chapter 6

HOW TO GET GREAT WORK DONE

I’ve talked about goal-setting and the tools you need to be successful at work. I’ve also told you how to create a bullet journal and roll out new systems. Next, I’d like to focus on how to ensure that you are actually getting great work done.

CREATING A DISTRACTION-FREE WORK ZONE

Here at the Intern Queen office, we used to have an employee who was constantly distracted. Every time I’d look up, she was moving around the office. She was outside one second, then inside the next. Then she was off to get water, clean her desk, eat a snack, send a text, or water a desk plant. I rarely saw her working. I told her that in our small but always busy company, she needed to find a way to focus.

As someone who’s also had issues being able to focus, I felt for her. It’s hard to find your focus zone, disregard everything happening around you, and just get your work done. Before getting it together, I was constantly distracted. I would sit down to work on this book, and it would take me hours to get through a handful of pages. Why? Because my phone would ring, I’d get a text, I’d get an e-mail, I’d have someone ask me a question, I’d need to use the restroom, my computer would die, I’d need to get more water, I’d need a fresh coffee—the list went on and on. Before I knew it, not only was I avoiding the workload in front of me, but I was scrolling on a stranger’s Instagram page admiring her winter boots. The next thing I know, I’m ordering the winter boots from Nordstrom.com—clearly, not what I was trying to accomplish. This was exactly the opposite of what I was trying to do. The result of this constant distraction zone was simple: nothing was achieved. On top of that, I was frustrated and mad at myself, and felt uncapable of finding a distraction-free zone.

And while distractions aren’t always a bad thing, they keep you from getting your work done. A distraction could be a text from your mom or a call from your best friend. These are great people—whom you certainly want to connect with—but connecting with them at that instance will likely put you behind. Also, creating a distraction-free zone isn’t specific or unique to project-based work. Oftentimes to get any sort of real work done, we need to create our own caves and simply disconnect.

FIND YOUR FOCUS

Today, after many trials and tribulations, I’m excited to report that I’m able to create that distraction-free zone and get work done. After so many internal arguments, I finally told myself, that I needed to grow up, focus, and figure it out. When I interviewed Laura Vanderkam, she said something that really stuck with me: “If you want to get it done, you’ll get it done.” She was right. These were my projects that I was passionate about, and I did want to get them done. And let’s be honest, no one was going to do them for me. I had to find a way. I had to prove (first, to myself) that it was possible to get things done in a world full of cell phone notifications and 24-hour communication. It took time, but here’s how I finally got myself focused.

Block Time on Your Calendar

Remember when I talked about locking your day? Make sure to block time in the calendar to focus on any projects you might have. Yesterday, one of our team members was having a hard time crossing items off her to-do list because she kept getting distracted. I told her she needed to put the tasks in her calendar—it was the only way to get them done. She did this and, sure enough, it enabled her to focus and complete the tasks.

Music Playlist—Lunch Time

As I mentioned, I go to town with my e-mails over lunch. Usually, it’s sales e-mails so I’m in the mood for music that will get me in the right mindset to pitch myself and the brand. As you’ll find, I have a very eclectic taste in music and while I’m working I can do fast music or slow music, the key is continuously switching it up:

Rise Up

Audra Day

Time to Say Goodbye

Sarah Brightman

Side to Side

Ariana Grande

Focus

Ariana Grande

I Want It That Way

Backstreet Boys

Formation

Beyonce

Waiting for a Star to Fall

Boy Meets Girl

Shape of You

Ed Sheeran

Love Yourself

Justin Bieber

Sorry

Justin Bieber

Despacito

Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber

Bad Things

Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello

Black Widow

Iggy Izalea featuring Rita Ora

Can’t Stop This Feeling

Justin Timberlake

The Champion

Carrie Underwood featuring Ludacris

Perfect

Ed Sheeran

Born This Way

Gaga

Let It Go

James Bay

Like I’m Gonna Lose You

Meghan Trainor

Fight Song

Rachel Platten

Use Headphones

For the holidays, I asked for nice headphones. My friend Rachel Doyle, founder and former CEO of GlamourGals, had a rose gold pair that I absolutely loved. The initial purpose of the headphones was for the gym, as I thought they’d keep me motivated. I didn’t realize they’d also help me stay focused at the office. Just the act of putting on the headphones was a signal to my team that I was trying to focus, and I found team members were more likely to let me alone (and let me do my thing). I’m a person that can work with music and sometimes does better with music playing.

