Personal development Archives - Trade Press Services

Budget-Friendly Time Management Tools to Keep You on Track

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Gerri Knilans

Time is one of your most valuable assets, and how it’s managed can directly impact individual and operational success. Effective time management is increasingly important in today’s always-on, get-more-done-with-less work environment. Time management involves planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks to make the best use of available time. With competing tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities, it’s essential for professionals to set goals, break them down into manageable steps, and assign time for each activity. This helps increase efficiency and maximize contributions to the team and company.

Four Must-Keep Resolutions for B2B Marketers in 2023

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Gerri Knilans

At the beginning of each year, opening a new calendar marks a fresh start for many. It’s common to kick off the year with personal New Year’s resolutions to shape goals and focus for the next 12 months. By nature, marketers are ambitious, optimistic and forward-thinking. Setting (and achieving) goals is part of our DNA. To continually evolve and grow in an increasingly competitive environment, B2B marketers need to identify opportunities, make promises and institute change.

The Importance of Cultivating a Workplace Gratitude Culture

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

The holiday season is the ideal time to reflect on the year and consider everything we’re grateful for in our lives. Practicing gratitude in our personal lives is a key ingredient to self-care and happiness. What about practicing gratitude at work? Injecting gratitude into the workplace—not just at this time of year but year-round—can have a more dramatic impact than you might imagine.

How Achieving “Flow State” Can Improve Personal Productivity

Posted on November 14, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

The last quarter can feel like a race to the finish line. The need to plan for next year while balancing family commitments and holiday events compounds the stress of reaching annual goals. In fact, 88 percent of Americans feel the end of the year is the most stressful time of year. One of the best ways to combat end-of-year stress is to take active steps to increase personal productivity to get into the “flow state,” or the feeling of being so in the zone that all distractions fall away and tasks at hand receive your full and energized attention.

Work Smarter Not Harder: 8 Tips to Master Daily Productivity

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

8 Habits of Highly Productive Professionals It may be tempting to think of highly productive people as robots or workaholics. But the truth is that we all have the same 24 hours on any given day. Highly productive people simply have a system for getting more done in the time they have. Here are the

What Best-in-Class Marketers Do Differently: How to Cultivate Value Creation

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

As the pace of Marketing transformation accelerates, marketers are tackling the hardest task of all: creating value that improves organizational results. Business author Eric Jorgenson says value creation is the foundation for business. In fact, Marketing’s fundamental mission is to create customer-centric profitable growth. A high-performing Marketing function adds tremendous value toward achieving business goals and informing

18 Quotes that Inspire Gratitude this Holiday Season

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

For many of us, last year’s holidays looked different than any previous year. In 2021, celebrating may be looking closer to “normal” for some, while it might still seem discouraging for others. Although memories of the past and visions for this year tend to focus initially on activities, traditions, gifts and food, the real joy from the holiday comes from mindfulness—the mindfulness to inspire gratitude, connect with others and spread kindness.

Promote Positivity in the Workplace with These 11 Tips

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

We’re all busy people. Sometimes it’s due to competing priorities, being short-staffed or just trying to meet the requests and expectations of peers, managers, vendors and other stakeholders. In the process, it’s easy to get caught in a hamster wheel of activity and lose sight of the positive experiences in our daily work lives.

Rethinking Professionalism: The New Standards that Really Matter

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

Today, business professionalism involves more than appropriate dress and a firm handshake. It is a set of characteristics, behaviors and values that fuel a culture of mutual respect in the workplace. The way we conduct ourselves in a work (and personal) setting makes a huge impact on our success as individuals and as part of a team.

7 Must-Read Books for Personal and Professional Growth

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

True professionals embrace lifelong learning. As busy as we get—no matter what our role is—it’s still important to stay up to date with the latest industry information, trends and technologies. That makes prioritizing professional growth through continued education an essential habit to help us improve job performance, boost innovative thinking and capitalize on marketplace changes.

The Spirit of Giving

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

After almost a year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems as though the holiday season snuck up unexpectedly. For many of us, our traditional holiday rituals and gatherings will not take place this year. Disappointing? Yes. But disaster? No.

