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The art of daily discipline

Do you find yourself watching time pass and still not beginning—let alone completing—what you say you want? Well, there’s no magic formula that allows others to succeed while you don’t. It all boils down to daily discipline.

In over your head? Take a deep breath, evaluate

Q: “After working as a temporary administrative assistant for a small company, I was recently promoted to office manager. My boss said that she liked my professionalism. However, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve gotten in over my head. I’m being given unfamiliar tasks, no one ever explains anything, and I’m not sure exactly what my job includes. Now I’m constantly stressed out from worrying about whether management is unhappy with me.” – Afraid of Failing

Do you learn better from text or video?

Question: “We’ve been asked to train new hires through writing careful processes, but it’s also been suggested we mix in some short videos of our own making too. Does anyone have opinions on which types of tasks it’s easier to learn through video than through reading the steps of a process? I’m particularly curious about which method we should use to teach computer software. I know I’m mostly a text-learner … am I becoming a rare breed?” – Nathan, Administrative Support

The walls have ears … and eyes

At work, many of us have occasional conversations in hushed tones about something that bothers us, or closed-door discussions we don’t want others to hear. The bad news is that though the words might be kept secret, passersby notice and remember the sight of those closed doors and don’t forget seeing us making an effort […]

Avoid saying these 5 things in meetings

Meetings can be a wonderful collaboration tool or a wasteful, hostile time sink. Ideally they give colleagues an opportunity to share ideas, give kudos and enjoy one another’s company. They “are also a place where people jockey for position, work out disagreements and hurt each other’s feelings,” says Gretchen Rubin. She outlines some phrases that can really serve to undermine others.

You may be your career’s worst enemy

The way we work has changed significantly in recent years, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of opportunities out there, even in this new economy, says J.T. O’Donnell, writing for Inc. Here are some bad habits that may be holding you back.