Remove Distractions

When I have a writing project to finish, I do a few different things to remove distractions. First, I disconnect the Wi-Fi on my computer. Second, I close all tabs and programs that aren’t being used. Third, I flip my phone over (it’s actually turned over as I write this). Phones, open tabs, and Wi-Fi provide more distractions than we realize (news alerts, social media pings, e-mails, texts, shopping discounts, and more), so removing them whenever possible helps me create a space where I can really focus.

Alert Those Around You

When I’m going into my distraction-free zone, I try to alert people to manage their expectations. At work, we all use Skype or Slack to communicate. I’ll leave the team a message before closing out of the program for a few hours. I typically include a note such as “Hi all, I’m going into my writing cave for a bit. I’ll be back on in two hours. Please make a list of any questions and I’ll get back to you soon!” I’ll do the same thing with any friends or family members who I know might be trying to get in touch over the next few hours. I’ll send them a text to say, “Doing work at coffee shop for a bit. Call you after!” It’s important to remember to be back when you say you’ll be back, too. I’ll talk more about managing friends and family expectations in Chapter 8.

Turn People Away

Throughout this book, I have mentioned and will continue to mention the importance of establishing boundaries. When you need to focus, you need to set boundaries with the people around you, especially those who are likely to cause a distraction. When you are in focus mode and someone asks you a favor, only agree if it works on your timeline. You can say something along the lines of “I’d love to help. I’m working on a project until 1 p.m. Let’s set up a time to meet after that,” which establishes a boundary and is professional. In the first chapter of the book, I discussed taking yourself seriously and you advocating for yourself. If you don’t set a boundary here, who will?

Utilize Your Notebook for Unrelated Ideas

If I have an idea that’s not related to the project that I’m working on during focus time, I make a note of it in my bullet journal so it can be dealt with post–focus zone.

Hydrate

Having a cup of coffee next to me really gets me into the zone. It’s my motivation in a cup! Because I always make sure I have everything I need when I get settled in for a project, water and a cup of coffee are always nearby. Whatever your drink of choice (coconut water, sparkling water, or hot tea), have it nearby!

Plan Your Timing

Before you get started, plan how long you are going to focus. Give yourself a time goal before you get started, and try not to work blindly (with no time and goal in place). Speaking of time goals, are you familiar with the Pomodoro Technique for work productivity and focus? As I was researching, I came across this time management method, and there is tons of research to prove its effectiveness. This method requires you to break your workday into 25-minute chunks separated by 5-minute breaks. After a few of these chunks of time, you take a longer break of 15 to 20 minutes. It’s suggested that you use a timer to track these 25-minute blocks of time (you can even use this timer on your computer: https://tomato-timer.com/). The idea is that you are not only giving yourself a set time to work on a specific task, but you are also taking enough breaks to avoid burnout.¹

Determine When You’re Most Productive

For me, early mornings are the most productive part of my day. Knowing when you’re most productive and planning around it will set you up for success. Let me explain with an example. Today, I had to work from San Diego, which is about a two-hour drive from where I live in LA. My husband and I debated when to drive down (at night/post-traffic or super early in the morning/before work). Because I had a project to work on and I knew I’d be more productive in the morning, we decided to drive down late at night so that I could work in the morning. I felt empowered by this decision because it not only reflected my goals but was proof that I knew myself well enough to make the best decision for me. Now that I know mornings are best (for me), I try to wake up early to accomplish my goals and get into my distraction-free zone, no matter where I am.

Turn Preventing Distractions into an Art Form

Test yourself. Yes, you should be able to create a distraction-free zone when it’s early in the morning, but technically, you should also be able to do so at any time.

In order to create your distraction-free zone at the drop of a hat, you must know what tools you need (example: my Beats headphones) and you must know what actions you need to take to make this work (example: turning my phone upside down or placing it across the room). For me, if I know I have to focus on a big writing project at 2 p.m., I need to make sure I have my headphones and a fresh iced coffee ready and alert the people around me that I’m going into “the zone.”

