ON THE JOB FRONT
Here's some good advice when it comes to dressing for success:
"...while our culture continues trending towards the informal, I believe there's still a case to be made for dressing up.  I'm not talking about showing up to the office every day in a three-piece suit if HR asks only for business casual. I just think that adopting a "better than the next guy" attitude toward your wardrobe can only help you at work.  Every office has a dress code — whether expressly imposed or just socially enforced. While you could get dressed in the morning thinking about what you can get away with, clothing-wise, it's a low bar to aim for. After all, that's not how you approach the rest of your workday, is it? If you're invested in your career, you're probably already doing the superficial things that telegraph the message, "I'm good at my job." Things like showing up fifteen minutes earlier than your co-workers in the morning. Or keeping talk of any inebriated weekend exploits to a minimum (at least around your superiors). Dressing well is just one more simple action you can take that reinforces your competence. If you're truly dedicated to excelling in your chosen career, cutting corners — whether it's in your actions, attitude or attire — won't get you very far.
Why bother, you may ask? Dressing up doesn't make me any better at my job. True, but it is a chance to make a positive impression on those who have no idea how good you are at your job. Let's say your boss' boss sees you once a week, on the elevator, maybe, or at the far end of a conference table during a staff meeting. You've never talked to him or her, and they've never really seen you in action. How you look, then, is one way you can make an impression without saying a word. Don't you want that impression to be a good one?"

MORE GOOD ADVICE:  STOP PROCRASTINATING--IMMEDIATELY!
And here's a couple of good ways to do it:

"Do the worst thing first
Maybe this is the last suggestion you want to hear. But there's a good reason to start with the tough stuff.
"We have a limited, depletable supply of willpower and resources," says Piers Steel, Ph.D., a professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at the University of Calgary and the author of "The Procrastination Equation: How to Stop Putting Things Off and Start Getting Things Done."
Attack the hardest task when your energy is fresh and you give yourself the strongest chance of success. Doing otherwise can have a damaging domino effect.
"Putting off the dreaded item on your list saps your strength," says Eva Wisnik, who conducts time-management training for lawyers and corporations in New York City. Ultimately all your other tasks suffer -- stressing over that worst thing "makes you not completely present with anything else," says Wisnik.
So identify and get started on the most heinous project, which is not necessarily the biggest job but the baddest. "Checking it off will make you feel super-productive," says Wisnik, thus infusing with you with gung-ho, it's-all-downhill-from-here enthusiasm.
Start your day over at 2 p.m.
What's more irritating than witnessing your morning fly by without having dealt with your to-do list? Watching your afternoon roll right along with it.
Combat this by implementing a reboot: "At 2 p.m. every day, assess how much you've accomplished, remind yourself of what's critical, and alter your plan so you can tackle the most important thing," says Wisnik.
In other words, grant yourself a second morning in the middle of the day (complete with your caffeinated beverage of choice). And if there's a new project that has become high priority, you still have the time and the energy to start it at 2 p.m.
"If you wait until 5 p.m. to evaluate your day," says Wisnik, "you're out of time -- and in crisis mode, putting out fires."

I especially agree with doing the most difficult task first.  That strategy has really helped me...


"Live in terms of your strong points. Magnify them. Let your
weaknesses shrivel up and die from lack of nourishment."
-William Young Elliott