Forget the String on the Finger!
Have you ever had a great idea and then forgotten it? Well, I’m sure we all have done that at one time or another. We get busy with life and its many distractions; and our minds go in, seemingly, a million different directions. Before you know it, the thought or idea is gone. Maybe you can retrieve it and maybe you cannot. So what is the answer? WRITE IT DOWN! It takes discipline and will interrupt your busy day, but here are some tips for doing it quickly.
Generating and Remembering Job Search Ideas:
Always carry a pen:
Put a spare blank piece of paper in your wallet or purse.
Install and make frequent us of electronic “To Do Lists” or simple word processing programs (such as MS Notepad) on your desktop computer, PDA or smart phone.
Tell someone about your idea, with the admonition, “Don’t let me forget it!”
Carry a portable electronic voice recorder; and use it when the idea first comes to mind!
The object here is to get in the habit of writing down or somehow recording your ideas when they first come to mind.
The College Application:
Your class just ended. You wanted to ask a question but the instructor did not have time to answer your question; and now there are four students at his desk. What should you do? Take a minute or two and write it down. Again, it takes discipline and will interrupt your day. But the rewards can be great, especially when later you are struggling to get to the “understanding level of learning” (See the Part 14 article.); and you still do not have an answer to your question.
Also, when you are studying at home, or in your apartment or dorm room, and an idea or question comes to mind, write it down then. And when you attend you next class, have the question ready. When possible or appropriate, query your instructor before class. This habit pattern will often help you understand the material much more clearly in that next class.
The New Career Application:
We all have multitudes of things to remember. But his is multiplied many times during the first few days, weeks or even months on a new job. Sometimes learning curves are pretty steep. Probably the best methodology for learning a new job quickly is to ask questions and ask them frequently. When teaching college students how to teach, I always stressed the importance of getting students in the habit of asking questions. If you actually have already “learned how to learn” (See the Part 16 article.), this will be part of the habit patterns you learned in high school, trade school or college, especially if you attended one of the best online colleges.
If it is time critical and you need an answer now, by all means query your boss. But otherwise, try to find the answers yourself. Your boss is often busy and cannot, and should not, be bothered by every question that comes to your mind. Query colleagues, professional acquaintances or even close friends. Or try to find answers online. Here are a few suggested websites:
https://www.ask.com/
answers.yahoo.com/
www.askdeb.com/
www.question.com/
www.answers.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Questions
Also, get very familiar with using search engines. It is extremely important to pick one or two and become extremely familiar with how they work, especially with the common “advanced search” or similar feature. Save or bookmark the website, have it handy and use it often.
Making Do With Less Than The Best:
Upon starting a new career, you may be making more than you ever have before. And it is only human nature to want more things and substantially increase your standard of living, particularly if you are unmarried. Well, that is a good time to contemplate what you want later in life and how you want to get there.
Concentrate On Necessities:
Food, utilities and a roof over your head should be your first financial priorities (i.e., if you are a Christian, after paying tithes to the Lord). You also will need reliable transportation to and from work, as well as other miscellaneous transportation needs, which does not mean a brand new vehicle! Wise decisions on these necessities, over the first two to five years of launching a new job and career, will provide a superb foundation for later career moves as well as personal decisions such a marriage.
If you have always had a problem spending money as soon as you get it (as the saying goes, “Its burning a hole in your pocket.”), then arrange to have a significant portion of each paycheck automatically deposited into savings. Then, in addition to concentrating your remaining funds on the necessities, concentrate most of your time and attention on your new job and career. I actually worked seven days a week for six to nine months on my first new career job, which was working as a flight instructor. My work was about four miles away; and for those first few months I actually hitch-hiked to work each morning. That got old in a hurry; so I bought a seven year old 1972 Dodge Dart/Demon, which I still had when I got married four years later. The point is, concentrate on the necessities and your job and save all you can!
Savings:
Forming the habit of saving regularly will do two things. Assure flexibility for your future and give you peace of mind. With money in the bank, you fill feel better and sleep better. Today, life is complex enough without having to worry about what might happen. Plan ahead to the best of your ability; but know that you cannot plan for every contingency. However, with some “emergency funds” in the bank and a good job, you can deal with just about anything. And if you add a right relationship with the Lord, you can take away the qualifier and confidently say, “You can deal with anything!”
But the Lord will not force you to save. That is your decision. Forming the habit of saving regularly will serve you extremely well for a lifetime. When I was very young, I remember my uncle saying that if I put away 10 percent of everything I ever earned and never touched it, I would never have to worry about money for the rest of my life. Over 50 years later, I still believe that is excellent advise!
The Discipline To Say “No”:
Saying “No” to that shiny new car or truck or motorcycle, the latest computer, the iphone will all the features, the new furniture and appliances, and many other things, takes much personal discipline. Much of that willpower actually comes from your parents. To the extent that they crimped, saved and struggled with financial decisions, you were given an example. Most likely, that example paid off for them later in life; and it will also pay off for you. But it will be a struggle. To the extent that your parents did not provide such an example, you have no such example; thus, you must do so on your own. I had a great example from not only my parents, but also from grandparents on both sides of the family, which I had the good fortune of knowing very well. However, you may not have been so fortunate. But now you have some good guidance and direction. So go on with life and make some good decisions!
Author Bio: Pritam Nagrale is a blogger & internet marketer from Mumbai. He writes about practical career tips & government recruitment on SureJob. He also provides the career oriented classroom training from his Mumbai office. You can follow him on Google+.
