February 8, 2011 • Volume 2, Issue 3 • ISSN: 2154-3240

In This Issue

♦	Feature Article: Information Overload
♦	Ask Amanda: The next step for me is running a department—and I’m not sure if I want it or not. Is there anything I can do before I’m forced to choose to help me decide?
♦	Practical Tips: Volunteer Strategically

Information Overload

The rate at which information comes into our environment is unprecedented. It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of “stuff” that piles up around you. Look around your office. Do you have piles everywhere? Tons of file folders and cabinets but no idea where anything is? An inbox that is constantly overflowing no matter how often you try to empty it? A chaotic environment makes it difficult for you to perform at your best and can be a real drain on your time and energy.

The challenge for high achievers is that they often have the desire to master it all and end up holding on to absolutely everything. Be brutal with your decision-making. Your time is valuable; make sure whatever is claiming your focus is worth the trade-off.
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	Freedom is never free.

Practical Tips: Volunteer Strategically

Volunteering for an industry association can provide a good opportunity to gain new skills, add to your network and give back, but it’s one of the last things anyone wants to do when they’re so pressed for time. Consider these parameters when deciding whether volunteering is a good strategy for you.

Goal Alignment
Understand why you’re volunteering and what you want to get out of it. Does the volunteer role give you access to a new skill, a new pool of influencers or a new way of thinking? Will it help you establish yourself among a broader audience?
read more

The next step for me is running a department—and I’m not sure if I want it or not. Is there anything I can do before I’m forced to choose to help me decide? D.M., Fife Lake, MI

Your situation is a common one. Most people end up in careers serendipitously. Then because they’re resourceful and talented they start getting promoted—which is not only gratifying to the ego, it usually has cash and prizes associated with it! But eventually you reach a point in your career when you have to ask yourself, “What do I really want?”
read more

Recommended Resources

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About Us: Our Corporate Life LLC (OCL) is a company that offers a new system for reducing unnecessary workplace suffering caused by the organizational, interpersonal, and ethical issues of our time. It is founded on the belief that adhering to core human values and achieving business success are always compatible. Working with both companies and individuals, OCL helps create solutions that enable corporate employees at every level to optimize profits while enabling them to thrive in the corporate environment. OCL was founded by Amanda Mitchell to help meet the needs of people working in corporate America during this transformative moment in our nation’s history. The OCL system reflects her experience and insight gained from a 20-year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, and as an executive coach to senior-level corporate executives.