Helping Real Estate Agents and Managers Maximize Their Time and Advance Their Careers

Why do real estate agents, managers, loan officers, and assistants need better Time Management skills?

Time Management is a common struggle for Realtors® and managers alike.

Time Management is a Common Struggle for Real Estate Agents and Managers

Setting priorities and managing time effectively is basic to managing individual agent, team and office performance.

The pressure to find innovative ways to achieve goals, pay attention to the competition, respond quickly to client needs, and enjoy life outside of work is even more intense in today's less structured, information-driven, high demand real estate marketplace.

Meeting the daily challenge of managing clients and team members requires a learning strategy designed to meet individual needs.

The advantages of effective time management include the following:

Accomplishing more each day

Meeting project deadlines

Serving more customers without added staff, equipment, or office space

Spending more time pursuing opportunities and less time doing paperwork and attending meetings

Create More Time in the Day!

If you could reduce your team's wasted time by just five minutes every hour, productivity would jump 8.3 percent. Efficiency levels would also rise as employees devoted more time to completing critical tasks.

Managers!

If you are looking to get more out of your employees, look no further! Some employees are wonderful with their Time Management skills, and some don't really grasp the concept. By working with them on their Time Management skills, you will be a more effective manager, and teach them skills that they will practice daily. As a Real Estate Manager, you have the responsibility of growing your Real Estate Business. Since you have a team, you are also responsible for being their coach and taking them to success. With your team's success you will see your business rise in success as well!

You will be surprised at the results of a few repeated Time Management skills. By holding your team accountable and being there for them every day as both a coach and manager, you will see a unified leap in productivity because of your polished Time Management tools.

Real Estate Time Management is the Best Tool for Real Estate Managers

Real Estate Agents!

We all know it's not easy to run our own business, especially in a market that is changing so often. You can take steps toward growing your business without spending more money on assistants, office supplies, advertising, or marketing. With proper Time Management skills you will not only stay afloat, but fly far above your competition.

Many times when business seems overwhelming, we look to other sources of alleviation like bringing on assistants. Nonetheless, your business will always seem overwhelming if you are not practicing the Time Management skills that you need to be using. You could take on as many assistants as you want, but if you don't know how to juggle management with your own business goals, you will undoubtedly end up losing money.

A few adjustments to how you spend time, use your time, and make free time will grow your business, productivity, and reduce your stress!

The Time Mastery Profile® helps people assess their time-management effectiveness and create a personal plan for improving their skills in key areas.

Tap Into A Powerful Tool for Self-Assessment
The Time Mastery Profile is a unique tool that provides Realtors® and Managers with a complete self-directed assessment of their current time-management effectiveness.

The instrument consists of 60 statements that describe employees' time-related behavior in 12 categories:

1. Attitudes
2. Goals
3. Priorities
4. Analyzing
5. Planning
6. Scheduling
7. Interruptions
8. Meetings
9. Written communications
10. Delegation
11. Procrastination
12. Team time

Transform Self-Awareness Into Results
The Time Mastery Profile includes a workbook with practical tips to help employees improve their time-management skills in 12 key categories. The workbook supplies a detailed framework for a personal action plan under each of the 12 headings. Written in contemporary language for all levels of the organization, the Time Mastery Profile is comprehensive and fast. Most people need less than one hour to take the first steps toward more effective management of their time.

