Care For Yourself

It doesn’t have to be exhaustive. Just a quick outline will help. The point is to have something that guides you.

Do a quick plan on how much time and effort this idea will take, so you can have a bird’s eye view.

Good planning of resources help you plan out your energy and expectations. 

So plan out your time and resources accordingly and integrate them into your schedule/to-do list. Block out time in your calendar for the project. Give yourself some buffer as well, in case of contingencies.

The "Where do you see yourself in 5 years" question is about the interviewer wanting to see if you can draw a straight line from the future back to the present. A two-part answer works well.

• " I want this particular job..." reinforces your desire for the position.
• In part two, explain your future plans "... because it will help ..."

You should answer the question honestly, but your answer should also reflect the research you put into the company.

Find out what training programs are offered through the firm while holding down your full-time job. Mention your goal to grow your skills, and you'll impress your interviewer with your future-focused desires.

By having a question-based approach as opposed to topics, participants begin to think and act differently, marching towards the true intent of the being together, with intention.

Agenda questions can be molded to be like goals for the employees, to get them on their feet, energizing them and focusing their attention.

Group goals promote group performance, and specific goals are much better than vague goals. The meeting questions, formed as goals, need to be challenging but not outlandish.

Why the productive conversations in a meeting seemingly go nowhere:

• Participants are most likely immediately running to another meeting where their attention shifts to a new set of issues. 
• Participants leave the meeting without clarity about what was agreed upon.

After and in between meetings, quickly send out clear and concise meeting notes and follow up on the commitments made.

• If you don’t capture the conversation and put it into a form that can be easily retrieved later, the thinking and the agreements can be lost.
• Persistence is a key influence skill. If you want anything to happen, you must follow up.

For a meeting to meet this outcome, or objective, you have to be clear about what it is.

• Priorities – what absolutely must be covered?
• Results – what do you need to accomplish at the meeting?
• Participants – who needs to attend the meeting for it to be successful?
• Sequence – in what order will you cover the topics?
• Timing – how much time will spend on each topic?
• Date and time – when will the meeting take place?
• Place – where will the meeting take place?

• Action Items: to-dos, tasks, action requests etc. These will serve as the foundation to keep everyone aligned and moving forward.
• Decisions: Clearly defining the outcome and decision agreed to by the group is essential.
• Requirements/Specifications: Sometimes they pop up unexpectedly in the midst of conversation, but they’re important to document.

• Create an agenda, to be able to better control the pace of the meeting and plan for the likely key notetaking moments.
• Take notes in advance: Write your key discussion points to present in advance.
• Prepare your note-taking tools.
• Prepare the setting before the meeting, especially before video calls: being able to hear everyone = better notes.
• Block 10 minutes after the meeting, to clean up your notes, add details where there may be gaps, and delete notes that turn out to have no value.

Work on cultivating personal connections with your colleagues, and allow them to get to know you. 

You don’t have to be “the greatest person in the room” or make sure “everyone is blown away by your charisma.” You just need to have good rapport with your colleagues. That way, they won’t impute negative intentions or motives to you.

Start by giving them your undivided attention in one-on-one situations. Turn your body toward the other person, freeze in place, and listen.

Is a linear method of taking notes that proceeds down the page, using indentation or bullets to denote major and minor points.

Pros: it records content relationship in a way that is easy to review.

Cons: difficult to go back and edit information written in this system.

Works for: recording terms, definitions, facts and sequences, when taking notes on slides or readings.

The goal is to jot down your thoughts as quickly as possible. Format is kept to a minimum: every new thought is written on a new line. 

Pros: Is like free writing for notes.

Cons: lack organization and notes can be hard to understand.

Works for: meetings or lectures that lack organization; when information is presented very quickly.