want to learn better ways to deal with difficult people in a constructive manner.
25. I want to learn to develop and nurture my creativity in a way that fulfills me.

Health and Well-Being

26. I need help to learn how to manage stress and minimize its effects on my body.
27. I want to find a sense of balance or fit best meets my personal and family needs.
28. I want to improve my physical health, fitness and appearance.
29. I need to cultivate positive habits and behaviors that will better serve my needs.
30. I want to simplify my life. I’m tired of the hamster wheel.
31. I need some help to improve my relationships with others or to find a nurturing relationship.
32. I have a major health or life challenge that I need help to make constructive changes.
33. I need to take better care of myself in all aspects of my life and make self-care a higher priority.
34. I would like help to figure out what my personal needs are and how to satisfy them.
35. I just want to be happier and experience more joy in life.

35 Reasons…and counting

Do you have any other reasons you should work with a coach? Is there something I’ve missed that works for you? Please share with us in the comments below.

(Photo credit: A Football Diagram… via Shutterstock)

Royale Scuderi is a writer, life and business coach who empowers individuals and businesses to achieve higher productivity, growth, business success and work - life balance. She offers wisdom, insight and ideas to help you get the most out of your life at Productive Life Concepts.

I need a vacation.

For the last couple of months, I’ve been working like crazy getting my book ready for publication, and laying all the groundwork to promote it. I coordinated with my 30 contributing authors to get their chapters polished and ready, I got the books designed, printed, and then shipped out to reviewers, and I’ve written dozens of guest posts to help spread the word.

Not to mention producing two video trailers, putting together a sweet launch offer, coordinating with reviewers… and doing everything I have to do as part of day-to-day client work.

All to say that I’m tired, and I could use a break.

And the book is done, launched last week – isn’t it time for me to be able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of my labor?

When You’re Supposed to Take a Vacation

The prevailing wisdom states that our lives should follow a pattern that looks more or less like the one depicted to the right;

1. We choose a new goal – something that is important to us, that we’re willing to put time and energy into achieving.
2. We work towards that goal. A lot. There are setbacks along the way, but we keep on trucking.
3. We evaluate our success. As long as we haven’t achieved that goal, we buckle down and get back to work.
4. Finally, we achieve the goal. Success! Victory! Now it’s time to reward ourselves with a vacation.

And of course, when we get back from vacation, it’s time to set a new goal, and start the whole cycle over again.

This is the prevailing wisdom, and according to the prevailing wisdom, I should be packing my bags right about now; after all, the book is published, the guest posts are written, the marketing is all done – in other words, the work has been completed, and the goal has been achieved.

Except that the prevailing wisdom is wrong, wrong, wrong. To understand why it’s wrong, we have to understand where it came from…

Vacations in a Corporate Setting

The prevailing wisdom comes from the corporate reality, and in that setting, the prevailing wisdom makes sense.

The job of managers in a corporate environment is to make sure that other people do theirs. To do that effectively, they have to do two things (in addition to giving clear instructions and allocating the actual work, of course):

1. Manage employees’ motivation. If employees aren’t motivated to get the job done, then they probably won’t. It’s the manager’s job to keep employees motivated to keep on working.
2. Manage employees’ energy level. If employees are tired or burned out, then they won’t get much work done, either. It’s the manager’s job to manage workloads, and make sure that doesn’t happen.

Putting a vacation at the end of a project helps to achieve both of these objectives; it rewards employees for their hard work, which helps to keep them motivated, and it gives them an opportunity to recharge, so that they’re ready for more hard work when they get back.

But that logic doesn’t work if you’re running your own business, and in charge of your own income.

For one, you shouldn’t need a vacation to reward you for your hard work; the results of your hard work should be all the reward that you need. That’s the beauty of doing your own thing – at least part of the reason why you do it is that you love it, and find the work itself to be motivating.

(This intrinsic motivation is also why I believe that entrepreneurs are capable of doing so much more actual work than corporate employees; if you want to learn more about that, check out Dan Pink’s RSA Animate video about his book Drive.)

But even more importantly, because it doesn’t factor in two very important things: momentum, and the landscape of opportunity…

Momentum is a Real Thing

Momentum is a funny thing. You can’t touch it, or see it, but you can definitely feel it, and it can do wonderful things for your business. It is also the first big reason why you shouldn’t take a vacation after a big win.

