How to Develop a Good Work Ethic
Make work a priority., Be professional., Maintain a good reputation at work., Practice self-discipline., Set aside time specifically for work., Know your distractions, and minimize them when working., Understand how your work speed may vary., Build...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make work a priority.
To develop a good work ethic, you will have to take work seriously, and aim to do it well.
This doesn’t mean that many important aspects of your life that are not related to work, nor does it mean that you have to work all the time.
During work time, work-related tasks should be your primary concern, and make sure you balance your work life and non-work life so that you have enough time and energy to do your work well.
If you are partially or completely in charge of setting your own work time, you will have to be sure to minimize distractions when working, and to work a reasonable amount of time (not too much and not too little).Diligently maintaining a log of the hours you work will help you to do this. -
Step 2: Be professional.
Being respectful of others, showing consistency and reliability, being honest, and other values are part of developing a good work ethic.Many of these values have to do with how you treat others; a work ethic doesn’t just mean working hard, but also working well with others.
When you make a mistake or don’t complete your work, don’t make excuses.
Owning your mistakes or shortcomings and promising to improve in the future shows maturity and a willingness to work well with others. , Aside from working doing your tasks well, you can cultivate a good reputation at work by being honest, following workplace rules (concerning punctuality, breaks, time off, etc.), and being fair to others.Avoid gossiping at work.
This will show that you are focused on your job, treat others fairly, and are a good team player. , Staying focused, and making choices that will benefit you in the long run are also part of developing a good work ethic.This means being able to tell yourself, and others, when work needs to come first.
Values like dedication, ambition, and persistence are valued by employers, and can lead to success in school and work.Remember that if you tell yourself you need to put something on hold in order to take care of work first, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never get around to it.
Reward yourself by relaxing or having fun after you’ve finished your work. , When possible, try to work around “focus times.” Give yourself a set period of time (such as an hour or an hour and a half) in which you will work deliberately and without distractions.If you are in school or self-employed, then your hours might be flexible, and you will have to be diligent about making time specifically to do work.
Even if an employer sets your work hours for you, however, you can benefit from declaring “focus time” if possible—ask others not to disturb you, turn off all electronic distractions, etc. , Everyone has certain things that can distract them from work: social media, chatting or texting friends, playing games, watching television, etc.
When you are working, make sure to minimize potential distractions, and especially those that you know you are especially drawn to.Be persistent if people try to pull you away from your work.
For instance, if people distract you by chatting, tell them you have work that you’ve got to finish, but you’d love to catch up with them later. , Often, you won’t reach your full productivity, work speed, or creativity immediately after you start working.
Instead, you might need a certain amount of time (10-30 minutes, for example) in order to reach this level.Factor this into the time you set aside for work, especially if you are working on a deadline. , Keep track of how long you can ordinarily work before getting tired.
Once you have this benchmark, try working more than this on one day, followed by a day in which your work load is lighter.
Periodically pushing yourself like this can help your build up to being able to work effectively for longer periods.Another technique to building up to longer periods of work is to push yourself a little further at times.
When you feel like you don’t want to work any longer, or are looking for ways to procrastinate, don’t stop immediately.
Instead, commit to working a little longer (20 minutes, for example), and then stopping. , Getting enough rest is important to maintaining a good work ethic.
If you are truly tired (and not looking to procrastinate), it is a sign that you should take a break.
Whatever your work schedule is like, make sure you factor in enough time for sleep and relaxation into your day.
There is some variation from person to person, but generally adults need
7.5 to
8.5 hours of sleep per day., Work can be very important, but it is also important not to neglect other parts of your life.
Everyone needs mental breaks, to have time to do things they enjoy, and to take care of non-work priorities.Maintaining a life beyond work is actually part of developing a good work ethic, so make sure you allow yourself this. , If you know or decide that something needs to be done, don’t give up until it is.
Rest and finding a work-life balance are always important, but so is taking care of the things you need to get done., If you know you have a problem with procrastination, then make it a point to resist it for a month.