Being able to create this space for yourself is a sign that you are starting to really take control of your own time and the way you spend it. This is a big step in your journey to get it together!

Think About the Why

Sometimes we are so wrapped up in productivity, to-do lists, and getting things done that we forget about the why. Why are we working on this project in the first place? Why did we originally want to work on this project? Thinking back can sometimes remotivate you to do great work.

When I take a breath and ask myself why I do what I do, the answer is something like this: I started my business to be the career resource I never had. My why is to help people make the most of their career while also having fun and feeling inspired. When I get caught up in a crazy deadline or an event that didn’t go my way, I remind myself that I’m not in it for the deadlines or the events (yes, they come with the territory), but at the end of the day I’m trying my best to help others succeed.

PRIORITIZE

It wasn’t until recently that I came to understand how awful I was at prioritizing. I truly believed everything was important, and this set a bad precedent for myself and my team. If I can’t clearly articulate what to work on first, how will my team be able to do so? Over the past year, I’ve learned to prioritize based on urgency, deadlines, consequences, complications, and processes.

I do this by constantly looking at my to-do list (of no more than five items) and asking myself these five questions:

1.  Which projects are urgent vs. important?

2.  What tasks have an immediate deadline?

3.  Which project comes with the biggest consequence if not handled today?

4.  Which task is the most complex?

5.  Which task has a long process?

If you ask yourself these questions, you’ll find that your starting point will be clear. Let’s work through each a bit more.

Urgency

I follow the mantra of Sarah Knight, author of Get Your Sh*t Together, who stresses the need to prioritize based on urgency. Something that is urgent is time sensitive, is pressing, or requires immediate attention. Don’t get lost in the urgent versus important battle. Many things can be important, but what is urgent?

Deadline

Another part of this puzzle is figuring out how to prioritize multiple projects when none of them are urgent. The easiest solution: do them in order of when they are due. What is the deadline for each project? Prioritize by the deadline or date deliverables are due!

Consequence

A lot of times, it won’t be that easy to prioritize. But one question to consider is: Which project has the biggest consequence if not handled properly? Unfortunately, if you have one difficult client and one amazing client, oftentimes the difficult one is prioritized because you don’t want to deal with the consequences of that client being upset.

Complexity

Another way to determine where to focus your attention first is by following my motto of doing the task you want to avoid first. This not only gets a complicated task off your desk at the start of the day, but it makes you feel accomplished right off the bat. The better you feel about yourself and your performance during the day, the better you’ll do all around.

Remember, not every task is created equal. Just because something is easy to complete doesn’t make it urgent or any sort of priority. Adam Braun says, “Don’t spend time on the small wins that just make you feel good about yourself, it’s about knowing what really moves the needle.”

Process

And finally, you need to determine which item requires a response before proceeding. Let’s say you are trying to organize a conference call for 10 people. The steps you’ll need to take to complete the task are as follows:

1.  Determine everyone’s availability.

2.  Once you get the availability, send out a calendar invite to confirm.

With these “stop and wait” tasks, it’s always nice to get as far as you can with the task and then circle back toward the end of the day to complete it. First thing, I may take step one so that I can follow up later in the day if I don’t hear back and focus on completing the task by the end of the day.

SHUT UP AND WORK

I have a philosophy I like to live by, and it’s called “shut up and work.” While it may sound harsh, it basically means that at some point, we must put our heads down and just get things done. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk about things but don’t do them. It’s easy to talk about ideas, but it’s much harder to execute and put them into action. If you catch yourself chatting about work but not actually doing it, create that focus zone and get ready to shut up and work!

HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

Not only do you have to be your own advocate, but you also have to you hold yourself accountable. You must take yourself seriously. Now, I say that with caution because I’ve also seen people take themselves so seriously that it fuels the busy cycle (I discuss how busy I am, so you discuss how busy you are, and now we’re both in a cycle of proving our worth and self-importance based on busyness). There must be a balance. Part of holding yourself accountable is understanding the risk or consequence. What could happen if you don’t accomplish your goal?

One of the consequences that I experience when I don’t hold myself accountable is personal frustration. I hate feeling like I didn’t accomplish anything at the end of the workday. I hate asking myself, “What did I even do today?” after a long day of work.

I also try to avoid the domino effect. This is when you don’t get your work done, so you move the task to the next day. While this may not seem important at the time, it could turn into a habit that messes up your plan for the next day and the day after that and the day after that.

We see this happen in our office frequently when small projects are overlooked and pushed. This goes back to setting practical goals. You must not only give yourself more than enough time to achieve those goals, but you also have to schedule time to work on them throughout your day.

WORK UP NOT OUT

Another workplace goal of mine is to work up and not out. Working up means that I’m growing the business. It’s spending my time signing new clients, working directly on sales, implementing new procedures for efficiencies, and working on new growth strategies. Working out is doing things just to do them. As Tim Ferris says in his famous book The 4-Hour Workweek, “doing something unimportant well does not make it important.” He also says, “Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.” You have to focus on the projects that help you grow, not just put more work on your plate. Stop filling your days with “feelings” chats, e-mail responses, and busy tasks. These decision will move you laterally across instead of vertically up the ladder.

I’ll give you an example. I looked at my calendar the other day and was stressed. There was hardly any time to schedule what I needed to do (which included sending out new business pitches and working on my book). So, I analyzed the value of what was on my calendar. There were a few sales calls (that I needed to take) and then a 1.5-hour block of two podcasts. I looked up the podcasts, and they were student podcasts that didn’t have a huge following. While I’m more than happy to do things like this, this specific day required me to prioritize. I asked myself, “Will these podcasts help me grow my brand?” The answer was no, probably not, so I rescheduled both podcasts for a month later when I knew things wouldn’t be as crazy and made time for what I needed to do.

I challenge you to look at your day and calendar the same way. Which items enable you to work up, and which tasks are an example of you working out? What are you doing just for the sake of doing it? Ask yourself, “Is that activity helping me reach my goals for growth?”

STOP WORKING FOR THE SAKE OF WORKING

Some people sit at work late at night or come in early just to sit there. They may be on Facebook or talking to a friend, but in their mind, they think they’re “working” because they are physically at work. They are lying to themselves.

Stop working blindly, and stop spending hours on end staring at your inbox and waiting for another e-mail. Instead, work strategically, work for a purpose, focus on your goals, and check things off your to-do list.

Some people also fall into the trap of thinking that when they make a mistake at work, they have to make up for it with extra hours in the office. Working longer hours typically isn’t the solution. Instead, it’s working smarter, not harder and identifying the problem so you can find a productive solution. Don’t work just to work. Come up with a strategy or else it just leads to more chaos. When you are in a moment of frustration, take a moment to disconnect from it and come back with a clean slate and a new plan.

WORK FOR RESULTS

In addition to not working blindly, I want to remind you that your work should yield results. If you are churning out the work but not getting the desired results, you should reconsider your strategy and potentially switch it up. You can work until you are blue in the face, but if you aren’t getting results, what’s the point?

When I hire people to work at my company, I look for people who understand how to be results-oriented. In fact, we just had a situation with this last night. We have a client who hired us to throw shopping parties at its retail locations with our campus reps. Each party was supposed to have a minimum of 20 attendees. My team worked hard behind the scenes to recruit, train, and hire the students. They monitored the students as they promoted the events. At last night’s event only nine people showed up. This was extremely disappointing as I knew my team put in a lot of work. The client didn’t physically see my team working, and from their perspective, they just saw low attendance at an event. I explained to my team that in the client’s eyes it really didn’t matter how many hours they worked on the program, the result was bad. Until we can learn to be results-oriented, we cannot be effective. Again, it’s the result that matters, not the amount of work that was put in.

USE PDDS TO HELP YOU MEET DEADLINES

What’s a PDD? you may ask. It’s what I call a pre-due date. This is an internal due date to ensure that you reach a deadline in a timely manner. You must make pre-due dates for external deadlines to ensure success. Deadlines are always assigned to projects (even if they are internal), so with every deadline we should also create a PDD to ensure that we reach our goals. If you don’t have a pre-due date you risk the typical “dog ate my homework” situation, a stressful planning schedule, or even completely missing the deadline. If something has a Friday deadline, the PDD should be two full days before: Tuesday. This eliminates last-minute stress and gives you extra time that you will be grateful for later. At Intern Queen, we utilize our project management system (Wrike) to set our PDDs and CDDs (client due dates).

