Ok, so you can’t wait to get started with your new career, but wait a minute!

The market may be ready for you, but you’re not yet ready for the market. If you want to capitalize on the opportunity, the way you present your services is of critical importance. They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression – so you have to make the first impression count.

Let’s say you decide to order some Christmas gifts from an online shop. It seems like a great way of saving time, so you look for a likely-sounding store in Yahoo! Gary’s Gift Grotto seems to fit the bill, so you click through.

Unfortunately, the site is so graphically intensive that it takes ages for the home page to load. When it eventually does, you discover that there is no ‘search’ facility to help you find the products you want. You try to browse through the listings, but several times you get a ‘Page not found’ error.

What are you going to do?

Will you persevere, figure out how to place an order and hope that Gary and his pals deliver in time for Christmas? Of course not. You’ll hit the ‘back’ button and move on to someone else.

Behind the scenes, it could be that Gary’s Gift Grotto is a wonderfully-efficient enterprise. They may offer the lowest prices, the largest stock, the fastest delivery times and the best customer service. But it’s all for nothing. The first impression didn’t cut the ice, and another customer bites the dust.

So how do you make a good first impression? The answer to that question lies in preparation. Before you launch into a marketing campaign, you need to think about how you and your service will be perceived by potential customers, and how you can turn that to advantage. If you can convey an image of professionalism and expertise from the first moment of contact, you are half way towards securing a contract.

With that in mind, let’s start with one of your most important marketing tools, and find out.

If a client is seriously interested in using your services, the first thing you will be asked to do is to forward your résumé. And here is the perfect opportunity to blow the prospect’s socks off and leave your competitors floundering.

No doubt you already have a résumé prepared, so now I’d like you to find a copy and examine it closely.

I bet I can tell you how it goes.

It probably offers a factual and orderly summary of every facet of your career to date, plus a list of your qualifications, hobbies, interests and aspirations. The structure is likely to be similar to this:

Is that about right? Great. This is what I want you to do…

Hold the pages with both hands at the top, the first finger and thumb of each hand gripping the paper at the center. Now pull your left hand towards your chest, while simultaneously pushing your right hand away. Continue this movement until you have ripped the pages completely in two. Crumple up the two parts and throw them in the trash…

Traditional résumés make great personal histories, but they’re no use for marketing. If you want to earn real money as a freelancer, you need a profile that really sells!

Imagine a McDonald’s radio ad that went something like this:

“McDonald’s Corporation has been in business since 1953 and now has over 200,000 restaurants worldwide. This fast-food chain is renowned for the consistent quality of its products and an enduring commitment to service.”

Now, would that make you want to rush out and buy a Big Mac?

No, it certainly wouldn’t, you’re more likely to hear something like this.

“Try the new Triple Mega Mac, the biggest, juiciest burger you’ve ever tasted. Buy one today and get one free.”

Benefits, benefits and more benefits. This ad ‘sells the sizzle’, and shows you exactly what you get in return for your money – taste, quantity and value. Any information which doesn’t persuade the customer to buy is ruthlessly cut. Your résumé should be equally effective.

It’s your prime selling tool – your big chance to communicate the benefits of using you, instead of someone else. Faktisk, a résumé alone isn’t enough. You need a hard-hitting presentation pack.

When you use a presentation pack, sales become much easier to achieve.

Gone are the days when clients will pour over your résumé, ask for more information then dither and hesitated some more.

When you send a pack by email or through the post, providing the prospect with all the information needed to make a decision. More often that not, you will get a call in reply saying:

Great! When can you start?

Usually, they will include:

A one-page personal profile

An up-to-date client list

A selection of relevant testimonials

A few samples of related work

A personalized covering letter.

Each of these is clearly focused, providing concise information that demonstrates why you would be ideal for the project in hand. Together, they provide a complete sales pitch that hammers home a wealth of important benefits.

This is the replacement for your traditional résumé. Remember that your prospective client is not looking for a long-term employee, but for a short-term solution to an immediate requirement. If things go well, it may turn out to be a long-term relationship, but that’s all in the future. Right now, the client wants to know if you can deliver a specific service with a high standard of quality.

