Thursday, July 30, 2020

Careers in Psychology Course Information

Careers in Psychology Course Information Student Resources Careers Print Getting Started: Psychology Career Assessment Lesson One of the Careers in Psychology Course By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on February 19, 2018 Image Source / Digital Vision / Getty Images More in Student Resources Careers APA Style and Writing Study Guides and Tips Have you ever thought about starting a career in the field of psychology? Then welcome to the Psychology e-course on choosing a psychology career! This course is designed to help you learn more about the many different career options within psychology. From a more traditional career in a field like clinical psychology to lesser known jobs like aviation psychology and military psychology, you will cover a wide variety of topics in the coming weeks. Are you trying to decide if psychology is the right career path for you? Which specialty area should you choose? What type of education and training do you need? We will explore all of these questions in greater depth later on in the course. This is your first lesson for this course. Today, you’ll start by taking a brief career quiz to discover which area of psychology is best suited to your interests and goals. This quiz is designed to help you think about your interests and the jobs that are best-suited to those interests. Why Take This Course? Psychology is one of the most popular subjects on college campuses throughout the world. If you are thinking about earning a degree in psychology, then it is essential to understand the type of career options that are available. Psychology is a very diverse field. While many instantly think of psychotherapy as the primary career path, mental health jobs represent only one segment of the field. Today, most psychology programs require students to take at least one Careers in Psychology class prior to graduation. In most cases, students are expected to take this course during their freshmen or sophomore year. Whether you are just curious to learn more about the job options or seriously trying to determine which career path to take, there are plenty of excellent reasons to take this course. You can learn more about yourself and your interests.You can discover which career paths are most suited to your personality, needs, interests, and goals.You can find out what kind of education and training you will need in order to work in your chosen field.You can learn about career options that you might never have previously considered. Start a Planning Journal While this is not a requirement for this course, you might find it useful to start an education and career journal. Simply get a notebook and start taking notes about the things you learn. Start by writing down the results of your career assessment quiz, and make note of the career options that interest you the most right now. Jot down possible questions you have or things that you want to learn more about. All of this information will prove useful as you move further along in the course. As you move forward, you can use your planning journal to track your education and career progress. Once you have completed this lesson, please feel free to move on to lesson two of the course.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Movie Analysis Mean Girls Kady - 1779 Words

Mean girls is a movie about a teenage girl going into public school as a junior in high school for the first time, after being homeschooled for her entire life up until. She is discovering herself and where she wants to fit in with her peers. She is pulled many times to the middle of ongoing rivalries and trying to make the decision as to what side she wants to take in the rivalry and what peer group she wants to be part of, the groups that interest her and the groups she is already knowledgeable about. It is hard for her being that public school in America is completely different than home schooling in Africa, she has to learn and adapt to new customs, new pressures, and new acceptance by others. I will be discussing the Influences on Identify Formation that is reflected in this movie. Cognitive Development Cognitive development is the development of the thought process including remembering, problem solving, and decision making. In the movie Mean Girls Kady, one of the main characters in the movie had fallen behind in some of her cognitive development with the lack of having to make decisions on her own and not having many problems that she has to work though as a child and then into early teenager. Being home schooled Kady did not have the social interaction with people that was her own age on a daily basis. Interacting with peers helps challenge decision making and problem solving. Most would use the term immature for someone who is delayed in these important

Saturday, May 9, 2020

The Basic Facts of Intitle:Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue

The Basic Facts of Intitle:Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue Others, obviously, scoff at the idea since they're such excellent writers. The intent of publishing a commentary is to offer a forum where different perspectives can be discussed on a particular topic in a journal. After you are finished with writing your commentary, you must read it to recognize the room for improvements. There are plenty of steps which you have to follow to compose an effective and successful literary commentary. Who Else Wants to Learn About Intitle : Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue? A conclusion should summarize the principal points of the paper and wrap this up for the reader. As you see, there's no need to put in a reference page in the long run. So, the very first thing you should do is to select a topic. The intention of the conclusion, nevertheless, isn't just to tackle the key points of the essay except to demonstrate the way the principal points all fit together. The increasing number of essay writing services is wholly overwhelming. Bear in mind, all type of activities you're speaking about in the essay must be associated with the scholarship program. If you are searching for top essay writing companies, try out the mentioned above. Practice brainstorming tons of different essay prompts from the ETS website to get accustomed to coming up with examples that you may use to support your perspective. 1 basic approach to elevate the caliber of your next essay is to quit summarizing and get started commentating. Cost-free Commentary essay samples are offered on FreeEssayHelp with no payment or registration. Be aware you have to restate whatever you've discussed in the major body portion of the summary. Other times, you'll have more freedom as to what sort of commentary you put in your essay. Top Intitle : Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue Choices When you begin to compose an expository essay, it is going to be exceedingly important to attempt to do things in the proper way. Actually, writing that summary took me beneath a moment, with minimal thought. With FreeEssayHelp you'll find hundreds of Commentary essay topics in a matter of many seconds. Likewise, the writer is optimistic about the state promise to wash the river. Lies You've Been Told About Intitle : Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue You need to find out how you start your essays and the way you draw conclusions. Conclusion should clearly state your urge to study at a specific university. Nonetheless, it ought to have a strong thesis. However you get ready for the essays, make sure you at least write a couple of each type before you take the actual GRE. The research question is suitable, therefore it does not suit in the reduce markband. Since it isn't a thesis, it doesn't require a general discussion on this issue and a statement. While your final commentary ought to be directly about the topic your paper addresses, you can connect it to broader ideas or aspects of normal life that are beyond the range of the essay itself. Commentary essays may concentrate on just 1 text or function as a method to compare and contrast many texts. Refer the sources to comprehend the literary devices and the way to locate them in the text so you can create your discussion effective. To make it short, a literary commentary is a form of academic assignment aimed to reveal the outcomes of analysis and comprehensive description of a specific parcel of text. A literary commentary is especially focused on a comprehensive analysis and thorough description of a particular text. Naturally, sometimes it's not that easy. PORTRAYAL the literary tactics and structure that reinforce the intention of the passage are explained. It is extremely important to select the most suitable solution for an excellent specialist, because only terrible businessman goes to the negotiation doubting own solution. Organising by section method to split a commentary into several components and analyse each section in connection with an idea or technique that exists in only that specific section. You could wind up debating facts, or maybe arguing many points when what you should do is simply state them and continue on. You should incorporate an introduction, a body that contains either side of your argument, and a conclusion. From the very beginning you want to understand what conclusion that you want to draw. If you think about something that you want to add while writing your conclusion, locate a way to incorporate it in the b ody of the essay. Whispered Intitle : Free Commentary Essay Samples Issue Secrets For writing a great commentary essay you're supposed to read the text or understand the concept initially location. 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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

