I am a big believer that everyone should have a blog.

Lots of really smart people think blogging is a big waste of time (Ramit is one of them).

We are both pretty smart guys, so who is right and why can’t we all just get along?

Why You Should Blog

I’ve mentioned this in as many places as I can: blogging is a great way to stand out as an employee. If an potential employer is looking at two different candidates and one has a blog where he/she has explored issues related to the industry, interacted with other people in the space, and thought a lot about certain issues, then that’s a huge plus.

If the other candidate is just as capable but doesn’t have this “added bonus,” guess which one is going to get hired?

These are the kinds of things that make you a better employee.

Blogging about whatever topic you’re passionate about or the field you work in is going to make you smarter and more interesting on that topic. You try coming up with something relatively interesting on a daily basis for one specific topic.

It ain’t easy.

But getting into that habit is a great way to grow and become a bit of an expert in any field. Blogging is like teaching: once you start doing it you’ll get a different perspective on whatever topic you’re writing about. And you’ll become better versed at said topic.

Added bonus: you’re writing will improve, which is important no matter what industry you’re in. Email is how everyone communicates these days and if you can’t communicate clearly you’re going to irritate a lot of people.

Why You Shouldn’t Blog

If you’re trying to start a business or make some money on the side, then don’t start a blog. When I started this site, I was really looking forward to writing about personal finance on a daily basis. I was inspired by the things Trent and JD had done, as well as some other smaller bloggers.

Way in the back of my head I wondered if I could maybe make some money at it—but that wasn’t my main motivation. If you’re main motivation is to make money, skip the blogging and focus on more important things.

Things like knowing exactly who your target customer is, knowing what appeals to them, and getting that first paying customer.

If you’re in this group, I totally agree with Ramit & Co.—you have no business starting a blog. All you’re doing is killing time on something that’s “easy” compared to the tougher tasks of actually going out there and acquiring your first customer.

Final Answer

Blogging is a great way to improve your writing, expand your knowledge on a given subject, and to meet other people in the field. It can also help you stand out in a job search, although I’m sure this won’t last long as more and more people have something like a blog.

To all the entrepreneurs out there: don’t blog if there are other things you know you should be doing. Like nailing down your product, service, or customer profile. It’s not going to move your business forward in any significant way.

Image by Brian Hillegas

Other Posts You May Like:

• The Secret to a Great Blog and a Great Business
• Some Changes Around Here
• How Blogging can get you more Money and a Better Job Part II
• How Blogging can get you more Money and a Better Job
• On Trying to Make Money Blogging

You remember Archimedes of Syracuse, eh? The king asks Archimedes to determine if a present he’s received is actually solid gold. Unsolved problem at the time. It tortures the great Greek mathematician for weeks — insomnia haunts him and he twists and turns in his bed for nights on end. Finally, his equally exhausted wife — she’s forced to share a bed with this genius — convinces him to take a bath to relax. While he’s entering the tub, Archimedes notices the bath water rise. Displacement, a way to determine volume, and that’s a way to determine density — weight over volume. And thus, Archimedes solves the problem. He screams “Eureka” and he is so overwhelmed he runs dripping naked through the streets to the king’s palace to report his discovery.
“Go home Max, and you take a bath.”
—Sol Robeson, from this scene in Pi

In this scene from Pi, Sol is trying to give Max some advice that might help him solve this impossibly complex mathematical problem he’s trying to crack: predicting the stock market with mathematical precision.

Max has been obsessing over it for days, he’s starting to lose his mind, and he’s on the edge of burning out.

Sol tells him to relax and take a bath, like Archimedes did when he was in the middle of his problem.

Our day-to-day foils may not sound as exciting as figuring out if a golden present is real or if the stock market can be “cracked,” but every one of us has obsessed over something we don’t want to let go until we solve it.

Whether it’s finally beating a boss in a video game or getting a piece of code to run just right—we attack some things with a ferocity that won’t allow us to put them down until they’re done.

And that’s great—persistence is a great quality.

But there is a fine line between being persistent and becoming obsessed. The further you cross over that line, the less likely you are to achieve your goal.

So next time you’re feeling obsessed, don’t forget to take a bath.

If you still don’t believe me, check out what science has to say about it.