Assessments for Advancement

Time Management Mastery Tips
Time Management: How to Stay in Control
RISMEDIA, March 8, 2008-I can’t get this done! I have too much to do! This is not fair! Have you ever felt this way? It is difficult to imagine that you haven’t. Most of us have felt the multiple demands of work, family, and other responsibilities that have been continuously added to our already too-busy schedules. When do I get a break? Why can’t others see all I have to do? No one seems to understand, and often no one jumps in to help. The problem of being overwhelmed by excessive responsibilities is clearly a common problem. However, the way the problem is handled is critical to maintaining health and being productive in your life. The likelihood of managing the time demands in our lives is not good unless there is a dedicated effort to step back and understand what you are doing to contribute to your own problems (and to not just think or talk about needed changes, but doing something constructive to change your time management habits). Frequently I hear the complaint, “there is nothing I can do,” or “I can’t control the things that come up at work or home.” I do not argue with these comments. However, I remind people that we have more control over what we think, feel and ultimately do, to help ourselves, than most people can imagine. In other words, we can’t control the stressors in our lives, but we can manage our responses to the stressors. Research by Salvatore R. Maddi and his team at the University of Chicago have discovered practical ways that have proven to increase, what he terms, Hardiness-our ability to deal with stress in positive and healthy ways. His studies point to the direct benefits of better time management in order to resist the negative effects of stressors, such as overwhelming time demands imposed on many individuals. This brief article suggests some of the practical ways to manage one piece of the Hardiness profile, “Control.” Specifically, Maddi identifies the need to feel a Challenge in your work or life, have a sense of Commitment to important aspects of your work or life, and finally a belief in your ability to exercise some degree of Control at work, or in other aspects of your life. These hardiness characteristics offer ways to resist harmful effects of stress on your physical and mental health. Control over how you choose to use your time is one major element in the management pressures and demands that create feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed. Control here refers to the perceived and real ability to change what you have control over and resist the temptation to worry and fret over what you can’t control. The statements at the beginning of this article illustrate the stress that can preoccupy, exhaust, frustrate, and drain the spirit of even the finest and most dedicated individual. This is followed by the loss of focus on challenge and unravels the commitment toward the most important tasks, people and events in your life. What Can Be Controlled? The management of time in our life is something that can be controlled. This will then lower the stress and provide a sense of greater peace, lead to greater productivity and improve your attitude and relationships. The effective steps to gaining control are as follows. Though not every step applies directly to every person’s job or life, these will introduce a guide that you can use to accommodate your personal situation, 1. Get up 15 minutes earlier than you do now. If your day starts under great duress you have established the tone for the rest of the day. Getting sufficient sleep to provide for the early rising time is necessary. 2. Make a list of things to do when you get to work and keep track of them on a palm pilot or special computer software. 3. Make sure that you have not over-committed yourself. Often we schedule projects and meetings back-to-back and do not even allow time to walk to the other end of a building to get to an appointment. We, of course, are then behind schedule, and feel rushed and tense. 4. The list you make for any day needs to generously add 25% to each scheduled item. Research clearly points out the common tendency to underestimate (by 15%-25%) the time needed to do most daily tasks. 5. Prioritize the lists of events and tasks on your list. Frequently the most stressful work (or other) tasks are the ones that we put off or make last on the list. As an example, consistently people discuss the 18 items on their list, complaining that they will never get everything done. Yet, it is often the case that one or two items are the ones we least like to do (or are more difficult and less enjoyable than other tasks), so we consciously or unconsciously avoid them. Consequently, when we have 16 items completed, we have not reduced the stress at all, and carry the worry (over the most uncomfortable projects) home with us, and begin the next day with them still on our “to-do” lists. 6. Delegate as much as is reasonable. Too frequently we feel so important that we believe we are the only one who can do some tasks. This will only frustrate others (feeling you don’t see them as competent enough), and guarantee you will continue to add more to your workload. Teach others to assume responsibility for projects they are capable of doing. Remember, if you were sick and unable to do the work, the company would not stop operations. 7. When designing your list of things to do, spread tasks over several days, weeks, etc. if possible. Knowing that the tasks are at least on the schedule will help reduce the stress. 8. Divide the task list into two columns. On the left, write the task and on the right, list the way you will complete the task and the resources needed. There is significant stress reduction in knowing that you have thought through the task ahead of time. If you have new ideas during the day or evening, write them down on a card and put the card away to review at a later time. Worry about not forgetting what ideas we had causes enormous stress and loss of valuable time. 9. Set morning time for specific uninterrupted periods. Though many of us want to offer an open-door policy to others needing our help or advice, it is unwise to teach others that you have no limits to their intrusions. It is critical to remain focused and efficient by setting times (i.e., 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.) as an open-door time period. Also, it is very helpful to request that interruptions are only made after clear efforts have been made to solve problems before asking for help. The process of teaching others to think through something first will often lead to them solving their own problems, or will provide a focused, and likely shorter, time demand on you. 10. Don’t answer the phone. This sounds terrible, however, if you can train others to answer the phone and collect the appropriate information, you can have some control over when to return the call and be prepared for discussing the issues relevant to the call. Often it helps to leave a voice message requesting them to provide information about their concerns and a time period that you make return phone calls (i.e. ” I am currently unavailable but will return you call between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.”). If possible have a “human” answer for you. People are frequently irritated by only having access to a machine. Nevertheless, studies show that for every interruption of less than 30 seconds it takes from 5-12 minutes of time to refocus on the task you were doing. 11. Set time in the afternoon where your schedule is free for at least one hour. Interestingly, this time is usually taken up by the new and unexpected demands made earlier in the day. The value of knowing that you have saved time to catch up always gives a feeling of control and reduces the likelihood that you will always feel behind in your tasks. 12. Take time to be more than a “working machine.” Say hi and pay attention to others each day. This also contributes to a feeling of knowing more about others, feeling more in control, and effortlessly encourages commitment to you because you treat others with the concern and respect they deserve. Schedule this each day. This is as important as almost anything else you do. It will actually help manage your time by making others want to do a good job for you. 13. At the end of your day set 10 minutes for reflection on what has been accomplished, and what remains on your list for tomorrow (or in the future). Remember to always have a way to handle every item on your list. This make things feel more under control and reduces the stress, anxiety, and worry that exhausts us at the end of the day. 14. When leaving work, arrange for sufficient time to travel home. Communicate realistic expectations to others regarding when you will be getting home, versus being stressed about being late. Set similar time management strategies for your non-work life too. To manage time, reduce stress, and feel in more control, you must organize your time and expectations in such a way as to drive your life at a more comfortable pace, knowing and planning your time constructively and healthfully. Source: www.psychologyforbusiness.com

How to Take the Sting Out of Falling Property Values
If you own a residential property that is declining in value, here are some ways to make the losses less depressing. Trim property taxes. If a house has lost value, have it reappraised by the municipal assessor. Consider petitioning — or even suing — to get back taxes overpaid in the last few months. Deduct a home office. Some people avoid the home office deduction because it requires deducting depreciation, but if the property has lost value, this isn’t an issue. Sale-leaseback with a relative. If you're convinced your property is due for a big price correction and you have equity in the home, then sell now. For example, if you have a $1 million home that has been appraised at $1.8 million, you can sell it and take home $500,000 of the $800,000 gain tax free — due to an exemption on profits from the sale of personal residences. Sell the property to a trusted friend or wealthy relative and then become a tenant and pay the buyer rent at market rates — a much more attractive amount than Treasury bonds are paying now. When the housing market corrects, buy the property back. Invest in housing futures. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange sells investment instruments that trade based on house price indexes for each of the 10 largest U.S. cities. You can sell futures, buy puts, or sell calls on this market to hedge losses in the value of your home. Source: Forbes, Stephanie Fitch (12/10/07) This article can be found at: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2007112703?OpenDocument

Real Estate Time Mastery
We all have only 24 hours in a day, but in Real Estate, effective time management can be especially difficult. There is always so much to do but no one is there to tell you what to do next. How do the most successful Real Estate Agents turn their businesses into empires? Not just time management, time mastery. Learning how to control your day by gauging how much time should be given for most of the things you do in business and life and then putting it to action, will make your time more effective. There is so much to do in a day, it can be difficult to prioritize, plan and schedule the right tasks. Because there are only so many hours in a day, these time management steps are critical. The Time Mastery Profile can help Real Estate Agents and Managers break down time management into twelve areas and chart which skills will be most beneficial to master to make the biggest impact on your business. Through the use of the Time Mastery Profile, you will become aware of your current time management skills and the effectiveness of your time management methods. You will then be provided with guidelines that will enable you as a Real Estate Agent or Manager to develop customized strategies and skills for improvement in the 12 most important areas related to time management: attitudes, goals, priorities, analysis, planning, scheduling, interruptions, meetings, paperwork, delegation, procrastination and teamwork time. Using the Time Mastery Profile, you will begin to understand and identify your own time management strengths and weaknesses. You will then be guided towards capitalizing upon your strengths and begin to learn skills and techniques that will enable you to strengthen your weaknesses which will help you increase productivity, meet customer needs quickly and focus on clearly identified priorities to contribute to your personal success as well as the success and profitability of your Real Estate business. Real Estate, Business and Life Coach Cheri Alguire has partnered with hundreds of Real Estate Professionals and Small Business Owners to help them become more successful in business and in life. Coach Cheri specializes in Group Coaching for Small Business Owners, Working Mothers, Real Estate Agents and Managers. Learn more at www.NextLevelServices.net or www.DiSCforRealEstate.com

