Stay busy

I have to begin by saying that this past week helped me learn a lot more about myself, that I never realized to notice. I was very happy being able to select our own soft skill, because I instantly knew time management was something that I’ve always been trying to work on and improve as I start my business career. I think taking what I researched and observed, and applying it to my everyday lifestyle was a real eye-opener seeing where I need improvement. It was interesting to me that as the week went on, the whole day structuring became much more natural to me and I began to enjoy “working on” my soft skill. Besides all the knowledge gained from personal experience, I suggest that anyone looking to touch up their time management skill should read the book, The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing your Time, Attention, and Energy, By Chris Bailey.

In this book he preaches about less focusing on the negative things that distract you, and centering more towards having a productive lifestyle. Productivity comes from three things, Bailey notes: Time, Attention, and Energy. He also writes about how researchers have determined six “triggers” (boring, difficult, frustrating, no personal meaning, no intrinsic value, unorganized) that contribute to procrastination on certain tasks. Bailey states, the more likely a task is to have those triggers, the more likely you are to avoid it. With that being said, it is important to turn those triggers into more positive mental approaches, whether it be working at different location or using different tactics to learn material. Mentally tricking yourself into becoming more productive, avoiding the procrastination triggers, and maintaining a daily structure are the foundations of time management skills.

BAILEY, C. (2017). PRODUCTIVITY PROJECT: accomplishing more by managing your time, attention, and energy. TORONTO: VINTAGE CANADA.