Improving Your Writing Skills for Work

Writing is as important as speaking in the workplace. Whether you compose emails, write direct messages, draft reports, or compose speeches for presentations, clear writing can convey your ideas and avoid confusion. Many don’t find it easy to write well. School doesn’t prepare you to write clear and concise emails and messages for work. As a result, you may find yourself talking on the phone to clarify confusing messages to coworkers. To improve your writing skills for work, try the following tips.

Read and collect writing samples

Composing an email to ask for a favor or inform a team member they need to do a better job takes tact and a careful selection of words. If you’re wordy or too blunt when you write, start a collection of writing samples that you can refer to for specific writing situations.

Read blogs and books that teach you how to write the type of writing you want to improve on. Keep samples of these types of writing on file so you can copy the structure and wording the next time you need to compose a similar piece of writing.

Too busy to learn how to write better? Learn as you go. If you find a fantastic piece of writing in your email box, put a star on it to use as a template for a future email. These writing samples can come from sites you subscribe to, your coworkers’ emails, or your clients’ emails. Your examples can be as simple as some sentences or phrases that others use that you would like to include to improve your writing.

Write regularly and get feedback

Writing often and getting feedback sounds like school. Writing is the same as exercise – you need to do it often to improve your confidence and see improvement. 

Ask to write the first draft of a report or important email. The first draft is the hardest. You need to organize your ideas and decide what to say. Then ask a coworker to review and provide constructive feedback before you ask your supervisor to do the final approval before sending the report or email to a client. 

Asking for feedback is especially important for critical emails. Maybe your ideas aren’t coming across as clearly as you thought. Your coworker could suggest alternate wording, or suggest another idea you can include.

To improve your writing speed, set a timer or time to complete your task. If you procrastinate or experience writer’s block when you have to write something that isn’t a routine work task, setting a completion time can reduce time spent procrastinating.

Study grammar and use tools

A solid understanding of good grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling is important for good writing. You can improve by studying grammar books and taking writing courses on writing style and word choice.

If you don’t have time to study grammar (or consider studying grammar as boring), you have plenty of resources to help. Your word processing program has grammar and punctuation checker features, and a thesaurus to suggest writing tips to you. 

Take note of the writing suggestions that your writing tools are suggesting to you. Make it a goal to avoid making the same spelling and grammar mistakes the next time you write.

Key Takeaways

Writing is a crucial skill that can impact job advancement, salary, and career choices. Even a simple direct message at work can convey an important message. To improve your writing skills, study and collect writing samples that you can use as templates. Ask for feedback from coworkers and use editing tools to check your writing. These small steps you can apply daily can improve the quality of your writing over time.

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Dealing with 4 Challenges of Remote Work

Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), became a popular term after the pandemic, but many workers have been working from home long before 2020. Some people love WFH and will never return to commuting or working at an office.

The perks of remote work are numerous, but the lifestyle isn’t for everyone. The main difference is that WFH easily blurs the lines between work and home life. It’s easy to check work email while having breakfast in your pajamas or throw a load of clothes in the laundry in the five minutes you have before a meeting starts.

Remote work also comes with its unique challenges. If you haven’t tried work from home yet, consider these four challenges before you start. If you work from home, what do you think about these challenges with the lifestyle?

Lack of in-person interaction

You might think it’s a nice break from your coworkers if you’re working from home. No more co-workers interrupting your work to ask annoying questions. No more distracting noise from an open-office design layout.

For those who love socializing, you will miss having lunch with a co-worker who is your friend. You’ll miss the conversations you have whenever you collaborate with a team. You’ll have virtual team meetings, but you must stick to the topic and finish on time before people leave for other meetings.  

Remote work is perfect for those who love to work without interruption. You can avoid water cooler conversations with coworkers (although you might have them with those you live with). You can work in peace and get what you need done on time. The time you save from your commute is spent finishing work early so you can do other things after work.

A workplace that you live in

Working from home is quite literally working from your home. It may be difficult to draw a distinct line between your home life and work life. A home office with a door that you can open and close helps to create a physical separation between your two lives, but if your desk is in your living space, such as your kitchen, that distinction is harder to make.

You may be expected to check your work emails first thing in the morning, as well as in the evening. Remote companies with staff that live across the country function best when people are more flexible about when they work and when they check messages. You may need to be more adamant about your office hours and when you check messages if you want set hours away from work.

Work may also feel more intrusive because your coworkers have a window into your personal life when you have a virtual meeting. They can see what you have along one wall of your home office. They can hear if your children are talking loudly in the background.

Living where you work has its perks. You don’t have to spend time packing your lunch the night before. No trying to figure out what food is good to transport in your lunch bag and convenient to eat in the office. It will be like eating at home on the weekend.

During coffee and lunch breaks, you can be more productive: you can throw a load of laundry in the washer, take out the trash, or dust off some furniture. Best of all, if you have a flexible schedule and if you’re drowsy, it’s easy to take a comfortable nap.

Different dress code

Remote work is very easy on your clothing budget. You can wear the same clothes that you wear on the weekend to lounge around the house. Or you can dress up in office wear if that’s your preference to get in work mode.

The only time dress code matters is during virtual meetings when you are on camera. You may want to dress up a little and wear a sweater or shirt instead of your hoodie for a meeting with new clients or company members you don’t work with regularly.

New level of IT skills

“Avid problem solver” will become one of your top job skills. As a remote worker, you’ll encounter tech issues with internet availability, virtual meeting mic or camera issues, or other issues with your computer. 

Without someone from the company IT department to save you, you’ll need to resort to your resourcefulness to fix those tech issues. Either you’ll be calling favors from friends and family, or reading up on technology so you can become your own expert.  

Key Takeaways

Does working from home appeal to you? Those who prefer it love the flexible work hours, the short commute, and the relaxed dress code. With today’s technology, remote work will continue to be an option for the workplace.

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How to Change Your Mindset Using Words

Words have tremendous power and influence. Short, simple statements such as “I love you,” “I hate you,” “You’re hired,” and “You’re fired” can change a person’s life. But it isn’t just what we say to another person that can have a tremendous impact. The words we choose to say can change how other people perceive us, and change our own mindset.

Never underestimate the power of words. 

Compare the following statements. What does each pair of statements say about the speaker’s mindset? Which words are confident? Which words are apologetic?

Sorry, I’m late.

Thank you for waiting.

The first expression is very common. However, you are starting off with an apology (nothing wrong with that). But by saying, “Thank you for waiting,” you are acknowledging the other person and speaking in a more positive way by not beginning with sorry.

Don’t do that.

Remember to…

Giving an order with “Don’t” is quick and to the point. “Don’t step on the grass.” But using “don’t” also emphasizes the negative. You can make the same point using positive wording: “Remember to avoid the new grass.” Or “Remember to log off before you leave the office.”

I didn’t hear what you said. Could you say it again?

Could you repeat what you said in a different way? 

A slight change in wording changes your meaning and intent. In the first example, you’re admitting you weren’t paying attention and the speaker must remember what he or she said. In the second example, you’re implying you were listening (even if your mind drifted) and you want to make sure you understood what was said.

How do I know if I can finish the task correctly?

What if I make a mistake using the new software?

These two examples have the same negative mindset in common. The speaker is focused on failure or possible failure. The speaker is leaving the outcome to chance and fate.

What can I do to ensure I finish this task correctly? 

What are some common mistakes and what can I do to avoid them?

Compare the negative mindset examples to the sentences above. Notice the change to a positive mindset. The speaker is taking initiative and controlling the outcome. The speaker doesn’t know what to do, but is telling the listener that he or she wants to be prepared and will make sure the outcome will be the best possible.

Key Takeaways

The words you choose to express an idea are part of your mindset. You can express an idea in a way that makes you appear negative and lacking in confidence. Or you can choose words that show initiative and positivity. Your words are a powerful extension of your personality and mindset.

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Managing Your Time and Staying Productive

If you could control time, would you go back to change the past so you could revisit a memory or redo a mistake? How awesome it would be to freeze that moment and have all the minutes to do everything you want with hours to spare! Managing your time and staying productive would not be a problem for you.

A 60 Minutes/ Vanity Fair poll in 2015 found that people would like to go back in time to prevent catastrophes such as the sinking of the Titanic and the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Some people would like to witness firsthand events such as the opening of King Tut’s tomb and the first landing on the moon. Overall of those polled, 53% were more interested in their future than in what went wrong in the past.

Each morning, you have the future ahead of you. If you manage your time well, you’ll finish the day feeling like you’ve been productive.

This wise blog continues here.

Lunar New Year: Rabbits and Prosperity

It’s the lunar new year, also called Chinese New Year, and the perfect time to think about prosperity, health, and good fortune. Inflation is the word on many people’s minds, not prosperity, but we can still celebrate the bright side of darker times.

What does prosperity and good fortune mean to you? You could be rich in family, friends, and other relationships. You could be rich in luck. For example, you pop into a store and the item you’re looking for is on sale. Or you’ve planned an important event and it’s supposed to snow that day, but turns out to be sunny instead.

This year may be harsh on the finances, so it may be the year to plant seeds. Invest in your education and skills so that you have a higher-paying job next year. Or meet people who will teach you about investments, or partner with you on a business venture that becomes profitable in the future.

Rabbits in the Chinese Zodiac

This lunar new year is the year of the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac. The rabbit is considered the luckiest of the zodiac animals. Other cultures around the world also consider the rabbit as a symbol of luck that leads to success. It’s an animal associated with prosperity and new beginnings.

People born in the year of the rabbit (2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, etc) are thought to have more chances to make money than those born under other zodiac signs. However, this also means they can make a big profit or have little to no return on their investments.

The best careers for rabbits are in healthcare, education, religion, medicine, law/law enforcement, or culture. Rabbits are skilled at hands-on activities such as painting, calligraphy, cooking, and tailoring.