Small Business Headlines: Canada
Small Business Marketing Makeover
Have your small business marketing efforts been doing what you need them to do, bring in more sales and more profits? If not, this Small Business Marketing Makeover will show you how to avoid wasting time and money on ineffective marketing strategies and how to pick and implement effective marketing strategies instead. Looking for more of the Small Business Makeover? The Business Planning Makeover - Create a Business Action Plan that will provide your small business direction for the coming year or longer. The Business Finance Makeover - Follow the steps in this business finance makeover, from separating your personal and business finances through financial statement analysis, to make sure that your business finances are in good shape. The Customer Service Makeover - Learn how to provide good customer service, the kind of customer service that builds customer loyalty, gives positive word-of-mouth advertising, and increases sales. Information Technology Makeover - Learn how to secure and manage your business data, manage customer contacts, set up a document management system and prepare an Information Technology maintenance and crisis plan in this Information Technology Makeover. Image (c) Andersen Ross / Getty Images Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Small Business Marketing Makeover originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 08:20:18. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Cool Tool of the Week: Collaber Collaboration Tool
Collaber makes it easy to actually work with a team. Basically you create a Workspace, a virtual group for your team members, and then your group uses the available tools (such as the File Tool, Calendar Tool, Database Tool or Discussion Tool) and/or creates new ones to accomplish the work necessary to the project. Collaber is an affordable, easy way to get all your team members on the same page and using the same tools. One of the things I really like about it is that it's really easy to get started with.You can set up a Workspace with a couple of clicks and start inviting group members and there's no big learning curve to learning how to use it. An Enterprise Collaber account is currently $30 per user per year and offers unlimited numbers of workspaces, members in each workspace, and storage data space. A 30 day free trial is available. More on Project Management Solve360: CRM with Project Management TimeFox Project Management Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Cool Tool of the Week: Collaber Collaboration Tool originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 08:40:45. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

GST & the $30,000 Mark: Do I Pay if I Don't Make It?
Michelle writes, "I am being told that I have to pay the GST I collected even though I did not earn anywhere near $30K." Follow the link above to find out what making $30,000 has to do with GST... and if you want to know more about registering for, charging and remitting GST, see Common Questions About the GST/HST. More on the Small Business Canada Forum Other questions and discussions in the the Small Business Canada Forum right now are: How can I certify my students? What is a Director's liability? Should I open a branch of my current corporation or start a whole new one? Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter GST & the $30,000 Mark: Do I Pay if I Don't Make It? originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 08:10:52. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

The Best Business Opportunities of 2010
What are the best business opportunities of 2010? Green is where the money is this year, from green technologies to food produced in more environmentally friendly ways. Seniors are another increasing market rife with business opportunities; you'll find several suggestions for meeting their needs on this list. Here are my predictions for the best business opportunities for 2010. What do you think? Are these truly strong business opportunities for this year? What have I missed? More Business Opportunities Best Business Opportunities 2009 7 Inexpensive Business Ideas Top 10 Home Business Opportunities Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter The Best Business Opportunities of 2010 originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 08:09:18. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

25 Cheap Advertising Ideas
Cheap advertising ideas are a steady request, both in the Small Business Canada Forum and in my inbox. So I've put together this list of cheap advertising ideas to help you get the word out about your small business. (Be warned though: advertising without targeting your market is just a waste of time!) 1) create and use a promotion kit 2) give free workshops or classes related to your products/services 3) create a brochure 4) get free publicity for your business 5) create a website if you don't have one 6) create a blog for your business and visit and comment on other blogs regularly 7) create a Facebook page for your business 8) Tweet about your business on Twitter 9) create a video about your product or service and post it on YouTube 10) become a radio guest 11) do cross-promotion with other businesses 12) send out promotions with your invoices 13) create an email newsletter 14) sponsor (or at least be a big part of) a community charitable event 15) network in a bowl 16) network on the 'Net 17) carry other people's business cards 18) join a face-to-face networking group 19) join professional and/or business organizations 20) participate in local business mixers/trade fairs 21) write articles on topics related to your business and encourage people to post them for free 22) go cold calling 23) ask for referrals 24) advertise your business on your vehicle 25) blow your own horn I welcome your ideas; add them to this growing list of cheap advertising ideas. You may also want to have a look at 17 Advertising Ideas for Small Businesses which presents some advertising ideas that haven't been mentioned in the list above. Some tried and true advertising ideas may not be as expensive as you think. Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter 25 Cheap Advertising Ideas originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 08:15:52. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

