There are several ways to measure your goals, ranging from simple to complex and free to expensive. Sometimes it makes sense to spend money on tools, but when setting goals for your own purposes, keeping it low cost makes sense.
 
For instance, use a spreadsheet when first starting out. Many people use spreadsheet to measure their productivity at work. Most people associate Microsoft Excel with spreadsheets, and that costs money. However, there are free alternatives, such as Open Office Calc. The Open Office suite of products is available on multiple operating systems. This software is fully functional and compatible with Microsoft products. The best part is it is free.
 
Sometimes, you will need more sophisticated tools. For instance, when you work on multiple projects simultaneously and there may be dependencies associated with some of the goals, you’ll need to have a better method than a spreadsheet to manage these. This is also true when you have multiple people that you need to measure their contributions to the projects.
 
While you could use spreadsheets for this, they are not meant for collaborative activities. The reporting features are lacking in a spreadsheet program. A program such as Microsoft Project gives you more control over these types of features.
 
Other factors to consider when measuring goals is workflow. When someone on your team updates a document, you want the whole team to know about it simultaneously. Otherwise, you will need to constantly coordinate changes to documents or other assets within the project. This can become a full-time job by itself. As most of us continue to work from home, it is also helpful to keep up with the best tech gadgets to work from home.  Another factor is time management. It may help to brainstorm about time management apps with the team to find out do time management apps help your productivity.

Even if you have all the tools for working and managing remotely, keep in mind the tool should not be used as a means to run the projects for you. They have their uses, but the responsibility rests with you, or the project manager. Also, you have to consider some flexibility in the measurement as not every item will go according to plan. You may need to make some adjustments along the way. At the end, with or without the help of tools, it is important to have a personal list of good habits to have - high performance habits.

​Being too rigid with the plan can cause problems within a team. Strict adherence to a tool will make the projects rigid, by definition. On the other hand, you do need some ways to accurately measure the goals as you are moving on up. It’s a delicate balance that requires compassion as well as firmness.

When choosing a tool, try to get your team involved, so they know what to expect. This isn’t always possible as some companies already have solutions implemented. If this is the case, you will need to manage the expectations of the team and provide any training and assistance needed to make the tool work for them. As you move along, remember the 10 best practices for managing remote teams. Remembering best practices will always make the projects move along more smoothly.

​So, you’ve been working in the same position for over a year and no one has said anything to you about a promotion or increase in pay. There could be many reasons for a company not giving you a promotion or a raise and some of them are valid, such as a downturn in the profits of the company or even your own job performance.
 
However, not all companies are suffering downturns. If your company is thriving but you still haven’t gotten a raise, there are many things you can do to get noticed - in a good way - by your company superiors and move along the promotion process.

​

1. Be vocal. Discussing your concerns with your boss is important and they will value your word, just as they value your work. Learn how to ask for a raise.
   
   
   • Offer realistic and effective solutions to your concerns.
     
     
   • Discuss your thoughts on things that you can do to bring value to the company.
     
     
2. Be on time. Being late could lead your boss to believe that you’re a slacker who doesn’t value your job, even if you have a valid excuse. Sign in a bit early, instead. It really goes a long way and you will be surprised at the impact you will see, just for being present a little earlier than you must.
   
   
3. ​Be a team player. Employees are more likely to move up faster in a company if a supervisor can see their collaborative skills. If you’re working from home, ensure that your boss knows that you are making an effort to communicate and work effectively with others.
   
   
   • Do your part for team projects to help make them successful. Offer to help others.
     
     
   • Be willing to share the victories with others. Helping the team look good also helps you to look good.
     
     
4. Continue learning. Employers value higher education. Sometimes you might deserve a raise, but your current level of education doesn’t assure the company that you are worth more pay. Continue your education with online learning or night school and show your company that you are willing to be worth the raise.
   
   
   • Along with additional knowledge, you can learn many new skills as well as hone the skills you already have. While you are at it, make sure you learn how to negotiate your salary the right way.
     
     
   • Picking up additional degrees or certificates for skills that can help your company will impress your bosses and could be a turning point for your career.
     
     
5. Have a meeting with your boss to discuss your job performance. Find out where your boss thinks you can improve and make a concrete plan to ensure that it happens. Openly discuss the prospect of a raise. Get the raise your deserve.
   
   

Check open jobs near you. If your boss isn’t willing to provide a raise even though you deserve the money, it could be time to change your job. Continue to look at open jobs as they become available. 

