Tuesday, May 27, 2008

When I Grow Up I Want To Be…?

When you were five years old you wanted to be a ballerina or an astronaut (or maybe even a dinosaur but you quickly learned that wasn’t possible). Then you got to high school and you wanted to be a lawyer or doctor because that’s what your parents do. Now you are in college or recently graduated and you are so confused! Well don’t settle for that cashier position at your local Taco Bell just yet. Summer is here and it’s time to hone in on your career path!

Before you waste your time career jumping and running a big fat Sharpie through job choices, think about a summer job or internship in a field that interests you. By doing this you can have six weeks of learning and reflecting on a job that you thought would be perfect and might be a horrible match instead. I recently completed an internship at a television station on the production side and after a month I realized that it was not for me at all. I took that opportunity to talk to the production manager and ask him if I could shadow other departments at the station such as programming and promotion. Before jetting out of a place too fast make sure there is nothing else within the company that interests you.

A summer job or internship can give you guidance in your journey for the perfect career. Take this time to talk to professionals, network and shadow those who are experienced in their line of work. Searching for your lifetime profession is exhausting and is usually accomplished by trial and error. If your eyes glaze over working at a lawyer’s office then move on to something else. Don’t get stuck, don’t limit yourself, and don’t think you have to be confined to what you went to school for. Have an open mind and start exploring job possibilities.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Beat Procrastination Before It Beats You

We have all experienced the evil that is procrastination. The type of procrastination that makes you chat with co-workers for hours on end about anything but work (gossipy conversations about American Idol sound familiar?). Anything in order to avoid that looming work assignment. But how do we combat this evil? How do we motivate ourselves to rid the procrastination before it costs us our job? Well it’s like starting a new diet because you have bad eating habits. Bottom line is that you make the wrong choices. You have bad habits when it comes to making decisions and it may be affecting your performance in the workplace.

Try considering the buddy system. Yes, I am talking about having a buddy like you had in kindergarten for when you walked to the cafeteria. The point is that you shouldn’t try to conquer procrastination alone. See if you can do an assignment at work with someone or schedule specific times that you must work because you can’t reschedule. If you can find someone at work to constantly push you and work with you then you won’t feel so defeated by procrastination.

Reflect on your lifestyle and make sure nothing is a mistake. If you job or your home life is making you depressed then maybe you made a mistake with your choices. Maybe your procrastination at work is signaling you that you went down the wrong career path. If procrastination has always been a part of your nature then that’s fine, but seriously consider if you hate what you do. You could be faking your detestation for your job by heaping on the procrastination.

You have to realize that some things you love to do, some things you are good at doing, and some things should be left for your co-workers to do. Ask yourself if the assignment even needs to be done at all and then ask yourself if it needs to be done by you. See if you can delegate instead of procrastinate. If you can throw all of your passion and creativity into an assignment then the results will be brilliant. If you know that you are going to procrastinate and that you just aren’t a good fit for a certain task then ask to have someone else work on it instead.

Don’t try to hide procrastination in the workplace. You don’t need it to be the invisible elephant in the room when you can do something about it. Have a friend or co-worker help you, change your lifestyle, and delegate assignments. And don’t forget to reward yourself! If you finish something three days before its due instead of the night before then give yourself a pat on the back or eat that illicit chocolate chunk of cake. Make the necessary changes and don't let procrastination get the best of you!