And that’s why a conventional résumé just doesn’t work. Take a look back at Joe’s résumé, and consider the obstacles it presents for the prospect.

A – Hidden benefits

Joe’s résumé gets off to a poor start. The client wants to know what Joe can do, but instead Joe forces him to read through all his personal details. Contact details are important, selvfølgelig, but here they are taking up prime selling space. The client won’t need contact information until he has read the document and decides to pursue things further.

Then we reach Joe’s career objective. Unfortunately, however, the client couldn’t care less what Joe wants to achieve. She’s only interested in her objective, and how you will help her achieve it. Anything else is simply a distraction.

Next we reach education. Having a relevant degree is a major asset, but having the right experience is even more critical. So a paragraph on education is slowing the prospect down, and increasing the chance that she will never get as far as reading about skills and experience.

B – No ‘sizzle’

Then we get to skills and experience, cunningly hidden under the heading Employment History. This heading is not only dull, it is again focused on Joe, and not on the customer.

A heading like Skills and Expertise would be more likely to attract her attention. But if the heading is dull, it’s nothing compared to the job descriptions.

The language is passive, and totally impersonal – not so much as an I to inject a little life and interest. What we have is simply an incredibly boring list of career steps.

C. Irrelevant information

Additional information? Who cares? Unless you can pick up on a point and show its relevance to the job in hand, you are simply wasting the prospects time, and increasing the chance of your résumé reaching the circular file.

D. Poor structure

Finally, we reach ‘Computer Skills’. But as this is the real meat of the issue, why hide this section at the end?

The References section doesn’t belong here, either. If you’ve got good references, these should be included in the pack, so that the prospect has all supporting information to hand. We’ll look at this point again under ‘How to get great testimonials’.

So now we’ve seen what’s wrong with a traditional résumé, let’s see if we can do something better. Let’s build a personal profile page that really sells your skills and expertise.

The basic principles of selling remain the same, regardless of whether you’re selling baked beans or consultancy skills.

So we can take the most successful sales techniques used to market products worldwide, and apply them to your profile. And the most popular and successful approach to writing copy that sells is:

AIDA … which stands for … Attention … Interest … Desire … Action

It’s a simple formula, but still very effective. You aim to capture the prospects attention quickly, then stimulate interest by showing the benefits. You provide enough information to generate a desire for your service, then encourage them to take action by getting in touch.

In the case of your personal profile, you might use the AIDA formula to produce a structure like this:

Write a benefit-driven summary paragraph that captures attention. This will highlight your key strengths, and shows why you are the perfect choice for relevant projects.

Generate interest by listing your key skills and competencies in bullet point format, so that the prospect can immediately see what you have to offer.

Demonstrate the depth of these skills by showing how they have developed during the course of your career, creating a desire to find out more.

Encourage the prospect to take immediate action by providing all necessary contact details at the end of your profile.

I think I’ll give him call, just in case I redesign my corporate database. So what have we done? Well, we have:

Replaced the rather dull word résumé with profile, which suggests a more interesting document

Supported this with a subheading, Freelance Programmer and
Database Consultant, so that the prospect can see exactly what skills are on offer

Stressed the benefits to the client in the summary (deliver quality work your projects remain on schedule)

Written in the first person (I can)

Used active, positive language (deliver, help, gained, offer)

Supported the claims with facts (degree, relevant experience)

Mentioned major clients, to reassure the prospect

Demonstrated appropriate experience through recent projects

Ended with a ‘call to action’ and key contact details.

A strong client list is perhaps one of the most valuable assets you can acquire during your freelance career. A wide selection of clients shows that you have a broad range of experience. And if you can name some well-respected organizations in your list, you will immediately be taken more seriously as a potential freelance.

Of course, if you’re just setting out on your freelance career, you will not have many clients to list. If that’s the case, simply omit this part of your presentation pack for the time being. But as soon as you have some jobs under your belt, create a list and use them to advantage.

You don’t need to list them alphabetically. On the contrary, you’ll want to name your big guns first to make a strong impression as quickly as possible. If you have some impressive clients, a simple list may be all you need. But if you’re still building up, or your customers are individuals or small organizations, you can add further information, such as the kind of work undertaken for each company.