Here are three basic rules for understanding momentum:

1. Wins create momentum.
2. Action after a win multiplies momentum.
3. Inaction dissipates momentum.

Simple enough, and pretty intuitive, right?

The upshot of these rules, though, is that after your big win, you should be doing everything that you can to ride and multiply the momentum, rather than taking a break and letting it dissipate.

There’s an even better reason to work after a big win, though: wins change everything.

The Changing Landscape of Opportunity

Goals, by definition, are about changing something – if everything stayed exactly the same, then you wouldn’t have to work to achieve it. We have a lot of different kind of goals, but they all boil down to making us healthier, or happier, or better off. In other words, they’re about making our worlds a little bit better.

Better is good, but better is also different. It’s hard to change just one thing and leave everything else the same. Changing one thing changes everything. And when everything changes, new opportunities open up.

Now let me ask you, as an entrepreneur – when new opportunities are opening up, is it time to take a vacation, or is it time to seize those opportunities? Any entrepreneur worth his salt would say that it’s the latter – that’s just a part of the mindset that allows entrepreneurs to do what they do…

The Red Honda Effect and the Psychology of Success

You know how when you start thinking about something, suddenly you start seeing it everywhere, as though you were “magnetically drawing it into your life”?

Some people call it “the secret” or the “law of attraction”, but I call it the “red Honda effect”. Thinking about something doesn’t magically draw it towards you, but it does focus your attention, so that you start noticing it around you (just like when you’re thinking about buying a red Honda, you start seeing them everywhere).

The same effect is at play when it comes to looking for opportunity. Just developing the mindset that opportunity is there, just waiting for you to find and seize it, will expand your frame of reference and allow you to see more possibilities.

(Want to read more about this? Check out Mindset by Carol Dweck, or Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson.)

Long story short? When things are going well, there’s always the opportunity to make them even better! :D Now, just to be clear, I’m not advocating the stereotype of the workaholic entrepreneur who never takes a break or vacation.

What Vacations Are For, and When They’re Okay

Entrepreneurs don’t need vacations to stay motivated, but we do need to manage our energy level, and vacations are a big part of that; it’s important for us to take breaks, breath some fresh air, and get some perspective on what we’re doing. In other words, even though we don’t need vacations as rewards, they’re great for resting and recharging – just so long as we don’t take one at a time that will take away our momentum, or kill an opportunity.

For an entrepreneur (or anyone who is in charge of their own income), vacations don’t come when projects are complete. On the contrary – they should come when the projects are still in progress, but you’re tired, and need to recharge to carry the ball the rest of the way:

Celebrate, then Get Back to Work!

Make sure not to skip the celebration box, because it’s important!

As the diagram indicates, our projects aren’t as nice and neat as the projects of a corporate employee, with a start, middle, end, and vacation before the next one. Our projects are messy, and blend into each other in a continuum of work and the pursuit of opportunity.

That’s great, and we wouldn’t have it any other way, but it’s also important to pause and celebrate the wins.

After the launch, my wife and I went out to a nice restaurant, and raised our glasses to toast my book finally being done and launched to the world.

But then the next day, I got back to work… ;)

What about you? Do you believe in a vacation after a big win, or do you agree that this is the time to look for new opportunities, and build on your momentum?

(Photo credit: Beach chair and umbrella from Shutterstock

@DannyIny is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, expert marketer, and the Freddy Krueger of Blogging. Together with Guy Kawasaki, Brian Clark and Mitch Joel, he wrote the book on how to build an engaged audience from scratch.

Photo credit: Stephen Wilson (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Whether you’re a high-flying manager tasked with leading your team into battle in the latest big company mission, or looking to get a passion project off the ground, falling into that most counterproductive of traps and trying to do everything yourself can be all too easy.

After all, these projects are your babies; their success — or failure — ultimately lies with you. People, be it your employers, colleagues, friends or family are counting on you to take this on and emerge triumphant.

When the pressure is on like this, most of us have fallen victim at one time or another to the belief that doing everything ourselves is the best option.

Yet by enlisting the help of others and putting your absolute faith in them, you’ll achieve much more than you ever could on your own.

Micromanagement

The Oxford English Dictionary, describes the process of micromanagement as

“control[ing] every part , however small, of (an enterprise or activity):”

And there are certainly arguments for this oft-maligned style of management.

