How to Work when you Don't Want To

Willpower is an amazing thing. It helps us do countless things in our life, and it also helps shape us as individuals. It is something that constantly needs to be maintained and developed, or it becomes lost. Work demands a lot from us. Physical, mental, emotional. It always has an impact. But what to do if you stagnate? Get tired? Depressed? There's no simple answer there. But I do have some tips and tricks that could help get you back on track.

I hear a lot of complaints about lack of energy. Waking up, getting up, doing tasks. There are oral ways to combat this, like coffee, energy drinks, etc. Me? I choose to work through it. Piece by piece, when I'm tired? I do one task at a time until it's done. As I work when I'm tried, I build up a resistance to fatigue. Once again, willpower.

Depression, or similar feelings that we harbor within ourselves often make very unpleasant and unwelcome debuts at work. Not only does it look bad, it can get you fired if the timing is right. Of course, if you think you have depression, anxiety, or any other mental illness you should get help. But help isn't always readily available, and sometimes? You must trudge on.

When I feel down, I latch onto something that has meaning, deep personal meaning. The answer for me is obvious- my wife! I can be a little self destructive, and I will usually cut my nose off to spite my face just for the hell of it. But. One of the only ways I can keep it all together is thinking of my wife. I stop thinking about working, and start working because of her. For me, she is a compass heading that helps get me through days where I'm feeling blue. Find a core and hold onto it. Endure. Be calm.

What about good ol' fashioned stagnation? No matter how much we love our jobs, or no matter how motivated we are, humans lose heart. It's the nature of our being. And in my opinion? Losing heart is the quickest way to find yourself trapped within a job you despise.

When you feel like you're stagnating, ask for more work. Or, if you're overwhelmed, ask for less. It may seem strange to do this, especially if you're speaking to your boss, but any manager/owner worth their salt will, at the very least, listen to your concerns and try to help you. Sometimes, just outing a work problem you have can be therapeutic. Speak up!

Work is hard. It is taxing. But it is not something we should face each day with a knot of regret, or disgust. When the going gets tough, endurance will prevail. Evolution and survival are key elements of the world, you know. It applies to the animal world, and the human world. You wanna make it out there? Endure. Work hard, and endure. When you see your opportunity, don't grab it. Attack it, because there might not be another chance.

Praise in the Workplace- Yes It's Important

Morale is the intangible asset that makes a business flow smoothly. Of course, money, resources, equipment and the like are all important too, but take a second to consider this. What is a company without its people? And I mean everyone, from the hourly worker in the trenches to the President/CEO in the branch office 1000 miles away. Sure, you can have employees, and sure they'll work for you. But how much will they want to work for you? How much will they take before they just give up?

Don't be that guy.   Source

Praise, attention, a simple thank you, good job, etc are absolutely invaluable to worker performance. I know because when I'm praised for doing a job well done, or being there when no-one else could be, I want to work harder! I want to get better, work harder, and really give it my all. Think this is all a load of new-age, touchy-feely, progressive crap? Read on.

Feeling...unappreciated?  Source

For those of you that just want the cold, hard facts, here ya go: THE FACTS. It's dry, but informative. I found myself getting bored, so I looked at another link instead. This one was more cut to the chase- it outlines the feelings and desires of an average employee, and basically tells you (the reader) what you may be doing to ruin their productivity and destroy morale all around the office. No matter what, overall employee morale comes down to management. Of course, there are some employees that don't want to do anything, or will simply have a bad attitude no matter what. But these people are the exceptions, opposed to the standard.

On the other hand, too much praise can be bad as well. In another article I found, praising employees too much can cause a number of adverse outcomes that hurt the productivity of the worker, and the company. According to the article, too much praise can inflate egos rather than encourage independence and confidence. The praise can also become empty and meaningless, more annoying than encouraging I would suspect.

Source

Giving praise is something that should come naturally, I think, and isn't a scripted event, or a policy in some in the tome that is an employee handbook. I found this article too, addressing some of the common myths, or misconceptions about praise. Evidently, some people just don't know how to tell others that they're doing a good job. And that's okay. Not everyone is demonstrative, but having that in mind, I want to discuss my final point.

Motivation is personal. A person cannot be motivated to do something well. They can be forced, intimidated, asked, but motivation is something that comes from within. Real, honest to goodness praise strengthens, and inspires motivation. Period.

Source

So if you deem yourself not as the touchy feely type, that's fine! Sometimes, all employees (including myself)  are looking for is a "thank you" when a report get done early, or a "good job!" when they've really worked hard and tried to make their work mean something. You don't have to give them a hug or read em' a poem, you know.

A simple thank you usually does the trick.

Is Green Cleaning Dead?

