By Gary Bencivenga

Success Bullets

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, yet some people accomplish so much more than others. What are their secrets? Here are the best ways to boost productivity from some of the brightest minds on the subject...

Smarter Strategies

Apply the 80/20 rule to everything. Roughly 20% of your daily activities are responsible for 80% of your success, income and personal happiness. These are your “big-payoff” activities.

Conversely, 20% of your activities are causing 80% of your wasted time. These are your “low-payoff” activities.

The best way to multiply your productivity is simple -- always be looking to free up more time for your big-payoff activities by ruthlessly eliminating the dozens of low-payoff ones that you unwittingly tolerate.

Example: One of the most successful executives I know keeps a framed sign over his desk and carries an index card in his shirt pocket with the same message --

Is this leading me to my main goal?

He checks that reminder numerous times a day and saves countless hours each week by staying on track -- cutting off quickly from time-wasting phone calls, meetings, gossip, etc., and relentlessly getting back to the big-payoff activities for himself and his company.

Harness your “hour of power.” Whatever your highest-payoff activity, rise early and give it the first hour of your day -- what I call your “hour of power.” This gets your day off to a highly productive start.

The late Earl Nightingale, a management guru, explained that if you spend this early-morning hour in the study of your chosen field, you’ll be a national expert in five years or less.

Gain six to eight extra hours of productivity every day. Your second-most-productive hour is right before you go to sleep. This is a great time to leverage your productivity by arranging for your mighty subconscious mind to solve a problem while you sleep peacefully.

How to do it: Just before going to bed, think about a problem or question that you’re working on. Then say to yourself, Great subconscious mind, I don’t want to work on this matter too hard, so please just figure this out for me by the morning while I sleep peacefully. Then completely forget about the matter and drift off to sleep.

You’ll likely find that during your hour of power the next morning, you will be brimming over with ideas that are perfect for your project. Be aware that your morning ideas are slippery fish. If you don’t catch them immediately on getting up, they’ll swim away forever. Keep a pad and pen at your bedside to capture your ideas.

Don’t carry your “to-do” list in your head. You not only will forget things that are on the list, but an inner voice will perpetually nag that you must be dropping balls somewhere. Use a written to-do list to capture everything you must remember -- every phone call, task and follow-up action. Review the most urgent and important items daily, and all items weekly.

Don’t multitask. As Confucius said, “A man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Modern studies show that when you try to accomplish two activities that require focused attention at the same time, both suffer significantly.

Slow down. When focusing on one high-priority item at a time, don’t rush through it. You do your best thinking when you are focused and relaxed. As Mae West advised with a wink, “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

Get enough sleep. Research shows that your productivity, clarity, alertness, judgment, creativity, memory, motivation, relaxation, cheerfulness and lots of other wonderful qualities all thrive on adequate sleep and suffer without it. Also consider an afternoon nap -- one of life’s most rejuvenating luxuries.

Do what you love. It’s much easier to be productive when your work is your play. You will want to give it your full attention and every minute you can -- and you easily will brush off countless distractions that seduce others. So in all of your activities and goals, and especially when deciding which to choose as your highest priorities, remember the words of editor and author Christopher Morley, “There is only one success -- to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

Your “Not-to-do” List

Your not-to-do list is even more important than your to-do list. You must work every day to minimize or get rid of those 20% of activities that are wasting 80% of your time -- by maintaining a not-to-do list. Helpful...

Never answer e-mail in the morning. Reserve your precious morning time for your highest-payoff activities. Also, shut off your e-mail program for most of the day so that you won’t be interrupted by each new incoming message. Limit reviewing your e-mail to specific periods, perhaps once around noon and again later in the day. Keep replies short with answers such as, “Thanks”... “Look forward to it” ... “Will do”... or “I agree.”

Don’t answer phones just because they ring. Too often, it is a salesperson, fund-raiser or other pesky soul out to waste your time and ruin your focus. Have an assistant or answering machine screen your calls, or let them go to voice mail. As psychiatrist Edward M. Hallowell, MD, author of Crazy Busy, says, “If you don’t manage your time, it will be taken from you.”