It could be that we trust ourselves not to screw up more than we trust our team or that we selfishly hope most of the praise and rewards will come our way once a project is successful. We might not even be consciously aware that we are micromanaging; we’re simply so stressed out about a big project that it consumes our every waking thought and manifests in a need to control every little detail.

Though the process of micromanaging others is problematic, even worse is instead going solo and undertaking every single task by ourselves. Simply knuckling down and getting the work done can sometimes seem easier than getting a team involved and sharing both the hard work and rewards, but it rarely is.

The Delights of Delegation

The negatives of both micromanaging others and trying to take on everything ourselves far outweigh any benefits of doing so. Wielding complete control over any project can be stressful. We worry about every task, lose sleep over the most trivial of details and become agitated and angry to the point where we snap at those around us. Even worse, trying to complete everything on our own can have a detrimental impact on our health and relationships as we work round the clock, skip meals and forgo time spent with loved ones to meet deadlines.

Eliminate a lot of that stress by delegating tasks to others and having complete faith that they’ll do a good job for you. It’s that faith which will ultimately ensure a successful project.

When you let go of the reins and let others know you trust them, they’re likely to feel empowered. Empowered people feel like a valuable member of a team and any number of surveys will tell you that employees who feel valued produce better work.

Lose the ego. Somebody else can do it better than you.

At work, it’s important to remember that your employees have been hired for their skills and expertise. Use them! Let people focus on what they’re good at and they’ll deliver better results than you could if you were simultaneously trying to juggle an infinite number of other tasks at the same time. Even if you’re only working on a personal project, put your ego aside and look around you; you’ll probably find people you know who can complete certain tasks better than you. Get in touch and ask for help!

What’s more, when you empower people to make decisions and deliver the goods on the smaller tasks, you free yourself up to concentrate on the proverbial bigger picture and isn’t that what we’d all really like to be doing?

Have you ever given an explanation that your listener wasn’t able to understand? Sometimes, it’s because of an intellectual gap, but that’s not always the case.

Quite often, the miscommunication is caused by the difference in how we absorb information. Understanding that difference will help you communicate better with the people around you: your spouse, your family, your friends, your colleagues, and your customers.

In Psychological Types, one of psychologist Carl Jung‘s most famous works, he differentiated between the two ways by which we take in information: sensation and intuition. He called these the “perceiving functions.” Following the MBTI interpretation of Jung’s work, each personality type has the tendency to use one of these more than the other. You’re either a sensor or an intuitive in one of MBTI’s 16 personality types.

In a nutshell, here’s the difference between the two functions:

Sensation

Sensation, according to Jung, is conscious perception. It’s perceiving things one by one, as they are, or at least what the person has sensed about them. The information that a sensor gets is quite simple and specific:

• This road is winding.
• I got dizzy driving along a winding road before.
• It’s cold inside the car.
• There’s a big house at the corner of the street.
• I spent my holidays last year there.
• There’s a woman sitting beside me.
• I met her a month ago.

Simple, isn’t it? The process of sensation stops at exactly what is sensed; as a function, it doesn’t attribute any meaning to what the mind has received as sensation.

Intuition

Intuition, on the other hand, is unconscious perception. It’s perceiving a number of things at one time in terms of what they’re related to, how they came about, and what they could be. Intuition uses data gathered through the senses to generate ideas, see possibilities, make frameworks, and grasp meaning.

Intuitives “see through” things (and people)—they tend to think that reality is a lot more than what it seems to be. An intuitive’s mind is filled with predictions and associations:

• This road will make me dizzy.
• I’ve always had more fun spending vacationing at my parents than with my friends. Why is that?
• I’m probably a sentimental person.
• This girl I’m dating doesn’t seem as sentimental as I am.
• Will she like spending the holidays with my folks?
• I should check out ladies who like romcom in the dating site I’m at.

Intuition forms a complex web of data out of the individual sense data that it receives. As such, the thoughts of an intuitive are inherently non-linear, and often difficult to express.

How do we communicate to each type?

Sensors thrive on clarity.

If you’d like them to understand what you’re saying, be as specific and concrete as possible. Lay things down step by step, in a linear fashion, and using observable reality as your tool. If you can give them things to see, hear, smell, touch and taste to get the message across, do it. Do not explain; demonstrate. Be generous with your examples.