If there is one element that will convince your prospects faster than anything else, it’s a great set of testimonials. Trods alt, it’s easy for you to make claims about yourself that are somewhat exaggerated. A potential client may be impressed by your résumé, but still unsure. But if you back up a strong résumé with rock-solid recommendations from existing clients, you’ve virtually closed the sale.

The trouble is, clients rarely send testimonials. If they think your work is great, you may get a ‘thank you’ call or two, but you are unlikely to get anything in writing. So how do you get a great testimonial? There’s only one way. Ask!

In many cases, a client will be happy to recommend your services. You just need to persuade them to put pen to paper – or finger to keyboard. The best way to do this is to send a letter, outlining your request, and including a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Wording the letter is a delicate matter, as you don’t want to put the client under undue pressure.

På den anden side, if you don’t ask, you don’t get – it’s as simple as that. You might write something like this:

Dear Jessica,

Thanks for asking me to help with your recent projects, and I trust they are all progressing well.

I am currently updating my résumé and portfolio, and would like to include recent testimonials from satisfied clients. If you are happy with the work I have completed for you to date, it would be very helpful if you would consider writing a short testimonial.

Whilst I understand that you are busy, I am sure you appreciate this will help potential clients reach a decision more easily. Your cooperation would be much appreciated, but if you would prefer not to respond for any reason, please just discard this email.

I hope to work with you on many more projects in the future, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best wishes,

Your Name

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the proof of your expertise is in your samples.

Building up a good portfolio is an essential element in developing your career and how to promote yourself effectively. As time goes on, you will undertake an ever-wider range of projects, allowing you to build up a diverse portfolio. So whatever a client is looking for, there’s a growing chance that you will be able to demonstrate relevant expertise.

Having experience of exactly the right kind of work can be surprisingly important on how you promote yourself. Clients have an unfortunate habit of pigeonholing people and skills. Someone looking for a freelancer to take photographs for an annual report, for example, may demand a photographer with an impressive portfolio in this field. Although any professional photographer may be able to undertake the project with ease, those with no annual reports to show may never be considered.

Although this can be frustrating, it demonstrates the importance of keeping samples from every job you undertake. If you are involved in producing printed materials – magazines, brochures, adverts, etc. – be sure to get hold of a file copy for your records.

In many cases, you will have to go out of your way to get them, but it is important to persevere on how to promote yourself effectively. If you are, say, an interior designer or a landscape gardener, remember to take photos of every project, preferably both before and after.

Once you have a good portfolio, you can then select appropriate items to send to individual prospects, turning each pack you mail out into a personalized presentation.

The cover letter may be the last item you think about, but it will most likely be the first one hvordan man kan fremme dig selv that your prospect reads. So you need to ensure that is well written and professional in approach. As in your profile, you need to emphasize the benefits, sell your skills and suggest a call to action.

Make sure the letter is personally addressed to the individual concerned – and triple check that you’ve spelt the name correctly. Names are very personal, and misspelling them is a sure fire way to kill a working relationship before it has even started.

If you have had contact with the prospect, either in person on the phone, try and make reference to something you discussed. This will help to establish that the letter is a personal response, not a standard reply.

A typical letter in response to a telephone inquiry might run as follows:

Dear John,

Thanks your enquiry regarding database consultancy services. As we discussed on the phone, I have considerable experience in this field, and would be free to work on your project from Monday the 15th.

I have undertaken similar work for hi-tech clients in the last two years, including a major project for Hewlett-Packard. The project sounds interesting and challenging, and would allow me to use my formal qualifications and practical experience to good advantage. I am committed to delivering excellent work, often to tight deadlines, and would welcome the opportunity to contribute to your success.

I hope the attached documents will provide all the information you need. But if you would like further information, please let me know. You can call me on 415 123 1234, or send an email to [email protected].

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Best wishes,

Your Name

So now you have all the materials for your presentation pack – profile, client list, testimonials and samples, plus a separate covering letter. If you’re going to send the package by mail, or deliver it personally to a prospect in a meeting, it’s worth investing in good-quality binding.

