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Press release

MAKE 2007 YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR AT WORK YET!

Association for Coaching, December 13th, 2006: The festivities are over and it’s time to think about the year ahead. The Association for Coaching, an organisation committed to raising standards and professionalism within the coaching profession, suggests that new years resolutions should begin within the workplace.

Katherine Tulpa, Chair of the Association for Coaching and Managing Director of Urban Calm says “Too often we make personal New Year resolutions about diet or exercise, yet we often pay little attention to making our lives better in the workplace. By making effective changes at work, we can have a better quality of life at home and at work.”

The Association for Coaching has published some top tips on its website for making work more manageable in the New Year. The organisation suggests the following:

  • Use any quiet time before or after Christmas for getting the paperwork and administration in order
  • Try not to be distracted by unimportant emails – read those you think are important and save the rest for the beginning or end of the day
  • Try to avoid staying late, it puts pressure on you and your loved ones. Wind down 15 minutes before you plan to leave and write a list of things to do for the following day.
  • Allocate time for planning - assess your workload every week and make a game-plan for how you will achieve your tasks and when
  • Allow some slack each day for admin, impromptu meetings and urgent requests
  • Take control of your time, if other people are asking you to help, guide them, don’t do it for them
  • Try not to be affected by the stress of others, they can make you stressed too
  • Prioritise what is important and try not to get bogged down with ‘stuff’
    You will be highly regarded at work if you can deliver when you say you will, but do not set unrealistic deadlines, or make promises you can’t keep. If other people’s deadlines are unrealistic discuss them and work together on a more achievable action plan
  • Make a note of what you are doing each day and work out areas where you could save time

It is estimated that 10.5 million working days are lost every year, due to work-related stress1. Feeling more in control at work, increases self-esteem, reduces anxiety and creates better relationships at work and at home. It is not always necessary to work long hours and a company can be more productive by empowering employees to carry out effective time-management and delegation.

Contacting an executive or life coach may be one of the best investments you make in the New Year. The Association for Coaching’s website has a list of approved practitioners that can help put work and life into perspective.

1 HSC:  Health & Safety Statistics 2005/06.  www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/targets.htm