Harrowing Experiences = Learning Opportunities November 21, 2007
Posted by Stray Dog in : Self Development , add a commentHello again. Been awhile for me. The past few months have been harrowing but I hope to be able to post more frequently in the months to come. The situation is certainly one of those ‘life moments’ where you need to step back and look at things and wonder exactly what you should be learning from this. Definitely one of those times where I can say “That which does not destroy you only serves to make you stronger”. I almost have an odd sense of invulnerability. I may shed more light on my experiences in future posts. Suffice to say now that I’m sure all of what has transpired recently is a minor setback and six months from now I’ll be moving forward again towards riches.
So let’s focus on some items I should have been working on or need to do more of:
- I have taken several Project Management courses certified by the Project Management Institute. I need to get my ass in gear and complete the program and get my designation.
- I had a client that had a substantial ad-words spend. During which time I should have completed my Google Ad-words Professional exam. I totally dropped the ball and that could have been a great benefit to me. Certainly an opportunity wasted.
- I need to continue to build relationships with people in my industry and ensure I work to maintain the ones I already have. You can never underestimate the power of networking.
- I need to do more self-learning. I am fortunate as I am a good self-learner. I can pick up a book and easily understand and apply concepts. My problem is just doing it or setting aside time to do it.
Ultimately as I write this post I realize this; having been working full-time, teaching part-time, taking on freelance web development projects and spending time with my family I have left no time for self-development. Now at a crossroad in my professional life I’m not as good on paper as I would be had I managed to do better at any of the four items I mentioned. And in reality all four could have been accomplished without me having to take too much time away from my family. And that time spent then would have made the time I have now better overall.
Perhaps realizing that I need to be more dedicated at learning is the best lesson my harrowing experience has taught me.
Time Management - Another Goal January 11, 2007
Posted by Evil Green in : Self Development , add a commentSo, I have decided I have to learn to manage my time better - I decided this about 10 years ago but I still haven’t done anything about it. I have a few time consuming things on the go:
- School - taking a night course which fills one evening a week and few other with the immense amount of reading/homework required
- Teaching - I am teaching one night a week at a college, it takes up another 1/2 - 1 evening a week in prep/marking
- Our Project - We have mentioned a few times that we our in the works on a project (again more details to come when it’s complete), this bad boy could use a couple nights a week of time
- Work - I work full time
- The Gym - I don’t get home until about 7:30 as I go to the gym after work - healthy body, healthy mind
And then there are things like taking care of the house, dog, myself, and watching NFL playoffs. It’s a busy time and I am really good at getting distracted. At the advice of a good friend and a successful business person who also works full time on top of running a new, growing, offline, brick and mortar business I am going to start making lists of everything that needs to be done no matter how big or small the task and then cross the items off as I complete them. I need to remain excited about putting a strike through an item and use it as a guide and motivator.
I am also going to limit MSN discussion to 10-20 minutes a day and pick up the phone a little more often, that baby will kills time like Lysol kill bacteria.
If anyone has any recommendation for good time management books send me your affiliate links - makes sure it’s a short easy read though.