Take hitting deadlines seriously. Josh Notes, energy executive efficiency and renewable energy systems expert, suggests pretending that you are going on vacation the day after the deadline. If you need to hustle to finish the project to get everything done and go off the grid for a while, you’ll get out of your own way.

TRIM THE INEFFICIENCIES

At work, I’m constantly searching for inefficiencies, processes that don’t make sense, and opportunities or learning moments where our team can improve. I suggest that you always stay on the lookout for these, and when problems arise, look at the bigger picture solution instead of the “quick fix.” A few months back, I was in a meeting and made a bunch of notes on paper and then had to spend 15 minutes translating what I had written. I could have just grabbed a computer, taken the notes in a Word doc, cleaned up the doc after the meeting, and sent it out right after. In contrast, today I was in a meeting and had Wrike (our project management tool) open the entire time. I took my notes directly on Wrike to create not only a call recap, but a task list based on every note from the call. Now that is progress!

KEEP LEARNING FOR PERSONAL GROWTH AT WORK

A good worker is inspired, motivated, and passionate about his or her craft. Keep yourself engaged and always learning. Don’t forget the resources that are in front of you. Want to learn about social media techniques? Ask the social media director to coffee. Want to learn more about the marketing side of the business? Take the marketing director to lunch. Use your resources internally.

Don’t forget about the countless external resources too. Today’s business world means access to continued learning classes, workshops, virtual seminars, and more. These not only help you better understand something you want to learn more about but also show initiative and a unique passion for learning—which employers notice.

Podcasts

When I spoke to Adam Braun, founder of Pencils of Promise and cofounder of MissionU, he couldn’t stop raving about podcasts. When it comes to personal growth and development, podcasts are his favorite. Pull out your phone and bring up your podcasts app because you are going to want to subscribe to Adam’s favorite podcasts:

•   The Moth (storytelling)

•   99% Invisible

•   Radiolab

•   School of Greatness with Lewis Howes (one of Braun’s friends)

•   Rich Roll

•   NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz

•   WorkLife with Adam Grant

SAY THANK YOU (ALWAYS)

My friend Rachel, founder of GlamourGals, always stresses the importance of saying thank you. She’s really inspired me to check myself when it comes to how much I’m thanking the people around me. In fact, because of Rachel, I’ve implemented a new thank you note system that I’d like to share with you. I’m going to send out two thank you notes every week. As I’m writing this, I’m already brainstorming to whom I’m going to send thank you notes to this week. I challenge you to do the same!

HAVE EFFICIENT MEETINGS

We have six rules for meetings at Intern Queen, and I recommend you follow them as well.

1.  Agendas are required. Meetings don’t happen without agendas—especially internal meetings. If you don’t have an agenda, you shouldn’t be meeting with your colleagues. An agenda requires that you think before you meet, and writing down everything you need to cover helps you stay on track so that you cover everything of importance. I swear by agendas—they can take hours off meetings!

2.  No interruptions are allowed. If you have questions, write them down and ask them at the end. We used to allow people to interrupt and ask questions during meetings, but it created a ton of back-and-forth, and never-ending meetings. Also, the question might be answered as the meeting goes on. Our new rule is once the leader is done going through all important updates and items, anyone is free to ask questions. Everyone is also reminded of the time. For example, the meeting leader might say, “All right. Well, it’s 5:15 and we have 15 more minutes left. Does anyone have any questions, comments, or ideas they want to bring up?” If you know people may drag the conversation along, you could also add, “If we could keep our questions and ideas to about one or two minutes each, that would be great!” This is key as people tend to go on forever listing ideas if they have no time expectation set.

3.  Aim for 15-minute meetings. Thirty-minute meetings don’t typically last that long. Fifteen minutes is plenty of time for an efficient meeting. When it’s time for me to pitch my brand to a company, I try to keep it under three minutes so I can keep the meeting moving. Focus on the important stuff, and keep it moving. You want to hit your buzzwords, and then let them ask questions.

