Berlin and other stories

The Four Types of Procrastination

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The four types of procrastinators

The four types of procrastination

 
 
This has just been one of those weeks. My workload is pretty much growing by the minute and I am at the point, where all I wanna do is cover my face with a blanket. Please tell me you’ve been there?!?
The worst part of it is, I could have prevented it. What I should have done is start working on my To Do list at the beginning of the week. Maybe then it wouldn’t have just magically piled up. But what did I do instead? Right! I watched a whole season of Gilmore Girls. Yay me! 
 
That my friends is called procrastination. As described in the Oxford Dictionary as: 
 
The action of delaying or postponing something.
 
But you probably knew that already, because haven’t we all had just one or two occasions in our life, where we sneakily procrastinated until the very last minute? Exactly. Now to further my current procrastination period, I started googling procrastination and stumbled upon a little fun fact: 
 
As established, we all do it. But we don’t all do it the same way. I researched this theory a bit more. Apparently, there are four different types of procrastinators out there. In this post, I would like to introduce you to them and help you find out, which type of procrastinator you are. You’ve heard right, people. There is a quiz at the end and it shall be fun. 😉 
 
 

 The four types of procrastination 

 

The Perfectionist

 
This Person will usually start on a project right away, making it seem like they will not budge to procrastination at any point. They will spend hours perfecting their project, getting every detail just right just so they don’t have to start working on that other project they have going on. It may seem like they are just passionate about project A when really they are procrastinating from project B. 
 
 

The Busy Time Waster

 
The Busy Bee is someone who is not able to start working with a cluttered desk. Or piled up dishes in the next room. Or maybe even need to paint the house a brighter color before being able to buckle down. You get the gist. This person will do busy work and chores like no other if there is real work awaiting them. 
 

 

The Avoider

 
The Avoider is usually afraid of failure, or sometimes even success. For them, if the stakes of the project are too high, they rather run from it completely. In the process of doing so, they usually tell themselves, that there is “plenty of time left later to actually get the job done” and “a half an hour of TV won’t hurt anybody” because in the end “there is always tomorrow”. 
 

 

The Thrill-Seeker

 
This particular type feels their best work is being done under pressure. The possibility of handing the project in late gives them an adrenaline rush, therefore they deliberately wait until the last possible minute to work on the project at hand. 
 
 
 
Now let’s get to the interesting part, shall we? I am so excited to find out which type of procrastinator you are. Share in the comments. 
 
xx
Nico
 
 

 

Concentration in a Busy Environment

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Concentration at work

Concentration at work 
 
 
As you know, in my day job I work at a PR agency. That in itself can be quite the hectic environment. Telephones ringing, people talking to journalists day in, day out and running around, trying to make deadlines. Additionally, the agency has grown quite a bit in the last 6 months. We are now up to almost 40 people, trying to fit into an open plan office that is honestly much too small to hold everyone comfortably. You can imagine how that can affect everybody’s concentration for the worse. 
 
Due to the situation, I had to find different ways to help me get into my zone and keep my productivity on fleek. In this post, I want to share some of these methods, to hopefully keep you concentrated as well. 
 

 

Clean your Desk

 
In all honesty, I have to admit that I am quite messy and scattered when it comes to my desk at the office. (To my co-workers reading this, trying to mend my ways guys. Promise!). However, whenever I have a hard time concentrating on a task, cleaning my desk is the first step I take. Here is why: 
 
The Princeton Neuroscience Institut has found that clutter can be a cause for distraction. According to the study, having various visual impulses within your field of vision will cause the impulses to compete against each other for the attention of your brain. This will lead to unnecessary distraction. Therefore, having a clean desk can help clear your mind and focus on the important tasks at hand. 
 

 

Organize + Prioritize

 
Often when I get distracted from work, I just have too much on my mind. I attempt to do three things at once and end up not accomplishing anything at all. To overcome this problem I try to get a structured mind, before jumping into a task. I do this with these two steps:
 
  • To Do List
    I dump out everything that I have to do, keep in mind and think about on a piece o paper. This clears up space in my head and gives my brain back some breathing room. Without having to constantly keep these To Do’s in the back of my mind, I can focus on the actual assignments. 
  • Order
    To make sure that deadlines are met and every task is finished when needed, it is now time to prioritize. The most time sensitive or crucial assignment should be your number one on that list. Following with the second important task and so on and so on. 
 