Flex your no muscle. Whenever someone asks you to do something that you would rather not do, remember this simple two-part formula --

1. “Thanks for asking” (for having confidence that I could do this, etc.),

2. “I can’t, because... ” (you’ve just been given a major new assignment or whatever) “so I wouldn’t be able to give it the time that it deserves.” If the petitioner persists, don’t debate the issue. Just keep robotically repeating your reason for declining, and the person soon will let you alone.

Of course, if the person making the request is your boss, remember that he/she is your number-one customer and that it’s important to be on the same page about what’s important. Sound out whether this new request supersedes your current tasks. In other words, know what is most important at all times, and put your focus there.

Ask two questions of every task:

1. Does this have to be done?

2. If so, does it have to be done by me?

In all matters, strive to be not just efficient but effective. Efficient means doing things right, but effective means doing the right things -- which is far more important.

Delegate the kaizen way. If you’re a control freak and can’t delegate easily, do it the kaizen way. Kaizen is the Japanese approach of continuous improvement with small, nonthreatening, easy-to-take baby steps. Ask someone to do a small task for you. As soon as you’re comfortable with one delegation baby-step, take another, and so on. It’s easier to get 10 people to work for you than for you to do the work of 10.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Gary Bencivenga, a renowned direct-marketing advertising copywriter based in Garden City, New York. He also is editor of the e-zine Success Bullets and author of 12 Life-Changing Quotations, both available free at his Web site, www.successbullets.com

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM

By Carole Jackson

Bottom Line's Daily Health News

Good things happen in rocking chairs -- grandmothers knit, babies are fed, iced tea is enjoyed on summer afternoons on shady porches... and there’s more. Evidence is mounting that rocking can be an effective therapy for improving numerous physical conditions, including constipation and arthritis, and also can help speed recovery after surgery. "Rocking chair therapy" has long been recommended to ease lower back pain -- and in fact, a certain style of rocking chair was popularized by President John Kennedy, who had one on Air Force One to help his severe back problems. Recently, a study conducted at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated that, all other things being equal, cancer patients recovering from abdominal surgery who spent time rocking in a rocking chair resumed bowel activity more quickly than patients who did not... and that means that they felt better sooner and recovered faster.

This Rocks!

Regular readers know this is the kind of health story I love -- simple, old-fashioned, inexpensive, effective and safe. I called Robert Massey, PhD, RN, director of clinical nursing at the center and lead author of the study. He told me that bowel dysfunction is a normal and expected side effect of abdominal surgery, but many patients tell him it is the most difficult part of their recovery. The problem can last as long as three to five days.

Previously, while working on a different unit, Dr. Massey had observed that patients who rocked in rocking chairs experienced an earlier return of bowel function than those who did not rock. Also, previous research in women recovering from C-section and abdominal hysterectomy demonstrated earlier resolution of bowel dysfunction in those who rocked in a rocking chair than in those who received other treatments. Dr. Massey decided to try the rocking chair intervention in both male and female cancer patients recovering from surgeries for abdominal cancers, as well as from gastric, colon, small bowel, pancreatic or liver surgeries.

The Study

The study involved 66 patients, 34 of whom were instructed to rock for periods of between 10 to 20 minutes for a total of at least one hour a day, and also to walk, adding more time each day as tolerated. They were compared with 32 others who did not rock (but who did walk) who served as a control group. The results: Those in the rocking group first passed gas (a post-op healing benchmark) 16.8 hours earlier on average than the other group. Dr. Massey says that 17 hours doesn’t sound like a lot, "but it is a long time if you are experiencing postoperative nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention and inability to eat." He added that there’s also evidence that having these side effects may impact recovery in a way that can negatively affect your quality of life much later -- so it may be that rocking has long-term health benefits as well.

Some of the study participants had trouble filling their rocking quotient because it was so relaxing that they fell asleep in the rocking chair, Dr. Massey told me. Though rocking does use some abdominal muscles, he said it did not seem to increase abdominal pain.

