What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “performance review”? Is it something you look forward to or do you think they’re a waste of time? Performance reviews can be a tremendous catalyst for personal and organizational development, however, their effectiveness depends on the way they’re implemented. In this article, I talk about ways to ensure you get the most out of such…
My goal in writing about productivity is the help you have a better quality of life. As I often mention, my goal is not to help you jam-pack your already busy schedule. However, by getting things done more quickly with fewer resources, you in effect free up time. This means more time for things that are important to you and energize you. Take advantage of these insights on…
According to Seligman’s PERMA model, having a sense of accomplishment is one of the most important factors of human flourishing. This means that a crucial building block of your well-being is goal achievement. So one brief answer to the question, “Why should I set goals for myself?” is: it’s important if you want to thrive and enhance your well-being. But if you don’t have any goals to work…
From the outset, daunting goals may seem unattainable. You might have thoughts like, “There is no point in even trying” or “There is no way I can succeed”. Well, the good news is you can succeed. But how can you achieve your goals, especially when they are challenging? How can you achieve goals that may take months or years to reach? In this post I present four keys…
Positive coping strategies are healthy ways of dealing with stress. By contrast negative coping strategies are destructive behaviors that may provide temporary relief, but in the long run are not helpful and can make the situation even worse. Such strategies include: There are several frameworks that aim to categorize the kinds of coping strategies that exist. Here are a few of the more popular ones: For the sake…
Considering the best way to achieve goals is important, because reaching goals, being productive and having a sense of achievement are crucial for our well-being. Working in HR has given me the opportunity to be involved with goal achievement from various angles including both the personal and team level. Furthermore, I have researched this topic a lot and tried out several approaches. Some of the things I’ve set…
Have you noticed that in certain situations, you work way better when around others than when you are alone? For example, if your boss is in the room you may tend to go the extra mile. Or when you work in a cafe or library, it is easier to focus and get things done. This phenomenon is known as social facilitation. Social facilitation theory describes the improvement in…
With the global COVID pandemic as a backdrop it is safe to say people are generally more stressed than before. As a result, mental health is a relevant, salient subject at the forefront of our current situation. It is important to consider practical steps for increasing resilience. People have experienced isolation, uncertainty, anxiety and loss. On top of that difficult changes in the home and work environment have…
Positive thinking has a lot to do with your level of optimism. I am not talking about an unrealistic optimism, which involves overestimating the likelihood of positive events and underestimating the likelihood of negative events. It is of course beneficial to be realisitc. However, I am referring to learned optimism. This means you acknowledge difficulties, but explain them more productively compared to those who are pessimistic. When things happen, whether…
Everyone faces adversity, but two people can go through the same thing and experience vastly different outcomes. One may barely get by while the other emerges more resilient than ever before. One key to thriving even in the midst of challenges is to maintain an optimistic outlook. This of course begs the question: How do you stay positive? I am not referring to an unrealistic optimism which causes one to…