Should employees be forced to work on vacation? What to do when the stakes are sky high, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation. 

Working while on vacation? Here are ground rules. For some of us, doing some form of work while away is all but inevitable. Two-thirds of U.S. workers told Glassdoor that they work while on vacation, and Randstad reports that some 53% of employers expect employees to be available while out. How can you pull this off without feeling drained? Set clear boundaries, writes Fast Company’s Stephanie Vozza. Devote specific periods to work, with the rest dedicated to off time. Prioritise big picture thinking over routine tasks. And turn off all messaging tools. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

What to do when the stakes are sky high: You’ve trained hard, you’ve practiced and yet... when it’s time to show your stuff, you choke. What happened? Your prefrontal cortex, the brain’s command center, went into overdrive, writes Barnard College president Sian Beilock. When the prefrontal cortex takes the reins, it examines each move and gums up the autopilot system you so carefully honed. How can you keep your brain in line? Before your performance, do anything but think about it. Distract yourself. Sing a tune. Feeling nervous? Good. Take that energy and put it into the task at hand. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

You Asked: “I’m trying to build my own business and find that at each point where I need to expand my knowledge, acquire new skills or change my working process, I get stuck, like a horse refusing a jump. Often I know what needs doing but can’t seem to get to grips with it. When I eventually do, and invariably find I can learn, or find the right help for this next thing, I kick myself for the wasted time. Any advice?” —Franca Westaway, U.K.-based textile designer

• “The first and most important thing I’d say is to start by being gentle with yourself. Change can be terrifying — going out and building your own business takes enormous courage, persistence, and willpower. You’re doing it already! And you seem to know what you need to keep up momentum. When you feel stuck, take a pause and ask yourself: What’s blocking me? Is it personal/emotional (e.g. impostor syndrome, fear of failure, etc) or logistical/administrative (e.g. you need a better system in place, more resources, a better vendor, etc). Once you separate the two, you’ll have an easier time tackling the root of the problem. Whichever the case, write down every way you’re feeling and propose a list of possible solutions. Try to be patient! Making smart, thoughtful decisions can take time, and the only bit of that you’ll waste is on beating yourself up.” — Jennifer Romolini, author of “Weird In A World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits”
• “One of the best ways to get unstuck is to start with small jumps and progress upwards. If you’re stressing over too many things, it can be hard to get anything done. Instead, try focusing on improving one skill or making one change in your workflow at a time, then move on to the next. Is there a course you can take to upgrade your skill set? What can you change in your work process today that will help you tomorrow? It doesn’t have to be a major endeavor. It simply needs to be doable. Once you’ve accomplished that goal, move onto the next. It can be helpful to keep a list and check off the items you complete as you move forward, so you know you’re making progress.” — Alison Doyle, job search expert at The Balance Careers

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

Giving a presentation? Ditch the script, go with a map: When you commit to memorising a talk, you lock yourself into delivering your presentation in a single, rigid way. Make one slip from your script and your brain is prone to go into panic mode, writes Stanford’s Matt Abrahams. Instead of a script, Abrahams suggests you create a presentation roadmap. Know the succession of points you’d like to express and the general order you’d like to communicate them. Unlike a script, a map can offer a sense of where you’re heading but some wiggle room in how you get there. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Turning self doubt into a strength: Rather than fight against or judge our self-doubt, author and Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard argues that we can use such feelings as a place to start thinking about the steps we can take to achieve our goals. How can we start? Talk to yourself, Karlgaard suggests. Objective self-talk, when we advise ourselves the way we’d advise a friend, can help us develop a sense of self-efficacy, the feeling that we are capable of performing the necessary tasks to succeed. ? Here’s what people are saying.  

One last idea: When we’re in the middle of a heated argument, it’s easy to dig in our heels and simply wait until it’s our turn to speak. But executive coaches Ron Carucci and Jarrod Shappell remind us that resolving conflicts, of any kind, begins with listening. 

“Some fear that listening affirms the other’s point of view. Rather, it is in listening that others begin to feel safe enough to loosen their grip on strongly held convictions.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments. 

— Scott Olster