Other Posts You May Like:

• The Importance of Failing Fast
• A Great Story of Persistence
• Blogging and Taking a Break
• Taking a Break
• Writing and Motivation

I had a good time sharing all my thoughts on what you can do to become a more productive, more valuable employee at your current job. It’s all advice that I discovered on my own, so I really believe in it. As a recap, here are the entries from the series:

• Show Up Early
• Have an Opinion
• Go Beyond (or Do More)
• Help Your Boss
• Do Something Before Work

I was going to add something on “Be More Efficient” or “Be Faster” but I didn’t want to get into a whole “this is how you become more efficient at work” type of thing. Each job is very different and I don’t think that kind of advice would apply to a broad enough spectrum of jobs the way the other posts do. But I do think it’s very important—efficiency is one thing I value above many many others. If you can do your job faster than someone else, you open up the doors to doing more, having more time to help your boss out, etc. So look around you and try to find ways of getting things done that are faster and more efficient—everyone you work with will thank you.

There was one comment on one of the posts that I wanted to highlight here:

I completely agree with your “Being A Better Employee” series. Your guidelines were taught to me years ago and have served me well in being outstanding from everyone else in a company. However, there is a downside that I hope you will address — when being the best employee a company can have doesn’t translate into financial compensation or, worst yet, your boss simply wants more and more of your diligent effort. Until you can change jobs, how do you tailor your effort?

This is one of the possible downsides of becoming a better employee. Your employer might just say “Great! Keep up the good work!” And it could end at that. I don’t think I touched on any direct link between my advice and any financial reward, but I think we all expect as much. If we’re a better employee, shouldn’t we be paid like one?

And the answer to that is a little tricky. If you think you deserve more, you must make the case for it. You have to put together an argument (think of it as going to court and “winning” your own case) and present it to your employer. If they value things like efficiency and some of the other qualities the series discusses, then you might be in line for some additional compensation. But don’t expect it.

The idea behind the series was to simply become a better employee. Why? Because times are tough and if you want to hold on to your job you better show that you’re more valuable than the person sitting next to you. If you do that consistently at every job you do, then hopefully monetary compensation will follow.

But what I had in mind in writing this series is similar to weight loss—we aren’t dieting for a while so we can lose weight—we’re changing our lifestyle so we can make a permament change in our lives. If you practice all the stuff I talk about in the series simply because you want to make more money, then I think you’ll be disappointed. You won’t enjoy work as much and you’ll become extremely bitter if you don’t get the raise/promotion you hoped for. All that hard work “for nothing.”

Maybe getting a raise should be a whole other series to put together…

Other Posts You May Like:

• Getting a Job in 2011
• Being a Better Employee Series: Show Up Early
• Recent Posts on Career, Bills, and Technology
• How Being a Parent Can Make You a Better Team Player
• Announcing the Ninja Employee Newsletter

by Laffy4k

This one has less to do with work and what you do while you’re there than it does with having a nice balance in your life. In other words, it might just make you feel better when you’re at work if you’ve done something beforehand (or afterwards, if that’s your style—I just can’t get much together after work).

The Before

I used to set my alarm at 8:15am at my old job. I would shut it off, drag myself to the shower, wash up, and then hurry up and change. Then get ready for work. If I ran a little behind schedule, I was rushing to make it to work on time. By the time I got there I felt like I had just woken up and I wasn’t fully “there.”Was this all I had?

The Change

Then something happened one month and I got all jazzed up about getting into shape. So I started going to the gym, but I quickly realized I was too lazy to go after work: I was tired and I just wanted to watch some TV and relax. So I started going before work. That means waking up earlier, which is a nightmare to most people, but I quickly adjusted. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than walking out of the gym after a good workout and saying to yourself, “OK, let’s go to work now.”

You feel like you’ve already accomplished something in your day and that work is merely another place you need to be at, not THE place you HAVE to be at (although, yes, I realize we all HAVE to be at work). It was a fantastic feeling.

I kept the workout for around a month and then decided to do NaNoWriMo, and that also meant waking up early to write. That was a couple of years ago and I have been waking up early ever since (mostly to write, although I did have to train for the Urbanathlon).

Without this new routine, I would not be able to maintain this blog. I wouldn’t have this great side project that allows me to practice my writing and share my opinions with others.

The Point

The point of getting up early and doing something else is to make you feel like you’re life doesn’t just revolve around working. It also gives you time to get side projects off the ground, catch up on e-mail, read, etc. There are tons of things you can decide to do with your time before work:

• Exercise
• Write
• Start a hobby
• Read
• Drink some coffee
• Watch TV, the news, etc
• Start a side business
• Learn something new

I know, I know, getting up early is a nightmare for most people. You will get used to it. Trust me, I feel weird staying in bed past 5:30am now because I’ve been doing it for so long.

In the end, having something else on the side (whatever it may be), is likely to make you a happier person and so a better employee while you’re at work. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Check out the rest of the Being a Better Employee series.