Dr. Massey believes the positive results are due to the way rocking stimulates the vestibular nerves in the ear that, in turn, send signals to the reticular activating system (RAS), which is the source of the fight-or-flight reaction that plays a pivotal role in bodily and behavioral alertness. The bowel dysfunction associated with abdominal surgery is thought to be a response to the stress of surgery. It seems that rocking modulates this response and mobilizes the digestive system. Dr. Massey is hoping to start a new study soon that will investigate more fully what it is about rocking that is so effective for post-op patients.

Who Should Rock?

Some orthopedic surgeons recommend rocking to help patients recover from knee surgery. And, it seems to help patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia, ADHD, autism and sensory disorders. It also has been used for chronic fatigue and to help patients recover from stroke and heart attack. Rocking may help relieve arthritis and has been found helpful for varicose veins. Dr. Massey told me that he plans future research to also investigate whether the use of rocking therapy will help surgical patients avoid post-op deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially serious and sometimes lethal situation that creates clots that can go to the lungs. "In rocking you are flexing and relaxing the muscles in the lower legs, which may enhance the compression stockings’ effectiveness," says Dr. Massey.

Rocking can even be helpful for everyday complaints, such as the common cold, insomnia and some forms of constipation, though Dr. Massey said there is a need for further research to learn more. Rocking chairs have been in homes for centuries -- and I think we will be seeing lots more of them in high-tech medical centers of the future.

Robert Massey, PhD, RN, director of clinical nursing, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright © 2009 by Boardroom Inc.

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM

By Carole Jackson

Bottom Line's Daily Health News

There’s little doubt that diet and lifestyle choices play a major role in the obesity epidemic in America. But investigators have recently uncovered another intriguing theory about the causes of obesity -- it turns out that obese people have different gut bacteria. Though this is not the sole factor, experts now are delving further to learn all they can about what role these tiny microbes play in this big threat to our health.

Obese People Host a Different Mix of Bacteria than Lean Individuals

The human body is host to trillions of microbes (bacteria), some that support our health and others that threaten it, notes Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew Rubman, ND. There is lots of research underway on the connection between obesity and gut bacteria, but early findings already demonstrate that different people are host to different colonies of microorganisms in their guts and these variations affect weight as well as health. Some of the differences may be genetic, others are a result of our unique dietary environments. Several studies in particular highlight the connection...

* At Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, scientists found that the intestinal tracts of obese and thin people have different ratios of two types of bacteria that normally predominate in the human gut -- Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Obese individuals had higher percentages of Firmicutes and lower percentages of Bacteroidetes bacteria, while the lean group had roughly the opposite balance. After the obese individuals lost weight by following a low-calorie diet for one year, the ratio of these two types of bacteria in the obese individuals became more like that of the lean group.

* In another experiment, also at Washington University, scientists bred mice to be free of intestinal flora, then fed them gut bacteria taken from obese mice -- and they got fat. In contrast, flora-free mice given gut bacteria from skinny mice gained little weight. The researchers concluded that differences in gut flora may contribute to obesity.

The Ecology of the Gut

While there is more to learn about the influence of gut ecology on weight, keeping the bacteria of your digestive system in proper balance is essential to maintaining optimal health, says Dr. Rubman. He told me it is well-documented that problems in the large intestine -- the hub of the body’s immune system -- quickly lead to problems elsewhere in the body. Beneficial bacteria help your body break down food and absorb nutrients, so it makes sense that having more healthful bacteria helps digestion. Poor diet, emotional stress or physical disease, along with other factors, disturb the natural balance, allowing harmful bacteria to proliferate, so it is harder for good bacteria to protect the mucosal walls of the intestines. When these become more permeable, toxins leak out, challenging immunity and causing inflammation locally and elsewhere in the body.

Our bodies are programmed to protect us from negative external influences and challenges, so threats (such as inflammation) may lead to an increase in energy storage (i.e., calories) to meet the challenge. If this mistaken attempt at self-protection persists, the ecology of the gut adjusts to favor bacteria that are more proficient at extracting calories from food. Over time, these calorie-hungry microbes contribute to weight gain, making it even harder for overweight people to shed unwanted pounds -- an all-too-common complaint. So, the theory goes, people who are already overweight can eat the same meals as lean people, but they’ll absorb more calories. Harmful bacteria also slow the passage of food through the digestive tract, and the more time food spends in the body, the more calories you absorb from it.

Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to encourage and restore a proper microbial balance in your gut.

One way to optimize your balance of intestinal bacteria is to follow a probiotic diet, which will rev up your metabolism and spur weight loss, according to Joseph Brasco, MD, a gastroenterologist in private practice in Huntsville, Alabama, and coauthor of Restoring Your Digestive Health and the upcoming Probiotic Diet. Especially if you are doing everything right -- eating nutritiously, watching portion size and exercising regularly -- if you still cannot lose weight, the problem may be related to an imbalance of gut flora.

To tip the scales toward weight loss, Dr. Brasco recommends these simple strategies:

* Consume more fresh fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. What you don’t eat is just as important as what you do, Dr. Brasco emphasizes. Fresh produce encourages the production of friendly microbes. Fiber in fruits and vegetables (especially the skin) helps speed food through the digestive tract. This improves the health of the intestinal lining by nurturing the right bacteria. Toxins don’t linger as long, so they do less damage. In contrast, processed foods, such as breads, doughnuts and cookies, are loaded with starch and simple sugars -- exactly what harmful bacteria thrive upon.

* Eat fermented foods every day. To restore proper gut balance, regularly eat yogurt with active cultures, chutneys, unpasteurized sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi, kefir and miso. Try a new type each day -- for example, snack on yogurt... add chutney to a dinner stew... slice some pickles into your salad. Beneficial organisms associated with fermentation colonize the gut and discourage the growth of harmful bacteria.

* Take a daily probiotic supplement. When diet and exercise still fail to generate weight loss, Dr. Brasco has seen patients get good results with probiotics. His favorite brands: Garden of Life’s Primal Defense Ultra and Align (Procter & Gamble), both available at health-food stores and online, and HLC (Pharmax), available through your health care provider.

* If a probiotic supplement makes you gassy or bloated, try taking it on an empty stomach, suggests Dr. Brasco. Most doctors advise patients to take probiotics with food, but he says trying them away from meals sometimes helps this problem. Other solutions include taking a probiotic supplement every other day to start and working your way up to daily... or you could try a different product based on a different mix of bacteria, since there are a variety available. Ask your doctor for help in identifying the right mix for you.

Andrew Rubman, ND, director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.

Joseph Brasco, MD, Center for Colon and Digestive Disease, Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Brasco is coauthor of Restoring Your Digestive Health (Kensington Press) and the upcoming Probiotic Diet (the working title of the book, to be published by Strange).

Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright © 2009 by Boardroom Inc.

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM

Lydia Wilen

Joan Wilen

Not every winter illness requires a trip to the doctor’s office. The following time-tested folk remedies offer effective, inexpensive treatments for minor health complaints.

Important: Consult your doctor if your condition persists or grows worse.

Colds -

The average adult contracts between two and four colds each year, mostly between September and May. Medical science has no cure for these highly contagious viral infections, but the following folk remedies can help ward off colds, ease symptoms and possibly shorten a cold’s duration...

Garlic. Garlic contains allicin, which has been shown to reduce the severity of a cold. Eat four cloves of freshly crushed raw garlic three times a day until you have recovered.

Cinnamon, sage and bay. Cinnamon contains compounds believed to reduce congestion. Sage can help sooth sore throats. Some Native American cultures have used bay leaves to clear breathing passages. Steep one-half teaspoon each of cinnamon and sage with a bay leaf in six ounces of hot water. Strain and add one tablespoon of lemon juice. Lemon helps reduce mucus buildup. If you like your tea sweet, add honey.

Chicken soup. The Mayo Clinic has said in its health newsletter that chicken soup can be an excellent treatment for head colds and other viral respiratory infections for which antibiotics are not helpful.

Flu -

Influenza is a potentially serious viral infection. People often mistake colds for the flu. Colds take hold gradually and are not usually accompanied by severe aches or a fever. The onset of the flu is sudden, and symptoms include fever, severe muscle aches and fatigue.

