Blank Spaces and Goals: 5 Tips for Goal Achievement

Earning a promotion. Eating better. Starting a business. Balancing our work and personal lives. These are points of change in our lives, points that require us to tackle a laundry list of tasks in order to achieve our goals of change. It's easy to set goals; it's not so easy to work toward them. We lose willpower, motivation escapes us and day-to-day bogs us down as we pursue change and greatness. But it doesn't have to be that way.

You've got these blank spaces, so write your goals:

1. Recognize who you need to become to achieve your goal. Change is coming, right? Your goal is something you've never reached and the work that precedes that is something you've never experienced. That means you've got to be ready to become someone new. 

2. Write down a plan to meet your goals. This one seems simple, but it's also easily overlooked. If you want to earn a promotion, write down each step it will take to get you there. What do you need to learn? Who do you need to lean on for professional support and advice? What responsibilities do you need to take on? Begin with these questions and discover other details that are important to consider. Answer those questions each day with your actions. 

3. Devote time to your goals each day. This may mean giving up your time to do other things other things or at the very least reallocating your spare time to make room for your new goals. Discipline yourself to do what's needed each and every day; when you reach your goal, you'll be proud of how far you've come.

4. Ignore excuses. Excuses will enter your mind with ease; ignoring them will be difficult. However, a critical part of your plan to meet your goal is working through those difficult days when you wake up unmotivated and those difficult nights when you come home feeling underaccomplished. Commit yourself to ignoring any excuses, and continue towards achieving your goal. 

5. Strive for excellence. What can you do better? What aspects of your performance can you refine for better results? What changes can you make TODAY that will impact your growth tomorrow? Create opportunities for excellence in even the smallest tasks and work toward daily improvement.

What tips would you add? What advice has help you reach your goals? We'd love to hear about it! Let us know in the comments below. 

By: Susan Gail Taylor, Social Media Manager and Copywriter at RME360

Modern Office Definition Evolves; TPS Reports Still Excluded

Modern offices...

...include "an office space without barriers that can also be private."
...include workspaces and technology that "need to reflect that increased desire for flexibility."
...should "enable collaboration without sacrificing a worker’s ability to really focus on the job at hand."

With clearly a plethora of ideas as to what a modern office should look like, feel like, include and exclude, we shouldn't expect a single, solid definition any time soon. And why would we? The one aspect we can most likely agree upon is that the definition is ever-evolving; what is modern today will be passé tomorrow. Maintaining cutting edge status is critical to the success of a business and its ability to attract the most qualified new talent. 

As we continue to refine and evolve the definition and reputation of a modern office, here are a few simple ideas to consider: 

1. A modern office should have options. Not everyone can be productive and creative in the same type of space, with the same types of technology and sitting in the same type of chair. We also all learn, communicate and schedule our workloads differently. A modern office should accommodate such things. Standing desks, laptops, exercise balls as chairs and flexible work schedules are just a few things that provide much needed (and much appreciated) options. Also, keeping meetings under 30 minutes, allowing team members to call in to meetings or view them via web conference and providing various types of consistent professional development opportunities show team members that their needs and differences have been considered. 

2. A modern office should inspire its team members. We spend a lot of time at work. A lot. And no one wants to spend all that time in a lifeless cubicle maze reminiscent of Office Space. An inspiring office doesn't have to include a slide like Google's office or a video game room like Facebook's office (although both would be nice). 

Groupon inspires with brightly painted walls and modern office furniture. 

Nike inspires with art on its walls and sleek designs throughout.

Inspiring a team is more than just what an office looks like. Modern office spaces create a culture that allows team members to connect with each other and connect with their work. Show team members that they were chosen for their positions because they have something meaningful to contribute, not because you needed a role filled. Talk with your team members about the brand's larger goals and explain how their expertise contributes. Spring for in-office chair massages each month to show your team members you care about their energy levels as well as a relaxing environment. (Every moment of the day CAN'T be focused on meeting deadlines.) Encourage team members to express their personalities in their workspaces and attire. Provide your team members with the time and space needed to complete tasks at their own pace without micromanaging. Share knowledge; don't hoard it. Oh, and have some cool gadgets like these around to liven up even the longest of days. 

(We all need to take a few moments to rest in the office from time to time, right?)

3. A modern office should have free food. Lots of it. If you work for Google, you'll never go hungry. The brand feeds its employees three times a day for free. And I don't mean square pizza, an orange and a box of chocolate milk à la elementary school. I mean a variety of dishes made from fresh, organic food from menus around the world that fit several dietary needs. 

Of course every business can't provide perks of this magnitude, but with some creative budgeting, businesses can inspire a "the team who eats together works together" mentality. Provide breakfast or lunch once a week. Have a cupboard full of healthy snacks. Pass out water and juice to help team members stay creative and productive throughout the day. Acknowledge your team members' different dietary needs and provide options. 


Ask your team members what the modern office means to them and what they think it should include. I guarantee no one will say TPS reports. 

By: Susan Gail Taylor, Social Media Manager and Copywriter at RME360