In a world of ever-increasing demands, people are spending less time out of the office and taking fewer days off. Fall victim to this trend, and it will harm your health and productivity. Instead, do the following:

• Take every day of vacation you’re given. Don’t hold it over and don’t tell yourself that you don’t have the time. You’ll

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When preparing a sales pitch, you may be inclined to continually add elements to entice the customer. This can result in a cluttered, unfocused pitch, and prospective buyers may feel overwhelmed by choices. Don’t give your audience a choose-your-own adventure. Instead, focus on the one thing you believe they will gain.

In an unpredictable world, traditional career planning is a waste of time. It’s close to impossible to pinpoint exactly where you’ll be in five years and work backwards. Instead, you need to see opportunities as they arise and take smart steps down the right path.

A big presentation is only as good as the message it delivers. Once you know what you want that message to be, you need to create the right supporting content to reinforce it. Start by sitting alone with a blank piece of paper. After you’ve done some initial brainstorming on your own, bring together a group to help clarify your …

Wanting to quit your job is one thing. Finally walking out the door is another. If you’re fed up with your job but can’t get over the mental hurdle to hand in your resignation letter, these three tips can help:

Bad managers come in many shapes and sizes. The worst ones do appalling things like berate people in public or take credit for others’ work. But you should also beware of these less obvious infractions:

Not all contacts are created equally. When you know someone from more than one context, that person is called a “multiplex tie.” Because these relationships are richer than those rooted in just one setting (the office, for example), they come with a higher level of trust and you’re likely to tap them more frequently. Invest in …

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No one likes to manage unhappy employees. They can be tough to motivate and resistant to change. But giving up isn’t the solution either. Here are three counterintuitive ways to bring your most disillusioned back into the fold:

Are layoffs just a fact of life? Or are they avoidable? Sure, few managers have a say in whether their company will lay off employees, but there are some things you can do to reduce the likelihood:

Are layoffs just a fact of life? Or are they avoidable? Sure, few managers have a say in whether their company will lay off employees, but there are some things you can do to reduce the likelihood:

A to-do list is only useful if you cross things off as often as you add tasks on. If something’s been on your list for more than three days, do one of the following: