How to get ahead in developing a smooth career trajectory

STAY WELL: HIGH-TECH GEAR TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE

Staying healthy has become a lot more challenging in the past few years, so we have several suggestions of high-tech gadgets to help you keep well.

By Bill Lindsey

A SMILING SCALE

QuardioBase 2 Scale

$149.99 This elegant scale goes far beyond displaying weight. It helps multiple users meet and maintain fitness goals. Tracking BMI, muscle, bone, body fat, and water mass, it uses smiley faces and haptic vibration to provide feedback based on goals set in the Bluetooth- and WiFi-enabled Qardio App. It even has a pregnancy mode to keep mothers-to-be healthy.

24/7 HEALTH MONITORING

Oura Ring Generation 3

FROM $299 The problem with annual physical exams is the 12 months between each one, making it difficult to track overall wellness. This ring changes all that. By tracking sleep patterns, body temperature, and heart rate variability, wearers can monitor their overall health on a daily basis. The stylish ring can also be used to assist with meditation sessions.

SLEEP WELL HiAm Bed

FROM $28,200 A good night’s rest is ensured in this high-tech, four-poster oasis of wellness and tranquility. Controlled via an iOS app, it tracks and rates sleep to create a more restful experience. Overhead lights facilitate reading in bed while the retracting screen, side screens, and integrated audio-video system transform it into a delightfully comfortable movie theater.

BRIGHT IDEA

Puripot L1 Lamp

$249 This system uses two filtration processes to remove fine dust as well as bacteria and harmful VOCs from the air, in the discrete form of a very practical lamp. Rather than a traditional HEPA filter, the system utilizes titanium dioxide photocatalyst technology for the washable filter.

HEAT OR COLD ON THE GO

Hyperice Hot/Cold Knee Therapy

$449 Knee injuries are among the most common ailments, with ice and heat an effective treatment. This device provides both, using contrast therapy to constrict and expand, improving blood flow while alternating between heated and chilled treatment. The portable unit can be used to warm up before exercise and anywhere pain relief is needed.

Careers How to Get Ahead at Work

Very few career paths flow in a straight line. Embrace the curves and stay open to new opportunities.

By Bill Lindsey

The journey begins the moment you start your first job. How smoothly and quickly it progresses is subject to many factors, several of which are within your control. Helping others can play a large role in your own success.

1 Choose Your Goals

In every workplace, there are those who are content to show up and hope that 5 p.m. arrives soon. There are also those who set career advancement goals and develop a plan to accomplish them. Honestly assess the potential for advancement in your current position. If it exists, develop a plan to rise to the next level. However, if you don’t see any chance to move up, start working on moving on to a job that allows for growth.

2 Be Indispensable

Completing every task correctly, completely, and on time is the bare minimum performance level for any job. Being able to assist with additional tasks without negatively affecting your primary responsibilities can lead to career advancement opportunities. Be professional and focused in order to avoid coming across as fawning or obsequious to your boss or co-workers. The goal is to be recognized as an asset who can be relied upon to get the job done as part of a team.

3 Continue to Learn

Regardless of what you do, from waiting tables to running a department, there are opportunities to expand your skill set or prepare for a new career. You can attend in-person or online classes at colleges or classes that are offered by industry-specific organizations such as realtors, nurses, accountants, chefs, and pretty much any other position. It sounds outdated, but reading is another time-honored way to obtain knowledge. The internet also offers many ways to learn, including related articles, tutorials, seminars, and YouTube videos.

4 Be a Contributing Member of a

Network

Networking can lead to unexpected opportunities. Attend live and online networking events and create your own informal network of current and former co-workers, friends, and neighbors. These work by members sharing information, being in the right place, and knowing the right person to discover new opportunities. It’s important that you actively share ideas and suggestions with other members: If your focus is only “help me find a job,” you’ll be tuned out by the others.

5 Ask for More Responsibilities

Let your boss know that you’re ready to take on more duties. However, before asking for additional responsibilities, make 100 percent certain that you’re completing your current tasks, using a to-do list to finish every assignment on time or sooner. It’s OK to tell your boss no if you feel you aren’t quite ready to take on the new task and explain to them why that’s the case. Failing at the new task and neglecting your primary duties can be tough to overcome.