​Your performance plays a big role in how much value you contribute at work. Learn about high performance habits. Dedicate yourself to making a consistent effort and delivering high quality work.

These strategies will help you to increase your competence: 

1. Set goals. Clarifying your career goals will guide your actions and help you to get the outcomes you want. For example, you may want to close more sales or develop your leadership skills. Aim high while being realistic.
   
   
2. Continue learning. Add to your knowledge and skills. Read books and subscribe to industry publications. Talk with thought leaders in your field. Earn certifications online and sign up for training seminars at work.
   
   
3. Master technology. Take advantage of apps and devices that will help you to manage your time and accomplish more. Brushing up on computer skills enables you to stay relevant and collaborate with other professionals.
   
   
4. Be proactive. Do you wait around for your next assignment? Take initiative by volunteering for projects with high visibility. Look for ways to streamline work processes and cut costs.
   
   
5. Welcome feedback. Gathering feedback from your boss and coworkers can have a powerful impact on your performance and professional development. Apply what you learn and thank others for their input.
   
   
6. Seek balance. Star employees know how to prevent burnout. Take breaks and use your vacation days. Pay attention to your personal and spiritual life as well as your career objectives.

Soft skills matter too. They’re the kind of traits that can make you someone who others enjoy working with.
 
Try these techniques to strengthen your soft skills: 

1. Follow through. Let others know that they can depend on you. Complete your work on time and provide updates when you know that your activities affect your coworker’s ability to do their jobs.
   
   
2. Focus on solutions. Stay calm under pressure. Propose strategies for overcoming setbacks rather than casting blame. Learn from experience and move on.
   
   
3. Share credit. Acknowledge your coworkers’ contributions too. Praise them for their ideas and innovations. Take pleasure in their success.
   
   
4. Resolve conflicts. Some disagreements are inevitable when you work closely with others for 40 hours each week. Deal with differences promptly. Treat each other with respect and search for common ground.
   
   
5. Help others. You become a more valuable employee when you create conditions that make it easier for others to excel. Pitch in when a colleague is swamped. Teach them how to do tasks in areas where you’ve developed your expertise.
   
   
6. Show empathy. You can also help others just by showing an interest in them. Make time for small talk. Validate their feelings.
   
   
7. Advocate for yourself. Honoring your own needs is fundamental to your wellbeing and your capacity to give. Ask for what you want. Stand up for your principles.
   
   
8. Think positive. Maintain a cheerful disposition. Find the humor in difficult situations. Wear a smile and speak kindly. Choose positive words that increase motivation and help fight stress.

 
Position yourself to stand out in any field. Being recognized as a valuable employee will help you to manage your career and achieve your own definition of success habits.

If you choose Perseverance, Self-Discipline, and Passion as three different traits and combine them together, you have just built a new characteristic and it's called GRIT. Many teachers, psychologists, and other professionals now believe that having grit is more important than having a high IQ score, fine genes, or the highest grades. And thus, grit continues to build momentum.

Put in basic terms, grit is perseverance and passion for meaningful, long-term goals. It’s the capacity to continue to persist at something you’re passionate about and to persevere even if obstacles get in your way.
 
This is the type of passion that’s about commitment and direction, not infatuation or intense emotion. With this type of passion, you’re able to remain committed to tasks that are boring, difficult or challenging.
 
Not only that, but grit is about perseverance and self-discipline too. To define perseverance, I'd say it means sticking with it and continuing to work hard, even if you experience failure or difficulties.
 
Grit is incredibly important in life because it drives our success and achievement. Being naturally talented and smart is great, however, if you want to truly thrive and do well in life (and who doesn’t?) you need to be able to persevere. Without grit and resilience, talent can amount to nothing but unmet potential. It’s only when you put in effort that your talents become skills that can lead to success.

Let’s look more closely at resilience. To define resilience, I'd say it is being able to recover from even the most difficult of life’s events. It is your ability to cope with adversity, withstand it and, when you fail, to bounce back and carry on growing, even when life takes a downturn.
Resilience isn’t a trampoline. You won’t be up one moment and down the next. Rather, it’s more like a mountain climb with no trail map. It will take strength, time and support from others. You’re sure to experience many setbacks on the way. Eventually, though, you’ll get to the summit and be able to look back and see the distance that you’ve traveled.
 
It’s important to note, though, that resilient people will still experience emotional upheaval, suffering, and stress. While it’s common to equate being resilient with being mentally tough, instead, demonstrating resilience means working through that suffering and emotional pain and coming out the other side stronger and more positive.
 
Resilience is vital since it gives you the strength you need to process hardship and overcome it. If you lack resilience, you’ll be overwhelmed too easily, and can be tempted to adopt unhealthy coping strategies to get through the tough times. Resilient people, on the other hand, can tap into their own support systems and strengths when it comes to overcoming challenges and working through problems.
 
Resilience comes in two forms. Emotional resilience allows you to tap into your own optimism, even if you’re trying to cope in a crisis. Meanwhile, physical resilience is your body’s capacity to adapt to a challenge and to recover more quickly. Both are helpful when it comes to overcoming adversity.
 
The good news is that resilience isn’t a trait that’s fixed in place. You can bolster or even build resilience in yourself by changing your behaviors and patterns of thinking, helping you to find more inner strength.

One obvious situation in which grit and resilience are vital to success is in the workplace. Most of us have wondered from time to time why this or that person is so successful in their work. It’s important to understand that their success doesn’t come from their intelligence, their talents, or even their willingness to work for extra time or take on more commitments than are strictly necessary.
 
In the modern workplace where rivalry, strict deadlines, staff cutbacks and organization change are all commonplace, this type of success relies solely on the individual’s ability to not just cope, but to know how to stay motivated after a setback.
 
When you encounter the inevitable challenges, you’ll encounter in the workplace, you need to be resilient and bounce back. The workplace will always present several stressors to its employees. So, how can you become more resilient at work?
 
It’s important to be aware that resilience is actually just a skill, and like other skills, it can be learned and improved with practice.
 
A resilient employee can build strong relationships and connections with others. These are high-quality relationships that are characterized by several features, especially effective communication. Resilient workers who have positive working relationships do everything possible to help others to become successful at work since they’re team-players aiming for a win-win situation with all their fellow employees.
 
A resilient employee will also nurture the working network they’ve forged, building trust consistently with other people and fostering positive emotions with other employees.
​
The modern workplace is typified by stress, and with internet access and cutting-edge technology, work is constantly present in our lives. A resilient worker can manage this stress effectively, preventing it from becoming detrimental and overwhelming. By engaging actively in self-care, nurturing themselves when they experience stressful times, a resilient employee can avoid burnout.
 
A further characteristic of resilient employees is that they are true to their real selves. They behave in ways that align with their personal beliefs and values. Essentially, they demonstrate grit in their determination to achieve their challenging and ambitious goals, whatever obstacles they encounter.
 
A gritty, resilient worker perceives their work as meaningful  and, thanks to this mindset, they feel their work will achieve an outcome that is valuable. This equips them more effectively to cope when work is stressful.
 
Even with a resilient mindset, employees will experience stress at work. But, a key characteristic of such workers is that they monitor their thought patterns when under duress and identify the patterns that impede their chance of success.
 
Resilient workers are also adaptive and flexible, ready to cope with change in the workplace. So, how can you develop more resilience and grit in your working life?
 
Take a positive stance – this allows you to adapt more effectively to adversity, giving you more control over your working environment. Putting motivation and energy into your work will build personal resilience.
 
Having emotional insight – with emotional insight, you can be more aware of the emotions you’re experiencing, and whether they’re positive or negative. You’ll also be able to consider the impact of your behavior and reactions on yourself and others.
 
Developing balance – personal resilience is achieved through a healthy work/life balance. You need to take the time to recuperate, unwind and relax so you can bounce back from stress.
Fostering spirituality – finding purpose and meaning in your work and believing it contributes to a greater good buffer the negative effects of stress.
 
Becoming reflective – if you can be in tune with your emotional reactions and feelings, this helps to protect you from the negative effect of stress. An awareness of your potential triggers will allow you to prepare effectively and gather the necessary resources so you can bounce back in the face of adversity.

May people are trying to find a career coach. Coaches have the skills and knowledge to advise, support, and encourage their client.
 
Career coaches help their clients to:

• Make sound decisions
• Take effective actions
• Resolve their challenges in the most efficient way possible
• Learn from the process, so they can repeat it whenever they want

 
A career coach also has the ability to remain detached from the issues at hand.

​Consider the wise words of Albert Einstein: 

Maybe. Maybe not.

• Are you at a point where NOT taking action is costing you time and money?
  
• Do you feel stuck in your struggles?
  
• Could you use encouragement and sage advice in moving forward?

