​Making the most of our time means knowing what tasks we need to do, when to do them, and how to accomplish the best work in the shortest amount of time.
 
In short, we have to decide every day what tasks strategically align with our objectives at work, at home, in life.
 
There is no magic way to achieve this but rather multiple ways to increase our personal ROI.
 
Urgent VS Important
Our brains are drawn to immediately respond to urgency. But just because something is urgent does not equate to it also being of high importance. Urgent tasks highjack our attention from important work that advances us toward our goals.  Before undertaking any task, ask yourself, “Is this important?” If not, make a note of it to address later instead of dropping everything to tackle it immediately.

Many of us have been in a job that makes us unhappy and the thought, ”I should quit!” has crossed our minds on occasion.
 
Of course, there are just bad days, which are to be expected and we can put behind us. But there are really are bad jobs, terrible places to work, and awful managers.
 
For those who really do desperately want to quit, to get away from your horrible workplace, annoying co-workers or abusive managers, we may hesitate to actually do anything about it, because right on the heels of that impulse to get out come a multitude of other thoughts that keep us from resigning.

Each of these excuses may sound like the voice of sanity, offering perfectly good reasons why it is the better, smarter decision to stay and endure that bad job just a little longer, but upon closer examination, these excuses keep us trapped in jobs that slowly but surely wear us down.

Here are 10 of the most common bad excuses for staying in an awful job.

#1 “Things might get better”
That jerk manager might be promoted out of there. That annoying co-worker could quit. That mound of overwork could suddenly disappear.
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On the other hand, things might also get worse. Or they might not change at all. If you’ve already done your best to improve your job situation and nothing’s has changed, just waiting around for things to improve by themselves make little sense.

​As humans, we innately form immediate impressions about those we meet.
 
For over 15 years, social psychologist and Harvard Business professor, Amy Cuddy, and her colleagues, Susan Fiske and Peter Glick, have been examining first impressions, arriving at a very interesting conclusion.
 
And no, physical appearance isn’t the primary factor.
 
Cuddy has authored a book, Presence, that details many of the study’s findings. The book states that when we meet someone for the first time, we unconsciously ask ourselves two vital questions:
 
First: Can I trust this person?
 
Second: Can I respect this person?
 
In a nutshell, this initial judgment is one of whether we feel good or bad about this person. Warmth and competence are the two critical variables, accounting for approximately 80 percent of our overall evaluations of people. 
 
According to Cuddy, though the majority of people would prefer to be perceived as capable, especially when it comes to interviewing for a job opening, trustworthiness and warmth play a bigger part in first impressions.
 
States Cuddy, “From an evolutionary perspective, it is more crucial to our survival to know whether a person deserves our trust.”

Thrive in a job you love!
 
Our work and career play a critical role in our daily life. We spend much of our day getting ready for work, going to and from work, at work, or thinking about work. Work offers us financial reward and the ability to achieve, contribute, be creative, problem solve, network, and be acknowledged.
 
Finding a position in a company that checks each of these important boxes is essential to a happy, successful and fulfilling life. Understanding what we want in a position and being able to find the right company with a culture that fits our needs and talents is a critical skill.
 
Assess the company
Knowing how to effectively interview for a position is important.  Even more crucial is understanding what we want and need in a job as well as the ability to assess a company and its culture to determine if it’s the right fit. Remember that in addition to being interviewed, we are also conducting an interview of our own.

After being the in working word for a number of years, most people have had experience with a variety of companies. There are those we loved working for and those, well, not so much. But is there a way to know where an organization will fall on the great to lousy scale before accepting the job?
 
These corporations announce their talent-unfriendly philosophy in numerous ways, and one of the most important is in their employee handbook.
 
When you are interviewing with a company, ask them for a copy of the employee handbook before you get the job offer! A business’s company handbook is a window into their soul. Reading it in advance will give you enormous insights into the company’s culture. If they won’t give you a handbook, that should be your very first clue.
 
Below are ten definite signs that a company you are interviewing with is not a good place to work.
 
No moonlighting
Companies that have a no moonlighting policy restrict their employees from having another part-time job. As long as the job in question doesn’t impact your work or involve in any conflict of interest, no business should request this of their employees.