Willpower is not the solution to productivity
3 simple techniques to be more productive in your career. #newyeargoals
Take a paper and pen and reflect on what you did in the year 2023. Point down the highlights.
This is how I did it, Instead of stressing myself and thinking about what I did in which months. I used Google Photos to see how I spent my year.
You can also use your calendar or emails to list the highlights of your personal and professional achievements.
Make sure to highlight your drawbacks as well because identifying your weaknesses is an essential thing.
Now I assume you are ready with your list. And I want you to share one of your big achievements either personal or professional that you are proud of. And this will make you feel good.
Here is my list, I am currently a student, and most of my things are related to getting a chance to work with different people. And I was able to work with multiple organizations. In the process of jotting down the list, I started liking the process that's why I jotted down 2022 as well and it was a difference-maker.
Getting back to the topic my biggest achievement personally and professionally was going to South Africa, Cape Town on a volunteering project. I will be going to share more about it in my later post because now I am going full-time on medium which is one of my goals in 2024.
After analyzing my performance in 2022 and 2023 on my own standards, i.e. achievement, money, productivity, career, and relationship. Comparatively, to the year 2022, I have grown in every aspect in the year 2023. So I am proud of myself right now.
But at the same time, looking back, I would have asked myself one question at the beginning of the year, what do I want? and then I think this list could have been much better. Despite the fact is I tried my best and I don’t have regrets.
Now I understand that there are a few things I need to process,
- What do I want?
- Where do I aim for?
- Is it worth it for my future? (I learned something very hard way, no matter what situation you are in broke or rich, in a relationship or single, I need to keep working to secure my future. )
Here are the three techniques that gave me a career boost:
Making your CV:
I didn’t know what to do with my career, but I was involved in multiple projects or works. And, I kept a habit of updating my CV every time I started a new project and marked the date once I finished it. That kept building my confidence and every time I apply to work somewhere I feel good because my CV is stronger than before.
Also, just once I put my CV details in Chat GPT and asked what you think the ideal career path for this person could be. And I was surprised to find out the result. It was way out of the box. You should also try this. And please do share what the chat GPT suggested.
Getting back to the topic, there is one more important thing related to boosting your career. It is everything that is inside your CV, you should post it on Linkedin. Because that is the table where money is. If you want to ignore it, it's totally up to you.
here is a small story, one of my friends is using Linked In as I am on Instagram. He landed to get a part-time job paying him $3000 per month. And what I got is anxiety and depression from looking at other people's good life on Instagram. One of my goals in 2024 is to go full-time on Linked In.
Finding a mentor:
The value of a mentor in your life is like saving 10 years of your young life, it means not wasting your time with the things that won't gonna work out for you.
On the other hand, finding the right mentor is a difficult job, and you need to be ready to change your mentors because you can not find a perfect match at once.
I would suggest using LinkedIn to follow people, who align with your professional goal and start reaching out to them through cold email. And be sure to use LinkedIn Premium because the first impression is the last.
A short story, I was at a conference with my friend who is studying business and she saw a speaker who once visited her college to give a speech that guy was a successful entrepreneur. And without giving it a second thought she went straight to him, introduced herself, and just asked right front to be her mentor to get the client in her personal startup. I was way blown away by her confidence. She suggested I do the same, she asked me who I liked the most at the conference. Go and ask him I am working on this, do you mind being my mentor.
Long story short, I ended up finding no mentor but I learned that you have to be clear about your expectations with the mentor on the first front. And you should ask the question how? how can I do this? how can I do that? But never say what should I do? or What can I do?
One of my goals in 2024 is to have two mentors to boost my professional life. I shortlisted a few people who I think can help me build my career.
Tell the truth or at least don’t lie:
This statement is not my words but the words I follow. It is the most powerful line of Jordan Peterson in my point of view. This statement means you have to be authentic to yourself, It doesn’t mean if you don’t like someone you go up to their face and you scream I don’t like you. Instead, take a step back and ask yourself if spending time with this person is worth it or not worth it.
Stating yourself truthfully in any messy situation even your feelings and emotions, can turn your life upside down. But it is the best and the quickest way of your character-building or identity-building. You stated when you feel bad means you feel bad, you feel happy means you feel happy, and you want to continue your relationship means you mean it. Ask for a raise if you think you deserve it. It can make your life meaningful and more people will gonna attracted to you because you are authentic.
But it is not as easy as you assume, telling the truth is an act of courage and if you gonna try this, your future self will be proud of you.
Loved this article. Come say hi on LinkedIn! I’d love to connect.