How to Know What Your Competition Is Up To
If you ignore your competition, you hamstring your small business. While you're busy ignoring them, the competition may be chomping away at your market share. If you don't know what the competition is up to, you can't make the intelligent decisions that will keep the customers you have or entice new ones. But as a small business person, how can you gather the competitive intelligence you need to keep or expand your market share? Here are Six Ways to Find Out What Your Competition Is Up To. Once you've gathered the information about your competition, what are you going to do with it? Well, as Stefan Töpfer of The Small Business Blog points out, the traditional purpose of gathering competitive intelligence is to give your business the winning competitive edge; by developing a good understanding of your competitor's business, your competitor's weaknesses can become your strengths! But in another post, Collaborating With the Enemy: Competitive Advantage, Stefan describes how Brian Scudamore, owner of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, works with competitors to solve common challenges ...giving another potential use of competitive intelligence, finding the competitor or competitors that would be the best fit for a collaborative approach. One last note on this; notice that in the example the firms Brian Scudamore collaborates with are both out of town. I suspect this is a necessary condition for the success of a collaborative approach. What do you think? More on Competitive Intelligence Competitive Intelligence Through Websites How to Do a Competitive Analysis What's the Competition Doing? (About.com Business Management) Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter How to Know What Your Competition Is Up To originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 08:17:24. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Do Your Invoices Do These 3 Things?
The end of each month is invoice time for many small businesses, so this is a good time to have a look at your invoices and make sure they're doing the job. Have a look and see if your invoices do the three things they have to do before you send them out: Your invoice must meet the legal requirements. There are certain pieces of information that have to be on an invoice, so you'll want to make sure your invoices include these. Your invoice has to give customers or clients the right message. An invoice is essentially a bill. But what message is your customer and/or client getting when he opens it up? Does the invoice say, "You owe this much money whenever you get around to it" or does it say, "You need to pay this amount right now"? Make sure your invoice gives the right message. Using Invoices That Encourage Action tells how. Your invoice needs to effectively promote your business. Every piece of paper you send to a customer or client's home or business is an opportunity to promote your business, and the invoice is no exception. Turn your invoice into a marketing vehicle. For help putting it all together, see How to Invoice. It includes an invoice sample that you can use as a template. Photo (c) Robert Gaal Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Do Your Invoices Do These 3 Things? originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 08:06:58. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Changes to Small Business Taxes for Canadian Income Tax 2009
Here are the changes to small business taxes for your 2009 Canadian income tax, including small business tax credits. While much of the article focuses on changes to small business taxes that are important to corporations when doing their 2009 Canadian income tax, it also includes some changes that matter to sole proprietorships and partnerships, too. If you are running a sole proprietorship or a partnership, your small business may be able to take advantage of the 100 percent Capital Cost Allowance rate on computers and computer equipment, the Apprenticeship Job Creation Small Business Tax Credit, and/or the Investment Small Business Tax Credits for Child Care Spaces. Changes to Small Business Taxes for Canadian Income Tax 2009 provides all the details. More on Canadian Income Tax Canadian Income Tax and Your Small Business Your First Business Income Tax Return Canadian Income Tax FAQs for Small Businesses Top Canadian Tax Software Programs Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Changes to Small Business Taxes for Canadian Income Tax 2009 originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 08:12:02. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Cool Tool of the Week: HSBC Fee-Free Business Bank Account
Finally! One of our banks has come up with a business bank account that has no monthy fee! The HSBC Business Direct Account may be just the business bank account you're looking for if your Canadian small business doesn't have a high volume of banking transactions and you have Internet access. As you see in the page linked above, the HSBC Business Direct Account features include: Unlimited free Business Internet Banking, ATM and Business Telephone Banking, including free transfers, bill payments and electronic deposits and withdrawals 20 free cheques deposited per month Write up to 20 cheques free per month There are charges, of course, for services above what the account offers, but still, a business bank account with no monthly fee is something a lot of us have been looking for for a long time. More on Getting a Business Bank Account Do You Need a Business Bank Account? 7 Ways to Make Record Management Easy Poll:Which Bank Offers the Best Business Bank Account? Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Cool Tool of the Week: HSBC Fee-Free Business Bank Account originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 08:33:25. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Successful Email Newsletter Tips
Sending out an email newsletter is still one of the best marketing strategies in a small businesses toolbox in my opinion. It doesn't take a lot of time but delivers a lot of bang for the buck if you do it right. Jeanne Jennings provides Quick Tips for Successful Email Newsletters (ClickZ) that will help your email newsletter be as good as it can be. Just to highlight one of the best practices she mentions that can really make a difference to your email newsletter success; an email newsletter should always have a table of contents: "Studies show that most people spend just a few seconds deciding whether to read an e-mail. By incorporating a table of contents at the top, the reader can easily see everything your e-mail newsletter has to offer and decide whether to read it. If the first story doesn't engage them, the last one might." You'll find the other tips in her article just as practical and immediately useful. More on Having an Email Newsletter Designing an Email Newsletter How to Create an Email Newsletter (About.com Graphic Design) Cool Tool of the Week: FeedBlitz Email Marketing Application Most Popular Articles \| Newsletter \| SB Canada Forum \| RSS Feeds \| Follow Me on Twitter Successful Email Newsletter Tips originally appeared on About.com Small Business: Canada on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 08:21:12. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Stress Management

Live The Good Life Now!

Most of us want to 'live the good life', but many people are just waiting for a time when they have a little more money (or a lot), a little less stress (or none at all), or that next big goal that they think will bring them true happiness. You can actually live the good life now, and it has nothing to do with winning the lottery. This blog brings you more on living a life of peace and happiness--it may be closer than you think!

Create 'The Good Life'
Living the good life doesn't necessarily require a major overhaul. It can merely involve including very specific ingredients in the life you have now. Read about how to create the good life with what you have within your grasp. This article will tell you how.

Positive Emotions And Resilience
According to a new study by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist and colleagues, people who seed their life with frequent moments of positive emotions increase their resilience against challenges. Read more about that research, and find simple strategies that you can use to start doing more of this today!

Win The Lottery of Happiness
What can make you happier than a pile of cash? (No, research shows that the answer isn't "nothing", hehe.) See what an interesting recent study found about lottery winners and happiness, and share your thoughts on money and lasting bliss.

Readers Respond: What Fun Stuff Do You Like To Do?
Gratifications--the 'fun stuff' that actually requires skill and can't be done by everyone, but make you feel great--can be good for stress relief. Including this fun stuff in your life can keep you feeling more balanced, provide an experience of flow, and make life more enjoyable. Share the fun stuff you enjoy, and see what gratifications others recommend.

What do you need more of in your life? What brings you true fulfillment? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Live The Good Life Now! originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 06:02:58.

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Taking A Lesson From Reality Shows

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I've watched reality shows from time to time. I'm fine admitting that I'm a big fan of American Idol, and an even bigger fan of So You Think You Can Dance, but, to my chagrin, this season I've found myself hooked on The Bachelor for the first time. (Those of you who have seen Jake and his little harem and all of their drama might understand that it's not entirely my fault--that show can be addictive!)

One thing that's been really striking to me this season is the way in the contestants handle disappointment. Because we all know that one of the main features of most reality shows is rejection, or at least disappointment. Not everyone can win, and there are as many reactions to not-winning as there are contestants. I've noticed, however, that some contestants can handle rejection much better than can others. This all comes down to their explanatory style.

One's explanatory style is a person's way of explaining to themselves what happens in life, the story they tell themselves, has a huge impact on how they experience life: the choices they make, the opportunities they pursue, how stressed they get.

Some people, for example, tend to blame the show, or the person who decided they weren't the right fit. They usually come off as bitter, but they feel self-righteous and somewhat unaffected by the rejection. This seems like a strong position, but, in my opinion, the contestants ultimately suffer from this approach: they fail to see the situation clearly, may become embroiled in rumination at what they felt was unfair treatment, and miss the opportunity to learn from the whole experience. Because of this mindset, I've seen many singers with very little talent continuing on an unlucky path, hating Simon, but still passing up other opportunities in order to pursue a career in singing, sans training. I've seen dancers do the same. And I've seen girls deluding themselves that they are perfect, that everyone is out to get them because of how enviable they are, and not looking at their role in the conflicts that led The Bachelor to choose not propose to them.