Again, first impressions count. A bundle of loose papers shoved into a folder won’t impress anyone. A wire-bound presentation with quality report covers shows a professional approach.

Nowadays, however, most business communication happens by email. This is a big advantage, as it means you can get your presentation pack to a prospect within minutes of your first contact. There’s a definite advantage to striking while the iron is hot – so make the most of it.

The simplest and most convenient way hvordan man kan fremme dig selv and send your presentation pack is to use the covering letter as your email message, and add the other elements as attachments. But using attachments raises a couple of issues.

Firstly, if you have a number of samples to send, you could end up sending a long list of attachments which could be rather daunting for the prospect. You can resolve this by combining your profile, client list and testimonials into a single file, and keeping your samples to a sensible number. Three samples should be enough for most circumstances.

Secondly, there is the issue of file size. If you’re sending graphics files, presentations or Acrobat documents, downloading them could be a problem for your prospective client. Try to select smaller documents, or warn the prospect in advance. Alternatively, you could post them on the web, so that he can view them online without downloading.

Thirdly, and most significantly, there is the virus issue. Sending attachments is an easy way to accidentally forward a virus, and many people are rightly wary of opening attachments.

Of course, you should install the latest virus detection software on your computer, to minimize the risk of picking up an infection and passing it on. Trashing a prospects hard disk is not a great way to generate business.

Marketing your skills over the web is something we will address in more detail a little later. But as we are talking about presentation, we need to cover the subject briefly here.

Trods alt, creating your own website is the most effective way to showcase your skills. All the elements of your presentation pack can be included on your website, with as many samples as you feel are required. Photos, graphics, presentations and even programs can be uploaded for prospects to browse at their leisure.

Here again, you need to be sure of making a good impression. If customers find your site through a search engine or directory, for example, it will be their first point of contact. If you don’t achieve the right impact, they will hit the back button and try elsewhere.

Okay. So you’ve created your presentation pack, you’ve launched your website, and now you’re ready to do business. Now let’s go out and make money.

Produktivitetsbegrebet lyder måske ret kedeligt – et kedeligt stykke ledelse- tale, hvis der nogensinde var en. Men hvor produktiv du er i forhold til at få tingene gjort, er afgørende for din rentabilitet som person.

Vi så i Profit Formula, at antallet af timer du fakturerer for at være en 'multiplikationsfaktor':

Indkomst = (timepris x fakturerbare timer) – omkostninger
Det er, en lille forbedring af fakturerbare timer kan have stor betydning, fordi dens effekt ganges med din timepris. Alligevel er der kun så mange timer på en uge, og du har ikke rigtig lyst til at bruge dine aftener og weekender på at trælle for at øge din indkomst...

Så hvordan øger du dit antal fakturerbare timer? Du skal øge din produktivitet.

Det betyder nu ikke, at du skal blive til en arbejdsmaskine, forsøger at gøre flere ting på én gang, og ikke give nogen opgave den opmærksomhed, den fortjener.

Hvad det betyder, er, at du skal lære, hvordan du får mest muligt ud af din tid, bruge de timer, du har til større fordel.

Og for at gøre det, du skal lære at værdsætte din tid.

Jeg ville ønske, jeg vidste, hvem der skrev dette – det sætter virkelig værdien af ​​tid i perspektiv:

Forestil dig, at der er en bank, som krediterer din konto hver morgen hos $86,400.

Den bærer ingen balance fra dag til dag. Hver aften sletter den del af saldoen, du ikke har brugt i løbet af dagen.

Hvad ville du gøre? Tegn ALT, selvfølgelig! Hver af os har sådan en bank. Dens navn er TIME.

Hver morgen, det krediterer dig med 86,400 sekunder. Hver nat afskriver det, som tabt, uanset hvad du har undladt at investere til gode formål. Det bærer ingen balance. Det tillader ingen overtræk.

Hver dag åbner den en ny konto til dig. Hver nat brænder det resterne af dagen. Hvis du undlader at bruge dagens indskud, tabet er dit. Der er ingen vej tilbage. Der er ingen tegning mod "i morgen". Du skal leve i nuet på dagens indskud.

