personal development

When “Just Do It” Doesn’t Do It

We worry too much.  All too often, we look everywhere but the blank page and our own ideas.  We obtain reams of paper and gigabytes of data, only to feel like we’re missing something crucial.

One short, hard-hitting piece of advice to bring you back on track is “Just do it”.  It’s not a bad piece of advice.

But it’s not enough.

On its own, “Just do it” makes sense, but it’s too cold a command.  For someone with a lack of inspiration, how can an obvious three word sentence set off a spark?

photo by mushi_king

photo by mushi_king

Lack of inspiration can manifest in many ways.  It may stem from a lack of confidence, a cautious attitude, no trust in your research findings, or even the opinions of your friends and study group.  But it doesn’t have to eat away at you until you realise there’s not enough time to make a half-hearted attempt at goodness.  Here are some short thoughts on getting on with it:

  • Surround yourself with positive people who can give you drive and enthusiasm in everything you do.
  • Replace caution with a “let’s see what if…” approach.  It’s similar to “Just do it”, but with more overview to change what you’re doing if it isn’t working.
  • Prepare to find your best moments in flashes of spontaneity and inspiration, rather than through lengthy research and reading processes.
  • Note down your own brief ideas and work around what’s missing that way.
  • Don’t spend too much time planning your next moves.
  • Leave doubting for later.  MUCH later.  If you question your ability, you destroy creativity in the process.  Don’t close down by questioning yourself; open up with ideas and interest.
  • Don’t listen to your Internal Editor!

Moving to a positive position helps make “Just do it” feel less commanding and more uplifting.  And when “Just do it” becomes “Done”, the world seems an even better place.  What are you going to do today?

What’s getting in the way of your plan?

How much planning is too much planning?

If you like to plan ahead, but still don’t feel organised, there’s a danger in spending even longer getting your act into gear.  You can obsess over stuff for a week, or even a month, with the intention to plan ahead for every last second of time.

Then, to your annoyance, something comes between you and your plan.  Then another thing gets in the way.  It could be something small, like an important phone call when you mean to be writing.  Or it could be a big deal, like you get flu and can hardly move for a few days.

They aren’t your fault (unless you meant to turn your phone off, perhaps…).  But less important matters also tend to get in the way.  Sometimes we don’t even notice.  Without warning, a whole day has whizzed past and nothing’s been done.  Fast forward a week and you wonder just how the time has flown by.

photo by woodsy

photo by woodsy

Even the most organised person doesn’t have to stick rigidly to their schuedle.  They probably can’t. After all, life happens.

The idea is to work out what activities get in the way, so you’re more aware for preparing future plans.

Each time something unexpected or unplanned gets in the way, write it down and note how long it took before you were back on track with the planned list.  Whether it was self-induced or totally unavoidable, mention it.  Don’t be shy.

This will help you discover:

  • Tasks you hadn’t considered that are part of your regular routine;
  • Necessary time-wasters, such as using the toilet, getting dressed, standing in a queue, waiting for a computer to log you in to a network, and so on (be as brutal as you like…it’s your time that’s being managed!);
  • How disciplined you are in your approach;
  • Stumbling blocks.  Things you thought you could do without, but that you would rather keep as part of your life;
  • The amount of time you want to dedicate simply to relaxation;
  • A more realistic outlook of time and an idea of where you need to start managing time better.

The exercise helps on a number of levels.  You may even realise that the enthusiasm you thought you had could be cranked up a notch. Or you may find a passion you didn’t even know you had.

Time is a strange thing.  There’s never enough, yet we seem to have more time than ever for leisure.  That’s why an exercise like this is vital in understanding just where your time goes.

When you’re done, was it a satisfactory result?  Or is it time to change?

I do this every now and then.  I don’t remember a time when it didn’t make a change for the better.

Freshers – Work seriously to find more fun

This is one of the most common things I hear from Freshers:

“The first year doesn’t go toward your final degree award, so you might as well just pass the modules and leave the proper work for later…”

Not true.  That attitude creates more work, not less.  Desperately cramming more fun in the short term causes less fun in the long term.  What’s the point in that?

Now we’re into 2009 and Freshers are pretty cosy in their ways now, I’ve been hearing a lot of these comments.  One person recently said to me, “I didn’t know the marks didn’t matter until the other day.  Someone could’ve told me I didn’t have to work so hard on everything!”  This coming from someone with straight-As at A-Level.  Perhaps it’s an image thing, but that leaves a lot of people trying to give the same image.