The difficulty lies in explaining abstract things to sensors. I once told my mom and my sister, both sensors, about a revolutionary business model I had in mind. After talking about my vision, how the model would work, and how it would help people, I got blank stares. Then they asked me to make a PowerPoint presentation about it. Since I didn’t need them to understand it anyway, I told them I’ll just build the business and they’ll see what I mean. But if I really needed them to, I’d make that PowerPoint, fill it with photos, and give as many examples as I could.

On the other hand, intuitives associate ideas with one another.

They love analogies, similes, charts, matrices and outlines. The intuitives I know enjoy mind map presentations more than sequential slide presentations. Present your points from varying points of view, not just one. Debate with them, make them think, encourage them to envision possibilities.

The difficulty with intuitives is that if your point doesn’t reach the level of a framework, you’ll be forgotten. Intuitives have weak memory for individual data because they hardly even absorb them. If the intuitive doesn’t associate it, he most likely won’t remember it. My mom saw this in me when I was a child: I retained a lot of what I learned in school, but when she asked me what kinds of food my best friend would bring for lunch, I was totally blank.

Do you think you’re sensor or an intuitive? How about your boss? Your colleagues? Your customers? Have you ever had difficulty communicating with the opposite type? Has this difference ever gotten you into trouble?

If there is one thing a reluctant job seeker needs, it’s this: someone or something that deals with all the cruddy aspects of the job search.

No time for sifting through all the online listings to find ones that match your interests, skills and experience? Hate tailoring cover letters for each job application you send off?

No problem! There’s an app for that. Kind of.

While there’s no magic job search widget that is sure to secure you an interview for your dream job, there are a couple of different ways you can outsource your job search and avoid spending time finding and pursuing leads that might not work.

Some people will tell you that outsourcing your job search is a horrible idea. Others will encourage you to explore it. Ultimately, it’s your call. But if you do want to minimize the time you spend before landing interviews, here are some resources you should know about and anecdotes from people who have done it successfully.

Automate, Automate, Automate

MyJobHunter.com is all about automating. You sign up, search all the major job search sites from their interface, check the listings you like, add your resume and cover letter one time, and it will do all the applying for you. It also allows you to activate a feature that will automatically find and apply to new jobs on your behalf. Since a computer is doing the searching, the cost is relatively low — $39.95 for the first month and then $9.95 per month after that.

As you can imagine, the computer doesn’t always get it right. One unemployed sales guy signed up for the service, and MyJobHunter.com sent his resume for a stylist job at the hair salon where his wife works. But the service ultimately did help him land a job even though he was unaware he had applied for it when he was called up for the interview, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Your Man (Or Woman) in India

That same WSJ piece also mentions JobSerf.com, which has been around since 2006. If the idea of a computer sending your resume out willy-nilly irks you, this could be a good alternative.

The company simply outsources the online job searching and applying to its staff in India. Depending on the package you choose, it’ll cost you either $49 or $98 per week. You send them up to five cover letters along with your resume and they will ship ‘em out to jobs they identify based on a data request when you first sign up. Cultural misunderstandings can arise, as the Journal article points out. But the service worked for one About.com writer who got “a couple of responses from employers” after just two weeks.

Legit Jobs for the Gig Economy

The workplace is a’changin’. We’re in the midst of a freelance surge, full of job jugglers and folks who are creating their own jobs. If you’re in this category, FlexJobs might be the answer. Anyone who has looked for a part-time or work-from-home position knows that many times “telecommute” in a job posting actually means scam. FlexJobs aims to solve that problem, by doing the vetting for you and listing “real” flexible jobs.

Back in April, Chelsea Gladden used the site, which costs $14.95 per month, to find a part-time position. “With all the positions hand-screened for me, it was almost as if I got a lot of the ‘pounding the pavement’ part out of the way,” Gladden says, who did not have a lot of time for job searching with five kids at home. She got a freelance writing job “immediately.” Then just a week later, FlexJobs announced they were looking for a director of marketing and PR. The timing was perfect for Gladden who was hired for the position.