Another way of viewing disappointment on a show (and in life) is to take the 'I never win anything' route, and see this setback as just one of many, an indication of sweeping personal inadequacy, and a sign that nothing will go right in the future, either. This is a classic pessimist's explanatory style, and it's also very sad to see. These people simply decide that there's something wrong with them and give up, also learning nothing, and feeling even worse about themselves than before they went on the show. I just want to give these people a big hug (though it's really an attitude adjustment that would make them feel better).

The third type of contestant, the type I almost love to see lose because I almost feel like more time spent on a reality show would hold them back in their pursuits because they have so much potential, are the people who take what they can from the experience, and move on, better for the experience. These people, classic optimists, acknowledge their disappointment (healthy acceptance of emotions), pinpoint what they may have done better (so there is learning, but it's not about beating themselves up; it's about seeing what one area may benefit from further growth), take responsibility, and then move on, still glad for the experience. I just love these guys, and I find myself hoping that everyone watching can remember them the next time they face disappointment. (I know I think about Chris Daughtry sometimes when I don't hit a goal I'm reaching for; what a great role model.)

Wondering what type of a reality show contestant you'd be? Sometimes it's hard to imagine how you would react, but there's a simple test that assesses your explanatory style and can tell you whether you're an optimist, a pessimist, or an even mix of both. (This test is particularly interesting because some of the answers may sound optimistic, but really reflect a negative explanatory style--you'll see what I mean. If you see the world this way, it's important to know, and examine your habitual thinking style.)

So if you haven't already taken it, try my Optimism Self Test, and share your results in the poll in this blog. Also, feel free to share your reflections on your explanatory style in the comments section.

Taking A Lesson From Reality Shows originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 20:28:52.

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Congratulations On What You're Doing Right!

Right now, many people are grappling with their new year's goals and resolutions. (You may be one of them!) The thing is, while it's important to take stock of what's not working so well, and what needs to change, it's at least as important to take a lingering look at what you're doing right, and what has successfully changed! Celebrating your own success is important for a few key reasons:

Noticing what's going right can help you stay on a path that's working.
Giving yourself a hand when you deserve it gives you motivation to keep going.
You may not notice how much better things are now, if the change has happened gradually, and work toward goals is usually a gradual kind of change.
Rewarding goals reached is an important part of the process; it provides not only motivation, but a chance to set new goals.
You make it easier to avoid perfectionism when you reward progress.
Giving yourself credit makes the whole process more enjoyable!
If you don't give yourself credit for progress made, who will?

So, what have you been doing right? What steps have you taken, and where have they led you? (Even if you're just now deciding you want to make a change, making that decision counts!) Now is the time to look at what you're doing right, and here is the place to share and swap high-fives. (And if you find this helpful, you can share this blog with others using the new 'share' button.)

Congratulations On What You're Doing Right! originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 07:01:16.

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Why It’s Not Too Late—And Perhaps It's The Perfect Time!

If on February 1st, you took a look at your lifestyle and found that it wasn't profoundly different from January 1st--or at least it wasn't different in the ways that you had hoped!--you may be starting to doubt your ability to make important, stress-relieving changes in your life.

At least you're in good company!

Countless people find themselves doing the same thing around this time of year! Gym parking lots--always so packed during the month of January--start seeing more vacant parking spots. Schedules start filling up again, dessert starts looking better and better. If you're trying to change from sheer willpower and perfectionistic adherence to a stringent code of desired behavior for yourself, you may start feeling fatigued. You may have already slipped, or fallen off the wagon completely. You may be wondering if it's worth the effort to make changes.

First, I can tell you that it absolutely is! If you're reading this, it means that you care about making healthy changes in your life and want to relieve stress. Your goals aren't the problem, and using the new year as a springboard for change can work out very well. (And if you're one of the readers who didn't set goals for January, I implore you to take the opportunity to set some now!) But perhaps you're succumbing to common pitfalls that many people find challenging. This is all part of the process. In fact, with my coaching clients, I always mention that somewhere between Week 3 and Week 8, we usually see a dip in progress--the initial excitement of reaching new goals has worn off, and the work is starting to feel more challenging. The following are common impediments to change:

Perfectionism: are you expecting perfection immediately, or are you gradually working up to your goal?

All-Or-Nothing Thinking: if you find yourself slipping up, are you tempted to give up completely, or do you consider slipups to be a normal part of the process?

Pessimism: do you consider backsliding a sign that you're not cut out to make these changes, or do you congratulate yourself when you catch the backsliding, knowing that redirecting yourself back toward your goal is a big step toward success?

Support: do you have people in your life making the achievement of goals more difficult for you, or easier?

Flexibility: do you stick with a plan that doesn't fit your lifestyle until you can't take it anymore, or are you able to shift gears and find a plan that does work for you?

Now is the perfect time to stop and take a look at what's working, what's not working, and why. Success may be as simple as recommitting yourself to trying again, or as involved as examining what's made change difficult so far, and seeing what you can do to overcome your obstacles. But now is the time to take these steps, envisioning your goal and keeping it in your mind for motivation.

The following links can help:

Goal-Setting, and Reaching Goals

Goals, Not Resolutions

Free E Course on Making Changes Stick

Overcoming Perfectionism

Positive Peer Pressure

So, how are you coming with your goals? What's working, and what's not? Share your tips, trials, and experiences here. And if you enjoyed this blog, I'd love it if you'd pass it along with the 'share' button!

Why It’s Not Too Late—And Perhaps It's The Perfect Time! originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 05:56:39.

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One Thing That Makes Everything More Stressful

Last night, I got only four hours of sleep. I'm a bit of a night owl, but catch up on sleep by sleeping a bit later if I'm up late, or partaking in a delicious power nap when I can't sleep in. But four hours...there's not much you can do to stretch four hours into eight. Or even six.

Predictably, I was impatient, fuzzy-headed (yes, that's a technical term), and generally stressed. (In fact, it was amazing that I was only in stress mode for an hour or two--the rest of the day it was more impatience and fuzzy-headedness.) But there is a marked difference between who I am when I've gotten 8 hours, and who I am when I've slept half that amount. And I have numerous stress management techniques up my sleeve!

I hadn't always connected the dots. On days when I didn't get the quality or quantity of sleep a healthy human body requires, I would wonder if life was always this stressful and I just hadn't noticed. I would wonder why people were so difficult to be around. It wasn't until I had kids of my own, who clearly show the difference between 'well-rested' and 'sleep-deprived' with kid behaviors that are hard to ignore.

Learning to take care of their sleep needs, I was careful to take care of my own as well.

