You might be considering your career. You may be wondering if you should change jobs or careers or take advantage of new opportunities. Then read on! I'll explain how people view their careers and why they work in certain situations. Perhaps one fits your future plans.

How to Think About Your Career

Marathons are long and hard, but they’re rewarding. You have to train for many months (maybe years) before running one, then cross over 26 miles of ground in a single day. It’s not an easy feat by any means, but the end result is an accomplishment you can be proud of. If you’ve ever run a marathon or wanted to run one someday, chances are good that this analogy resonates with you — it just doesn’t make sense to start training without knowing what motivates you!

Think of your career as a marathon

Your career is a business, which is important to remember. You're the CEO, owner, and employee, all at once.As CEO, you're responsible for making your team and customers want to work with you and buy your products/services. This means setting and achieving goals.Owner, If someone else owns a business like yours, they can control how much money they make if they stay competitive in "the market." As the owner, it's your job to come up with ideas and implement them so people will want what it provides or find it convenient when buying something similar or related.

Think of your career as a business

You're the gardener, responsible for your career's growth. It's your job to plant good seeds. You can't control everything (like the weather), but you can water and fertilise them. Investing time and energy in your career will pay off.

Think of your career as a garden

To be successful, plan your career strategically. People often make career decisions when they're young or old, but there are some common threads that can help you get started. If you're wondering what your next step should be or just want to know how people think about their careers, here are some tips.

Career planning is fluid

I hope this article has helped you think about your career as a personal asset. As we’ve discussed, the way that you think about your career can help define how successful it is and what goals you achieve. This can be especially important for those who are just beginning their careers or changing jobs and finding themselves in a new position with different responsibilities. The more prepared you are to handle these changes, the easier they will be!

Conclusion

You may be thinking about your career right now and wondering if you should change jobs or careers, or if there are any new opportunities you should take advantage of. If so, this stash is for you! 

You may be thinking about your career right now. You might be wondering what you want to do if you should change jobs or careers, or if there are any new opportunities you should take advantage of…

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Career

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

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Leadership & Management

Managing your time is about managing your energy. If you learn how to balance important and urgent tasks, you’ll be able to make the most of your time and increase your overall productivity. And, perhaps most importantly, you’ll feel more at peace with how you’re spending each day. An urgent task is something important that demands attention and action right away.

Urgent  vs Important

Important tasks are usually things you want to do because you think they’ll make a difference in your life or the lives of others. They can be big and ambitious projects like writing a book, starting a business or creating an app. Or they might be as simple as buying flowers for your mum every week so she knows how much she means to you. When it comes down to it though, whether a task is urgent or not depends on how much value it holds for us.

An important task is something that’s valued, significant or worthwhile.

A million things can demand your attention when you're busy. Urgent and important difference because what's important isn't always clear.You're late for a 9 AM meeting. Your boss sends an urgent email. This email could be fired. If your manager had explained why this email was so urgent (or sent it earlier), he wouldn't have slowed down project progress by sending one brief message at 6:00 AM when everyone was already starting their day.

What you think of as urgent may not be nearly as urgent as you believe.

Urgent vs. important, as the saying goes. The former refers to tasks due in the next day or two, while the latter refers to those you want to complete eventually. Consider writing your college application essay before the deadline. You might start it right away because of its importance, but if a friend asks you out, you'll probably say yes (and feel guilty later).Set a deadline if you want something done quickly, like decluttering your apartment for guests. I'll finish this room by noon, then relax with friends tonight. If we're not careful, obstacles will stand between us and our goals.

You can create urgency to get things done.

You can trick the brain into thinking something is urgent by setting a deadline. Deadlines are great for keeping you focused because they add urgency to your work and give you a sense of purpose.If you’re trying to finish a project, set an arbitrary deadline — for example, “I will finish this project by the end of today.” You could also say that you’ll finish it in one hour or half an hour. Whatever works for you!

You can trick the brain into urgency with a deadline.

Urgent vs. important differ. Urgent tasks include submitting homework and responding to work emails before the weekend. Urgent tasks are time-sensitive, but important tasks don't have to be. When you finish important tasks, you feel better about yourself and your life. You have assignments due tomorrow at 10 am and next Friday at 2 pm. The first is time-sensitive, so you work quickly (the priority on this type of task). The second one isn't urgent, but completing it will help build your resume (the importance behind this type of task).

Sometimes things are urgent and sometimes they are important, but not always at the same time.

