ARE YOU SCARED? WELL, DON’T BE – PROJECT MANAGE YOURSELF!
ARE YOU SCARED? WELL, DON’T BE – PROJECT MANAGE YOURSELF TO THE FINISH LINE Don’t be scared, just get used to it, you have to be your own project manager. You only have a limited amount of time and energy in any single day or week and you have to direct this towards your own, personal value-driven goals. Timeline for your future objective What do you do everyday that gives you pleasure? What feeds your soul? You are unique, discover what you are best at and what you enjoy doing. Figure it out. And then get on with it. Daily routine is essential Start your day with a routine that works best for you. Make this daily routine part of your project plan. This gets you going in the morning and helps you to focus. FFS, don’t set yourself up for failure within the first week because your plan includes…
NEW UPDATE: MY OWN EVOLVING DICTIONARY
My own evolving dictionary has a new update: each time I come across some interesting new words of which I don’t know the meaning, I will list them first in this dictionary. So, as new words crop up, they will appear first and the old words will drop down into the alphabetical list. I trust this will be as informative for you as it is for me. Callow – inexperience and immature – a young person. E.g. “I was still of the callow – and fundamentally lazy – youthful opinion that ….”. Bower – a pleasant and shady place under trees or climbing plants in a garden or wood. E.g. ” … a tiny plot of land that was like a bower.” Enigmatic – difficult to interpret or understand / mysterious. E.g. ” … with an enigmatic grin as she slipped my ring into her pocket …” Sanguine – an…
11 Potent points – get your act together man!
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″] I KNOW there are too many blog posts with tips on how to get your act together. But scan these, you will find one or two potent points that resonate with you. Find your purpose What do you do everyday that gives you pleasure? What feeds your soul? You are unique, discover what you are best at and what you enjoy doing. Stop wasting time doing what you hate – figure this out – it’s important. Routine creates reality Start your day with a routine that works best for you. FFS, don’t set yourself up for failure within the first week because your plan includes outrageous stuff that you’ve tried before and just didn’t work e.g. going to the gym at 05h00. To fail to plan is to plan to fail Prioritise – you must determine that which…
Is addictive behavior blocking my progress?
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.27.4″] “Addictive behavior can be summed up by one word: MORE! It’s when you’re powerless to resist MORE sugar, MORE sex, MORE shopping, MORE Facebook, MORE booze or MORE drugs” (Smallwood). Addiction affects our emotions similarly on all the different types of addictive behaviors. For example, gamblers’ chase the thrill of the next bet in the hope of the potential big win, shopaholics desire that feeling of happiness that is triggered when they buy new shoes. Anyone can become addicted, it depends on the individual. But whatever the addiction is, it’s the same process as clearly articulated by Dr Gabo Mate in his short description on the psychology of addiction. Whatever your vice, if it’s force is so strong that it’s sidetracking your focus and preventing you from following through on your plans, you need to get a grip…
THE Procrastination Bully – a time thief
DOES THE PROCRASTINATION BULLY INFLUENCE YOU? Question yourself “am I continually delaying or postponing taking action?” My procrastination bully starts screaming in my head telling me that I should really go and rearrange my book shelf before I start working, because if I don’t, I WILL become distracted while I’m working OR, if I don’t watch the last episode of Master Chef, I won’t be able to concentrate. And, so, I dutifully succumb. Sadly, the domino effect takes over and can seriously sidetrack and blow my plans for that day. Sound familiar? Well, don’t panic, procrastination is a complex, timeless and universal behaviour pattern and is real for many people including myself. It is a force that sidetracks your focus and prevents you from following through on your plans. Procrastination gurus such as Tim Urban suggest that some people may have a healthy relationship with deadlines and are more…
Hectic Hyphens
Academic writing can lead to some headaches when it comes to hyphenation. It makes sense for you to check on them before using them but here are a few hectic hyphens that I have encountered: General Ongoing is one word. It has never been hyphenated. This was news to me as I’ve always hyphenated it and never been corrected? Counterproductive is one word. Expression before noun Well established OR well-established? The approach is well established OR it is a well-established approach. Use the hyphen when the expression occurs before the noun it modifies. 2. Work related OR work-related? “Work related” is a compound adjective and whether or not you should use a hyphen depends on where it is located in the sentence. Once again, if it appears before the word it modifies, include a hyphen. Read more about grammar gremlins and you may find my own…
SOME GRAMMAR GREMLINS
Before you start, it’s very useful to choose your preferred (or your educator’s recommended) dictionary. Using the UK English dictionary, I experienced some interesting grammar gremlins that caused me some confusion, but I came up with the following which may prove useful for you: UK English Dictionary When referring to a specific degree you would capitalise Master e.g. She holds a Master of Philosophy in Management Coaching OR she is a Master of Philosophy. However, when referencing a general master’s degree – there is no capitalisation and an apostrophe is used. As far as I can see, in UK English, there is no use of the letter “z” except in the case of “cognizant”. You may find my blog post on hectic hyphens and my own evolving dictionary useful additions to this content. This is just the start, I will keep adding to this list as I find more…
GET A GRIP AND GET SOME BALANCE
LET ME SET THE SCENE … I get it: you have a job because your rent, school fees, dining out and all your other living expenses, will not pay for themselves. But, like most others, you have ambition and drive and are determined to improve your life and the meaning you get from it. So, in an attempt to learn more; build your competencies; add to your list of qualifications; prove to yourself you can do it; give yourself a chance at a promotion or; become the entrepreneur you’ve been dreaming of for years, you undertook a postgraduate qualification. Congratulations! But, now, it’s time to write your thesis. This is a mammoth task and one that will be both daunting and challenging. Getting a grip on your life by balancing your thesis, work, family, health and any other aspect of life that is meaningful to you, is essential to this…
SACRIFICES – OH NO?
LET ME SET THE SCENE … I remember it all too well: You experience a great sense of achievement, success and pride at the end of your master’s academic year. The thesis component of your degree is looming. Your research proposal is accepted and with rejuvenated energy and passion, you plan your timeframe for the year ahead. You are confident, enthusiastic and rearing to go. But, have you considered the sacrifices you have to make? It is possible that at some stage your panic monster sets in. It may dawn on you that you’ve signed up for a commitment that, apart from being extremely demanding on you, also has repercussions for your family, work, hobbies and friends and requires sacrifices that you haven’t even thought of. At this stage you may regress into either a frantic or depressive state, which may cause a needless delay to your graduation date. The…