Other Posts You May Like:

• The Formula for More Writing
• Why Someone Who Knows Nothing About Genetics Read a Book About It
• Failure as Motivation
• Writing Sucks
• You Don’t Know What You’re Capable of Until You Try

Photo by Editor B

When it comes time to job advancement, whether it’s getting promoted by your current employer, getting a pay raise, or getting a better job somewhere else, the biggest advocate you’ll have is your boss. That’s the person who will battle for you when salary reviews come up or if you’re interviewing somewhere else and that company wants to talk to a reference. If your current boss speaks well of you, that’s the best kind of recommendation you’ll get.

So it makes sense to get that person “on your side.” That may sound sneaky or underhanded, but it’s just logical if you ask me.

Hate is Such a Strong Word

Lots of people hate their boss—I understand that, especially if he/she’s a real jerk. I’m lucky right now, but I know what it’s like to have a big boss that defies reason. Still, wouldn’t you rather be on their good side? If your answer to that is “Hell, no! I will hate my boss forever!” Well, then you need a new job ASAP. But otherwise it makes no sense to be confrontational towards your boss just because he/she gets to tell you what to do—that’s just life. Deal with it. Be smart about it.

What Can I Do?

• Go Beyond: This goes back to the third post of the series, but if you think about it in terms of helping out your boss, you might find it easier to come up with a project to work on. What is on his/her plate that is important, is taking up a lot of time, etc.? Put yourself in his/her shoes for a second and ask yourself, “What could I really use some help on right now?” Or even better, come up with something that your boss hasn’t even thought of and propose it, tell him/her why it’s a good idea and how it will help.
• Make Your Boss Look Good: You’ll see this bit of advice all over the ‘net, and you may have a tough time grasping it until you’re in a very specific situation. Like a meeting or something where your team gets credit for doing something well and your boss is coming out like roses. You may want to jump in and say, “Actually, the team and I did that—not (boss’s name).” Don’t. What’s the point of alienating your boss or bringing him/her down in front of even bigger bosses? There is a chain of command to follow here and, unless something unsavory is going down, you need to follow it if you’re looking to climb it.
• Don’t Whine: I have trouble with this because it’s in my nature to ask a lot of questions and try to find a better way of doing things. So no matter what project comes our way, I’m always like “Wouldn’t it be better if we did it this way instead of the way we were told?” Sure, it can be argued that’s a good thing, but it’s also annoying if you contest every little project under the sun. If you’re going to “whine,” try to make it constructive and positive. Nobody likes a whiner.
• Have Open Communication: I’m lucky—I have bosses that I feel I can just go into their offices and bring up any topic I want. Not that I will, but having that open communication really helps make me feel better. If something is really bugging me, I can go to my boss and express that. In fact, my boss welcomes this—he thinks it’s important. I’m a whiner, but I can express some of my whinyness to my boss and get if off my chest, so it helps take that kind of stuff off my chest. This one may not be in your hands, but if there’s anything you can do to foster it, do it.

It may sound weird giving this much credit to one person at your job, but they really do hold the key to your own success. Oddly enough, if I was writing “How to be a better boss,” I would probably put a bullet in there about taking care of your own employees along with impressing the higher ups. But let’s not over complicate things here: helping your boss out is something valuable employees bring to the table. Making a habit of it can only help you climb up higher within your organization or find a better job outside it.

What other tips do you think I should add when it comes to one’s boss?

Check out the rest of the Being a Better Employee series.

Other Posts You May Like:

• Being a Better Employee Series: Go Beyond

by Maveric2003

The gist of this post can be summarized pretty well with simple math:

Do your job = Good Enough
Do your job well = Good
Do your job well + go beyond what your job entails = Great

If you do everything you’re responsible for and you do it well, that will reflect positively on you. But shouldn’t everyone be doing this already? They should, right? It’s just too bad they don’t. One surefire way to stand out is to take a little initiative and figure out what you can do that is clearly above and beyond your call of duty. Not for the sake of showing off or calling attention to yourself (although hopefully that will happen too), but just for the sake of doing more for your company/team/boss. This makes you more valuable to your coworkers, your boss, and your company.

But what exactly does “Go Beyond” mean?

One Example: The Google Policy

I love Google’s 20% policy: they tell their employees that they have to spend 20% of their time (that’s one day a week!) thinking of something totally new. That’s right: they want their employees take all of their day-to-day responsibilities and shelve them to brainstorm new initiatives that could help Google remain an innovator. I would love to work in a place that looks at the creation of new ideas like this.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many jobs out there like that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t just do this on your own.