14-19 Work Related Learning Free Essays

string(407) " to a cultural condition prevailing in the advanced capitalist societies since the 1960s, characterized by a ‘superabundance of disconnected images and styles most noticeably in television, advertising, commercial design, and pop video’ \(Baudrillard 1998:72\) In my practice I notice that these media have a profound impact on defining student’s social standing and identity within their peer group\." Key words: Student voice, democratic participation, egalitarianism, meritocracy, commodification, consumerism, post-modernism. 1 Every Child Matters ? In 2003, the Government published the green paper ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM); this was published alongside the Climbie report (2003). The ECM (2003) emphasis’s four key themes: supporting families and careers, child protection, multi-agency collaboration, and ensuring that the people working with children are valued, rewarded and trained. We will write a custom essay sample on 14-19 Work Related Learning or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Every Child Matters (2003) green paper also identified five outcomes that are most important to children and young people: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being. These five outcomes are universal ambitions for every child and young person, whatever their background or circumstances. Following wide consultation with children’s services, parents, children and young people, the Government published Every Child Matters: the Next Steps in November 2004, and passed the Children Act (2004), providing the basis for developing more effective and accessible services focused around the needs of children, young people and families. The recently formed DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) echo’s the points made in ECM (2004) and seeks to ensure that all children and young people stay healthy and safe, secure an excellent education and the highest possible standards of achievement, enjoy their childhood, make a positive contribution to society and the economy, have lives full of opportunity, free from the effects of poverty. These outcomes are mutually reinforcing. For example, children and young people learn and thrive when they are healthy, safe and engaged. The DCSF also aim to raise educational standards so that more children and young people reach expected levels, lifting more children out of poverty and re-engaging disaffected young people. This is particularly applicable to my practice as the socio-economic circumstances of most of my students disadvantage them. Most of my students live in Camborne, Pool, Redruth and Hayle. These are widely recognized as deprived areas regarding economic opportunities, high number of single parent households, low employment prospects, and the majority of employment being minimum waged, relatively insecure, part time, seasonal or flexi time. (SDRC 2004). This relates back to ECM (2003) in that this seems to be applied in context of the geographic and demographic circumstances of children and young people. For example, a student from a poor single parent household in a deprived area with high crime rates who participates in underage smoking and drinking may be majority behaviour or the ‘norm’ in certain subcultures in Camborne, Redruth, Pool and Hayle but would attract more attention and concern in a more affluent area where this was not the ‘norm’. 2 We Could be Left Behind In every decade children are maturing physically earlier than before resulting in a constant shortening of childhood in a biological and social sense. This has a converse repercussive effect involving the constant lengthening of childhood in an educational sense. Cunningham 2006) This is reflected in the proposals in the DfE (Johnson 2007) report Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16 are highlighting the need to continue study for 14-19 year olds and by 2015 the school leaving age will be increased to 18 years of age. The reasons the government have given for such policies being implemented are illustrated by the secretary of education; Johnson (2007:3) when he said ‘ the undeniable truth is that if a young person continues their education post 16 they are more likely to achieve valuable qualifications, earn more and lead happier, healthier lives’. A seeming contradiction to Johnsons (2007) policy of staying in education longer and its benefits have been researched by Walker and Zhu (2003:145) who asserted that ‘there is no evidence that raising the minimum school leaving age made people who have not intended to leave at the minimum age raise their educational standard. This is consistent with the view that education raises productivity and not with the view that productive people get more educated’ Johnsons (2007) statement seems concerned with happiness, health and wealth. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR 1948) has wider reaching concerns. The UDHR (1948) states in Article 26 that ‘education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human right and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations, racial or religious groups for the maintenance of peace’. However, Johnson (2007:18) goes on to explain ‘we have a duty to prepare all young people for the labour market’ as ‘the world economy is developing at an ever more rapid pace. If we do not act now we could be left behind’. So its seems that it is not just for the benefit of our children’s wellbeing that Johnson encourages the parents of the youth of today to continue in education and so ‘achieving valuable qualifications, earn more and lead happier healthier lives’ (Johnson 2007:3) but more to do with deeper issues of ‘the world economy’s development and the UKs position of power within it’. In the same report Johnson (2007) quotes research carried out by the National Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER) that reinforces the idea that when individuals achieve higher levels of skill and qualification, businesses and the economy benefit. This is compelling evidence that increasing the educative stock of human capital raises productivity at the macro economic level. In relation to literacy for example, a study by Coulombe Trembley and Marchard (2004) found that if a countries literacy score increases by 1% relative to the inter national average a 2. % relative rise in labour productivity and a 1. 5% rise in GDP per year can be expected. 3 Surf’s up This emphasis on cultural superficiality, fragmentary sensations and disposability offers wide implications and questions; not least ‘what is postmodernism? Postmodernism itself is a much disputed term that has occupied much recent debate about contemporary culture since the early 1980s. In its simplest sense it refers generally to the phase of 20th century Western culture including the products of the age of mass television since the mid 1950s. More often, though, it is applied to a cultural condition prevailing in the advanced capitalist societies since the 1960s, characterized by a ‘superabundance of disconnected images and styles most noticeably in television, advertising, commercial design, and pop video’ (Baudrillard 1998:72) In my practice I notice that these media have a profound impact on defining student’s social standing and identity within their peer group. You read "14-19 Work Related Learning" in category "Essay examples" In my role as a lecturer I observe that the students are encouraged through media and peer pressure to consume. Children’s identities centre prolifically on brand names and icons (mobile phones and hoodies) which help to fulfil their aspirations to obtain products which make statements about who they are. The latest fashions all contribute to the identity of the youth of today where a distinct subculture and language exist involving Xboxes, ipods, beebo, Bluetooth, myspace, chavs, hoodies, emos, skaters and goths. I ensure that I participate and involve such subcultural language within my practice when explaining tasks, demonstrating skills or providing metaphorical illustrations. Whatever postmodernism is and however the term evades definition, what the intellectual highbrows have been lecturing on postmodernism are soon to become extinct by their own doing. The postmodernist wave of consumer students have climbed the ladder and are nipping at the heels of the old school who created them like Doctor Frankenstein who is dispatched by his creation. This wave of postmodernist students could also be seen as in a vast ocean of modernity where far from the shore one can see the formation of a wave. As the wave builds in popularity it slowly approaches the shore, the crest breaks; postmodernity is born. As we stand and watch, it slips beneath itself, down into the ocean, and there in time it becomes ‘the modern’, dissolved and replaced by yet another breaking new wave. Paradoxically the new wave will emerge in a significantly disposable, shifting, fragmentary postmodern society with expectations of structured, quantifiable, standardised educative processes. One of the latest waves to begin its postmodernist journey towards the shore before slipping back into modernism and the norm is the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) announcement in January 2008 by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) who have â€Å"allowed commercial companies the ability to award nationally accredited qualifications to employees, for the first time Network Rail, Flybe and McDonald’s all achieve the standards set by QCA for awarding accredited qualifications, enabling them to assess, track and recognise work-place learning† (QCA 2008) McQualifications This links to Ritzers (2000) notion of the McDonaldisation of education, where education is based on the premise of efficiency, calculability, and predictability and is partially governed by non-human technology. This perspective is rooted in both Fordian principles of mass production, mechanisation and assembly lines (Ling 1991) and Weberian (1968) principles regarding the growth of formal rational systems with its emphasis on the rules and regulations of large social structures. Ritzer (2000:2) applies this process of McDonaldisation not only to ‘restaurants but also to work, health care, travel, leisure, dieting, politics, the family, and virtually every aspect of society’; including, of course, education. This could be illustrated with the OFSTED standardisation of observations and grading, league tables, units of competence, knowledge requirements etcetera. For example, Young (1961) asserts that in a meritocracy, all citizens have the opportunity to be recognized and advanced in proportion to their abilities and accomplishments. The ideal of meritocracy has become controversial because of its association with the use of tests of intellectual ability, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, to regulate admissions to elite colleges and universities. It could be argued that an individual’s performance on these tests reflects their social class and family environment more than ability. Maybe this is what Chomsky (1989) would label a necessary illusion. One that allows the system to keep on running with the support of its members even if massive disparities and inequalities exist. Supporting a system that does not support you as an individual is a typical hegemonic regime of truth; a discourse that the society accepts and makes function as true (Foucault 1980:131). Excellence in Schools (DFEE 1997) and Meeting the Challenge (DFEE1998) were ntroduced as the Governments educational policies and marked the change from centralised control to educational intervention where direct involvement and partnerships with parents, schools, Local Authorities and businesses recognised them as stakeholders in an attempt to improve standards in schools and to find ‘radical and innovative solutions’ (Blair 1998:1 cited in Meeting the Challenge 1998) to problems of underachievement. Reference List Baudrillard, J. (1998) The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. London. S age. Children Act (2004). London. HMSO. Chomsky, N. (1989) Necessary Illusions. London. Pluto Press Climbie Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Lord Laming (2003). London. HMSO. Coulombe,S. Trembley, F. and Marchard, S. (2004) Literacy scores, human capital and growth, across 14 OECD countries. OECD. Canada. Cook – Sather, A (2002) ‘Authorising Students perspectives: towards trust, dialogue and change in education’. Educational Researcher, 31, 4, p3 -14. Cunningham, H. (2006) The Invention of Childhood. London. BBC Worldwide Ltd. DCSF (2007). Department for Children, Schools and Families. Accessed online at dfes. gov. uk. DFEE (1997) Excellence in Schools. London. HMSO. DFEE (1998) Meeting the Challenge. London. HMSO. DWP (2006) Equality and Diversity: Age Discrimination in Employment and Vocational Training. London. HMSO. ECM (2004). London. HMSO. Every Child Matters (2004) Change for Children in Schools. Nottingham. DfES. HMSO ECM (2005) Change for Children: common core of skills and knowledge for the childrens workforce. DfES. ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) ‘Consulting Pupils about Teaching and Learning’. Foucault, M. (1980) Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews Other Writings 1972- 1977. Gordon, C. (ed) New York. Pantheon Books. Illich, I. 1973) Deschooling Society. Great Britain. Penguin. Johnson, A. (2007) Raising Expectations: staying in education and training post-16. DfE Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential learning as the science of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs. Prentice Hall. Laidlaw, M (1994) The democraticising potential of dialogical focus in an action inquiry. Educational Action Research, 2, 2, p223 â⠂¬â€œ 241 Ling, P (1991) America and the Automobile: Technology, Reform and Social Change, 1893-1923. Technology and Culture, Vol. 32, No. 3 p 627-628 National Institute for Social and Economic Research (2002). Britains relative productivity performance – updates to 1999. NISER Oplatka, I (2004) ‘The characteristics of the school organisation and the constraints on market ideology in education: an institutional view’. Journal of Educational Policy 19, 2, p143 – 161. QCA (2008) News release: Employers gain official awarding body status on line at http://www. qca. org. uk on 29/01/2008 Ritzer,G. (2000) The McDonaldization of Society. London. Pine Forge Press. Rudduck, J and Flutter, J (2000) ‘Pupil participation and pupil perspective: carving a new order of experience. Cambridge Journal of Education, 30, 1, p75 – 89. Schon, D. A. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: How professionals think in action. London: Temple Smith Social Disadvantage Research Centre (2004) The English Indices of Deprivation 2004 HMSO Tomlinson, M. (2003) Tomlinson Report, The. Accessed online at qca. org. uk on 4. 12. 07. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) General Assembly of the United Nations. Usher, R. Bryant, I and Johnston, R (1998). Adult Education and the Postmodern Challenge. London. Routledge. Walker, I. and Zhu, Y. (2003) Education, earnings and productivity: recent UK evidence. Labour Market Trends. Accessed online at www. statistics. gov. uk-article labour. Market-trends-education mar03pdf on 25. 6. 07 Weber, M. (1968) Economy and Society. Totowa. Bedminster. Whitehead, J and Clough, N. (2004) ‘Pupils, the forgotten partners in education action zones’. Journal of Educational Policy 19, 2, p216 – 226 Young, M. (1961) The Rise of the Meritocracy: An Essay on Education and Equality. Great Britain. Penguin. Bibliography Donovan, G. (2005). Teaching 14-19. Great Britain. David Fulton. Vizard, D. (2004). Behaviour Solutions: teaching 14-16 year olds in colleges of further education. Great Britain. Incentive Plus. How to cite 14-19 Work Related Learning, Essay examples

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Pardoner And His Take Essays - The Canterbury Tales,

Pardoner And His Take Johann Cabe Page One The Pardoner and His Tale The Pardoner is a renaissance figure that wanders the lands in hopes of bringing forgiveness to those in need. This Pardoner is a bad pardoner among the other pardoners. The tale that he tells is a moral one that is suppose to bring about the desire from people to ask for forgiveness. Instead the Pardoner uses this tale as a way of contracting money from his fellow pilgrims. The Pardoner is a person that is suppose to practice what he preaches. What that person does affects those that look up to that person. The Pardoner must be able to tell of tales that bring about hope. The way in which that might happen is through example. If the pardoner is unable to produce a tale that convinces the audience of his deeds then he is unsuccessful. Such an act will result in the failure of his job. The Pardoner here takes advantage of the innocence of the people that he preaches to. Such an action is not the action that a pardoner is supposed to be doing. Instead there are certain actions and purp oses that the pardoner is preaching. Defying such principals destroys the office of the pardoner. The Pardoner is a common renaissance figure that wandered the lands with attempts to collect money for church projects and absolve people of their sins. Churchmen whose job it was to wander from place to place-soliciting contributions abounded in the Middle Ages. At their best, such medieval churchmen collected Johann Cabe Page Two money for worthwhile projects such as the support of religious orders or the building of great cathedrals like the one at Canterbury to which the pilgrims journey (see photo 1). As identification, solicitors for funds would carry, as the Pardoner does, bulls and patents (VI, C, 336-337). Then they would preach, exhorting believers to generosity in support of the organization-in the Pardoners case, a hospital, St. Marys of Roncevalles. An honest pardoner would be much like a fund-raiser for any religious or charitable organization today. But a dishonest pardoner like this one had many opportunities to profit at the expense of the naive. Once he was able to stir them to devotion (VI,C,346), he could pull out his relics, odds and ends, bits of stones and bones and cloth, and offer them for sale(Hallissy 214). A Pardoner is not necessarily a bad person. That is true because not all people are bad, just that there are always some rotten apples in every good batch. This is true about this such pardoner. By trade the Pardoner is a preacher. His task is to use his rhetorical gifts to persuade his hearers to repent and be saved. The sermon, then and now, is a major part of the Christian liturgy. The homilist selects a scriptural passage on which to expound, typically one selected from the days liturgy. Since the Pardoner is an Johann Cabe Page Three itinerant preacher and not a parish clerk, his audience changes. So he uses not only the same text but also the same sermon over and over. His scriptural passage is always the same: Radix malorum est Cupidatas (VI, C, 334); cupidity, the inordinate desire for or excessive love of money, is the root of all evil. Nothing is wrong with this text, or even the Pardoners sermon on it. Something is very wrong when the Pardoners intention, however. He deliberately uses his considerable homiletic skills to persuade his audience to demonstrate their ability to overcome cupiditas by generously giving their money away - to him (Hallissy, 213-214). The Pardoner preaches against the very vice that he practices. The pardoner is evil as his own rhetoric identifies him to be. The Pardoner described his own words as poisonous. As a churchman, he should employ his considerable speech skills in the service of God. Instead he sees himself as Satans agent, a serpent stinging his audience with his sharp tongue/In preaching (VI, C, 413-414). He misuses his God-given talent to nurture the very Cupiditas against which he preaches(Hallissy, 216): The tale that the pardoner tells is morally abhorrent, but this could be an attempt of a cynical exploitation of religion for his own financial advantage. The tale can be viewed as Johann

Friday, March 20, 2020

Defining Homeland Security Example

Defining Homeland Security Example Defining Homeland Security – Coursework Example Defining homeland security Homeland security is a collective term that refers to the government’s effort to keep the country secure, safe and resilient against both acts of terrorism and other hazards. The Department of Homeland Security carries out the above mandate thereby safeguarding the country and its territories. The department does this by carrying out surveillance with the view to averting acts of terrorisms, responding to terror attacks thereby minimizing casualties. The department does the same to both natural and man-made disasters that threaten the security and safety of the homeland. The department carries out an extensive surveillance on the country and its territories. However, claims of extravagance coupled with ineffectiveness are rife. The department spends extensively in protecting the country from an external enemy who may not exists thereby leaving the homeland vulnerable to homegrown problems. Current trends in terrorism show that school shootings by Ame ricans among other similar incidences are on the rise. Additionally, excessive use of force by the country’s police service has caused tens of deaths thereby polarizing the country. As the population remains divided, the country remains vulnerable to both external and internal aggression.In order to enhance the security and safety of homeland, the department must adopt a holistic approach by investing in nabbing internal threats as well as it does on external aggressions. The department must adopt a multi-agency approach in the fight against terror in order to ensure that it keeps the country safe from both internal and external aggressions. The department of homeland security must work alongside homeland defense by sharing intelligence but limiting its operations to homeland (U.S Department of Homeland Security, www.dhs.gov). This way, the department will enhance its effort in enhancing the safety and security of the country thus increasing the efficiency of its operations.W ork citedU.S Department of Homeland Security. National infrastructure protection plan. Washington, D.C: Government printing office, 2009. Internet resource. www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/NIPP_Plan.pdf

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

How to stay focused at work during the holidays

How to stay focused at work during the holidays Every year, as the weather gets colder and holiday shopping ads start appearing on TV (though admittedly those start showing up around Labor Day now), even the most diligent and focused employees find their attention wandering a bit. There’s a lot going on- travel plans, potluck food appearing like magic in the office, everyone feeling a little more festive and social- and the daily grind can get lost in all of that. So how do you keep on top of your actual job, despite holiday disruptions? Be prepared to shut out distractions.This doesn’t mean you have to hunch over your desk like Ebenezer Scrooge, frowning disapprovingly at your cheerful slacker colleagues. It just means finding ways to keep your own attention focused on the daily tasks you need to accomplish. For some, that means wearing noise-canceling headphones while working on a project or setting blocks of â€Å"head down† time where you don’t allow yourself to be distracted by things like online s hopping, social media, or extracurricular conversations with coworkers. It’s time to be honest with yourself and figure out what works best at keeping you on-task. If that means setting calendar reminders for everything, do it. If it involves using an app to keep you from wandering to particular distracting websites, go for it.Try to avoid multitasking, because that can lead to†¦flexible attention span. If you’re giving all of your effort to a particular task, you’re more likely to get it done. Even if you’re usually an A+ multitasker, try to limit the number of things you’re doing at once.Lean in to (some of) the distractions.This may seem counterintuitive to #1, but it’s also important to embrace the non-work stuff as part of your day. It’s far more realistic to plan for small bursts of non-work activity than to think you’ll be able to shut it out completely. Be sure to schedule some breaks when you can check those fligh t prices or stop and grab a cookie with a colleague. If you start making the down time part of your workday (in small chunks), it’ll be easier to move from â€Å"holiday mode† back to â€Å"work beast mode.† Moderation is key here- it’s not an â€Å"hour of work, hour of goofing off† proposition. Think of it as more like a standard coffee break, but instead you’re taking a few minutes to check out your Facebook friends’ pets in various holiday sweaters.Come up with a â€Å"rest of year† plan.Chances are, your workload has a combination of things that will need to be accomplished either now or in the near future, and things that can reasonably wait until January. It’s time to sit down and make a comprehensive list of must-dos, should-dos, and can-do-laters. Your to-do list should be realistic and have milestones/deadlines included wherever possible so that you can plan your time. If you need to, talk through your end of y ear priorities with your boss to make sure you’re hitting everything you need to do before everyone checks out. This has the added benefit of showing your boss how organized and driven you are, even as everyone else might already be starting to slip a little.While you’re making the list, also make note of what you’ll need from other people. This time of year people can be in and out of the office, so if there’s something important that you’ll need from Andy by mid-December, start thinking (and talking) about it now in case Andy’s planning on taking time off. If you’ve waited until the last minute and then you’re faced with Andy’s â€Å"Bye, see you next year!† Out of Office message, it’s too late.Reset your work-life boundaries.Setting a clear line between your work day and your personal time can help you stay focused at work if you know you can get all the fun stuff or personal logistics accomplished later . If you’re usually a â€Å"stay late† kind of person, start leaving at a set time every day. If you’re usually a â€Å"wander in a little late in the morning† kind of person, start putting in extra effort to get to work on time. And whenever possible, you should avoid taking work home- instead, set a realistic workload and to-do list for the official workday. That way, family/friend/personal time gets its own spotlight in your day, separate from work, and you’ll feel less inclined to â€Å"catch up† on the outside stuff while you’re at work.Don’t forget to take care of yourself.The time leading up to the holidays can often take a physical toll as well, if you’re indulging in special food, more drinks than usual, and/or later bedtimes to account for social activities. All of those can set you up for failure at work and make you feel lousy, so try to set up some extra healthy habits to compensate this time of year.Take sh ort walks and exercise breaks instead of coffee breaks.Stay hydrated (and not with egg nog).Practice some desk yoga.Aim for half an hour more sleep.Bring a healthy lunch so you can sneak in some extra calories later.These can all help you feel better during the workday and more ready to devote your time and mental sharpness to accomplishing what needs to be done.No matter what the distractions are between Thanksgiving and the New Year, staying organized is not a lost cause. It’s all about being realistic and developing some extra coping mechanisms to defeat those â€Å"it’s the holidays, woo!† impulses and stay productive. Fully embrace the good cheer of the season- just make sure it’s on your to-do list, next to all the other things you want to get done.