If you relish the opportunity to change, consider these Top 10 Tips for reinventing yourself: 
​

1. Avoid giving in to what is expected, reasonable, sensible, or appropriate. The point here is to enjoy yourself. For example:
   
   
   • If you’ve been ‘the grey suit guy’ all your life and you want to be the Hawaiian Shirt guy, just do it.
     
     
   • If you’ve been ‘the modest condo guy’, and you secretly lusted after a penthouse suite with views of the ocean, find one.
     
     
   • And if you’ve always been the ‘BMW sedan guy’ but love the idea of driving a 55 Chevy pick-up, this is your time to shine. People will notice that you live life according to your own rules, and you can enjoy every minute of it!
     
     
2. If you’re in a new job or locale, this is a time to make new friends. Choose carefully and wisely. You don’t need to be everybody’s friend.
   
   
   • Keep your circle small. Sound people out and use your new friends to sound out new places and potential new hobbies too. Others will notice that you’re friendly but have a private side too.
     
     
3. Practice being a great listener. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn about people, places, and everything else if you just listen. Ask lots of questions. You’re new here and others will expect you to ask questions. Ask some good ones…and listen.
   
   
   • A surprising perk of this technique is that others will refer to you as a great conversationalist!
     
     
4. Take time to explore the area …. alone. You’ll notice and appreciate more if you’re alone. Take pictures and make notes. It will make for great conversations later!
   
   
5. Be a good neighbor. Take time to help others. Practice random acts of kindness at every opportunity.
   
   
   • Others will appreciate you and speak well of you, especially if you help with no thought of a reward. Do it because you can and for no other reason.
     
     
6. Stand up and speak out for things you have a passion for. Let others know that you are both willing and able to make your point, debate an issue, or speak up for those who have no voice. People will notice that you are selfless and put others before yourself.
   
   
7. Start early. Show that you have a zest for life and can’t wait to get at it each day. Walk quickly and with purpose. Always be the first to volunteer for everything.
   
   
   • You will win some and you will lose some, but overall, you will win because everyone will know you as the one who is up for everything.
     
     
8. Be generous with your praise for everybody who has earned it. Giving credit to others will show how much you appreciate them, and it will come back to you tenfold.
   
   
9. Keep yourself fit and healthy. Set a good example. You don’t have to go crazy - just eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and do some form of exercise that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes each day.
   
   
   • The pay-off is phenomenal. Others will notice you and be inspired, which, in turn, will inspire you to continue.
     
     
10. Thank others - for everything, all the time. Show your gratitude to as many people as you can, as often as you can. Most people are starved of thanks for a job well done, for sharing their wisdom, or for acknowledging their kindness.
    
    
    • People will appreciate you forever if you show them gratitude for good words and deeds.

 
Most of the time, our mind runs on autopilot because how we show up in life is directed by our subconscious mind. When you turn the job over to your conscious mind and really put some thought into it, amazing things can happen.

​One of the biggest reasons you get tired of a job is that you're doing the same thing every day. If you happen to love what you do, that's great, but if not it's time to break out of the box. Besides, learning a new skill adds value to your career. If you've been doing server work for a long time, take the time to learn other skills. If you're an Exchange specialist, learn some Linux skills.

​Not very many of us get to work for the same company for the rest of our IT careers. The only job security is the security you give yourself, and one of the ways to get that security is to add professional certifications to your resume. Certifications get you noticed and help you stand out from the crowd. Ask yourself what your resume would look like if you were laid off today, and then take steps to improve yourself and your professional standing.

Be prepared to take one step backwards in order to take multiple steps forward.

You may be in a situation one of my clients was in a while back when his employer saw him as strictly a server guy. My client wanted to get on the Cisco side of things, but there was this perception that he was "only a LAN guy". He had to leave that company to get his shot. There was some short-term financial pain, but in the long run it was the best career move he had ever made.
 
People get typecast in every field. In his book "Often Wrong, Never In Doubt", Donny Deutsch writes about a job candidate who wanted to become a junior ad executive, but couldn't break in with his current employer which was an ad agency! He was typecast in a support role, so he applied to other ad firms and was quickly hired.
 
