Tag Archives: continuous learning

Upgrade Yourself – Change Your Habits (Instead of Setting Goals)!

Don’t Set Goals – Take Action!

It’s the time of year when people ask about your new years resolutions, and the parking lot at the gym is crowded for a few weeks. We laugh at how almost every claimed resolution fails, but what if that didn’t have to be your result? It is possible – rather than making yourself promises and setting goals like everyone else, instead think about habits you can change which would lead to that goal or end result. Want to lose weight? How about starting a habit of walking during your breaks rather than eating a snack? Want to learn a language – listen to podcasts and training in that language while commuting. Want to travel to the Caribbean for a dive vacation, set up an automated saving from your paycheck into another account to pay for it, and book the time off!

You get the idea – we have amazing ability to change ourselves, but it all starts with changing our minds. Rather than setting goals for someday, make decisions which move you towards that goal today. Even tiny steps will get you there if you just keep taking them. The only time we are given is the present moment. Use it wisely! Continue reading

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Filed under Self-improvement

Innovation Debt

If you work with software engineers you likely hear the phrase “technical debt” regularly.* This is a painful reality for active projects, but just as painful is something you won’t hear discussed: Innovation Debt. We incur this debt from failing to innovate and renovate ourselves and our products. While the pain from this kind of debt isn’t felt as quickly, when the bill comes due it may be more expensive than a firm can bear.

In most companies only the executives think or talk about the need for innovation, while those with Continue reading

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Filed under Management, Revolution, Software Development, Strategy

Constructive Criticism – Focus on the Constructive, Accept Critique Without Crumbling

Most people don’t accept criticism well, which is a shame, since it is only through learning how to control our negative features that our best features can shine. Certainly we all like flattery, and positive feedback, but being able to listen to and learn from critique is crucial to career and personal advancement. Continue reading

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Filed under Career, Learning, Self-improvement

Continuous Learning

When was the last time you did any work of significance, and didn’t have to learn something new along the way? I’m guessing it has been a while, if you can even remember such a time.

Jobs which don’t require you to learn, and then apply that learning, are not as engaging, nor as likely to stay local. Now we should expect ourselves to have to constantly learn and apply new concepts. It is for this reason good companies and hiring managers will not care nearly as much about what you can already do as they care what you can learn to do, and how quickly. Continue reading

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Filed under Learning, Self-improvement

Daily(ish) Reading

With all the information available to us, one of the challenges is deciding what we allow to enter our consciousness, and what gets ignored. Below are some of my regularly visited sources, and what I like about them.

  • Slashdot – a great geeky news source, occasionally heavy on skepticism and ‘fight the man’ attitudes, but often points me towards things I otherwise wouldn’t have seen.
  • Psychology Today – Understanding the way the human mind works is key to our success in almost every endeavor.
  • Mashable – Collection of trends and topics which help keep me informed and keeps me from missing out on bits of culture which everyone seems to know but me. (Warning: if you aren’t careful, this can be a time-suck) Continue reading

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Filed under Learning, News, Self-improvement