For me, as with my kids, the challenge of getting enough sleep lies with our natural unwillingness to let all the fun stop long enough for us to go to sleep. But for other people, the sleep challenge may be a racing mind, remnants of caffeine in the system, or a variety of other causes, each with a different set of most-effective responses. But because many sleep saboteurs have a stress-related component, it's worth sharing them with you here.

The following articles can give you a better understanding of sleep and the role of stress:

Sleep Benefits

How Stress Affects Sleep

How To Get Better Sleep

Healthy Habits for Better Sleep

More On Sleep and Stress

The one thing that makes everything more stressful? It's sleep deprivation, of course. How does sleep deprivation affect you? And what stands in the way between you and healthy sleep? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

One Thing That Makes Everything More Stressful originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 04:48:19.

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Minimize Conflict, Minimize Stress

Conflict is never fun. You don't need a stress management website to tell you that it's a huge stressor that can impact you physically as well as emotionally. When we have conflicts with people, we usually experience all the symptoms of a stress response: quickened pulse, cold hands and feet, shaking, and of course, difficulty thinking clearly. We can also feel a dull ache in different areas, often the chest, which leads to the attribution of the heart as the physical manifestation of the emotional center: a heavy heart, a broken heart.

Conflicts can take many forms, from mild frustration to all-out screaming matches, or even physical abuse. Conflicts can be open, with dirty looks, unkind words; or they can be under-the-surface, as with a friend who doesn't say they're angry but you can feel it from subtle behaviors like unreturned phone calls or a more formal tone of voice replacing a familiar one.

Ideally, we should all be able to talk to one another when we're upset, sharing our feelings, and seeking to understand the feelings of others. Approaching a conflict with empathy for the other person and a desire to understand the dynamics behind the conflict in a fair, caring way can go a long way toward keeping conflicts minimal and easily resolved.

Because relationships are a two-way street, the course of a conflict isn't always entirely in your hands. Sometimes the other person is in such a bad place that it's difficult for them to really hear what you have to say, no matter how you put it. And, of course, some people just have different levels of emotional intelligence, and that affects how they handle conflict. But approaching the other person with an open heart and willingness to listen can go a long way in minimizing conflicts in relationships of all kinds.

I The following resources can help you to better understand your current conflict-resolution style, and find areas to work toward as you build a life of less conflict and more harmony:

Quiz: What's Your Conflict Resolution Style?

The Toll of Conflict

Effective Conflict Resolution Techniques

Conflict Resolution Mistakes To Avoid

The Surprising Benefits of Expressing Anger

One more thing: a little conflict can be fine--good even. (See the above link for more on why.) Those people who 'never argue' may not be getting their needs met. It's good to talk about things if you need something to change; just be careful in how you say it. What are your best conflict resolution tips? Share in the comments. (Then, share with the 'share' button :)

Minimize Conflict, Minimize Stress originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 07:11:47.

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Shed Your Stress Right Now

Where I live, we've been getting some much-needed rain. The other day, as I was driving, I noticed that rain can be a terrific stress reliever in itself. Aside from reducing the stress of watering my yard for the day, focusing on the pattern of raindrops falling on a windshield, the sound of the rain, and the fleeing patterns that the drops make as the wipers clear them away can be an exercise in mindfulness--it can keep you focused and rooted 'in the now'. When you're truly focused on what's going on right now, it's not possible to feel anxiety about potential stressors in your future, nor is it possible to ruminate about things that have happened in the past; it's just what's happening right here, right now, and there is no stress.

Mindfulness carries many benefits, and raindrops are among the many, many potential anchors for mindfulness meditation. (And mindfulness meditation is one of many effective meditation techniques you can try--stress management techniques that I highly recommend!) Over the summer, I participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course (Dr. Howard Blumenfeld is an excellent teacher if you're in the L.A. area!), and learned about some of the wonderful health benefits of mindfulness, as well as several simple techniques to get there, some of which I'm sharing with you. I would advise you to give the practice of mindfulness a try today if you're not already practicing regularly--even 5 or 10 minutes can bring a reduction in stress, and more practice brings greater results for stress relief.

The following resources can help you in learning about and practicing mindfulness--you don't have to wait for another rainy day!

Mantra Meditation

Walking Meditation

Bath Meditation

Focused Meditation

Aromatherapy Meditation

Chocolate Meditation

Musical Bath Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation Techniques

Can't Meditate? Here's What To Do

How do you feel about mindfulness? What's your favorite form of meditation? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section.

Shed Your Stress Right Now originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 06:16:20.

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Game Night Fun

Most weekends, I host a small and casual 'game night' at my house with friends. I love these nights--they bring drinks and dessert, we supply dinner and games, and we all have fun. (It's also a great excuse to get the kids to help me clean, and a fun way to end up with a clean house for the weekend.) I've always been a big game player because I love good, cheap fun. In my own life, I use games to help my children learn facts and skills, I have a 'game night' about once a week--I'm lucky enough to know some great, fun people--and I recommend games to others for good reason:

Games can bond you with your friends. (Read about the benefits of social support.)
Games can provide a sense of 'flow'. (Read about the benefits of flow.)
Playing games and having fun can provide a break from stress, and some much-needed 'down time'. (Read more about the importance of having fun.)
Fun and games can promote happiness and life satisfaction. (Learn more about this by reading up on positive psychology.)

So, understandably, I'm a big proponent of playing games--I recommend 'game nights' pretty regularly, and enjoy them in my own life. Recently, a reader asked me about my favorite games to play, and to recommend to people. I quickly came up with a list of my top few, although there are many more wonderful games out there that have been left off the list for the sake of brevity. So I'd like to share with you my list of fun group games, and invite you to share your own favorites with me and the other readers (there's a link at the end of my article for you to swap game recommendations). This should give you some great food for thought in case you want to plan a game night with your friends soon.

Do you get enough fun in your life? What do you do for fun (if not games)? Leave your tips in the comments section.

_{Want to use it to start a discussion with your friends? Pass it on!}

Game Night Fun originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 04:53:20.

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When To Disengage

We all face situations in life that cause stress and perhaps demand a response from us. But deciding which response to take can be one of life's great challenges. There's a fine line between facing problems head-on, and perpetuating them. A similarly fine line resides between letting other people's behavior roll off of your back, and being a doormat. Most of us tend to err on one side or another: we're either doggedly standing up for ourselves and sometimes steamrolling others and creating extra drama when we face those who don't like to be steamrolled, or are accommodating others to the point that others are taking advantage of us and we feel completely trapped. We can either 'let it be' most of the time and occasionally find ourselves twisting into a pretzel trying to work with a maze of sticky situations, or fight every battle that comes and sometimes feel we're always fighting.

