There have been many articles posted recently on the Keys to Success. What do you do in the first hour of work? What was your birth order? Are you a morning person or night owl? Do you make a good first impression – you only have 5 seconds!
Whew! With so much advice, I decided to see how my routine, lifestyle and arbitrary rank in sibling-hood measures up. Let’s start where I have the least amount of control – birth order. I am a firstborn. According to Jobs Monster, I am reliable, strive to achieve and conscientious. I agree, that is definitely me! And with my good grades and varsity basketball career, clearly I am destined for greatness! Hold on, before I quit my current job in search of a more appropriate title, like CEO of the Universe, let’s check out the other studies.
Morning person or Night Owl – Night owl, for sure. I like the night life and I like to watch TV alone when the kids and husband are sound asleep and there are no interruptions. Strike one.
7 Seconds to a First Impression– This one is in the bank. Winning smile, firm hand shake, strong introduction. Nailed that one.
First hour of work– I think this may be trouble. The first tip is don’t check email – seriously? How can it be avoided? I know there is something really important in there, and an hour without my email (for someone that has to know what is in each wrapped box before it is open) just can’t be done. The next tip is to be grateful. Does being grateful that I read my email to set my worried mind at ease count? I don’t care, I am counting it. Next on the tip list- Do the Big Stuff First. I have to give this one some thought, but I think I tackle the hard issues first. I am certainly not a procrastinator…or am I? I will answer that question tomorrow, or maybe the next day…
Bottom line is this: Read a lot, sort through the good advice, laugh at the silly advice, and know enough to weed out the bad advice. Self-reflection should be done to ensure you are on the right path. But don’t get too caught up in the constant advice of the “professionals”, that could be a full time job in itself!