4.  Include the agenda in the calendar invite. I mentioned this earlier in the calendar section. I like to have the meeting agenda printed out before the call so I can write questions on it—ask at the end—cross them out—determine follow-up tasks—and move on. If we have a meeting with an external client, we ideally send the client the agenda at least a few hours before. It’s frustrating to get an agenda 10 seconds before a meeting starts.

5.  Make agendas at the beginning of the week for all calls. I usually try to do these on Sunday nights so I don’t have to worry about them. This way they are done and handled for the rest of the week.

6.  Give your full attention. When I spoke to Adam Braun, he confessed that his team used to tell him he wasn’t engaged enough in meetings because he was too busy or on his phone. Once he heard this feedback he changed things, and now, whenever he’s in a meeting his phone is down and laptop is closed. “You end up finding the time to clear those e-mails,” he says, “you don’t need to focus on this during meetings.”

NETWORK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF WORK (WITHOUT DRIVING YOURSELF CRAZY!)

Most people do what I call H/F networking or “hired and fired” networking. This means that you are consumed with networking only when you want to be hired or just got fired. To see the true value of networking, you must be consistent, thinking about it at all times, and (this is the hardest part) while you have a job.

Networking Internally

At your current job, I recommend building below-the-surface relationships with the people around you. I can’t believe how many people sit right next to each other every day at work for years but have never grabbed a cup of coffee together and don’t know where the other is from or what their background is. People who develop deeper connections can work more successfully together, and because of this, we now have a mandatory policy for interns around this idea. They must grab a cup of coffee (the company pays) with every single team member before the end of their internship. We’re implementing this for new team members as well.

Don’t know what to ask coworkers? Sick of the awkward silence? Here are some conversation starters:

•   Where are you from?

•   Where did you go to school?

•   Does your family live in the area?

•   What do you normally do after work?

•   What are your favorite restaurants in the area?

•   Are you a morning person? What time do you usually get up to start your day?

•   What’s your ideal weekend? What are you usually up to on the weekends?

Networking with Mentors

A few months back, I had a catch-up meeting with a mentor of mine in NYC who runs a big blogger/talent business. We had a good meeting, and I even felt like she opened up to me about things she was dealing with and feeling at work (which is always a great turning point in a mentor/mentee relationship), but I did feel like it got off track. Here’s what I should have done better and what you should consider doing in a catch-up meeting:

•   Have five questions prepared. Even though you might be meeting with someone who is more of a “friend” than a “mentor,” the person will still have insights and advice that can help you! Whenever I walk into a meeting with a mentor, I like to ask myself, “What do you want to know from this person? What’s a problem you are having where she may be able to help you find a solution?”

•   Read up on the person. Come to your meeting already aware of what’s new with people or the company they work with. Check their LinkedIn and any social media where you are connected and be aware of any clients they might be working with that you are interested in learning more about.

•   Keep your eye on the clock. If there’s a time you or the person you are meeting with needs to leave, be aware of this. Find a way to have a clock in your peripheral vision (if possible), so you can be sensitive of the time.

•   Clearly identify the action steps at the end of a meeting. Sometimes when meeting with friends or mentors, you won’t want to follow up because you “feel bad” or you don’t want to bother the person. Establishing what you owe them and what you’re hoping to get from them gets you both on the same page and doesn’t waste anyone’s time.

•   Send a thank you note immediately following the meeting. A handwritten note is always a nice touch—and will not go unnoticed. As a bonus, you could also send a short e-mail after the meeting, but remember this should be a quick thank you, and if there are follow-ups for your mentor, they should be small.

Networking Externally

We all get comfortable in our jobs and forget to network. It’s understandable. But what happens when we need to move on or get laid off? You never know what’s going to happen, so you should always be networking inside and outside of your business. And with that, make sure to keep your résumé updated. Should there be a meeting that you need to take, you want to make sure you have your materials easily accessible. Also, make sure that your social networks are updated and appropriate. LinkedIn should always be updated with your accomplishments and most recent position.

My favorite way to network externally is by setting up informational interviews with people who have jobs that you admire or are curious about. You can try connecting with them on LinkedIn and sending a note with your connection request. Write a short note requesting a quick advice phone call or coffee meeting. If you can find people that you have connections in common with, or people who graduated from your college—even better!