Where's a happy medium, and how does one find it?

I think the first step is becoming aware. Taking a look at our habitual responses, and seeing where they're getting us. Most of us try to have a response that fits each unique situation, but we do have fallback stances that we take when we're stressed, and these responses usually skew in one direction. You can also take this communication styles quiz to assess whether you tend to be aggressive, passive or somewhere in between. Still not sure? Ask five people who know you--ideally from different areas of your life, with varying degrees of closeness to you. You should get the idea.

Once you've determined your regular style, start looking at your trigger situations--those situations that require a response from you--as opportunities for growth. The next time you feel yourself wanting to attack or retreat (natural responses to stressors, by the way; that's what your fight-or-flight response is for), see if you can just sit with it for a few minutes before reacting. (A brief meditation or prayer can be helpful here!)

Then when you do respond, try to stretch a little and respond in a way that's slightly outside of your comfort zone, in the opposite direction of your 'default response'. Resist the urge to control the situation, if that's your usual style; or take charge of things a little more than you normally would, if that's unusual for you. Taking this mindful approach can be an important turning point in finding greater balance in your responses. Give it a try and see what happens.

When's the last time you needed to disengage? What's your habitual style for relating to people?

Related Blog Posts:

Why You Can Talk Yourself Out Of Stress

Why A Little Conflict May Be Good For Your Relationship--And Your Health!

How To Handle a Difficult Co-Worker

When To Disengage originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 06:23:18.

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Helping Haiti

The destruction we've seen in Haiti in the past few days is mind-boggling. It puts the stress that most of us are experiencing into perspective: while managing too-packed schedules in our lives, too-intense demands at work, or too-hopeless financial problems in the wake of a downturned economy can leave us feeling stress ranging from 'challenging' to 'overwhelming', what most of us face doesn't compare to the devastation experienced there right now.

Situations like these help us realize how much we do have going for us, the resources and reserves that seem small and easy to take for granted. These situations also give us the opportunity to help others, which can even have a selfish component: altruism has positive benefits for both giver and receiver. So even those who are feeling overwhelmed in their own lives are finding themselves feeling pretty lucky, and wondering what they can do to help. Luckily, there are several things.

The following are some simple things that you can do to help those affected by the destruction in Haiti right now. These things will really make a difference.

How You Can Help

Safe Ways To Donate
Not everyone collecting money 'to help the victims' uses the money in the same way; it can be difficult to know the best way you can help. Joanne Fritz, About.com's Guide to Nonprofits has a few convenient and trustworthy ways you can donate to help.
How To Help; How To Avoid Scams
Because some of the sources that are collecting donations are actually scammers lining their own pockets, it's important to know where to safely donate, and how to spot a scam. Read more on that here.
The Benefits of Altruism
How does helping others benefit you? Read more on the benefits of altruism, and get inspired to help.

_{Like this post? Want to use it to start a discussion with your friends? Pass it on!}

Ongoing Stress Reduction Resources - Follow Me on Twitter - Subscribe to the Newsletter

Helping Haiti originally appeared on About.com Stress Management on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 15:50:49.

