5 Rules to succeed at the workplace

1) Be the hardest worker in the room. Get there first, leave there last, and be productive when you’re there. Work when you’re at work.

2) Question everything internally first. If a rule, a way of doing things, or a story doesn’t make sense to you, try to earnestly figure it out and come up with a solution. If you always question an authority figure out loud (and especially if you do it in front of others), it will be viewed as being disrespectful. But if you bring things to their attention when you don’t understand and you do it in private, they can respect that (as long as their ego is in check).

3) Be humble, yet confident. Let your actions and the results speak for you. Keep your head up, put a smile on your face, have good posture/don’t slouch, speak clearly/enunciate, speak loudly but not too loud, look at others in the eyes when you’re talking with them, and keep an open mind to changing/forming new opinions.

4) Don’t engage in gossip unless you are speaking positively about someone else/building them up. Never say something behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face. If you would say it to their face and it’s a big enough deal to bother you, bring that person aside and talk it out.

5) Stay in your lane, but be aware of what is happening in the lanes around you. Nobody wants someone in another department to butt in and tell them how to do their job. Focus on your tasks and your responsibilities. BUT, have a good understanding of what other departments do, what they do well and what they can improve upon. You don’t need to know how they do what they do, but if you want to rise in the ranks, you should at least know what they do.

Remove the clutter while adding healthy habits

Make one big decision that leads to others.

Create healthy habits and remove bad habits.

Pair two tasks to increase productivity (like, I’ll listen to an educational podcast or audiobook when I drive to my appaointments).

Create rules for yourself.

Pre-commit to your goals.

Use select accountability partners to reach your goals.

3 Truths We Need To Remind Ourselves

1. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being productive.

2. Being efficient doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being effective.

3. Discipline doesn’t strip you of freedom, discipline equals freedom.

Don’t get caught up focusing on the wrong things. We can easily become distracted checking off items on out To Do list, but if they aren’t producing value in your life (monetarily or by increasing your happiness), why are you doing it?

Are you optimizing things that don’t matter (being more efficient, even though it doesn’t improve the end result of the goals you’re trying to achieve)?

Are you thinking negatively about restrictions others have placed on you or that you’ve placed on yourself? Some rules are meant to be broken, but if you set up the right rules to improve your time, energy, or health, stick to them! Reduce decision fatigue by sticking to your self-imposed rules so you’re more likely to consistently make good decisions.