Invester det for at få det bedste ud af det i sundhed, lykke, og succes! Uret kører. Få mest muligt ud af i dag. Værdsæt hvert øjeblik, du har! Og husk, at tiden ikke venter på nogen.

I går er historie. I morgen er et mysterium. I dag er en gave. Det er derfor, det hedder nutiden!

(Forfatter ukendt)

Vi har ofte en tendens til at tænke på dem som en engangsvare. Hvis en fuldstændig fremmed bad dig om at stikke hånden i lommen og give ham ti dollars, du ville højst sandsynligt give ham et par valgord i stedet for. Men hvis du bliver holdt op i en trafikprop i ti minutter, du vil sandsynligvis børste det af som en mindre ulejlighed.

Trods alt, det kostede dig ikke andet end lidt tid.

Alligevel er tid langt den mest værdifulde vare, vi har. Vi har kun en begrænset mængde af det, og hvis vi spilder det, det er væk for altid. Husk det, når du sælger din tid pr. time, du bortauktionerer dit liv i mundrette bidder.

Sælg ikke dig selv kort. En almindelig fejl er at beregne, hvor meget du kan tjene i timen på et fuldtidsjob, over en 9-5 arbejdsuge. Men freelance er meget anderledes end almindelig beskæftigelse. Som medarbejder, du bliver betalt bare for at møde op. Du bliver betalt, når du chatter ved vandkøleren, besøg på toilettet - og selv når du er syg eller på ferie.

Som freelancer, du får kun betalt for de timer, du lægger for en bestemt kunde. Al den tid brugt på afbrydelser, administration og personlige forhold skal tages op af egen lomme.

Lad os sige, at du beslutter dig for at opkræve $50 en time, og forventer at arbejde 40 timer om ugen. Umiddelbart ser det ret godt ud – hej, du kommer til at gøre over $100,000 et år. Men når man begynder at trække tid brugt på ferier og sygdom, du oplever, at din omsætning falder kraftigt. Så er der al tid afsat til at søge arbejde, styre din økonomi, og alt det andet.

Når du er færdig med at fratrække alle disse tidskrævende omkostninger, det kan du finde, gennemsnitlig, du tjener nærmere $15 en time. Det er ikke meget mere, end du kan tjene på deltid i McDonalds.

Så en forbedring af din produktivitet kan have en reel indflydelse på din indtjening. Faktisk, hvis du kan kræve en ekstra time om dagen tilbage i fakturerbar tid, din indtjening (på $50 en time) ville stige med $13,000 i løbet af et år.

Og for at få den ekstra time tilbage, du skal lære hemmelighederne bag effektiv tidsstyring.

Hemmelighederne bag effektiv tidsstyring God tidsstyring er ikke en medfødt færdighed.

Vi arbejder alle med forskellige grader af ineffektivitet, kæmper for at få tingene gjort, men hele tiden bliver distraheret af hverdagen. Hvor ofte har du startet dagen med et enkelt mål for øje, men nåede på en eller anden måde slutningen af ​​dagen med det mål stadig uden for rækkevidde?

Det er et velkendt problem, men den gode nyhed er, at det kan tackles. Effektiv tidsstyring er noget, der kan læres og udvikles.

Hvis du er en kreativ person, såsom en forfatter eller designer, du er mere tilbøjelig end de fleste til at have et problem med tidsstyring. Kreative mennesker har en tendens til at have færre færdigheder i venstre hjernehalvdel, og derfor finder logiske opgaver såsom tidsstyring sværere.

Det betyder ikke, at du har en undskyldning for at undgå tidsstyring - det betyder bare, at du skal arbejde hårdere på det.

Til at begynde med, du skal forstå, hvad tidsstyring er, og – endnu vigtigere – hvad det ikke er...

Time Management gør ikke de forkerte ting hurtigere. Det bringer os bare ingen steder hurtigere. Time Management er at gøre de rigtige ting.

Så lad os tage et kig på de rigtige ting, du skal gøre for at få tingene gjort.

Er du en tidlig fugl eller en natugle?