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Career Planning
Office Romances
Valentine's Day is almost here and we are inundated with images of love and romance. You can hardly go anywhere without seeing glittering hearts and red roses. One might even say, "love is in the air" but that would be too much of a cliche. The one place love should not be, perhaps, is the office. When romance finds its way to work it can cause a host of problems, none of which will be beneficial to your career. While falling in love can be distracting all by itself, having the object of your affection nearby all day can make you forget all about your job. There are more reasons to avoid office romances. Read Why to Avoid an Office Romance to learn what they are. In an ideal world you wouldn't choose to start an office romance, but this isn't an ideal world, is it? Sometimes your emotions get the better of you and you fall for someone at work. You may feel that this is meant to be and choose to ignore my advice to avoid getting into such a situation to begin with. Clearly, that's not up to me. If you do fall in love with a co-worker or your boss, there are some rules you can follow to help you and your career survive. Read Five Rules for Office Romance. Office Romances originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 11:45:30. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Who Shares Salary Information?
I always advise people who are negotiating their salaries to first find out how much others in their field are earning. One way to do this is to ask people you know ... if you can find someone willing to share that information. Many are not according to the results of a survey Harris Interactive® recently conducted on behalf of Glassdoor.com. The survey asked 1,356 employed adults whom they are comfortable discussing their current compensation with. According to a press release from Glassdoor.com, younger workers (ages 18 to 34) are more comfortable sharing salary information than workers who are age 55 and over. Those who earn less money ($35,000 to $49,900) are not as willing to discuss their salary as respondents who have higher salaries ($50,000 to $75,000). You are twice as likely to get salary information out of your best friend if he or she is single. So, if you need to get salary information, ask someone who is under 34, single and well-paid. Or, avoid getting personal altogether and consult a salary survey. Read more about the survey: Employees Reveal Increasing Taboos Around Sharing Salary And Compensation Details. Who Shares Salary Information? originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 07:00:50. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Weekly Career Profile: Travel Agent
Travel agents help make arrangements for people who are traveling for either business or pleasure. In order to assure the arrangements they make are the best ones possible, travel agents first assess their clients' needs. There aren't any particular educational requirements, other than a high diploma, needed to work in this field, but employers prefer to hire agents who have completed vocational training. Travel agents face a lot of competition from online travel services (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition). If you are thinking about becoming a travel agent, you should learn more about it. Read Travel Agent: Career Information to get some basic details about this occupation, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. Then find out what working travel agents think about their job by reading our Real Life of a Travel Agent submissions. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become a Travel Agent? quiz. It can help you determine if this career choice is for you. Weekly Career Profile: Travel Agent originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 11:24:09. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Setting and Achieving Goals
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." Wise words ... and to think they came out of a fortune cookie! It's nice to have dreams, but it's much more practical to have goals. We can, and probably should, have goals for most areas of our lives, but it is most important for career planning. This is an area that affects all others. Just think about it. Your choice of career, and your success in it, affects your emotional well being. If you aren't happy with your job, your days will be pretty bleak. After all, look at the number of hours you work everyday. Your career choice also affects how you live your life, from the type of home you live in to the kinds of vacations you can take. So, it's clearly worth spending time setting some goals. A goal begins life as a dream. For example, you may dream of being a doctor, owning your own business or winning a Grammy. Unless these dreams meet certain criteria, they will remain dreams and you may achieve them, but your chances aren't good. However, if you convert your dreams into goals, you will increase the probability of them becoming a reality. How do you turn your dreams into goals? Is it as simple as the fortune suggested — just give them a plan and a deadline? That's just part of how to make sure you are able to meet your goals. Want to know more? Read Goal Setting and the Career Planning Process. Additional Reading: Planning for the Future Career Action Plan: A Road Map to Your Future Setting and Achieving Goals originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 14:38:45. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Survey Shows Increased Poor Tech Etiquette in Workplace
Have you noticed that some people can be quite rude when they are using their cell phones or other electronic devices? I've had people stop cold while walking down the street so they can send a text. They don't seem phased by the people who have to quickly veer around them. Or how about people carrying on conversations on their phones while in the bathroom? I have one word for that: Yuck! Robert Half Technology released the results of a survey that asked chief information officers the following question: "In your opinion, what effect has the increased use of mobile electronic gadgets — such as cell phones, smartphones, handheld devices and laptops — had on workplace etiquette in the past three years? Have the number of breaches in workplace etiquette increased, decreased or remained the same?" I wasn't surprised to hear that 51 percent of the 1,400 chief information officers responded that they have seen an increase in poor workplace etiquette (Tech-Etiquette Outlaws: Are You One of Them?). Maybe it's time to use your cell phones and electronic devices a little more politely. Stop emailing and texting during meetings and don't answer your phone when you are engaged in a conversation with a co-worker or your boss. If you think no one is noticing, this survey should tell you otherwise. More About Office Etiquette: Top Six Rules for Using Cell Phones at Work Email Etiquette Top 10 Ways to Annoy Your Co-Workers Survey Shows Increased Poor Tech Etiquette in Workplace originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 14:27:03. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Weekly Career Profile: Conservationist
Conservationists protect our natural resources including soil and water. They help governments and landowners find ways to utilize land without harming the environment. Conservationists, who are also called soil and water conservationists or conservation scientists, have, at the minimum, bachelor's degrees in ecology, natural resource management, agriculture, biology or environmental science. If you are considering a career as a conservationist it is important to learn more about it. You can do that by first obtaining some basic details, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. Take a look at Conservationist: Career Information. For more in-depth information, conduct informational interviews with people who are currently working as conservationists. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become a Conservationist? quiz. It can help you determine whether you have the characteristics necessary to succeed in this career. Weekly Career Profile: Conservationist originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:31:32. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Could You Get Away With Conan's Behavior?
Conan O'Brien's on-air evisceration of his now former employer NBC over the the last couple of weeks will most likely do nothing to hinder his career. Quite the contrary. It's more likely it will give his career a huge boost. At the least he's going to get tens of millions of dollars from NBC. Would you fare as well if you behaved in a similar fashion toward your employer? I don't think so. Let's say your boss changed your hours to an undesirable shift, or did something else that made you unhappy. So, in retaliation you stand up on a chair in the middle of a very public area. You announce your dissatisfaction to anyone who will listen. Your boss would almost definitely show you the door pretty quickly. But that would be the least of your problems. Bigger issues would come along later on when you tried to find a new job. News of your actions would surely spread and you would be like poison to other employers. And then there are your co-workers whose opinions of you will almost certainly be influenced by your tirade. What will happen when you meet up with them sometime in the future, perhaps in another workplace? Read: Five Things Not To Do When You Leave Your Job Could You Get Away With Conan's Behavior? originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 13:47:03. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Why You Need a Mentor
President Obama recently announced a mentoring program for boys who live in the D.C. area. Michelle Obama started a similar program for girls last fall. Children who participate in both programs will be paired with members of the President's administration. They will receive guidance from these men and women, which will hopefully set them on a path to a successful future. Don't you wish you could have taken part in a program like that when you were younger? What a benefit it is for these children to receive guidance from successful adults. Having a mentor can be extremely valuable to children, but it can also be essential to adults who are starting off on their career paths. Getting advice from someone who has been where you are now can help you advance in your career. He or she can introduce you to the right people, help you avoid making serious mistakes and give you pointers on getting along with your boss and co-workers. Read More: Why You Need a Mentor Why You Need a Mentor originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 13:45:34. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Weekly Career Profile: Flight Attendant
Many people mistakenly think of flight attendants as waitresses in the sky when in fact serving passengers is only one of their job duties. While they do help keep passengers comfortable during flights by serving beverages and food, their primary responsibility is making sure safety regulations are followed. If you are intrigued by this occupation and are entertaining the idea of becoming a flight attendant it is time to learn more. First get detailed job descriptions and information on compensation and job outlook in Flight Attendant: Career Information. Next, you should look for first-hand accounts about this field from people who work in it. One of our readers told us a little bit about her job in The Real Life of a Flight Attendant. You can also conduct an informational interview with someone who works in this field. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become a Flight Attendant? quiz. It can help you find out if you have the characteristics necessary to succeed in this career. Weekly Career Profile: Flight Attendant originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 11:03:40. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Lessons from "Up in the Air"
I saw the movie Up in the Air last weekend. I thought it was a very well-done movie, but very depressing. If you haven't seen it, here's a brief synopsis: George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham whose job it is to fire people on behalf of their employers. How can that not be depressing? He flies all over the country to do his job and, since he is rarely in one place for any length of time, he has few personal connections. Again ... depressing. Part of his spiel when when he fires someone, is to present the situation as an opportunity. For example, after reviewing one man's resume and noticing that he minored in culinary arts, suggests that he follow his dream and pursue a career as a chef. Okay, that's a little uplifting. Losing your job stinks but it's possible it can also be an opportunity. Ah, a movie that can teach us something. That's refreshing. I was actually able to find another career-related lesson in this movie. "It's not a problem unless you have a solution." These words are spoken by Ryan's boss, played by Jason Bateman, in response to a young and ambitious employee who complains that the company is wasting money. How true they are. Identifying problems is nothing more than complaining, unless you have a plan to solve them. For more on that take a look at my article Turning Negativity into Positive Action. Lessons from "Up in the Air" originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 13:13:37. Permalink \| Comment \| Email this

Real Estate Time Management | Helping Real Estate Agents and Managers Maximize Their Time and Advance Their Careers

Helping Real Estate Agents and Managers Maximize Their Time and Advance Their Careers