Self-doubt

Self-doubt is that little voice that screeches us to a halt just when we are about to make a decision. Are you sure? have you made the right decision here? what will people think? is your business idea good enough? what if you fail?  We have all heard them, this process is normal and healthy but this self-preserving mechanism should never become debilitating.

Of course It’s extremely important when embarking on any new idea to think things through, to try and plan for all eventualities, but remember all of your ducks will never be in a row and sometimes we need to take that leap of fate to truly grow

Go with what you have, right now, just go, take the leap and learn how to fly on the way down Les Brown

Life is extremely short and we owe it to ourselves to explore every part of life, ourselves and be the best we can be in the time we have been given.  Self-doubt is fine, listen to it, embrace it, feel it, take on board its questions, act upon them if need be but then move on.  There is no such thing as failure, getting something wrong just means that you have not perfected your art form yet, it’s a learning process not a full stop. Instead see this unforeseen setback as room for improvement & growth.  Life’s way of telling you to practice more, study what went wrong, identify the lesson and take from it. 

When you approach life with this learning view and start to accept that things may not always go your way, we are reducing our fear of failure and thus reducing the power of self-doubt over us.  Remember, self-doubt is only one part of you and it doesn’t like risk taking even though some of the best decisions ever made have been made with incredible risk.

she was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite of them Unknown

How important is a Job Description?

A job description is an extremely important document for both the employee and the employer.  It should be an accompaniment to the contract of employment, a one-page overview that explains to both parties clearly what is expected from an individual working in a given position within an organisation. It often includes areas such as Roles and Responsibilities, desired skill-set/qualifications reporting structure and potential goals.

Job descriptions are such a beneficial necessity when it comes to transparency in organisations despite ludicrous trains of thought that they are restrictive, if they are restrictive then you have created them incorrectly.  We all know that positions within a company are fluid in nature and organically change over time dependent on business needs and employee development. The purpose of the Job description is to detail the foundations of a given role, the basics that must be done to allow this position to operate effectively at a fundamental level. When things get extremely busy in work we occasionally get lost in tasks and find ourselves operating outside of our allocated areas of responsibility or remit, sometimes by request from management sometimes not. Although this situation can be healthy as it promotes personal growth, we always need a reference point to return to, and the job description allows this.

It can be extremely frustrating & stressful for an employee not to understand fully what his/her job is, a job description prevents this. It is also important to point out that companies that don’t use Job descriptions are walking a rocky road, for instance, how can management review an employee on performance if they have not taken the time to explain to them what their job is in the first place? Custom and practice unless well documented can be extremely subjective. 

Clarity and transparency is measurable, it is healthy for both parties to know exactly what is expected, if the company pays x amount then in return a, b, c, & d is expected.

Let’s keep it simple

Time management

Time is precious and using your time wisely and productively for most of us usually requires an uncomfortable and radical shift in mind-set.  Jumping from one thing to another and finishing nothing is unfortunately the norm for some, a habit that results in inefficiency and time wasting.  You must have a systematic approach to time management which will result in a less stressful way of getting things done first time.  

Time management tips

1. Use to-do lists, they are so effective in time management.  You should start by getting yourself a good daily diary.  Every Sunday evening take five minutes out and make it your business to plan and write down the top 10/20 items that you wish to have completed next week, day by day.  First thing every morning review the list for that day and add the finer details. For instance, jot down who you need to call that day and the times things need to happen to meet your plan. Just make sure you write your to-dos down, it allows you to de-clutter your mind and to focus on completing tasks instead of trying to remember what they were.
2. Allocate time to do important tasks, stick to the times allocated and don’t be afraid to tell people you are busy during these periods, even if that means telling people Not now!  Initially when you adopt this approach other might think it too quite be rude that you have fobbed them off, but they will get used to it.  9 times out of 10 what they wanted to talk to you about, they will have managed to sort it out for themselves. Bonus!
3. During busy time slots, turn of all social media platforms and concentrate solely on the task at hand unless of course you use them for business.
4. Pencil in certain times during the day to reply to emails.
5. In your daily diary identify days that are productive and what it was about that day that made it more productive.  When you identify these productive factors try and introduce them into every day.