If you have a job where you deal with lots of different projects it can be hard to keep track of all strands and not overlook important issues. Especially if you’re constantly confronted with small but urgent bumps in the road it can be easy to lose track of the bigger picture. This, obviously, can cause major problems later on.
Luckily, there are ways to avoid this. Here are some simple tips and tricks that work for me.
“We really need to track this information. Can you create a spreadsheet so we can start logging this please?”
Sounds familiar? For many it does. “Death by Powerpoint” is a well-known expression but we might as well add “Fatigue by Spreadsheet” to it.
Don’t get me wrong, spreadsheet and Excel have their time in place. But if Excel is your go-to solution when you need to gather, manipulate and present data, is it always the best tool for the job? Or is it just the one you know?
Data and coding are buzzwords at the moment: skills people tell you you’re supposed to have without explaining how and why they would be useful. However, even if you have zero interest in coding chances are that knowing a bit more about data analysis will help you in your role. If nothing else, you may find it interesting.
About a year and a half ago I started learning how to code, inspired as I was after meeting some very skilled creative coders. The journey that followed has, so far, been equally exciting and challenging. Unsurprisingly, trying to learn something new and alien can be fiendishly difficult at times, especially when you’re also juggling a full-time job, a martial arts practice, and learning two human languages. Luckily there are some good books around to help you manage the long and winding road.
The holiday season is nearly upon us, which means: socializing! If like me, you’re an introvert and the prospect of networking sessions and office Christmas sessions feels a tad unnerving, do not despair. You can learn how to handle these occasions. Yes, you too.
If you’re learning on your own, be it for work or for pleasure, it can be difficult to stay motivated. How often have you taken up a new hobby enthusiastically, only to lose interest after a few months? Sometimes this is perfectly fine: it you find your chosen activity is not for you there’s no harm in admitting this to yourself and moving on to something new. But what if you need to learn to get ahead in your career, or if you really want to learn a language, or if you just don’t want to give up?
People often tell me that they’d like to learn another language but don’t know where to start. Fair enough: I was lucky to grow up in a country with an education system good at introducing other languages from an early age (because no one speaks ours – ahem). But if your school days are behind you and you’d still like to learn, it’s never too late to start.
During a recent spell of bad weather I went into one of my reading frenzies. This time I focused on books about management and coaching, hoping to learn some tricks I could apply at work. While many management books are nothing but self-indulgent waffle, Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson is a pleasant exception to the rule. It has given me insights I have instantly been able to apply to my job and, dare I say it, have even made said job a little easier.
For many people, learning is what you do in school, and then perhaps at university or during an apprenticeship. But in fact learning often occurs outside structured learning programs. Think of the last time you started a new job, or bought a new appliance for your home, or took up a new hobby. Learning is an ongoing process most of us dip in and out of throughout our lives, often for work or practical reasons, but also for fun.
“I don’t like to speak in front of groups.”
How many people have said this to you? Perhaps you’ve muttered this to yourself as you shuffled into a conference room. Apart from the rare breed of people who could happily lecture all day long – many of them, in fact, do become lecturers – many people actively hate public speaking.
cococatani 