12 UNIVERSAL SKILLS

 

12 UNIVERSAL SKILLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AT ANYTHING

(EXTRACTION FROM POST: 12 UNIVERSAL SKILLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AT ANYTHING, WRITTEN BY: MARC AT http://www.marcandangel.com)

1. Prioritizing and time management.

If success depends on effective action, effective action depends on the ability to focus your attention where it is needed most, when it is needed most.  This is the ability to separate the important from the unimportant, which is a much needed skill in all walks of life, especially where there are ever increasing opportunities and distractions.

10 Time Management Tips that Work

     Before you can even begin to manage time, you must learn what time is.  A dictionary defines time as "the point or period at which things occur."  Put simply, time is when stuff happens.

     There are two types of time: clock time and real time. In clock time, there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year.  All time passes equally.  When someone turns 50, they are exactly 50 years old, no more or no less.

     In real time, all time is relative. Time flies or drags depending on what you're doing. Two hours at the department of motor vehicles can feel like 12 years.  And yet our 12-year-old children seem to have grown up in only two hours.  The good news is that real time is mental. It exists between your ears. You create it. Anything you create, you can manage.

     There are only three ways to spend time: thoughts, conversations and actions.  While you cannot eliminate interruptions, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them and how much time you will spend on the thoughts, conversations and actions that will lead you to success.

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Time management and prioritization lessons from MindTools (http://www.mindtools.com)

Book:  Getting Things Done

Our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective productivity and unleash our creative potential.

• Apply the "do it, delegate it, defer it, drop it" rule to get your in-box to empty.
• Reassess goals and stay focused in changing situations
• Overcome feelings of confusion, anxiety, and being overwhelmed
• Feel fine about what you're not doing

2. Keeping a clean, organized space.

Successful people have systems in place to help them find what they need when they need it  When you’re disorganized, that extra time spent looking for a phone number, email address or a certain file forces you to drop your focus.  Keeping both your living and working spaces organized is crucial.

3. Critical thinking and information analysis.

We are living in the information age where, on a daily basis, we are constantly exposed to an ever growing and rapidly changing pool of information.  Being able to evaluate this information, sort the valuable from the trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information is a priceless skill with universal applicability.

4. Logical, informed decision making.

Decision making is simply knowing what to do based on the information available.  Being able to respond quickly and effectively with the information you have in your head is essential to accomplishing anything.

5. Using Google proficiently for online research.

You don’t have to know everything, but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know.  Google is a gateway to nearly infinite knowledge; it has indexed websites containing information on just about everything and everyone.

6. Basic accounting and money management.

It’s a simple fact that our modern society is governed by the constant exchange of money.  Knowing how to properly manage your money – tracking and recording your expenses and income, saving and investing – is not only an important skill for thriving, it’s an important skill that helps you survive.

7. Effective communication and negotiating.

Give the people in your life the information they need rather than expecting them to know the unknowable.  Don’t try to read other people’s minds, and don’t make other people try to read yours.  Most problems, big and small, within a family, friendship, or business relationship, start with bad communication.  Speak honestly, and then give others a voice and show them that their words matter.  And remember that compromise and effective negotiating are vital parts of effective communication.

8. Relaxation.

Stress leads to poor health, poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor socialization.  So be attentive to your stress level and take short breaks when you need to.  Slow down.  Breathe.  Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose.  When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity.  These short breaks will help you regain your sanity, and allow you to reflect on your recent actions so you can be sure they’re in line with your goals.

9. Proficient writing and note-taking.

Learning to write proficiently so that others can understand you is critical.  Also, using your writing skills to take useful notes is one of the most productive things you can do, regardless of the task at hand.  Writing things down – taking notes – helps us remember what we hear, see, or read when we’re learning something new, or trying to remember something specific.

10. Relationship networking.

In a world dominated by constant innovation and information exchange, relationship networking creates the channel through which ideas and information flow, and in which new ideas are shared, discussed and perfected.  A large relationship network, carefully cultivated, can be leveraged to meet the right people, find jobs, build businesses, learn about new trends, spread ideas, etc.

11. Positivity.

Research shows that although we think that we act because of the way we feel, in fact, we often feel because of the way we act.  A great attitude always leads to great experiences.  People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.  Be positive, smile, and make it count.  Pretend today is going to be great.  Do so, and it will be.

12. Self-discipline.

Self-discipline is a skill.  It is the ability to focus and overcome distractions.  It involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment.  It often requires sacrificing the pleasure and thrill for what matters most in life.  Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to succeed in the long-term.