Additionally, attend networking events. I know I want to go home at the end of the day and watch Netflix and eat just as much as the next person, but I recommend you attend at least one external networking event (within your industry) every month. These could be professional associations that you’ve joined, alumni events, or just random panels that you find on Eventbrite. When I go to these events, I don’t let myself leave before I meet at least five different people and get their contact information. Also, if possible, I like to research who’s going to be at these events ahead of time so I can pinpoint certain people. I’ll look them up on LinkedIn so I know what they look like.

Make sure you bring business cards, or something of the sort to give to people at these meetings. Also, if there are cocktails involved, you must keep it together. I’d recommend no more than two cocktails and, of course, make sure you have the right transportation home. If you haven’t eaten before the event (this happens a lot as events tend to be scheduled after work), be extra careful. You are here to network, and you don’t want to embarrass yourself.

And my last piece of advice for external networking is not to burn bridges. You want to have positive relationships within your industry to make you a desirable job candidate. If people think you have a bad attitude or might be difficult to work with, they are less likely to want to hire you some day. Remember, you never know whom you will be working with or working for in the future.

RECEIVE FEEDBACK GRACEFULLY

Whenever I think of feedback at work, I think about Target because the company is known for having what’s called a “feedback-driven culture” where everyone gets feedback all the time—even the CEO! Feedback is good to get but isn’t always the easiest to receive. We can’t improve without it. Here are some tips to deal with getting feedback:

•   Bring a pen and paper to take notes.

•   Ask questions and ask for examples. Make sure you understand the feedback you are getting. In fact, you could reiterate the feedback just to make sure you are understanding it. If you don’t understand the feedback, use it as an opportunity to ask specific questions to understand where the person is coming from.

•   Ask for advice on how you can improve any issues.

•   If you know the feedback session is happening, prep for it with any questions or uncertainties about your performance.

•   Thank whoever delivered the feedback. Remember, the person didn’t have to do that.

•   Come up with a plan for the next day to show you were listening.

•   Even if you are the CEO or don’t agree with the feedback, take the time to listen and consider what you have heard. Thank the person for providing it and consider the fact that he or she may be onto something.

•   Try not to be defensive or give a “trigger finger response.” By this, I mean take a moment to soak in the feedback you are getting and consider it. You don’t need to react right in that moment or even in that conversation. You can simply thank the person for the feedback and tell him or her you are going to process it and you’ll circle back with any questions.

BE SUCCESSFUL WORKING FROM HOME

Did you know that over 22 percent of adults worked from home in some capacity in 2016? That number is expected to increase, according to the American Time Use Survey put out by the US Department of Labor. Many people are finally getting the opportunity to work from home or start their own businesses, so having the skills to stay focused at home is essential for success. (Also, if you are reading this and still in school, studying is another form of working from home, so you’ll benefit from this advice too!)

When working from home, have a place where you can focus. You need to establish where in your home you will get things done. I do have an office room, but I rarely use it because I find that I’m most productive in the parts of the house that have the brightest lighting. They also make me the happiest to work from.

In addition to having a designated space, be sure it includes everything thing you need to get your work done. You want to sit down and be ready to work. You don’t want to have to get up for water, coffee, pens, chargers, etc.

Finding your groove when you work from home can take time (as you learned was the case for me in Chapter 2). Here are a few lessons I learned throughout that process:

•   Take yourself seriously. When you work at home, you can technically do whatever you want. If your cell phone rings with a personal call during the workday, you could answer it. No one will be looking over your shoulder to monitor your actions. Because of this, you’ll be faced with great temptation. However, once you start to take yourself seriously, set your own boundaries, and ignore anything that stops you from being productive, you will start to see your productivity skyrocket.

•   Get dressed. You don’t have to wear a business suit, but do put on clothes that make you feel confident and professional. You don’t want to turn into a house rat like I did and start to doubt yourself.

•   Build relationships beyond the screen. Working from home can be lonely, so go out of your way to build beyond-the-screen relationships. Make it a point to have coffee meetings with local execs and entrepreneurs a few days per week.

•   Go outside. I also found that it’s important to take a walk during lunch or circle the block while on a call. Whatever it is, do something to get out of your house and away from your desk.