Ye Olde Social Network

We all know social networks can be an integral part of the job search — even if you outsource it. If you have the right connections, you can just crowdsource for your next position. Asking your Facebook friends for a job is certainly the lowest cost way to go about your hunt, and it can be very effective. Freelance screenwriter Natalia Lusinski says that working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles means she’s often seeking positions that are word-of-mouth. “I have found many through posting a Facebook status telling people I am searching and what I am looking for. Each time I have done this, it has worked – someone has always known someone else looking for just the job I am seeking,” she wrote in an email.

From Images_of_Money on flickr

The ins and outs of small business office savings can be tricky. There are the investments in the technology to worry about, the uncertainty of the economy to lose sleep over, and good old fashioned overhead to always keep in mind.

The entrepreneurial experience is currently undergoing a transformational period. Fading away are archaic methods of the past. Developing are the efficient ways of operating an enterprise that await us in the future. One of the best ways to ensure long-term cost-cutting on the small business level is to let go of the old ways of business management and embrace these new efficiencies in achieving entrepreneurial opportunity.

The following are five ways to start integrating innovation directly into your business budgeting:

Switch to Cloud Storage and Service

Once upon a time, the most important decision a small business owner had to make when it came to IT was choosing whether or not to go with wired routers or switch to wireless. Data and software were by default something you kept close-by. But cloud technology is changing that.

These days you don’t need an IT team and independent server to manage a big online business. You can outsource these responsibilities to cloud storage services. You basically streamline your office IT to just the network and the computers. Data, software, and the products of combining both are all stored elsewhere, accessible immediately through an Internet connection. There’s a monthly cost, but compared to the costs of managing your own IT system it’s a definite money saver.

Use Social Networks Instead of Private Networks

Even with the use of cloud services many businesses are still tasked with having to establish a network for employees to connect and coordinate their efforts through. Even your cheaper business networks are going to cost a pretty penny up front. If you “need” a network for communication and mass-notifications, then why not forgo your own network and use something like Facebook or Google+ instead? Every employee is sure to be a part of these free networks and unless there are specific tasks that must be completed through a custom-made network, why pay for something else?

Practice a Paperless Policy

Many offices have already banned the printer so it’s hard to call it a futuristic cost-cutter. But the day will come when businesses are nearly forced to give up paper because of costs. When starting a business, do so on the right foot by adhering to a no-paper rule. With the exception of hard copy contracts there’s nothing that needs to be printed in the office these days. Graphs can be instantly emailed, so can word documents and any other printable file type you can think of. Needless to say, the savings of not having printers and paper around are pretty high up there relative to the rest of your small business expenditures.

Battle the Business Competition Like a Guerrilla

New York City has hundreds of thousands of office square feet currently sitting around not being used. Part of the problem is that an overwhelming chunk of office real estate in the city is sublet. This is happening in most American cities. Take advantage of the unending amount of office space by making your business easily transportable, from one to another. Six-month leases can give you more freedom to invest in other more important aspects of your business. With laptops, lightweight furniture and a web connection any space can be perfect for your office.

Have a Work-from-Home Day

One day out of the week you should send your workers home. Paying for utilities four days less every month can shave off seriously dough. In addition, the lack of commute means workers will spend more time being productive. This isn’t just optimism; studies and surveys repeatedly indicate that workers perform better when they’re doing their tasks remotely. Save money and increase output by giving your workers a chance to do their tasks from wherever they wish. In the age of cloud computing and instant communication, does it matter where anyone is in relation to their co-workers anymore?

Entrepreneurs are going to have to think of an assortment of different ways to outmaneuver the draining realities of these tough economic times. No doubt many will come to embrace the cost-saving techniques that are inherent with advanced web access. There’s no reason not to believe that by the year 2020 nearly half of small businesses will be utilizing one of not all of the aforementioned methods of saving on a business budget. Therefore, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be utilizing them today.

My first boss disliked me so much I thought I had hurt one of her relatives.  She’d call me into her office and yell at me for dressing too casually, interrupting colleagues in meetings and other infractions real and imagined.  I didn’t know how to talk to her but I couldn’t stand the situation anymore, so I quit the job.

The next time I had to work with someone who was mean to me, I was stuck.  I really liked the job, and since he was an equal-opportunity offender, I knew his wrath wasn’t personal.  Others avoided him, but I sat down and asked how we could work better together.  My directness shocked him into better behavior from that point on.