Pretend You’re in Charge

This is one of my favorite ways to brainstorm new ideas or better ways of doing existing projects. How many times have you thought to yourself, “This is SO annoying! Why don’t we change how we do this?” But too many of us fall into this trap: “It’s not my job to worry about that, that’s my boss’s job.” That attitude is too common in the workplace, and it’s the reason why there are so many inefficiencies and strung-out bosses in the world. Why not help your boss out a little? Pretend you ARE the boss and think of how you would change something if you were in charge. Sometimes you have to be on the ground actually doing the work to find a better way of doing it—bosses don’t have all the answers (I know, shocker).

It used to happen to me a LOT at my old job, so I thought about the process for quite a bit of time. I sat at my desk and thought about it—eventually I came up with what I thought was a better way, and I tested it out. Then I wrote it all down and let it sit for a day or two. I reread what I wrote later on and realized it was still a good idea—my way was way faster. So I held a little meeting with my boss and she was really happy: all of us would be saving valuable time and the company wouldn’t be wasting it on an inefficient process.

Everybody Wins

When you do more than you have to (as long as you aren’t crossing over into someone else’s domain, you troublemaker you), the company gets more work out of you—work that may never have gotten done in the first place. You come out looking real good for showing initiative and actually developing/suggesting something new or a better way of doing something. And hopefully you’ll save everyone some time by making the whole company more efficient. You think they’ll want to replace someone that brings that to the table day in and day out?

Good Intentions

I know this may sound cheesy and New Agey, but don’t do any of this stuff if all you’re after is attention and job advancement. I think it definitely can help with those things, but anyone whose main motivation is to simply climb the ladder and “look good” to the bosses will eventually be found out. Sometimes it takes a while, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.

If you’re really coming up with new ideas and better ways of doing things to help yourself (your job will be easier), your coworkers (ditto), your boss (it’ll make him/her look good), and your company (not to sound Communist or anything, but that’s also a good goal to have), then it will all pay off in more ways than one. Eventually.

It’s Not That Easy

I know, I know. Most of us are already drowning in our existing work, so how the heck are we supposed to put all that aside and work on something completely new that has no direction, no due date, and no one expects you to do? It may mean you’ll have to do some work outside the office (or show up early), but that’s not as bad as it sounds. Sometimes all it takes is thinking, and you can do that on your commute, before you go to sleep, or even while your wife thinks that you’re watching Dancing With The Stars with her—thinking costs you nothing but time and a little bit of energy.

The really tough part is coming up with something totally new. For starters, I recommend taking on something that already exists and making it better and more efficient. Or keep a pad and paper on you at all times and jot down anytime you catch yourself complaining about how this or the other “doesn’t work” the way it should.

Things to watch out for and jot down:

• “You know what we should do?”
• “It would be so much easier/better if…”
• “This is stupid.”
• “You know what I would do?”
• “I hate doing this!”
• “What if we…”

It’s Simple

Bringing more to the table than is asked of you will make you stand out and will make you an essential part of the company. If you don’t feel essential and don’t feel too good about your job security, this is a fantastic way of building that up. The last two posts on this series are good, but they don’t result in anything concrete that you can point at and say “Here, look what I’ve done.” This one does and that’s why you should get started on going “beyond” as soon as you can.

Check out the rest of the Being a Better Employee series.

Other Posts You May Like:

• Announcing the Ninja Employee Newsletter
• A Bad Credit Score Could Cost You Your Job
• Not Enough Experience? Get Some.
• Being a Better Employee Series: Recap
• Being a Better Employee Series: Help Your Boss

If you would be a man, speak today what you think today in terms as hard as cannon-balls, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradicts everything you said today. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

That’s one of my all-time favorite quotes and I think people in the workplace would be wise to give it a close read. I’m not talking about being loud and obnoxious for the sake of “having a strong opinion,” that will just make you come across like someone simply out to grab attention—that’s the last thing you want to do at work. What I’m talking about is bringing a unique perspective to the table.

I believe that your opinion (on whatever it maybe be) is one of the most valuable “skills” you bring to the table because it shows off how you think, how you communicate, and how much thought you put into things. Have you ever been in a meeting where someone asks “What do you think?” and the answer is a hem and a haw and no meat? Or even worse, something to the tune of “I have no opinion”? The reason why I have such a problem with this is because it reeks of fear. Fear of giving the “wrong” opinion or answer that a boss may or may not want to hear. But if you’re not willing to stand by your opinion, even if it is different, then what’s the point of having you around? And if it isn’t fear, it could be even worse: maybe this person really has no opinion at all. How valuable is a person like that to an organization?