Garlic and cognac. A shot of cognac is a popular flu remedy in Germany, where it’s thought to ease symptoms and help the body cleanse itself. Garlic helps clear mucus, among other potential benefits. Peel and dice a half-pound of garlic. Add one quart of 90-proof cognac, and seal the mixture in an airtight bottle. Store in a cool, dark place for two weeks. Strain out the garlic, and reseal the liquid in the bottle. Prepare a new batch each year.

To treat the flu: Add 20 drops to eight ounces of water. Drink three glasses a day, one before each meal. For prevention: Use 10 to 15 drops, instead of 20, per glass during flu season.

Important: This treatment is not advisable for people who have drinking problems or for children.

Sauerkraut. Sauerkraut’s concentration of lactic acid bacteria may weaken infections. Have two tablespoons of sauerkraut juice or about one-half cup of sauerkraut each day during flu season to reduce the chances of infection.

Sore Throats -

Experiment with these remedies until you find what works best for you...

Apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and its acidity might help kill the bacteria that cause some sore throats. Add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to six ounces of warm water. Gargle with a mouthful, spit it out, then drink a mouthful. Continue this until the mixture is gone. Rinse your mouth with water to prevent the vinegar from eroding your teeth. Repeat the vinegar gargle every hour for as long as your sore throat persists.

Sage. Sage is an anti-inflammatory. Add one teaspoon of dried sage to one six-ounce cup of boiling water. Steep for three to five minutes, strain, then gargle and swallow.

Lemon and honey. Honey coats the throat, while lemon can temporarily reduce the mucus buildup that often accompanies a sore throat. Squeeze one lemon, add a teaspoon of honey and drink. Repeat every two hours.

Tongue stretching. Stick out your tongue for 30 seconds, relax it for a few seconds, then repeat four times. This is believed to increase blood flow to the throat, speeding the healing process.

Coughs -

Try these folk remedies to figure out which works best for you...

Lemon, honey and olive oil. Honey and olive oil coat and soothe, while lemon reduces mucus. Heat one cup of honey, a half cup of olive oil and the juice of one lemon over a medium flame for five minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir for two minutes to blend the ingredients. Consume one teaspoon of the mixture every two hours.

Vinegar and cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, a proven painkiller, while vinegar serves as an anti-inflammatory. Add a half cup of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper to one-half cup of water. Add honey if desired. Take one tablespoon when your cough acts up and another tablespoon before bed.

Horseradish and honey. Horseradish can help loosen mucus, while honey coats the throat. Grate one teaspoon of fresh, peeled horseradish into two teaspoons of honey. Consume one teaspoon every two to three hours.

Ginger. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory that contains gingerols, which provide pain-reducing and sedative benefits. Chew a piece of fresh, peeled gingerroot when you feel the cough acting up, usually in the evening before bed. Chew until the ginger loses its kick.

Licoric-root tea. Licorice relieves the pain of irritated mucous membranes. Drink licorice-root tea as long as your cough persists.

Note: Don’t try licorice root if you have high blood pressure or kidney problems.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Joan Wilen and Lydia Wilen, folk-remedy experts based in New York City. The sisters are coauthors of many books, including Bottom Line’s Healing Remedies: Over 1,000 Astounding Ways to Heal Arthritis, Asthma, High Blood Pressure, Varicose Veins, Warts and More! from which this article is adapted.

Bottom Line Secrets is a registered trademark of Boardroom Inc. Copyright © 2009 by Boardroom Inc.

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM

By Carole Jackson

Bottom Line's Daily Health News

It’s not just your imagination -- allergies have been on the rise. Epidemiological data show that your children are likely to have more allergies than you, and their children to have more yet... and this doesn’t just include those who are allergic to peanuts. Dust mites have become a common cause of year-round allergy symptoms, with one study reporting that 51% of children tested positive for dust mite allergies, compared with just 39% of their parents.

Dust mites are common -- in fact, nearly ubiquitous. These unwelcome house guests can be found everywhere, they were even detected on the Mir Space Station. Unless your furnishings are brand new, you can be fairly certain that some are living in your mattress, carpet and living room couch. To understand the implications, I consulted world-renowned expert Matthew J. Colloff, PhD, author of Dust Mites, a new book that delivers all the dirt on these nasty little creatures -- including where they live, why people are allergic to them and, most important, how to get rid of them.