The first year of university is definitely meant to be a time for fun and enjoying the social whirl.  It’s also about finding your feet, settling in, and getting to grips with what’s expected of you.  Your study is important in all these things.  That’s the very reason why the essays and exams don’t usually go toward the final degree marking.  You’re being allowed the opportunity to find a voice, to make mistakes, to understand how to craft a winning essay.

That first year is the ultimate time to further your ability and push things up at least one grade the following year, if not more.  It might not seem that way, but early on in your degree could be the best moment to strike.

What do you think?

gear-man (photo by dlnny)

Living the present, loving the future

Higher Education should never be viewed as an extension of childhood.  Clearly, uni students want to be adult and make the most of the independent lifestyle available to them, but there are areas that are often ignored early on:

  • Searching for passions
  • Planning for a career
  • Making focused extra-curricular choices
  • Giving determined thought to the future
  • Seeing the bigger picture (thinking about your life as a whole, not complaining about a single ‘dumb lecture’)

Just before Christmas, Milkround.com surveyed students and graduates about their career decisions and when (or if) they had made solid choices.  A third hadn’t made a firm choice.  They also found that the majority of those who had decided upon a career direction had done so at the end of their time at uni or after they had graduated.

Photo by Alberto+Cerriteno

Photo by Alberto+Cerriteno

While this may be the norm, it’s not always sensible to be like everyone else.  As a child, my friends and I would badger parents for popular expensive presents for Christmas (an equivalent of a Nintendo Wii, perhaps).  “All my friends are getting one,” we’d shout.  If we were lucky, it would work and we’d get what we wanted.  Funnily enough, we regularly believed what we were trying to persuade our parents.

Now, when we’re badgered about the future and making plans for the life ahead of us, it’s not unusual to use the same tactics we used as children (and believe it just as much).  “Nobody else is obsessing that much!” we argue.  “None of us have plans; it’s not like that nowadays,” we point out.  We continue, “There’s plenty time to do that.  I’ve only just started this degree…what’s the point in getting ahead of myself when I’ll probably change my mind later anyway!?”

First, it’s not obsessing.  Second, we all have plans, but it takes guts to plan ahead with gusto.  Third, who cares if you change your mind later?  You’ll learn a lot on the way, so it won’t be for nothing.

I would never suggest that students aren’t thinking about the future at all.  Concern for the future is more important than ever to a lot of you.  However, the Milkround survey begins to show that commitment comes near the end of a degree.  In an economic downturn, competition is going to be increasingly fierce, so it will pay to begin your work toward the future as soon as possible.

Even if you don’t move toward securing a particular job and you don’t care for related work experience over the summer break, you can certainly get involved within the niche you want to be in by writing a blog, reading up on the hot topics and current events in that field, and making yourself known one way or another to the people that matter.  What you do is up to you, but it’s a wise move to do something!  Bit by bit or all out, it’s up to you…but make a start now.

Still uncertain?

“But the economic situation gets in the way.  I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone several years down the line!  Surely it’ll be better to wait and see what happens?”

That’s not the point.  The more focused you are, the more clearly you should spot the best routes, notice gaps in the market, and build up your own portfolio to boost your brand.  With that focus, even someone without visible passions or career goals can begin to find what switches them on.

“You can say that, but I don’t know have a clue what I want to do.  I’m not interested in anything.”

I’ve heard this a number of times.  Ask yourself why you are at university.  Consider what you’re studying and what gets you going each day.  Even if you only live for drunken nights out and holidays, you could move toward some sort of hospitality rep career.  If you spend all your waking hours gaming or building social networks, check how you could use that in a vocational sense.  Some people get paid to play games all day, while some of the biggest names of the moment are those who know exactly how to build social networks.

If you don’t notice any career route from the ideas you already have, it doesn’t mean you’re out of options.  There are loads of possibilities out there you won’t know about to even consider.  Speak to careers advisers, read about employment in a sector you have a hobby with (whether it’s a sport, a type of product, or even a way of life), and give some detailed thought on where you want to be in the future.  I doubt you’d choose ‘unemployed’ as your career choice, so what would you be happy doing?

“There are too many people chasing after the career I want.  What the point in trying?”

Don’t put yourself down.  The whole point of considering your career as soon as you can is to be in with the best chance of getting where you want to be.  When you’re armed with all the information you need to build an impressive portfolio, speak to the right people, and start working toward that career right now, you suddenly improve your chances of success by a huge amount.

It all boils down to this:

Get started today!

Photo by Vermin Inc

Photo by Vermin Inc