Overcoming obstacles to career success Obstacles such as mismanaging our energy and fear of failure hold us back from success, according to author and blogger Henrik Edberg. In his e-book The Art of Relaxed Productivity, he warns it can take months - not just a weekend - to overcome these obstacles, but it all starts with identifying the impediments. Here are seven to watch for:
Mismanaging energy fundamentals
For focused work, you must ensure enough sleep, healthy diet and regular exercise, the three fundamentals of energy. "Not getting enough sleep is probably one of the most overlooked problems that people have when it comes to their energy levels and focus," Mr. Edberg stresses. Ask yourself how much sleep you need to feel balanced and well, and then how much you are getting. If you're not sleeping sufficiently, it can not only make you lethargic and unfocused, but also prompt negative thinking, that will erode productivity. Similarly, make sure you are eating healthy foods and exercising regularly to maintain focus.
Wasting energy
Squandering emotional energy is common, as we keep replaying an old conflict with someone or fret about minor issues. The thoughts bouncing about in your head distract you from vital issues. Mr. Edberg urges you to consider the worst that can happen in the situation - probably nothing all that terrible - or to ask yourself if the issue haunting you today will matter in five years.
Fear of failure
Being afraid of failure can paralyze you. Instead of worrying, you may want to think about the benefits of failure: you learn, you gain experiences you couldn't get any other way, you become stronger from the experience of hardship and your chances of succeeding increases with the knowledge gained. Instead of beating yourself up after a failure, accept it as part of life, and think of the advantages.
Fear of success
You can also be held back by fear of success, whether you're worried about going into the unknown or having your friends become envious. But that success comes because you earned it, and Mr. Edberg urges you not to forget that: "When you feel like you really deserve some success in whatever area of life that you are working on, then in my experience the fear of success tends to become a lot smaller."
Getting stuck in grey zones
Too often we get stuck in the "grey zone," not making the full mental switch between work and home life. At home we're still preoccupied with stuff from the office, and at work we're replaying challenges in our family life. The result? Emotional and mental fatigue. At work, he suggests setting an egg timer at 50 minutes and working full out on a task, before giving yourself a 10-minute break and repeating the process. This can help block out other issues, boosting productivity through focus. When you leave the workplace, don't bring your work home - that includes shutting off your cellphone and leaving the computer at the office.
Overthinking
Thinking too much about possibilities and options can stop you from making decisions and moving forward. Mr. Edberg has struggled with that, and recommends concentrating on becoming more present, and turning on that mental approach - for example, focusing on your breathing - when you are worrying about a zillion things that might happen in the future.
Lack of self-confidence
Not thinking enough of your own skills and talents can also keep you from progressing. Preparing yourself and educating yourself, he notes, can help to boost confidence. So can visualizing success, as athletes do. Perhaps most importantly, he advises you to face your fears, offering this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."