 

Limit Distractions

 
As mentioned in the beginning of the post, my work environment is temporarily pretty chaotic. That said, it is tough to always drown out every distraction completely. There are however a few things, that can be done so spike your concentration. Here is a list of examples: 
 
  • Turn your Skype on “Do not Disturb”
  • Switch your phone to silent. If you are not expecting an important phone call, you can call them back.
  • And now put it away. You don’t need to see the flashy light of an incoming notification. Your Instagram followers will survive a few hours without you. 
  • Turn off your e-mail notifications. That way all mail will still be coming in. You can then check and respond after you have finished your task.
 

 

Turn on the Music

 
The last step before jumping into the first assignment is to zone out from the rest of the world. For me, it sometimes even helps to just put on my headphones. Why? My co-workers will be under the impression that I am busy and therefore far less tempted to disturb me for meaningless chatter.  
 
If I really need to get into my headspace though, I put on a playlist. Usually, I turn to classical film tracks. To learn more about my favorite tracks for concentration and follow my work playlists, check out my post on “The best Playlists for every Girlboss”. 
 
 
I hope these tips can help you with your concentration to stay on top of your productivity. Let me know if you have any other techniques or tips for staying focused. Be it in a noisy office or at home in your workspace. I would love to hear about them!
 
xx
Nico
 
 

Why you Need an Office BFF

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Why you need an office bff

Why you need an office bff

 

Your job, just like every other aspect of your life, get’s way better when you don’t have to go through it alone. So it’s crucial that you have somebody on a day to day basis that can brighten your life at the office. 

 

Before we jump in, let me tell you a little bit about my office BFF and why I adore her so much. Her name is Melli and she makes my days at work just so much more enjoyable. She looks like the sweetest girl on the block, so on first glance, you would never know how fierce and passionate she actually is. And the best thing about her? She can put up with me. 
 
 
Now, I know what you are thinking. You already have a bestie outside of work. You like your co-workers but… do you really need a special office BFF? The answer is YES! I am going to share four reasons with you why it is so crucial to have an office bestie.
 
 
Why you need an office bff
 

 

Why you Need an Office BFF

 

 

1 Spend your time wisely. 

 
On a normal 9 to 5 job, you spend about 40 hours a week with your co-workers. That is about 160 hours a month and 2.080 hours a year. Holy shit, right? Well, my job often requires overtime so you could imagine how the hours add up. Now think about spending all of that time there without anyone you can stand? There is just no way, no matter how great your job is. Having an office BFF means you don’t have to get along with everybody at work. You know you have one person who’s got your back. A friend to get you through the day. And that’s all that matters. 
 
 

2 Bad days happen to everyone. 

 
I think we can agree that here are good and bad days in every job. You might have just gotten a mouth full from you boss because you didn’t turn in the brief they wanted in time. Your client might just have fired you for no apparent reason. Or maybe you just spilled tomato juice over your white blazer at lunch. Whatever the reason may be. When that day comes you need somebody in your corner. And there is no one better for the job than your office BFF.
 
 
Why you need an office bff 
 

3 Take all the help you can get. 

 
There comes a point in every job, every career, where you are overwhelmed. The presentation is due tomorrow, but your co-workers have left due to personal reasons, doctors appointments or other important meetings. That is when you call in your office BFF for help! And she will be there to help out because she knows you would do the same for her. Beats spending a night alone at the office until 2 a.m., right?
 
 

4 Bring your social life to work.

 
Naturally, we as humans are social beings. We need interaction with other people, a smile here and a good laugh there to help us through the day… or life for that matter. Especially at the office, while slaving away at your computer, your office BFF can be a life saver on that account. And yes, you might be laughing a little too loud for those around you, wasting a few minutes talking about meaningless stuff and comparing nail polish instead of report numbers sometimes. But overall you will be a lot happier at the office, which will reflect on your work. Trust me!
 
Do you guys have an office BFF that you just couldn’t live without? Give a shout out to them in the comments and let them know how much you appreciate them. 
 
xx
Nico
 

What would Olivia Pope do?

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5 things ever girlboss can learn from Olivia Pope

5 things ever girlboss can learn from Olivia Pope

 
The right TV show can be so much more than just than just a form of procrastination. Some of my favorite shows are the ones that make we want to accomplish, inspire me to create and work my butt off. This week, one of the best girlboss-shows has hit its 5-year mark on television and I believe that is something worth celebrating. 
 
Let’s give it away for … Scandal. 
 
For those of you who have not seen the show (where in the world have you been?!?), let me break it down for you: 
 
Olivia Pope, the former White House communications director and most badass woman in town, opens a crisis management firm in Washington D.C. Pope and her team of associates are at the top of their game when it comes to getting the job done for their clients. They have dedicated their life to defending and protecting the public image of the most powerful people and politicians in the United States. But no ABC show goes without a little drama, so don’t you worry. The characters have some well kept secrets of their own and get themselves in plenty of high class, political turmoil.
 
