Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude — Ralph Marston
Background
Back in 2019, I am fortunate to be part of the launching of one of the largest virtual banks in Hong Kong. I learned loads of work efficiency and office survival tips that I wish I know earlier.
Office survival is never easy for anyone. And because of that, I have consolidated this list to share my findings!
In this series, I will break it down into 4 specific topics,
Preparation
Frameworks on Gathering Requirements
Meeting Handling
Email Handling
And this article will focus on preparation which is to address,
How to prepare yourself for the Monday Horrid and Overwhelming Works?
Introduction
This list follows as applicable to ALL roles in the office. No matter whether you are lacking behind or working ahead of schedule, this still holds its value for you!
Preparation
One of the most important work practices is to be ALWAYS prepared! But one might ask, “how exactly to prepare ourselves for the coming week’s work?” Here is how I manage,
Weekly Plan
I used to have “Monday Pressure” which is like after a long holiday and back to the battlefield. So many things need to catch up/report and felt super overwhelming.
One of the causes of Overwhelming is that I am uncertain if I have tackled all the tasks for the week.
Thus, I designed a weekly plan. It maps out not only work-related items but also my personal goal. It goes as simple as below,
Notice that I put the title and I didn’t write any details (such as descriptions and sub-tasks). As this is only for my own reference, as long as it's clear to me, the list serves its purpose.
Whenever I am bored or lost during the week. I would visit this plan and address the items that I can do right now (Instead of scrolling through social media). As a result, I get myself some Natural Dopamine!
2. A list of precautions!
Everyone makes mistakes, the most important lesson from it is not to do them again. In order for ensuring it does not happen again, I learned from one of the mentors I met.
When you experience negative feelings, try to think about what makes you feel that way.
By figuring out the causation, it will serve you as a precaution for experiencing it again. For instance, I will mark it down such as,
“I just got humiliated in the meeting on 23/3 because I threw out SEO terms randomly and got challenged”
My list from time to time will grow and yet, it will be simplified! The sentence now becomes,
“Never threw out technical jargons without knowing well about it”
Thus, I will revisit the list when I face key/crucial moments in my work life. It helps to remind myself of the lesson.
Don’t do it again! Fear the experience!
3. Flow Diagram (Mind-Process Map)
One of the things I would do when we close the project is trying to write down a quick flow map. The flow map is on my perception and understanding of how the project is done.
Thus, you have a case study of your own version! A success story! A success story that serves as a great achievement on your own career profile!
It also serves as an exercise for us to look back at the journey of the project. When we need to talk about it, we can quickly arrive at the key successes of the project.
4. 1 Folder for 1 Project, don’t slack off on this!
This is rather an intuitive point than a tip or trick. But I can’t stress enough that this is crucial and a MUST DO.
Before I picked up this folder habit, my career depends on the Search function to locate my document. (i.e. Google Search Function within Google Drive)
It works for me as I could quickly find the document and edit/update it.
BUT!
when I need to revisit the project at a high level, I found it is almost impossible to do so. It's because I didn’t even organise them!
Thus, this hurts me a lot when I am trying to learn and revisit the project materials. I realise this and I actually started a painful marathon week to folder/label them.
AND USE CLOUD DRIVE, nowadays it’s so convenient and easy to quickly set up a Cloud Drive. No matter if you favour Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive… Don’t slack off on this. It pays off in so many different ways!
Ideas to think about…
In my drumming journey, there are days I go to the class with and without preparation
I found out the stresses and the continuous self-doubting are due to the lack of preparation.
It is vital that as we prepare the materials for work, during the process we would think about it. What exactly about it and how to deal with it.
Thats called Thinking ahead.
When we further extend this idea, it prepares us for the future!
That’s how we actually and really learn our lessons.