Dust mites cause damage way out of proportion to their microscopic size. At least 100 million people worldwide suffer from sneezing, runny noses, asthma, skin rashes and other reactions to these mighty mites. Relatives of the spider, dust mites thrive in warm, dark and humid conditions, burrowing deep into rugs, upholstered furniture, bedding, mattresses, box springs and stuffed animals. They feed on substances such as the shedded skin of humans and pets and on bacteria and molds -- all common components of house dust.

Disgusting Things in Dust

In fact, it’s not house dust that most people are allergic to, but rather what dust mites have contributed to it. Specifically, dust mite allergies are immune system reactions to the various dust mite proteins -- including in their feces and in the decaying bodies of dead dust mites. Dr. Colloff explains...

* For people with hay fever or allergic rhinitis, the immune reaction to dust mites is likely to present as inflammation in their nasal passages, triggering symptoms such as sneezing, congestion, a runny nose, red and watery eyes, itchy nose and roof of the mouth or throat, coughing and facial pressure or pain.

* If you have asthma, exposure to the mites may produce inflammation and contraction of the airways of your lungs, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightening.

* If you are prone to skin rashes, your encounter with dust mites might bring on an inflammatory skin reaction, such as eczema.

Declare War on Dust Mites

For people with severe allergies, drugs may be essential (especially for people with asthma), but avoiding the mite allergens can prevent symptoms from occurring in the first place. The best strategy is to declare war on house dust and the critters that feast on it. Keep your home clean and dust-free, and do whatever you can to keep humidity low. The most critical room of all is your bedroom. Specifically, focus on your bed, which -- with its mattress, box spring, pillows and cozy quilt or duvet -- provides an ideal nesting place for literally millions of microscopic pests.

DeBug Your Bedding

Dr. Colloff has developed a "flexible, simple, inexpensive and integrated dust mite control strategy." Depending on how aggressive you want or need to be, Dr. Colloff advises...

* Encase your bed and its components in microporous (or semipermeable) covers, which discourage dust mites from colonization. This type of bedding -- allergy pillows, pillow covers, mattress covers, duvet covers, etc. -- ranges widely in price (from $50 to several hundred dollars for a mattress cover, for instance) and is readily available online if you can’t find it in local stores.

* A more moderate strategy is to strip your bed daily. Also helpful is to open doors and windows to thoroughly air the room.

* At the very least, consider washing bedding in hot water (at least 130°F) at least once a month. Note: There are allergy-relief laundry soaps/detergents that work in cold water. It’s also great to dry items outdoors, in direct sunlight, which dehydrates and kills dust mites.

Floors & Furniture

To deal with dust mites in rugs and upholstery, Dr. Colloff recommends...

* Removing carpeting and rugs from bedrooms -- this is the most aggressive strategy.

* Vacuuming carpets, upholstered furniture and curtains every week, using a device with a double-layered microfilter bag or a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. This is a less extreme plan.

* Regularly steam-cleaning rugs, upholstered furniture and mattresses with equipment that heats water to at least 212°F, to help ensure removal of dust and dust mites.

Note: These strategies were adapted from Dr. Colloff’s Dust Mites.

A Note of Caution

Many people assume that they are allergic to dust mites, observes Dr. Colloff, but this is not always the case. Before you invest significant time and money to control dust mites, see an allergist to make sure you actually are allergic to them. If you are, then take aggressive steps to eliminate them to the greatest extent possible from your home.

Matthew J. Colloff, PhD, senior research scientist, CSIRO Entomology, Canberra, Australia, and author of Dust Mites (CSIRO).

Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Boardroom Inc.

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM

by Connie Podesta

Think your personal and professional lives aren’t intertwined? Think again. Chances are that despite your best attempts to keep the two separate, the quality and stability of your personal life often have a direct impact upon the quality and success of your professional life. In fact, for many people, their professional life mirrors their personal life.

When your personal life is stable and happy, this mirroring is a good thing. Your professional life will be productive and rewarding because you’ll be able to direct your attention and energy to your work, your customers and your teammates. However, if your personal life is filled with turmoil, grief or pain, your professional life will very often suffer. When you’re emotionally drained from hours of conflict, sadness or abuse at home, it’s difficult to focus on even the simplest work-related task. It’s no wonder then that when asked to choose between two equally qualified employees, managers will routinely choose to keep the person with the stable personal life.

To many people, this may seem unfair. After all, your personal life is private and none of your employer’s business. While this is very true, the fact is that many employees do not keep their personal lives private. Instead, they bring their personal problems into the workplace, thus affecting their ability to do their job well. Since organizations must focus on profits and customer satisfaction above all else, they cannot afford to allow unproductive workers to stay on the payroll.

However, many employers do realize that there will be times in their employees’ lives when circumstances beyond their control may affect their ability to perform on the job. In these instances, most organizations not only understand, but are also willing to make arrangements to help employees through these difficult times. With that said, though, the employers also have certain expectations of their employees.

They expect employees to try to deal with their personal problems on their own and to ask for help only with the most serious problems.

They expect employees to make every reasonable effort to get help if they need it.

They expect employees to work with them to find a solution, such as a temporary replacement or a new work schedule, so they can continue to provide the best service to their customers while they work together with their employees to deal with their problems.

Regardless of what may be occurring in your personal life at the moment, there are steps you can take to meet your employer’s expectations while taking charge of your personal life. Following these guidelines will enable you to become the employee your organization fights to keep.

1. Separate the “Big” Stuff from the “Little” Stuff

If you’re constantly upset, depressed, stressed or involved in a life “emergency,” your job performance will continually decline and your employer’s patience will finally wear thin. No organization should be expected to accept a drop in work performance for every stressful event that comes along. Your employer counts on you to deal with most situations on your own, most of the time, without affecting your ability to have a positive impact on customers and co-workers. Before you bring your most current “crisis” into the workplace, decide whether it’s big enough to warrant assistance. While you can expect compassion and help for dealing with big problems, such as the death of a spouse or a catastrophic illness, you can’t expect the same kind of support for little problems, such as the dog being ill or your child’s softball game being rescheduled. Once you learn to separate the big stuff from the little stuff, you can keep your personal life in order by reacting to the problem appropriately.

2. Get Help If You Need It

As understanding as employers may be, they can only do so much to help you. Ultimately it’s your responsibility to make every effort possible to work through your crisis, even if it means getting help from outside sources. However, the hardest thing for many people to do is admit they need help. They mistakenly believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness, when in reality the opposite is true. For the most part, people who ask for help tend to be very strong and determined not to become victims of abuse, neglect, violence or tragedy. How willing are you to get help when you need it? If your personal life is in turmoil, then you may be able to benefit from some of the many excellent services available in your community or through your organization. Remember, whether you solve your problem yourself or with the help of others, the results are worth the effort: peace of mind, healthier relationships, a new outlook on life, and of course, better on-the-job performance.

3. Work with Your Organization to Find a Solution

When you do have a “big” problem that justifiably affects your job performance, let your manager know about it as soon as possible. Trying to keep it a secret or hoping no one will notice may increase the stress already induced by the event. But instead of revealing your situation and then waiting for your organization to come up with a solution, bring to the meeting some possible solutions that would work for both you and your employer. Perhaps you could be temporarily transferred to a department that requires less customer contact, or maybe you could make arrangements to switch schedules with someone in order to give you the time you need to deal with your problem. When you show your employer that you respect their objectives and are prepared to do what it takes to get your personal life back on track, there’s usually little they wouldn’t do to help you.

Today’s organizations expect their employees to come to work ready to put their full effort and energy into the task at hand. Maintaining a stable personal life is one of the surest ways to accomplish that. But while no one’s personal life will ever be perfectly in order, being able to separate the “big” stuff from the “little” stuff, asking for help when you need it, and working with your organization to find a solution for your problems are the keys to weathering any crisis. Always remember that when your personal life is in order, it will be reflected in your work and in your ability to ensure your future employability.

Connie Podesta is an author, counselor, educator, humorist, playwright, consultant, songwriter, actress and trainer at www.beliefnet.com.

Copyright 2009 Beliefnet, Inc. All rights reserved.

posted by FTEmag.com Staff at 7:00 AM