In my opinion (you see how easy it is?), the most valuable people in the workplace are those that have strong opinions and can communicate them in an articulate, calm manner. As in, “Look, here is what I think and here’s why.” They don’t get fiery, emotional, and out of control—they just tell you precisely what they think, their rationale for it, and then they step back. If you’re dealing with a boss, then you have to remember that, no matter how “right” you may think you are, that person is still the boss and you’re just there to give an opinion—the boss will ultimately make the decision.

Ideally, of course, your opinion has some value. You don’t want to be the kid in the classroom raising his/her hand all the time giving the wrong answer. Luckily, opinions are a different kind of beast: there is no wrong answer. As long as you’ve put some thought into it and you’re able to express yourself fairly eloquently, I think it’s important to let others know where you stand on things/projects/etc.

The other big idea that Emerson’s quote touches on is admitting when you’re wrong. If tomorrow your opinion has changed completely—i.e. you were wrong today—then have the guts to change your mind and explain why. Especially in politics, it’s almost a crime to change your mind. But no one is 100% right, so if you aren’t willing to correct your mistakes then what kind of a person/employee does that make you? A pretty reckless one, that’s what. It’s OK to change your mind—but don’t be afraid to believe just as strongly in your new opinion than you did yesterday when you were wrong. That’s why it’s an opinion: it’s not right or wrong—it’s just your point of view.

Check out the rest of the Being a Better Employee series.

Other Posts You May Like:

• Being a Better Employee Series: Recap
• Being a Better Employee Series: Go Beyond
• Being a Better Employee Series: Show Up Early

Image by laffy4k

I’m sure you’ve heard this a million times before—that showing up early is a great way to kiss up to the boss and “convince” him/her that you’re working more than you technically have to. But if all you’re doing is coming in early to check email or drink some coffee, you’re wasting your company’s time and (more importantly) you’re wasting your own time. Do you really have an hour of your time to spare that you can just waste it away like that? I doubt it.

Early is Better Than Late

First of all, it’s rude to be late—that’s just manners. And if you have to be on either side of the spectrum, then you might as well be early. That doesn’t just go for your job—it goes for everything. You know that friend of yours with the reputation for showing up late to every single party/event? Would you want him/her on your team if you had to hire someone tomorrow? I didn’t think so. Being late is a surefire way of giving yourself a bad reputation—one that is nearly impossible to undo. Whether it’s being lazy or inconsiderate, it doesn’t play well in the workplace.

Early = Productive

This is probably something else you’ve heard before. Being at the office when no one else is means you get some uninterrupted time to think, respond to email, and work on things that need more than five minutes of your undivided attention. Once people start showing up and start chatting, requesting new things, asking for opinions, and so on—it’s tough to get much work done. So get your butt in there early and prioritize the things that need all of your attention so you don’t feel like you’re trying to catch up the rest of the day.

Kissing Up?

But wait, won’t showing up early make it look like you’re kissing up to the boss? Who cares? As long as you’re using your time wisely, it doesn’t hurt if your boss/bosses notice that you’re putting more time in—only good can come of that, trust me. Your co-workers might think a thing or two about it, but you can just say that you’re a “morning person” or “that you like being in the office when no one is around.” If they can’t deal, it sucks for them. And if you’re like me and can’t handle staying in the office too late, you don’t have to feel bad about leaving sooner than everyone else because you’re getting there before them. And what’s easier: showing up early or leaving late? More points for you.

“But I Can’t“

This is a popular one: “I just can’t get up any earlier—I need my sleep.” It’s a similar excuse you hear from people when you’re trying to tell them they should save their money and they claim they don’t have any to spare. It’s not true. You can always spare an extra half hour here and there if you don’t want to sacrifice any sleep. Do you really need to see that much TV before you go to bed? Whatever legitimate reason you think you have—it’s not good enough. It’s all about adjusting. Once you start to make a habit of waking up earlier, your body will adjust and you’ll get used to it.

More Time = More Work

When it comes down to it, just because you’re at the office before everyone else it won’t make you a better, more productive worker. It’s not that easy—but showing up early is a start. This way you have more time to ensure your work is of a higher quality, that things are done on time (or before the deadline—also popular with bosses), and that you have more time to work on any extra projects that may make you even more essential to your company (more on that in the next post of this series).

Just make sure you aren’t showing up early just to make yourself look good and you should only see positive things come of it.

Check out the rest of the Being a Better Employee series.

Other Posts You May Like:

• Turning Down a Promotion: A Baseball Lesson
• Being a Better Employee Series: Recap
• Getting a Job in 2011
• Are You a Ninja Employee or Not?
• Recession-Proof Your Job