Doing so can give you a foundation for long-term success and a strong work ethic.
During this period, if you feel the urge to procrastinate, remind yourself “I need to get this done,” and make yourself do work instead of turning to distractions. , No one is perfect, so we all make mistakes in our work from time to time.
However, if you make it your goal to do your work well (no matter what it is), it will increase your motivation to succeed, and to fight procrastination.If you feel yourself getting tired or worn out because of work, stop and rest.
If you try to work when you are exhausted, you risk doing less than your best.
Not only can this be discouraging, it can make more work for you to do later when you have to correct something or do it over again.
Just make sure you aren’t procrastinating, and that you have a clear plan of when and how to pick up with your task after you rest.
If you work in or study a creative field, procrastination can be a way of dealing with pressures of criticism and/or creative block.
If this is the case, resolve yourself to worry about perfecting a project later in the work process.
That way, you can get started, make progress, be encouraged, and improve your work later.If you work in or study a creative field, you might also benefit from setting two deadlines—one to get a first “draft” of a project, and a second to revise and improve the project.
It can also be beneficial to give yourself time between these two deadlines to take a break and refresh your perspective., Although you may enjoy your work and even find it fun, it is still work and you need to approach it with a positive attitude and have outstanding ethics., Distance learning requires you to develop your own curriculum and be self-motivated which help you to learn great work habits you can take into the professional arena., Juggling your education and a part-time job will prepare you for a busy work world that insists on multi-tasking.,, By writing down little techniques that helped you juggle your academic life, you can refer to this journal when you are employed in your career of choice to see what worked for you during stressful times in the past. -
Step 3: Maintain a good reputation at work.
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Step 4: Practice self-discipline.
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Step 5: Set aside time specifically for work.
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Step 6: Know your distractions
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Step 7: and minimize them when working.
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Step 8: Understand how your work speed may vary.
-
Step 9: Build up to longer periods of work.
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Step 10: Give yourself time to rest.
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Step 11: Maintain a good work-life balance.
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Step 12: Commit to doing what needs to be done.
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Step 13: Make a 30-day effort to resist procrastination.
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Step 14: Focus on doing your work well.
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Step 15: Resolve yourself that work is exactly what the name implies.
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Step 16: To practice developing your own work ethic
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Step 17: explore distance-learning opportunities.
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Step 18: Get a part-time job while you are attending distance learning courses.
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Step 19: Having a part-time job and paying toward your distance-learning expenses also give you valuable experience with budgeting and handling money
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Step 20: which is essential in the working world.
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Step 21: Write down your most successful approaches to distance learning school assignments and your job.
Detailed Guide
To develop a good work ethic, you will have to take work seriously, and aim to do it well.
This doesn’t mean that many important aspects of your life that are not related to work, nor does it mean that you have to work all the time.
During work time, work-related tasks should be your primary concern, and make sure you balance your work life and non-work life so that you have enough time and energy to do your work well.
If you are partially or completely in charge of setting your own work time, you will have to be sure to minimize distractions when working, and to work a reasonable amount of time (not too much and not too little).Diligently maintaining a log of the hours you work will help you to do this.
Being respectful of others, showing consistency and reliability, being honest, and other values are part of developing a good work ethic.Many of these values have to do with how you treat others; a work ethic doesn’t just mean working hard, but also working well with others.
When you make a mistake or don’t complete your work, don’t make excuses.
Owning your mistakes or shortcomings and promising to improve in the future shows maturity and a willingness to work well with others. , Aside from working doing your tasks well, you can cultivate a good reputation at work by being honest, following workplace rules (concerning punctuality, breaks, time off, etc.), and being fair to others.Avoid gossiping at work.
This will show that you are focused on your job, treat others fairly, and are a good team player. , Staying focused, and making choices that will benefit you in the long run are also part of developing a good work ethic.This means being able to tell yourself, and others, when work needs to come first.
Values like dedication, ambition, and persistence are valued by employers, and can lead to success in school and work.Remember that if you tell yourself you need to put something on hold in order to take care of work first, it doesn’t mean that you’ll never get around to it.
Reward yourself by relaxing or having fun after you’ve finished your work. , When possible, try to work around “focus times.” Give yourself a set period of time (such as an hour or an hour and a half) in which you will work deliberately and without distractions.If you are in school or self-employed, then your hours might be flexible, and you will have to be diligent about making time specifically to do work.
Even if an employer sets your work hours for you, however, you can benefit from declaring “focus time” if possible—ask others not to disturb you, turn off all electronic distractions, etc. , Everyone has certain things that can distract them from work: social media, chatting or texting friends, playing games, watching television, etc.
When you are working, make sure to minimize potential distractions, and especially those that you know you are especially drawn to.Be persistent if people try to pull you away from your work.
For instance, if people distract you by chatting, tell them you have work that you’ve got to finish, but you’d love to catch up with them later. , Often, you won’t reach your full productivity, work speed, or creativity immediately after you start working.
Instead, you might need a certain amount of time (10-30 minutes, for example) in order to reach this level.Factor this into the time you set aside for work, especially if you are working on a deadline. , Keep track of how long you can ordinarily work before getting tired.
Once you have this benchmark, try working more than this on one day, followed by a day in which your work load is lighter.
Periodically pushing yourself like this can help your build up to being able to work effectively for longer periods.Another technique to building up to longer periods of work is to push yourself a little further at times.
When you feel like you don’t want to work any longer, or are looking for ways to procrastinate, don’t stop immediately.
Instead, commit to working a little longer (20 minutes, for example), and then stopping. , Getting enough rest is important to maintaining a good work ethic.
If you are truly tired (and not looking to procrastinate), it is a sign that you should take a break.
Whatever your work schedule is like, make sure you factor in enough time for sleep and relaxation into your day.
There is some variation from person to person, but generally adults need
7.5 to
8.5 hours of sleep per day., Work can be very important, but it is also important not to neglect other parts of your life.
Everyone needs mental breaks, to have time to do things they enjoy, and to take care of non-work priorities.Maintaining a life beyond work is actually part of developing a good work ethic, so make sure you allow yourself this. , If you know or decide that something needs to be done, don’t give up until it is.
Rest and finding a work-life balance are always important, but so is taking care of the things you need to get done., If you know you have a problem with procrastination, then make it a point to resist it for a month.
Doing so can give you a foundation for long-term success and a strong work ethic.
During this period, if you feel the urge to procrastinate, remind yourself “I need to get this done,” and make yourself do work instead of turning to distractions. , No one is perfect, so we all make mistakes in our work from time to time.
However, if you make it your goal to do your work well (no matter what it is), it will increase your motivation to succeed, and to fight procrastination.If you feel yourself getting tired or worn out because of work, stop and rest.
If you try to work when you are exhausted, you risk doing less than your best.
Not only can this be discouraging, it can make more work for you to do later when you have to correct something or do it over again.
Just make sure you aren’t procrastinating, and that you have a clear plan of when and how to pick up with your task after you rest.
If you work in or study a creative field, procrastination can be a way of dealing with pressures of criticism and/or creative block.
If this is the case, resolve yourself to worry about perfecting a project later in the work process.
That way, you can get started, make progress, be encouraged, and improve your work later.If you work in or study a creative field, you might also benefit from setting two deadlines—one to get a first “draft” of a project, and a second to revise and improve the project.
It can also be beneficial to give yourself time between these two deadlines to take a break and refresh your perspective., Although you may enjoy your work and even find it fun, it is still work and you need to approach it with a positive attitude and have outstanding ethics., Distance learning requires you to develop your own curriculum and be self-motivated which help you to learn great work habits you can take into the professional arena., Juggling your education and a part-time job will prepare you for a busy work world that insists on multi-tasking.,, By writing down little techniques that helped you juggle your academic life, you can refer to this journal when you are employed in your career of choice to see what worked for you during stressful times in the past.
About the Author
Katherine Gonzales
Brings years of experience writing about cooking and related subjects.
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