Take a moment to reflect on your high school years. Were you the student who completed all your assignments well before the deadline? Or were you the student waiting until the last second to get started? Maybe you thought you could still do it in time with a passing grade, or perhaps you didn’t know where to begin. Regardless of the reason, you procrastinated. Many people associate procrastination with schoolwork, but you can procrastinate about work, household chores, and even fun experiences like vacation planning. Those who struggle with procrastination have likely tried countless strategies to improve their efforts, from adjusting their environment to utilizing time management applications. However, we often overlook one strategy that’s been around for over a century. The next time you procrastinate, try using the Zeigarnik Effect to your advantage. The Zeigarnik Effect is a phenomenon wherein people remember unfinished tasks better than completed ones. Here’s how it works: When you have tasks you need to do, don’t commit to finishing them in a day or assigning yourself a deadline. Instead, commit to doing them for five Procrastination Got You Down? The Zeigarnik Effect Could Be the Key to Your Success
minutes. Once those five minutes have passed, you can step away from the task. However, oftentimes, you continue working because you’ve found your flow and don’t want to leave it unfinished. If you continue to leave your tasks unfinished after starting them, try breaking them down into smaller steps. Each time you accomplish one of the smaller tasks, you gain motivation to continue your project. If you need to step away from your desk for more than a few minutes, write down the unfinished task. Doing so will keep it at the top of your mind, ensuring you return later to finish. This strategy shifts your mindset and increases productivity while avoiding the stress of starting something new. Unfortunately, procrastination can be a roadblock to a happier, more fulfilling life. So, if other strategies have failed you previously, try the Zeigarnik Effect!
Protect Your Company’s Credit Score Build Your Business Muscles
Building a business can require long hours growing sales, putting out fires, and driving ideas to fruition. Checking your business credit score might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it can make a difference in your ability to achieve those other goals. A low credit score will inflate your borrowing costs and make attracting strong business partners and vendors harder. To establish business credit, register for a Dun & Bradstreet Data University Numbering System or D-U-N-S number. Your payment history, the age of your business credit accounts, the size of your debt, and trade credit extended by suppliers all affect your score. To put your best foot forward, check your score frequently with Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian. Ensure your business and financial information, revenue figures, and industry classification are accurate. Mixups happen more easily with business credit scores than personal ones because identifying information is indexed only to your business name and address. If your DBA is similar to another company’s, your business might be confused with theirs.
Also, pay your bills on time or, preferably, before they are due. The clock runs faster on business credit than on personal loans. While consumer debt typically isn’t treated as late until 30 days after invoicing, business debt payments are considered “late” if only one day overdue. Your payment history determines Dun & Bradstreet’s Paydex score and is vendors’ primary information source. If you pay your bills on their due date, you will earn a Paydex score of 80 on a scale of 100. To get closer to 100, you must pay before the due date! Also, segregate your business and personal borrowing as much as possible. When starting a business, maxing out a personal credit card is a common but ill-advised strategy. Businesses typically use far more credit than consumers and can access far more credit. Following these basic rules can help you demonstrate your trustworthiness to prospective business partners and lenders, increasing your financial flexibility and opening up new opportunities!
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