20 Ways to Incorporate Gratitude into Your Daily Life

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

By now, you’re probably tired of hearing how 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in decades. We are too. As the holidays approach, let’s shift our focus to gratitude. In times of strife, gratitude can serve as a beacon, reminding us there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Burnout Is Real: How to Recognize and Prevent It

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

Burnout is a psychologically recognized type of work-related stress that results in emotional, mental and physical exhaustion. A recent Gallup study of nearly 7,500 full-time employees found that 23 percent reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, while an additional 44 percent reported feeling burned out sometimes.

Work-Life Balance: Are You Working Too Much?

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

The United States has been coined “the no vacation nation” due to its major focus on work productivity and financial success. Even when much of the workforce takes official vacation time, it doesn’t mean unplugging. We bring our to-do list with us, check email regularly, work on projects and juggle all the balls we do while we are in the office, at school or in the field.

Time to Celebrate Successes and Foster Positivity

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 took an unexpected, albeit unwanted, turn for most of us. Suddenly, health and safety awareness became a top priority, and daily life changed significantly. As a result, it’s easy to get caught up in the tragedies and statistics posted by news outlets, not to mention the political, healthcare and financial implications associated with the pandemic. But as we move to the “new normal,” a focus on positivity will pave the way for success.

Boost Your Marketing With These 17 Digital Resources

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

As marketing communications strategists who work with a variety of business professionals, it’s important for us to stay current with digital resources to help us learn and grow in order to exceed our clients’ expectations. To accomplish that goal, we participate in industry webinars, listen to podcasts, attend industry trade shows and read a variety of books, magazine articles and internet stories. We believe some of the digital resources we’ve discovered and use can help you expand your marketing horizons and achieve your business goals. Here’s our digital resources list broken down by categories.

Positivity in Productivity: Nettie Owens Shares Her Rearview Vision Technique

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

Recently, Trade Press Services had the pleasure of talking with Nettie Owens, an entrepreneur and business consultant with expertise in management, productivity, accountability and organization. She is founder of Sappari Solutions and Momentum, companies that help fellow entrepreneurs balance a busy life and grow a business.

Words of Inspiration and Wisdom

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Gerri Knilans

As summer rolls to a close, vacations days are used up and tans are starting to fade, it’s time to regroup and refocus on year-end goals. At Trade Press Services, we believe a meaningful quote can go a long way to getting and keeping our team inspired. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of sayings and want to share this inspiration with you. We hope you’ll use them as themes in your sales meetings, post them in your offices and distribute them throughout the organization.

Tis the Season…to Celebrate

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

During the year, we get so busy that we forget to relax, unwind, have fun and be thankful for the relationships we’ve developed, built and sustained over time. So whether you’re working during the holidays or taking time off, think about how you can celebrate this special time of year and bring joy, peace and comfort to others. Here are some of our favorite ways to celebrate the holidays.

Tips for Unlocking the Keys to Success

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

As a result of a recent flood in our house, I found myself going through boxes and belongings, cleaning out, sorting and reorganizing. During the process, I came across a letter written almost 100 years ago by my grandfather. Today we might call his letter a blog. His letter was titled SUCCESS and here’s what he wrote.

Sharpen the Saw: The 7th Habit of Effective Marketers

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

The first six habits create a foundation for success. According to Stephen Covey, the seventh and final habit is “sharpen the saw.” It seeks to uphold and further build upon the foundation established by the rest. As an example of this habit, Covey cites the story a worn-out man who has been sawing down a tree for hours.

How to Create Synergy in Marketing

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

This week we continue with our series, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Marketers. The first five habits uncover vital principles and best practices of effective individuals and teams. These five habits identify values that lead to interdependence and meaningful communication. Now that we are near the end of the series, we combine the efforts of all the previous habits to form the sixth: synergy.

Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

For the last four weeks, we’ve been discussing the habits of highly effective marketers based on the principles described by Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The first four habits are: Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things first and Think win-win. The fifth habit is “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

How to Create Marketing Win-Win Scenarios

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

This is the fourth blog in a series of seven on the habits of highly effective marketers. They are based on the principles identified by Stephen Covey in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The first three habits are: how to be proactive, how to begin with the end in mind and how to put first things first. Next comes “win-win.”