     All I ever here from companies trying to sell us janitorial products is that no-one is using hazardous chemicals anymore, everyone is going completely green. As far as I can tell, this is a lie. From personal experience, I can say that many customers do not prefer a complete green cleaning. Most of our customers are fine with a hybrid of both green and non-green products, and I've also noticed that a lot of green-friendly commercial cleaning products have been disappearing from the market. But this turned out to be false. Doing a basic search, I found numerous companies selling green products, but they are not well advertised. Many of them I have never heard of, and so. I thought they didn't exist. What else am I supposed to think? I was reading this article: Is Green Still Growing? and it states that everyone was rarin' to go a few years ago when it came to more Eco-friendly cleaning solutions. But now? With the current economy, many people aren't interested. Some companies charge more for green cleaning because of all the extra time involved, and that additional cost is what cripples companies that are wholly green.
     People are also becoming more conscious of their pets. I can't tell you how many green cleaning products I have seen that is geared towards pet messes. Here's an article: Green Pets. Which I find kind of funny. Don't get me wrong- I am all for green cleaning, healthier pets, people, and the environment, but the sheer concept of it when you break it down is sort of ludicrous. People are wary of their pets when it comes to what products we may use on their floor, but when we offer an all green solution, they are...underwhelmed. When we tell them that our green products disinfect work well, but ultimately cannot cut through mildew or soapscum, some customers lose interest right away. The same customers that were so involved with their pets' well being that they are allowing very powerful cleaning agents into a vulnerable area- the bathroom. Which brings me to the next point.
     Do people even care about green cleaning anymore? I'm not sure. This article even asked the question for me: Green Cleaning - Do We Care? They state that there are many green products out there. Hundreds. And a lot of the them claim all sorts of things, like being earth friendly, and biodegradable. And a lot of these products are. The ones we use are, we checked on it. But when green cleaning came into focus, a lot of companies tried to jump on the bandwagon with less than honest chemical solutions that were far from green. This practice is called greenwashing, and it's more common than you think. So common, that many people consume green products without any research, or knowledge about the environment, meaning that they wouldn't know if they were being duped or not! A survey conducted at this website states that many people consuming green products had NO concern of the environment at all, let alone knowing anything about environmental issues. A large percentage of the people surveyed said that Carbon Dioxide depleted the ozone layer.
     What a perfect segway into my last point. If people do care about green cleaning, it's a specific group of people, rather limited perhaps. I could be exaggerating, but maybe I'm not. I have, however, noticed an influx of people doing DIY green products. Limited batch, small amount, and for personal use. Here's a perfect example: Cleaning Product Recipes. If you noticed, these small batch green cleaning products also have scents added to them to make them more appealing to the nose. Strong fragrances are added to many cleaning products, and the matter of the fact is, green cleaning dosen't smell clean. Your house won't reek of course, but there is no telltale whiff of bleach, or powerful lemon scent. Pine. So, we would get complaints when we would clean only with green products. From the customers that wanted us to use nothing but green products. And it's not their fault, they didn't know. So we use a hybrid system of both.
     So. Back to square one. Is green cleaning dead? I don't know. To be honest, there are such mixed opinions about the issue that I don't know where to fall. I've found that companies should at the very least offer green cleaning. They don't have to be 100% green, but that doesn't mean they lose their conscience about their impact on the environment. Being more conscientious about our affect on the planet often requires more effort. And there are many people that might not be ready for that commitment. Like most things in life, it's silly to pick on side over the other blindly. It's best to research, observe, and understand both sides, and then make an informed decision to find out where you stand. As with most things in life, compromise is often best. And maybe, just maybe, it's best to ease into something new, opposed to just blindly opposing or standing up for it. If you're all for green cleaning, great. If you're not, that's fine too! Just make sure that whatever position you take, you've made an informed decision.

Green Cleaning Goods --- Part 2

Hello again! If you read my previous blog, this is part two of my Odyssey through the green cleaning product world, the third part is me delivering results on the methods I have tried. Just in case you have NO clue what I'm talking about, I'm trying out some green cleaning tips from this website. I ended with number five last time, so we'll start at, you guessed it, number six. The tips says to...

Add baking soda to water for a good cleaner safe for counter tops.

Miracle Soda

I have used this, and I enjoy it. A lot.

Pros: It's cheap, the solution is easy to make, and with a little elbow grease and determination, it works quite well. And, you can use it in certain baked goods. And, AND! It's non-toxic. How can you beat that?

Cons: It doesn't disinfect. If you use a simple solution of baking soda and water, you can clean with it, but you can't disinfect with it. If you want that, you gotta add a disinfection agent. A prime example? Vinegar. Just be careful when you mix it with baking soda.

Alright, onto tip number seven. Go green by getting green. Houseplants. Certain houseplants have the power to freshen the air in your home simply by existing. I have houseplants, and let me tell you...




English Ivy


Pros:...they work. The only time I really noticed it was being in my home without them, and then getting the plants. It was a subtle difference, but quite palatable once you recognize it. It was like an...a ha! moment.

Cons: Maintenance, cost, and space to put the plants. The plant won't do it's lovely job if you kill it through neglect. It's a living thing that needs to be fed, watered, and paid attention to. Some houseplants can get a little costly, too.

Alright, onto the next tip, and that would be tip eight. Vinegar (really?) with water. Wow. SOOOOO hard to make. Use it to make your windows gleam with the light of a thousand sons. Okay, yeah I'm exaggerating, but I can so I am. Anyway, the site tells you how to make a simple solution to clean your windows, and wipe them clean with newsprint. I have used the solution, but I gotta try the newsprint. I'll still do a pros and cons, though. Obligatory picture:

Hopefully you don't have these windows...

Pros: Vinegar and water is SO easy to make, it it works like a charm. However, the newsprint trick I cannot confirm first hand, but I have heard that it works quite well on glass surfaces, but not all surfaces. You gotta test it out.

Cons: Uh, the smell of vinegar? Only one I can spot so far. I'll try the newsprint thing and see what "clears up"! Hey, I'm laughing and that's all that counts!

Comin' to the finish line. Tip number nine. Preventing mold and mildew with a special solution that includes tea tree oil. Never even tried this, and I think I would like to. I can't list any pros and cons with this because I've never used it. However, I can say that prevention is the key to eliminate mold and mildew while staying green. I have never used a green cleaning product that kills mold or mildew. If you know of one, PLEASE contact me. Here's a pretty picture anyway.

You and I have a date, little plant.



Last, but not least, tip number ten. Disinfect and scrub your kingdom's throne with baking soda and vinegar. I have never done this, believe it or not. I've been looking for a mild abrasive and disinfectant for my bowl for quite some time now, and honestly? I have No idea why this didn't cross my mind. This is something I will try, you can count on it. For your pleasure, I've included a picture of a toilet.

Well. That's terrifying.

Okay, that about does it for this blog.  I have a lot of things to try, and I am not ashamed to say that I am looking forward to it. Yes, I am looking forward to cleaning. I'll hit you guys up later with my results. If I don't talk to you before then, have a fantastic Holiday season. Thanks for reading!

Baking soda picture found here.

English Ivy picture found here.

Windows picture found here.

Tea Tree picture found here.

Toilet picture found here.

Easy Ways to Help a Hurtin' Environment

Well, I just learned something absolutely terrifying. If you...didn't read my title. We all know that global warming is a big problem. Not a backburner kinda thing, no way. Well, thanks to this article: New Shipping Lanes in the Arctic the already BAD problem in Antarctica is getting worse due to new trade routes opening up because of ice melting. And that's only the half of it (check out the link, it's an interesting article). Is it really that hard to be more environmentally conscious? Is it really? No.

Small steps are easy. Here at Budget, we started recycling all of our paper office waste, like envelopes, copy paper, scrap paper, everything. One change right there. I don't have to tell you. Working in an office? There's a LOT of paper, and we're trying to recycle all of it. It's a simple way to help conserve our forests. Say what you want about deforestation, we get paper from trees and we have to be more careful about it. Period.

 

If you have a dishwasher, another simple step you can take it simply turn off the faucet in-between placing a rinsed dish in the dishwasher and getting another dirty one ready. I do this, and you wouldn't believe how much water you can save. You wouldn't really think of it that way, would you? Maybe you're skeptical. Well, the next time you do dishes, listen to the white noise of the faucet. Every second is precious freshwater wasted. We need that stuff to LIVE. Why not conserve it? It really is not that hard. Take short showers. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Drink all the water you take from the faucet. If you MUST throw the water out, throw it outside where it can be used by plants. Simple things mean a lot if everyone is doing it.

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Another big pet peeve is littering. I mean, come on. Really? Are we really littering in this day and age? When I go to a park, I see beer cans floating in the lake. When I walk outside, I see fast food wrappers strewn on the side of the road. I've even had litter dumped on my driveway from careless passersby. Are you really that lazy? If you are, I have some tips for you, then. If you have a lot of junk in your car, pull alongside your dumpster or trashcan and walk a total of 3 feet to dump out your cartrash quickly. It's easy. You have an ashtray in your car, don't you? STOP throwing out cigarette butts. They can start fires, and they are LOADED with hazardous chemicals that go into the ground. Get an empty soda can with some water in the bottom of it. Place it in your car. BOOM! Instant ashtray. Cut it open when you're done, dump out the junk into a bin, and recycle the can. See? It's not hard, I swear.
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PHew! Back to the main point. The whole reason why I went on this tangent was simply to show you that it's easy to start being environmentally conscious. These small steps might lead to something more. Something like, gee, I don't know. Not pumping more ozone boosting bi-products into the Antarctic air because humans are ruthless opportunists? Think about it.

Recycling Paper bin picture obtained from this site.

Dishwasher picture obtained from this site.
Virgina's Anti-littering Poster obtained from this site.
Polar Bear picture obtained from this site.