Sometimes you have to look outside your current situation in order to create a new situation for yourself. Don't be afraid to take a step backwards in order to open up new possibilities for yourself. There's an amazing career out there, waiting for you if you have the courage to make it and take it.​

Recently, I have been searching and writing about the precise meaning of many words that have to do with our endurance and survival. I started to write about the meanings of efficiency, discipline, resilience, productivity, and hope, just to name a few. 
​

​I always thought productivity was the key to success. Later, I realized success has a recipe of its own with many ingredients. Aside from the above-mentioned traits, one of the most important characteristics is PERSEVERANCE.
​
To define perseverance, it's best to start with the dictionary. Dictionary.com defines perseverance as follows:
​

Alongside Dictionary.com, there is always Thesaurus.com and this is how it lists the synonyms for perseverance.
​

Perseverance adjectives are listed as perseverant and  persevering. You would think they mean the same thing, right? Here is what https://wikidiff.com/persevering/perseverant has to say about it.
​

​I have read that intellectual perseverance is harnessing one's intelligence and building a Never Quit attitude by leveraging the power of positive thinking in spite of increases in negative thinking. 

The Philosophical Life wrote an article in 2018 on Medium about intellectual perseverance and explained: 
"....Intellectual perseverance is a habit that comes from a love of learning. It’s the tendency to not give up on learning when the learning gets tough. Instead, you embrace intellectual struggle. You persist toward greater understanding. Intellectual perseverance is an intellectual virtue....."

Here is a little fable about Susan and her job search story. She persevered until she found her ideal  job and so can you. ​

​Susan was looking for a job, so she sent her resume all over town. She scoured the newspapers every day, and by the end of the month, Susan had applied to over one hundred openings.  “Surely,” Susan thought “I will find my dream job soon!”
 
But many days passed and Susan didn't hear back from any of the jobs where she had applied.  She began to worry – was there something wrong with her resume? 
 
Finally, two weeks after she sent in her 107th resume, she got a call for her first interview! Soon after, Susan got another two calls and she ended up with three interviews scheduled. “Finally,” she thought, “I’m one step closer to my dream job!”

​So Susan went to her interviews and she thought she made a wonderful impression, but to Susan’s disappointment, she only heard back about one job, and it was the lowest paid, least fulfilling opportunity of the three.
 
“Should I take it?”, she wondered.  The thought of working every day at a job she hated made her feel hopeless. Susan was afraid she might not find anything else, so she accepted the job, but vowed to continue looking for something better.
 
A few weeks after accepting the low-paying, unfulfilling job, Susan got a call from a company that hadn’t got back to her for weeks. It turns out they needed someone with Susan’s exact skill set!
 
Finally, after some hard work and persistence, Susan was offered the job of her dreams – the money was good and it was just the kind of work she was looking for. 

When we put in our best effort, we create opportunities, find opportunities, and opportunities will find us. When we allow disappointment and discouragement to take over, we don’t see the hidden gems right in front of our faces!
 
What if Susan had stopped the pursuit of her dream job when she took the dead-end position? What if she had allowed her disappointment to dictate her actions? What if she ignored the phone call about her dream job offer?
 
Well, she wouldn’t be very happy at all! She would be suffering an inner tension day in and day out.
 
We must continue to persevere and leverage the power of positive thinking even as negative thinking seems so much easier. It's an easier way to create results.
 
Opportunities will come. They always do when we work, wait, and watch for them.

Resilience is defined as the ability to recover quickly from adversity. The research shows that people are more likely to learn from difficult or traumatic situations (resilience) than not.

To define resilience, Dictionary.com writes as follows:
noun:

• the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
• ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.

​

​There are several personal qualities that are considered ‘protective factors’ in individuals who are resilient. These factors are based on years of research.

The personal resiliency indicators are:

• Relationships – the ability to form positive relationships
• Helpfulness – gives of self to help others
• Life Skills – practices good life skills such as communication, problem solving, etc.
• Humor – ability to laugh at difficult situations
• Inner Guidance – uses internal guidance for making choices and coping with problems
• Perceptiveness – ability to understand people and situations
• Independence – ability to make choices that are best for oneself despite the norm
• Optimism – hopeful view of the future
• Adaptability – ability to adjust to changing needs and circumstances
• Love of learning – interest in and capacity to learn and grow
• Self-motivation – internally driven
• Competence – mastery of something that matters
• Self-worth – sees self as a worthy and worthwhile person
• Spirituality – faith in a power greater than oneself
• Perseverance – ability to keep on in the face of difficulty
• Creativity – use of imagination and expression through some artistic outlet

(Adapted from The Resiliency Workbook, Nan Henderson) 
 
Most people have some of these characteristics. We can build our resilience by developing traits and characteristics that we do not currently possess.

Productivity seems to be a hot topic while people are still adjusting to the changes in work and lifestyle due to the new work-at-home culture and paradigm shifts.

To begin, it's important to look up Productivity Definition before discussing it here. Dictionary.com defines productivity as follows: