Clutter A Salespersons Greatest Nemesis (Part 1) - Your Career Intel

Clutter A Salespersons Greatest Nemesis (Part 1) - Your Career IntelDont delude yourself into thinking your cluttered desk isnt zapping productivity. Youve worked too hard on other aspects of your career to let office disorganization undermine you.You know the scene Its early morning and youre owning the day. Lights turn green and besucherzahlen parts. With Spotify blasting in your ears and a Red Bull in hand, you stride into the still-darkened and quiet office. Youre about to rock out two hours of colossal BD calling.Then, BAMYou turn the corner and catch sight of the destruction zone called your desk. It looks like a Hurricane and a Volcano had a baby. And in that instant, your energy, focus and drive all evaporate.But, wait. Youre a Sales Guru a fast thinker and resourceful. You know where everything is and dont need a clean desk to rule the phone. No one can see through the phone anyway, right?As an experienced saleman and sales ops leader, my response is simple Bullshit. Dont d elude yourself into thinking your cluttered desk isnt zapping productivity. Youve worked too hard on other aspects of your career to let office disorganization undermine you. Consider the steps you already take to support your professional successYou strategize. You have a territory plan, a monthly plan, a weekly plan.You invest in clothes, accessories, shoes, etc. Your image is polished.You research. You read up on clients and study competitors. You know whats hot in the market.But avoiding the 10 minutes a day to organize your desk in preparation for the next morning? Dont shortchange yourself. Get organized and stay organized. For every 10 minutes you spend prepping for the next day, youll get an hour back in productivity. Who turns down a 500% Time ROI?Buried Desk? Persistence and Focus Suffer Stress ThrivesMultiple studies have shown correlations between increased organization and better productivity, efficiency and profitability. Theres something so common sense about it. Stay ing focused and persistent in the face of a challenging or stressful activity like cold calling requires mental toughness and self-motivation. You need every ounce of energy pushing you forward, driving you.Simply put, office clutter slows you down. It produces physical and visual chaos, and it brutally challenges focus. Neuroscientists at Princeton University found that clutter distracts your brain and stymies your ability to process information. Their studies revealed that physical clutter in your immediate environment (i.e. your desk) competes for your attention and responsiveness, resulting in decreased wertmiger zuwachs AND increased anxiety. Sales is hard enough. Why make it harder? For most of us, office clutter invites unnecessary stress.While clutter is undeniably linked to poorer task performance and greater stress, some of you may counter my advice for an organized desk with other research that links messy desks to enhanced creativity and innovation. Yes, that connectio n has also been shown but rememberyoure in sales not graphic design.Lets go back to the beginning of your day. Keep the music. Drink the Red Bull. Stay committed to your BD calls. But this time, as you round the corner, know exactly what youre going to find the clear desk and organized office space you prepped yesterday.Youre focused. Youre organized. You nail it.

How to Focus Better 4 Things Leaders Do to Concentrate

How to Focus Better 4 Things Leaders Do to Concentrate Weve all looked up to someone in our lifetime because of their leadership style. Whether your role models are actually in a position of leadership or leid doesnt matter as much as the fact that their hard work, attention, dedication, and focus inspire you to push ahead with your own goals. So, what are these great leaders doing differently that gives them the ability to focus so well at work? To achieve the same level of concentration that they have, apply the following tips in your own life, and watch how others will start to see you as a role model, too.1. They select the right leadership style.Just because youre in a role that allows you to lead other people and give them commands doesnt mean youre naturally good at it. Even if youre not, you can take some important steps toward becoming a better leader. Step one is deciding that you want to lead the right way without becoming too internally or externally focused. While both t ypes of focus and concentration help you guide the people around you, dont let either one consume you.Internally focused people spend their time entirely wrapped up in the staff around them. Whether its for your subordinates or your coworkers, you probably spend nearly every hour of your day answering phone calls, questions, and emails to help them reach their goals if youre this type of leader. The dicke bretter bohren mssen in such a scenario is your lack of time and ability to achieve your own goals in pushing the company forward.Externally focused individuals, on the other hand, concentrate much mora of their time on the outside worldhow competitors function and how they stack up against even the most well-rooted and funded companies. However, spending too many resources trying to compete might undermine the unique progress your own business could make.Strategically focused individuals know how to provide internal care, keep an eye on external threats and still use plenty of ene rgy to lead the organization where it needs to go. They dont burn out as quickly as people who are too focused on one or the other type of motivation, and they inspire the people around them to take charge as well.Sheryl Sandberg, for instance, advises using ruthless prioritization to hone your focus. That means devoting your focus and concentration to a few areas in which youre particularly strong and following through, rather than trying to focus on many different areas and only giving them half your attention.While any two strategically focused leaders might go about their goals in different ways, they have one thing in common They make use of several of the following strategies to stay focused in the right way. To lead like them, you have to do the same.2. They take care of their health.It might sound like it has nothing to do with your focus, but eating a good breakfast wasnt just something your mom told you growing up. Eggs, oatmeal and other healthy breakfast foods actually i mprove your productivity and attention on your tasks. Some options for a hearty breakfast also reduce your cravings throughout the day, helping you stay focused and aware of your surroundings instead of distracted by hunger.Powerful women like Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ina Garten, and Beyonc prioritize breakfast, relying on foods like eggs, oatmeal, and fruit.Other methods also help you properly maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve your attention span. Make sure you get a good nights sleep every nightsleep deprivation has serious consequences on your work performance and productivity (not to meant your body and physical health). Try meditation or another activity that helps to relax and destress. Be sure to get enough exercise throughout each day to keep you healthy and stimulated. Once youve taken care of your body, your brain is much more likely to function the way you need it to to pay attention to the tasks you need to accomplish.If youve taken steps to care for your he alth and still feel like you need a bit of a boost, try a stimulant from time to time. As long as you dont abuse it, the caffeine from coffee and tea can help your mind feel more alert, so you get your own work done and lead others. Even chewing gum can improve your ability to focus. Try it yourself and see what happens3. They minimize distractions.Before you can achieve the mental focus to move past your distractions, you need to identify them. Some people might overuse Twitter, while others obsessively check their email. Maybe your distraction is completely off the wall, like the sound of a dripping faucet nearby. Whatever your distraction is, you need to identify it and eliminate it. Once you eliminate your distractions, youll be able to reach flow more easily and stay there while you knock out small tasks on your way to achieving larger goals.If you constantly check your phone, try turning it off for a period until you get your most important tasks out of the way. If you feel hu ngry, keep snacks nearby. Arrange your workspace to make sure you can find everything. Some people even find that working offline for a portion of the day helps them stay focused, though it takes practice. Cater your strategy to your own lifestyle and no one elses.4. They cut themselves some slack.When youre looking to be the best leader possible, you might forget to take a breather from time to time. Its tempting to stay on the clock long hours without any time off, and sometimes you might even force the people you manage to live the same lifestyle. Acting like an overachiever and forcing the people around you to work without breaks means you run the risk of losing great staff members and diminishing your companys progress. The reality is that your brain, just like everyone elses, needs some time off.Do you think powerful women never take breaks? Think again. Shonda Rhimes take long baths to unwind, while Jennifer Lopez goes shoe shopping. Oprah Winfrey, meanwhile, prefers taking a nice walk.Try apps that remind you and the people around you to take healthy breaks. While youre at it, you might want to take the time to reward yourselfand your employeesfor all their hard work. The reward can be anything you want, as long as it doesnt undermine the healthy habits you established in step two. Youre more likely to power through each task when you see a fun payoff at the end, and the people you lead will definitely consider the work more manageable if youre open to their motivational needs.Now that you know the steps to focus better as a great leader, were sure well be hearing about your accomplishments soon