The N°1 Essential Skill to Improve your Life!

Once build you never want to live without it.

“The greatest people are self-managed. They don’t need to be managed. Once they know what to do, they figure out how to do it. They don’t need to be managed at all.” — Steve Jobs

There are many soft skills that will improve your life with each day and somehow all of them are connected to each other. For instance, if you are mindful, you are also self-aware, maybe even patient or empathetic. But you will have a hard time building these skills if you do not try to manage yourself.

I consider the ability to manage yourself as the most important skill, one should build. But while writing these words, I have the feeling that sounds like controlling yourself. To get this out of the way directly — Managing yourself shall support and help you in building you!

What is self-management?

It is defined as the ability to control your thoughts, behavior, and emotions. Furthermore, the comprehension of personal responsibility to multiple aspects of your life.

Don’t worry, you will not become an emotionless person or a robot. But you will achieve what you want to achieve and this is the beauty of it.

How self-management will improve your life

Every year, I write a list of small goals that I want to achieve over the year. For example, I wanted to read at least seven different books in my spare time which were not connected to my career. So nothing technical. Therefore I’ve read in 2021 the biography of Elon Musk, Rich Dad and Poor Dad, Factfulness, and The infinite Game. I did not reach my goal even though seven books are not that much. Instead of seven, I’ve read four.

It is not a shame, I loved each book I read and took lessons from each one. Also, I achieved other goals, too, we have to pick our wins and losses and learn from them.

Missing that simple one is a perfect example of how self-management would have helped me but will help me in 2022.

Every one of us is, in certain aspects of our life, self-managed. We prioritize certain actions over others because we understand the responsibility that we have. We now need to use this behavior also for these other aspects.

Here are just a few helpful tips to be a bit more self-managed:

Layout a plan to achieve your goals

Remember a goal without a plan is just a dream.

Plan, execute, and repeat

Habits create a compound effect. Daily, weekly or monthly. It doesn’t matter as long as you stick with your plan.

Reflect on what went well and what did not

Constant learning helps you to become better for yourself. Even if you just improve 1% each or every second day, it will add up.

My Adjustment

I read mostly when I go to bed. Thirty minutes to one hour tops. It helps me to fall asleep faster because my mind has enough time to shut down. However, it did not go always according to plan. Sometimes I went to bed just extremely tired or fall asleep on the couch when we were watching a movie. These are no excuses but lessons learned.

This year I’ve also targeted seven books as well and twelve audiobooks. To achieve my goal I’ve started to plan step by step how to reach my goal.

To listen to twelve audiobooks over the year I have to listen each month to at least one. I will listen to it in the car on my way to the office or at home when I am about to clean. It actually helps me to stay focused. In case, I liked what I’ve heard I will add this book to my reading list for this or maybe next year. That way I learn more from it than just by listening to it.

Seven books per year is an uneven number. I do not even know why I chose seven in the first place but that doesn’t matter. To read this number of books I need a strategy and a small reading habit to achieve it. Next, to read every day before falling asleep, I will also add my morning reading routine for the weekends. It is just beautiful when you wake up first before everybody else and enjoy the silence with a good book and coffee.

My Plan

I have not yet planned out all seven books nor all twelve audiobooks but this is my list for this year so far.

Books

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch — this is actually a book that I reread because it is one of my favorites. I’ve read it the first time around 2010 and it had a huge impact. I can recommend it to everyone.

Range by David Epstein — I got this one as a present from my friend.

Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement by Tony Robbins — I do not know yet what to expect!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig — I got this one also as a present from a friend.

The Price of Inequality by Joseph E. Stiglitz — I do not know yet what to expect as well but my wife got this recommended.

For the last two free slots, I have not figured out yet which books to add to my list. Leave a comment if you have beautiful suggestions.

Audiobooks

The Psychology about Money by Morgan Housel — I’ve finished this one in January and was impressed by it. I have not ordered my thoughts completely about it but I can definitely recommend it.

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek — This is my audiobook for February. I’ve already read two books by Simon and loved both of them. Therefore I am really excited about this one.

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly — I do not know exactly what to expect but this was recommended to me. This will be my audiobook for March.

Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood — I’ve listened to an audio sample and liked what I’ve heard. This will be my audiobook for April.

For the other months of the year, I still have to figure out what I want to listen to.

Conclusion

The plan is set and the first month went great. I still have eleven months to go. Now it is just executing, repeating, reflecting, and replanning. By building the skill of self-management it will help me to stick to the plan and react if it doesn't go as it should. It will support me to readjust to achieve my goal.

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