At finde ud af, hvilket tidspunkt på dagen der passer dig bedst, kan have stor indflydelse på din produktivitet.

En af de store fordele ved at være freelancer er, at du har større frihed over dit valg af arbejdstid. Du er ikke bundet til en 9-5 skema fra mandag til fredag.

Så brug lidt tid på at analysere, hvornår dine mest produktive tider er. Hvis du arbejder mere effektivt om morgenen, for example, sørg for, at disse morgentimer er fri for afbrydelser, så du får gjort mest muligt på kortest mulig tid.

En times planlægning kan spare dig for ti timers arbejde.

Det er et udsagn, som er værd at lægge mærke til. Så i stedet for at skynde dig ind i din dag med kun en vag handlingsplan, tage nok tid til at planlægge din tidsplan for dagen.

Prioriter dine opgaver, så du sikrer dig, at de virkelig vigtige ting bliver gjort. Vær realistisk, however. Der er kun så mange timer på et døgn, og du får ikke gjort mere, bare fordi du har lavet en lang 'To Do'-liste.

Beslut dig for, hvad der virkelig skal gøres den dag, hvad der realistisk kan gøres i løbet af dagen, og lav en tidsplan, der tager hensyn til begge dele.

Når du er under pres for at få tingene gjort, det kan være fristende at lade dokumenter hobe sig op på dit skrivebord. De få minutter, det tager at stille tingene væk, virker som en unødvendig afbrydelse.

Men når dit arbejdsområde bliver uorganiseret, dit arbejde kan blive rodet, også. Et par minutter på jagt efter en fil her, et par minutter på udkig efter et telefonnummer der - før du ved af det, en stor del af din dag er blevet smidt væk.

Når du støder på noget, du ikke ved, hvordan du skal håndtere med det samme, det er nemt at lægge det tilbage i din 'afventende bunke'. Men jo flere gange du håndterer hvert stykke papir, jo mere af din tid spildes.

Prøv at få en vane med at håndtere dokumenter, når de ankommer. Når du åbner din mail, husk de tre D'er:

Håndter det

Dump det

Uddelegere det.

Sørg for at anvende en af ​​ovenstående på hvert stykke papir, der krydser dit skrivebord, hver e-mail, der ankommer i din postkasse, og hvert punkt på din handlingsliste.

Det hjælper ikke at udskyde tingene til i morgen – det giver dig bare en endnu større 'to do'-liste, du skal tage dig af om morgenen. Jo mere du udsætter tingene, jo mere umulig bliver opgaven.

Hvis du ikke afsætter en bestemt tid til en opgave, det er nemt at finde ud af, at jobbet tager længere tid, end det med rimelighed burde.

I stedet for at koncentrere sig om det nødvendige projekt, du kan finde dine tanker vandrer.

At returnere det telefonopkald eller spidse dine blyanter kan pludselig synes at være meget vigtigere end at komme videre med dit arbejde.

For at undgå at miste værdifuld tid på denne måde, lær at budgettere din tid effektivt. Giv dig selv en fornuftig tid til at udføre en bestemt opgave, og sørg derefter for, at du holder dig til det.

Fordyb dig ikke for meget i detaljerne. Det er bedre at komme videre med jobbet og fuldføre det end at blive hængende med mindre problemer og problemer.

Et af de største problemer med tidsstyring er at håndtere distraktioner og afbrydelser.

Du kan starte dagen med et tilsyneladende simpelt sæt mål, sikker på, at du kan gennemføre dem alle med tid til overs.

Og så ringer telefonen. En kunde har brug for en akut ændring af et nyligt projekt. Du tjekker din e-mail og opdager et problem, der kræver øjeblikkelig opmærksomhed, så kommer en levering, og du skal sikre dig, at den bliver håndteret ordentligt.

Før du ved af det, timers fakturerbar tid forsvinder.

Selvom det næsten er umuligt at fjerne sådanne afbrydelser helt, du kan minimere skaden. Gør det klart, når du arbejder, du skal ikke blive forstyrret af almindelige hjemlige problemer. Undgå at tjekke din e-mail, indtil dine prioriterede projekter er af vejen. Og få en telefonsvarer eller telefonsvarertjeneste til at screene dine opkald, mens du er optaget.