Intrigued yet? 
 
One of the things I love most about the show is its strong, leading female character. She makes me want to get s**t done and be the powerful woman I know I can be. And because of that, I felt it was only appropriate to pay her a little tribute. 
 
 
 
 

5 things every girlboss can learn from Olivia Pope

 
  

  

Do whatever it takes. 

Not literally, of course. While the characters on the show go to pretty much any lengths to protect their clients, I am not advising you to clean up crime scenes or hide any bodies. Olivia Popes dedication and persistence, however, is a lesson for all of us. She treats every case with the utter most importance. According to the principle: The job is not done until the crisis is handled. 
 
 
 
5 things ever girlboss can learn from Olivia Pope
 
 

Be confident. 

Olivia Pope’s signature saying is “I always get it done.”.  Her confidence radiates through her precise motions and her commanding talks – be it to her associates, the White House staff or foreign terrorists. She is certain about her skills and proves that there is no-one who needs to believe in your work more than you do. 

 

Trust your gut. 

Pope usually solves her cases based on her gut feeling. This, of course, is based on years of experience. But even as a young professional it is beneficial to rely on your instincts, especially when it comes to working with people. 
 
 

Dress for the job you want. 

You can say whatever you want about the woman, but her style is always on fleek. The gladiator in a suit knows exactly where she wants to be someday (the Oval, that is) and dresses the part. Olivia Pope knows the importance of a first impression and proves that a professional appearance makes all the difference.
 
  

5 things ever girlboss can learn from Olivia Pope

 

Take a break.

When you have put out one fire after the other and there are at least three crisis going on, you need to focus. In order to get herself together, Olivia Pope opens up a bottle of red and relaxes for a few minutes. Even the best gladiators need to unwind and get their thoughts in order.
 
 
I hope you enjoyed this little congregation of lessons. Are you as obsessed about Olivia and her girlboss status as I am? Let me know about your favorite Scandal moments. 
 
xx
Nico

What every boss needs to know about millennial employees

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What every boss needs to know about millennial employees
What every boss needs to know about millennial employees
 
If you’ve been around for a while, you might know that this month I have made my one year mark as a graduate in the workforce (whoop whoop!). During that time I have made some observations about the discrepancy between millennials and their executives. 
 
Every generation works a little different they say. I get that. And I do understand that because of small inventions like the internet a few years back, everything got a little crazy there for awhile. But it is true when they say that our beliefs and the way we think and operate are entirely different from those generations before us. 
 
Back in the day, Wired published we would take over the workplace by 2015. It’s 2017 now, we’re here!
 
So for all of you executives and CEO’s it’s time to recognize that in order to work with your millennial employees, you need to change it up. I know you’ve all heard a lot about work-life balance and how we choose our employer based on a “sense of purpose”. I don’t think I need to talk about that anymore (hopefully).
 
But you do need to know these 3 things about us: 
 
 

We need mentors. 

 
If we have made it this far, it’s most likely that we had a long way to go. We went to college because it was expected if we wanted a good paying job. During and after college we did internships to gain as much work experience as possible because that was expected. After college we were told that we needed to get more work experience to get an entry-level job – so we got traineeships. 
 
After so many expectations and being told over and over again that we’re not there yet, we started to believe it. It being the experience, skill, and mindset we would need for the job of your dreams. 
 
So what we really need is a mentor. Someone to show and tell us that it is okay to make mistakes and how to best avoid them. Someone to guide us to success. Gently.
 
 

We take cell phone breaks. 

 
What the cigarette break was ten years ago is now the short encounter to our smartphones. And yes, we are on their way too often (pretty much all the time). But while some senior employees may think that we are wasting precious working time, don’t worry.
 
First and foremost those few moments are a way for us to get out of our heads and think about something else for a minute, before returning to our task with a clearer mind. Also, going on social media platforms inspires and strikes our creativity. 
 
So if your millennial employee isn’t taking a 15-minute break only to play Candycrush, relax. 
 
 

We want credit. 

 
We have pretty much grown up in a world where our Instagram likes mean more than a smile from a stranger. And while you could shake your head and feel bad for our generation, you could also use that time to realize how that transfers to our work environment. 
 
More than ever this generation of employees needs to feel seen and rewarded. If we complete a task to your liking, it is not enough to recognize it. We need your personal confirmation. Just go with it. 
 
 
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