•   Break your day up. If you are spending all day at home, you should go do something (even if it’s just running a silly errand) after working hours. No one wants to be in the same place for too long.

When I spoke to Brooke Miccio, mega YouTuber and content creator, she mentioned how hard it can be for her to focus at home, so she’ll often head to the campus library for the day to work. If you are distracted or cannot focus at home, you should leave and go somewhere else. The second I feel a lack of focus, I grab my stuff and leave almost immediately. I can’t sit there “getting ready to get ready.” I need to decide, move, and get my work done.

TRAVEL AND WORK TIPS

I travel at least 14 days per month and have learned quite a bit on these trips. Here are some personal lessons I’ve learned along the way so you too can keep it together on the road:

•   Prepare for plane rides. Make sure your flight is in your calendar and that you know exactly what time to leave for the airport with some wiggle room, just in case. Choose a seat where you’re most comfortable and have everything you need (tickets, passport, license, snacks, etc.). I try to bring healthy food with me on the plane so I can feel great while traveling and stay healthy.

•   Have backup boarding passes and itineraries. Even though we’re living in a mobile world, I believe in having a backup for everything. I like to print copies of my daily calendar while I’m traveling (with plane times and meeting directions) just in case anything happens to my phone on the go.

•   Plan until you can’t. Once I get to the airport, I am fully aware of my travel plans. I’m also fully aware that they could change at any moment, so I plan until I can’t. I try to zone out and have a “go with the flow” attitude once I arrive at the airport. Once I’m at the airport, I’ve done all I can. The rest is up to the skies!

•   Make a plane plan. How will you spend your time on the plane? If I’m traveling on the weekends or super late at night, I’ll give myself a break and maybe even buy a magazine. But if I’m traveling early in the morning or during the workday, it’s on! If I’m going to have more than an hour of uninterrupted work time, I want to take it. Whether I’m catching up on e-mails, writing e-mails, or working on projects or proposals, I set a plan before I take off. I also try not to overplan because turbulence scares me and causes me to close my computer.

•   Carrybusiness cards. Always have business cards with you as you never know whom you’ll meet on the road. Take more than you think you might need—you always want to have extra instead of not enough.

•   Use a packing list. Before you blindly start packing, write out a packing list. I write out all the days and what type of outfit I need for that day. You can see my system on the following page.

I use a makeshift double table here. First, I log by the type of outfit I need and then I total up at the bottom how many of each “type” of outfit I need to bring. I take the list into my closet where I pack!

•   Don’t overpack. Why lug around more stuff than necessary? Only pack the essentials. You’ll be happy you did!

•   Work out on the road. Plan workouts ahead of time. Look at pictures of the hotel gym on the hotel website and see what you’ll have at your disposal. You could also find a class nearby if that’s what you prefer.

•   Eat healthy on the road. Packing snacks on trips is always a plus for me. Not only do I avoid boring plane food, but I stay healthy, too. I always pack nuts, fruit, dried mango, and granola bars. If you know you’ll be going to dinners or lunches on your trip, take a look at the menu and get an idea of what you should eat beforehand. This will help you stay on track when you’re away from home. If you have any say over where you eat, try to pick places with healthy options.

•   Get your hair styled. Now, this is a luxury, but if you can swing it, getting a blowout or a haircut before a business trip is amazing. Not having to worry about your hair for two or three days on your trip is such a time-saver.

•   Enjoy. Try to do one thing for you during business trips. Go to a great restaurant, eat dinner alone, take a bubble bath, or order takeout in bed. No matter what it is, just do something that you enjoy. If you don’t break the work travel up with some fun time, it will get daunting. Give your mind a break! You deserve it.

• • •

I know I shared a lot of information, strategies, and tips in this chapter, but remember all of this can be done, and this does work. I’ve seen it. The days when I can follow my own advice, my day feels complete. I feel as if I’m floating through the day, completing tasks, managing other people’s expectations, and getting great work done. It’s such a stark contrast to the days when you come home feeling like you worked all day but accomplished nothing. By slowly implement different ideas that I’ve suggested on different days (and trying your own), you’ll grow tremendously and feel in control of your life.