Vigtigst af alt, lær at sige 'nej'. Det skal folk bare lære i løbet af din arbejdstid, du er simpelthen ikke tilgængelig for at hjælpe med sager, der kan vente til senere.

Hvor mange gange har du sat et nytårsforsæt, kun for at have glemt alt om det i midten af ​​januar? At sætte karrieremål er én ting. At nå dem er noget helt andet. Men hvis du anvender følgende tre enkle tips, du vil opdage, at det er meget nemmere at nå dine mål.

At sige, at du vil tjene flere penge, eller have en bedre livsstil er alt sammen meget godt, men hvordan måler du din succes? I stedet for at være vagt ambitiøs, sæt specifikke tal på dine mål. Hvis du oplyser, at du vil tjene $100,000 et år, så har du et bestemt mål at sigte efter – og du ved præcis, hvornår du når dertil.

Den enkle handling at forpligte dine mål til papir er et stort skridt hen imod at nå dem. Når du har skrevet dem ned, der er ingen tvivl om, hvad du forpligter dig til - det er svært at argumentere med beviser på tryk.

Et mål uden en deadline er ret meningsløst. Det er nemt at blive ved med at udskyde et mål, der har en uendelig holdbarhed. Giv dig selv en deadline, og du vil opleve, at du arbejder hårdere for at ramme den.

Det viser forskning 75% af amerikanske arbejdere klager jævnligt over, at de er trætte. Dette er ikke for overraskende, da den gennemsnitlige arbejdstager tilsyneladende får mindre end syv timers søvn om natten. Så langt de fleste mennesker starter dagen med at skyde på kun tre cylindre. Ikke underligt, at dårlig produktivitet er et så vedvarende problem.

Men det bliver værre. Nogle 40% af arbejdende mennesker springer morgenmaden over, and 39% savne frokost. Og af dem, der klarer en pause til frokost, halvdelen tillader sig 15 minutter eller mindre. Det er store problemer, især når det drejer sig om tidsstyring. Hvis du tror, ​​at arbejde sene nætter, at brænde stearinlyset i begge ender og mangle måltider gør dig til en hårdtarbejdende, du mangler virkelig pointen.

Produktiviteten afhænger ikke kun af de timer, du bruger, men også på kvaliteten af ​​det arbejde, du producerer. Hvis du er træt og ikke spiser ordentligt, din produktivitet vil falde. Når dit blodsukkerniveau falder, din krop bremser dig automatisk for at spare energi. Tilføj træthed oven i dette, og du kan lige så godt opgive al forstillelse ved at arbejde. Lysene kan være tændt, men der er sikkert ingen hjemme.

Det er den negative side. Lad os nu vende tingene om og se på det positive. At øge din kondition kan have en virkelig dramatisk effekt på din produktivitet. Du behøver ikke, at jeg fortæller dig, hvad det indebærer - regelmæssig motion, får nok søvn, spise nærende mad og etablere en rutine, som din krop kan blive fortrolig med.

Glem ikke at holde regelmæssige pauser. Din krop og sind har brug for at slappe af fra tid til anden - du kan ikke arbejde i timevis som en maskine.

Vi ved alle, at det er lettere sagt end gjort at komme i form. Men hvis du kan forbedre dit konditionsniveau, du vil blive overrasket over, hvilken indflydelse dette kan have på dit arbejdsliv. Du vil nærme dig hver dag frisk og med større entusiasme. Du vil finde det nemmere at løse problemer, og du vil få mere gjort, end du nogensinde havde forestillet dig muligt. Hvis der nogensinde var en måde at komme 25 timer ud af hver dag, fitness er det. Pas på dit helbred, og din rigdom vil passe sig selv.

Mest af alt, prøv at sikre, at du udfører arbejde, som du nyder. Den vej, du kan nyde rejsen såvel som destinationen. Thomas Edison sagde, at han aldrig lavede en dags arbejde i sit liv - det hele var sjovt!

Det er helt sikkert den bedste måde at få mest muligt ud af hver uge i dit arbejdsliv.