When should you prioritise? Important tasks aren't always urgent. Urgent tasks can be done quickly, but their importance may not be obvious. They can also be crucial to a project or task. If your boss needs his computer fixed right now so he can get his work done before an important meeting tomorrow (yesterday afternoon), then fixing that computer becomes an urgent task that must be done immediately before any other projects or items on your list (or any other items) take precedence over it.

When it comes to your work, you must avoid urgent/unimportant tasks like the plague — these are classified as a waste of time.

The goal is to be able to complete the most important task first and then move on to the next most important task.Keep two lists: one of all your tasks and another of urgent ones only. Then rank them by importance (how much time they take or how much money they generate). Start with the most urgent thing on your list and work through it until you have no more items left in that category. At this point, start working through your other items in order of importance until they’re all done!

Keep a list, rank tasks by importance, and work through them with a timeline.

It's easier to say, "I should stick to deadlines," than to do so. There's no one way to set and meet deadlines, but you can take some simple steps. Effective methods includeCreate rewards for yourself (like breaks) or upon completion (like getting out of work early). Sometimes 15 minutes or a day off is enough. If these things aren't enough motivation, consider adding more incentives, like a fancy dinner. If vacations motivate you more than money, plan a trip along with other rewards. Choose whatever keeps things interesting and gives you something special at the end.

You can do this by setting arbitrary deadlines and rewarding yourself when you meet them.

We juggle multiple responsibilities and tasks to get more done. Science has shown that multitasking doesn't make our days more productive. Multitasking is inefficient and can be stressful.Stanford and Caltech researchers found that multitasking reduces focus by 40%. Hundreds of experiments over decades have confirmed their findings. When people try their best, they fail spectacularly at completing multiple tasks simultaneously and feel stressed because they're making mistakes while trying not to (this is known as cognitive load).

Multitasking is ineffective, reduces productivity, and makes daily life more difficult.

You can't manage anything if you don't know how much energy you have, how much more you need, or how much is left.When deciding what's important or urgent, ask yourself three questions: Am I Energized? (Important) Am I needed? Should I do this? (Important/Urgent/Fun)

Managing your time is about managing your energy

Whether you’re a student or office worker, finding a way to organize your tasks and prioritize them effectively is crucial for success. You want to make sure that you’re completing tasks that are important and urgent first because these are the ones that will get you ahead in life.

Learn how to manage urgent and important tasks effectively. By prioritizing important tasks, you’ll feel more at peace with how you’re spending each day.

Managing your time is about managing your energy. If you learn how to balance important and urgent tasks, you’ll be able to make the most of your time and increase your overall productivity. And…

productivity

Productivity

timemanagement

Time Management

The Difference Between an Urgent and Important Task

Creativity isn't a rare magical spark. Even those without natural talent can learn it. It's important in any industry, not just art and design. Creativity takes time and effort but pays off. Austin Kleon (author of several books) shows how to be creative by borrowing ideas. This book is for anyone, artist or not.

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon [A Book Summary]

This book emphasises that you don't need to be a genius or expert to be creative and that creativity isn't just making something new. Picasso stole other artists' work, and Steve Jobs copied Sony's Walkman to create the iPod.He says you have plenty of good ideas, but you need to find them. Once found, make minor changes to existing ones, he says.

You don't need to be a genius to have good ideas.

Originality is overrated. Every great artist and writer has been influenced by others. Which takes longer: creating an original idea or building on existing ones?Never be afraid to be inspired by others' work. You can only copy those who encourage you. Instead of "stealing" their ideas, use them to inspire your own. Great art starts with someone else doing something extraordinary, then adding something new through practice and experimentation to give it its voice (your voice!).

You can't be unique, always. So, Personalize your work.

Creativity is silly. Artists must remember that creativity is play. It's not a serious business. Artists should be creative and enjoy themselves. You should approach every project with the mindset of having fun and enjoying yourself. If something isn't working out or your audience isn't responding, don't get discouraged. Keep trying new things until you find something that works.

Creative work is play.

Don't wait until you know yourself to start being successful. Without action and new experiences, you won't know your purpose. You don't need a plan to create art, but you must begin.Austin Kleon says, "Waiting for inspiration is like waiting for raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens." Instead of waiting for everything to be perfect before starting important work, just do it.

Start before you know yourself.

Stop waiting for others to create what you want to do yourself. Write a book you'd enjoy. Make your own movie. Make a song that moves you or play an online game until it becomes part of your life (and then share it with others). Humans are prone to complacency and habituation. Still, let's be open-minded about our interests and self-explore. In that case, we can see how unique art can be when created by people who care about making something remarkable, like an app or painting.

Write a book you'd enjoy. (Or make a movie, song, etc.)

The second part is more important. To create something meaningful, you must share it. Sharing doesn't just mean posting on your blog or Twitter feed; it means listening to feedback and making changes, finding your voice by learning from others and finding the right audience for your work (or somewhere in between).Our creations live in a world full of other creators, who can influence us in many ways.

The secret: Do good work and share it with people.

We work, learn, live, and communicate differently because of the Internet. We're rethinking. Digital culture and technological progress have boosted creativity.

Geography is no longer our master.

Being nice can help you get ahead in life. People fail because they're not friendly, not because they're not talented or smart. Being kind will help you make a name for yourself as an artist much faster than being a jerk.Kindness has many benefits:Being nice helps you make friends with other artists and creators who will promote your work because they like working with good people (and don't want their idea stolen).Being nice helps coworkers, friends, and family.

Be nice (The world is a small town.)

Every artist knows that creativity is removing the unnecessary and that great art comes from the ability to make judgments. It’s essential to discern what is good and what isn’t, what works and what doesn’t — and then throw out everything in between. This process is called editing (or “subtraction,” as Austin Kleon puts it). It can be challenging, but if you take a moment to think about it, it’s fun too!

Creativity is subtraction.

In the end, you want to take a look at your work and ask yourself: “Is this original?” If you have only copied another artist, it’s not original. But if you’ve taken ideas and added your spin to them, then it is.

Steal ideas from others, but only if you add your spin to them!

I hope you’ve found this helpful book. Remember that the Internet is a tool, not a magic wand. It can help you find inspiration and feedback, but you still have to do the work yourself — and the best part about that is that it’s enjoyable! So get started now. You don’t need permission or an audience; pick something that excites you and run with it. If enough people follow suit, we might be able to take down Big Art together…

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon is a book that speaks about creativity and art. It's a must-read for every artist, writer or person involved with or passionate about the creative process.

Creativity isn’t some magical spark that only a few chosen people have. It’s a skill anyone can learn, even if they have no natural talent. And it’s crucial to success in any industry — not just art…

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Reading & Writing

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Problem Solving

entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

creativity

Creativity

You draw conclusions about the world using critical thinking. They're also everything you need for a human brain, so it's good you have them. Critical thinking can rust if it's not used. If that happens, you risk bad ideas and poor decisions, which nobody wants. Here are three simple habits to improve your critical thinking like Steve Jobs did while creating Apple.

How To Think Critically Like Steve Jobs

First, define your question and assumptions clearly. This commonsense approach has two benefits. First, it clarifies which relevant assumptions can be tested or confirmed. Second, it identifies assumptions that aren't needed to answer the question. You may make unexpected discoveries.

Define clearly what you mean by a question and your assumptions

Details can obscure the whole. Different perspectives help solve problems. Ask for input and consider different angles. Before deciding, weigh pros and cons. Consider the long-term effects of your choices (like an upcoming presentation). Consider whether there are better alternatives than what you or others have proposed (and if so, which should be used). Consider how each solution addresses this and future situations (and whether any additional training for those situations would be helpful).

Take a step back and look at the big picture

Your thinking rests on assumptions. They're the fundamental beliefs you hold about a situation, person, or idea. Assumptions can be dangerous because we don't question them; we just believe them.You may think this is fine because it helps us form quick opinions and judgments, but false assumptions can lead to bad decisions — and even wrong ones.

Challenge your assumptions

Critical thinking helps you understand the world. Many people lack these communication and problem-solving skills. They may rely on instinct or experience without questioning their thinking. A person with critical thinking skills will carefully consider their assumptions and beliefs before acting on them. They'll also consider several possible solutions before choosing one and evaluating it based on evidence, not emotions. Critical thinkers can make better decisions, from buying a car to choosing a career path for long-term happiness.

Clarify your meaning, reflect, and challenge yourself to improve your critical thinking.

There are no shortcuts to improving critical thinking. Thinking critically takes time, effort, and a commitment to intellectual growth. Using precise language when asking questions, stepping back to see the big picture, and challenging assumptions will help you become a better critical thinker.

Steve Jobs wasn't an ordinary entrepreneur. He was a visionary. His products changed the world, and his thinking changed how we live. You can learn a lot from him, but first you have to learn how to think critically…

Your critical thinking skills are how you come to conclusions about the world around you. They’re also pretty much everything you need for your brain to function as a human being, so it’s good that…

How to Think About Your Career

The Difference Between an Urgent and Important Task

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon [A Book Summary]

How To Think Critically Like Steve Jobs

Rehman Deraiya