Give yourself time— Some say they do their best work in a crisis or at the last minute. It’ s also easy to deceive ourselves. Where does that leave us when we run out of time? The answer: in trouble and making excuses. And feeling overwhelmed. Work on it and let it sit— The best solutions rarely, if ever, occur on the first attempt, whether it’ s writing a report or working on a project. The human mind needs“ noodling” time to work in the background without pressure. Remember, everything can be improved. Avoid confrontations— It isn’ t easy, particularly since we seem to possess an“ urge to be right,” a gyroscope of the mind. When coming into contact with an opposing view, the mind pushes back to regain its balance. It helps to view it as a signal to take a closer look before having a confrontation. Never assume things will go smoothly— Why do we never get over being surprised when things go wrong? It’ s as if someone is playing cruel jokes on us or deliberately throwing us curve balls to cause us grief. It’ s best to be prepared by anticipating what might go wrong. Second-guess yourself— To avoid getting blindsided, ask yourself“ what if” questions to foresee possible outcomes. Then, when asked about alternatives, you can say you considered various options and why you chose this one. Learn something new— If you can do your job without thinking about it, you’ re probably bored and underproductive. The human mind gets moving and stays active by coming up with new ideas, making improvements, and solving problems. Go beyond what’ s expected of you— It’ s easy to put up a“ I’ ve reached my limit” or a“ I’ m not paid to do that” sign. Everyone feels that way at times. If we do, we can count on dismal days ahead. Be present— It’ s easy to be at work and not be present. The average employee spends just under eight hours a week on personal stuff, most of it on e-mail and social media. For those 18 to 34, add two hours a week, according to a staffing firm Office Team survey. That’ s a day a week of not being present. Ask questions— Have you started on a task and get into it only to discover you’ re on the wrong track? Most of us have— too many times. It occurs when we’ re too sure of ourselves or reluctant( embarrassed) to ask questions. Asking the right questions is a sign that you’ re thinking about what you’ re doing. Look for possibilities— Instead of just doing your work each day, take it to another level and interact with it so you get feedback from what you’ re doing. Ask yourself: Is it clear? Is it complete? Will the recipient understand it? Is it necessary? Will it make the right impression? What have I missed? Should I start over? Is it time for another set of eyes? Take a chance— It’ s invigorating to try something new. You may have been thinking about it for a long time and it doesn’ t really make any difference what it is. By taking your mind off all the annoying daily irritations, it can help invigorate your outlook and improve your productivity Have clear goals— Tedium sets in on any job. One day you realize that what was interesting and challenging is now tiring and unpleasant. Perhaps even intolerable. If so, it’ s“ goal think” time. Start by asking what you want to accomplish today, then add another for the coming month, and so on. When you know where you’ re going, the tedium fades away. Eliminate confusion— We may not be in a position to control the confusion around us, but we can avoid adding to it. We can make sure our messages are accurate and complete so there’ s no misunderstanding, our address book and other files are current so we don’ t need to bother others, meet deadlines so we don’ t leave others waiting, and so on.