Develop a personal stress management plan by monitoring for a week what causes you stress. Keep a diary. Then experiment with stress management techniques. A jog around the block that you normally take may offer relief from the aftermath of a distasteful conflict at work today, but would a discussion with a good friend be better? There are many techniques for managing stress -- physical exercise, leisure pursuits, creative writing, a massage, or even new beliefs about the nature of a problem…

Improve self-discipline by practicing empowering behaviors that become reflexes to drive you in a more rapid pursuit of your goals.

• Start with avoiding criticism for falling short of your ideal self.
• Recognize self-discipline is a learned skill, not a personal trait.
• Practice improving self-discipline at multiple points during the day, from completing a chore to starting a new large project you have postponed. 
• Find the big "why" to stir your motivation. 
• Identify steps to the end…

Take steps to avoid contributing to a toxic workplace. A toxic workplace typically has informal or unspoken rules or practices that inhibit communication, build distrustful relationships, and provoke unhealthy competition. They also undermine or inhibit attempts to practice healthier forms of communication or cooperation between employees, and they perpetuate primarily through fear. Employees struggle to be happy, healthy, and productive in toxic work environments, but developing a personal…

Every resource on time management and productivity discusses having the ability to say no. This assertiveness helps prevents distractions, saves personal energy, reduce stress, and reduces the risk of feeling overwhelmed. If saying no is a struggle for you, here are four other ways to do it: 1) Let others know in advance that you will be busy during a certain time or defined period. 2) Ask whether a certain task can be postponed. 3) Recommend another source of help or person with better…

A 3-year-old child could save a life by dialing 911. Would your little one know what to do if you fell and could not get up? It takes only a short time to teach a child how, why, and when to phone for help. The most common life-threatening event in the home is falling, with 6,000 victim deaths per year. It may sound ominous to be teaching a small child to dial 911 in an emergency, but if you do an online search, you will discover many stories of lives saved this way. 

There are secrets to successful to-do list management. When tallying your crucial items, do the following to maximize the benefits of this time-tested tool. 1) Add the time needed to each task for its execution; 2) add headlines to each item; 3) add subtasks for each task that requires multiple steps; 4) draw a line between related items (e.g., get haircut, pick up milk at grocery store); 5) mark whom to delegate the task to, if appropriate; 6) add more items to your list than you can…

Nothing creates a feeling of vulnerability more than admitting to a big mistake at work. In one moment it can feel as though your integrity, job status, reputation, and self-esteem are hanging in the balance. Conquering this fear is not easy, but the payoffs can be significant in elevating your reputation for two reasons. The first is that everyone makes mistakes. Everyone fears admitting to a mistake, so those who do so are often elevated among their peers because they show confidence,…