Incivility on the Rise

In August, there was a flurry of press coverage around what the American Psychological Association deemed as an increase in “workplace incivility,” or a form of organizational deviance characterized by behaviors that violate respectful workplace norms – aka rudeness.

Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate’s Civility in America 2011 poll reported 43 percent of Americans as saying they’ve experienced incivility at work, and 38 percent as believing that the workplace is increasingly disrespectful.  Sixty-seven percent of respondents cited a critical need for civility training.

It’s a Jungle Out There

Civility training?  Is that a little extreme?  Not necessarily, as the workplace is undeniably rough these days.  Employees are doing the jobs of two, sometimes three people, and the environment is harried, stressful, and constantly changing.  Many haven’t received pay raises in a few years.  Unfortunately, employees are increasingly likely to take out their angst on each other. 

Psychological Consequences

I recently had the chance to chat with Bob Sutton, a professor of management at Stanford University and the author of “The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t.” Bob assured me that he’d seen in his research that going through life angry causes long-term physical and mental problems, and that ridding oneself of dysfunctional conflict is a must.

How to Break Free

Bob explained that many difficult relationships are the result of a vicious cycle of offense and revenge, or one person trying to one-up the other.  He suggested that we stop trying to win, or get back at the other person for behaving this way.  We must not take the situation personally and look at it as another workplace problem we need to solve.

The most effective way to do this is to listen to the other person and put yourself in her shoes.  Determine what’s meaningful to her and help her find ways to get it.   If things have escalated to the point where every interaction is painful, take her to lunch and address the conflict proactively.  Tell her that the relationship isn’t going as well as you’d like, and ask what you can do to improve things.

Your Self-Worth is Most Important

Despite how hard you try, some difficult people will persist in their negative behavior.  If you constantly feel personally attacked and it starts to take a toll on your well-being, look for ways to get out of the situation.  As Bob said, some people are so toxic they’re not worth it.

Alexandra Levit is a career and workplace expert at the Intuit Quickbase Blog , a daily source for advice on how to be exceptional at your job. You can follow her on Twitter at @alevit.

From Guoman Hotels in London on flickr

Do you spend too much time in meetings?  If so, you are in good company.  One of the  most common complaints of office workers is that their productivity is hampered by too many unproductive meetings.  Ineffective meetings lead to frustration.  They waste the time of the participants and they undermine the effectiveness of the whole organization.

Here are some ways to tackle this problem.

1.  Fewer attendees.

The meeting should be restricted to those whose presence is essential to review the issue and to make the decisions.  People who want to be ‘kept in the picture’ should receive a summary email from the meeting chair.  If you are invited to a meeting which you know is not really relevant for you or will be poorly run then offer your apologies and ask for a summary.  You will rarely regret missing such a meeting.

2.  Create a Focus and Agenda.

The purpose of the meeting and any required information or preparatory work should be made clear to all delegates well in advance.  In addition to the start time there should be a planned finish time.  The chair of the meeting should keep to the agenda and quickly curtail diversions and irrelevancies.  If you are invited to a meeting with no agenda then politely reply asking for clarification on the timings and purpose of the meeting.

3.  Training.

Anyone who chairs a meeting should have had some basic training on running meetings.  This would include keeping to time, keeping focussed, reaching decisions, agreeing actions and handling conflicts.  Does your HR department offer such a training course?  If so go on the course and encourage others to do the same.

4.  Use a Discipline.

There are various formal methods for managing meetings.  I like de Bono’s Six Hats.  They can help you to focus on the key activities of productive discussion and speedy decision making.  This method is particularly good for contentious issues because it takes the conflict out of the meeting and forces everyone to consider all the points of view.   Why not try this approach at the next meeting you chair?

5.  Ask for Feedback.

Every meeting should be quickly appraised.  At the end of the meeting the chair asks, ‘How could we have run this meeting better?’  People can respond directly or anonymously.  Either way you will have constructive suggestions for how to make meetings shorter and better.

6.  No Meetings in the Mornings.

Author Josh Kaufman recommends that you should allow meetings only in afternoons thus allowing you to block out mornings for essential work that only you can do.  He claims that this significantly improves productivity and I am inclined to believe him.

People spend a great deal of time in meetings yet rarely consider how to run them better.  Try these ideas and get the meetings monster under control in your business.

Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.