ALL CONTENT AND PHOTOS WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY NIALA RAMKALLAWAN
Worldwide, the Entrepreneurship industry continues to monitor the business climate, trends and subsequent changes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the opportunity to work from home, remotely and even reduced hours presents itself, the issue of organisation and time management as it relates to our lucrativeness, productivity, performance and maintaining a positive mindset become major focal points.
Apart from spending personal time with loved ones, Entrepreneurs ought to dedicate periods to their professional enrichment and development. This way in slow periods and spare time, your concentration, efforts and energy can be utilised to get informed, achieve clarity and stay productive, proactive and solution-driven.
In this ‘Stay At Home’ period, ample opportunity to focus on changes, choices and improvements is available to Entrepreneurs as we observe, deliberate, plan and strategise to acclimatize and maneuver changes in our micro and macro environments. In preparation for this, a KEY Tool for Entrepreneurs is geared towards actively engaging in Continuous Learning.
Ponder these questions:
Is there a need to improve myself, my life or relationships?
Am I facing any challenge or specific problem in my business or work?
How can I enhance my knowledge or skillset in Negotiation?
Are my resources employed wisely or should I shift them elsewhere?
What should I do to make my process and operations more efficient?
Have I capitalized on opportunities when presented or are they missed?
To be more lucrative, what do I need to accomplish?
Am I making the best possible decision?
The range of questions are exhaustive and infinite when it comes to chasing answers and finding solutions. So jot down a few of your own, it may involve learning a new skill, finding a better way to get a task done or even capitalizing on resources to create a byproduct.
An approach of Continuous learning is instrumental and very necessary, as Denish Lunagaria speaks volumes validating, “The K.E.Y. to success is to Keep Educating Yourself.” I have always strongly believed in this notion and one I strive to achieve daily in my quest for efficiency and kaizen through continuous learning.
Valamis explains, “Continuous Learning is the process of learning new skills and knowledge on an on-going basis. This can come in many forms, from formal course taking to casual social learning. It involves self-initiative and taking on challenges.” To allow for continuous learning, it is essential that one has a conducive Environment, Exposure to the relevant material, Experience with the issue either firsthand or otherwise, and the right Education on the subject matter.
Continuous Learning is now multi-faceted with a diversity of approaches. Over the years, the journey to embark on continuous learning has become simpler, more convenient and easily accessible via technology. The availability of these facilities span interactive multimedia on digital platforms, direct and personal methods, as well as, traditional ones.
DID YOU KNOW?
Continuous Learning can be done through:
- Coaching and Mentoring - This facility is specifically tailored by entrepreneurial providers specifically The Timely Entrepreneur and YBTT, which match potential, promising and active Entrepreneurs with experienced Mentors for encouragement, advice and support.
- Watching videos, vlogs, tutorials and live streaming - The quite popular YouTube is one such site, along with a Mobile App offers a vast array of entertainment, educational and inspirational content.
- Seeking advice from industry experts, business consultants, specialised Institutions and government agencies with years of reputable and proven experience such as HRMATT for personnel advice, training or assistance, the OSH Agency for health and safety issues, and several others.
- Joining discussion forums, designated entrepreneur and professional networks
- LinkedIn - This body of professionals from various academic backgrounds, with industry expertise and a vast range of experience, write and feature articles spanning every topic possible.
- A Conference, Seminar, Workshop and numerous Courses – Digitally via e-learning, podcasts, webinars and online courses are available and some courses offered for free by HP E-learning, Coursera, Udemy and SEMRush.
- By reading Literature through:
- Books. Also, digital e-books can be found through Many Books, Loyal Books or ebookhunter.ch and via Mobile Apps such as Any Books, Book Hub and Free Books. The use of free e-reader Mobile Apps such as Lithium or Aldiko can open any format including pdf, mobi and epub files.
- Articles and documents. Online blogs, reference articles, publications and case studies with evidentiary support are provided by Google Scholar, HighBeam Research and WorldCat.
- Newspapers and Magazines. Digitally, the e-paper offers free monthly trials with the purchase of annual subscriptions.
- Walk-in libraries and online libraries namely, Collins Library eBook Library and Open Library continue to make available much needed resources.
- Social Media - On IG, FB and Twitter, quite a few pages are dedicated to the business savvy. These include: Entrepreneur Mindset, Fearless Motivation, Positive Mindset, Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur Life TT, Millionaire Mentor, Think and Grow Rich, to name a few.
- ‘Googling It’ - We’re all familiar with the phrase and it basically means whatever you need to find out, pull up the Search Engine, type it in and click Search.
The list provided is in no way limited, but many avenues are available digitally and from the convenience of your home. Each new day brings innovative and revolutionary software platforms, programs and applications engineered for handheld, mobile and desktop devices.
On your journey of continuous learning, consider the World Wide Web your playground, as it bridges the gap in Information and Communication Technology across cultures, countries, industries, you name it, there’s something online pertaining to it. Despite the fact that you will have free reign and a blast exploring to broaden your knowledge, skillset and scope, I’d like to leave you with some essential tips.
Quick Tips when using online, mobile and electronic media:
- Schedule breaks to prevent information overload or panic attacks, as this can occur and will depend on the intensity of what you’re researching. My suggestion at every 30-minute interval, look away from the screen of your device momentarily and focus your vision elsewhere for a couple minutes.
- At all times, practice good ergonomics to reduce any injuries, strains or sprains inclusive of posture, sitting position, position of your hand and feet, etc. You can also do some stretches during the breaks aforementioned.
- Maintain discipline. Allocate time in your planner for learning.
- Be open-minded, a self-starter, willing to take the initiative, and someone to grab an opportunity as they become available.
- When downloading content exercise caution. - Certain videos, songs and literary works from the internet have copyright protection, trademarks and plagiarism do carry legal penalties. Remember similar to our physical footprint, once online we leave digital ones that can be traced with our IP Addresses. So the onus is on you to be mindful and act accordingly.
- When quoting information, especially statistics use credible and reputable sources. – Even though Wikipedia is usually the first result found, it is more for quick reading on the subject matter as is not always supported factually. Credible online sources will usually have web addresses that end with .org, .net, .com or .edu. In addition, webpages are also listed by their country’s domain such as .tt for our country or .us for USA. If at any point, you’re in doubt about anything, Google further.
- Once you perform a Search, you can narrow it further from ‘All’ by using the options Images, News, Videos and so forth to select the option relevant to you. If for instance you prefer watching a video as opposed to reading an article, just select the ‘Video’ option.
- On YouTube, the option to Sign In your Google Account is optional. Once signed in, you can save videos to ‘Watch Later’, create and rename customized playlists and even subscribe to a Channel of your choice.
“In order to stay relevant, you have to stay open to new trends and keep educating yourself. You have to keep evolving.” - Natalie Massenet
As Bruce Lee would put it, “The successful warrior is an average man, with laser-like focus.” If you make Continuous Learning a top priority in your daily life by finding the importance of seeking information by asking questions, conducting online research, explorating and experimenting a bit, comparing your ideas to that of industry experts and other credible sources, assessing the risks involved in order to find the relevant solutions, and integrating this newfound knowledge with innovative tactics and strategies, you can ensure your business’ survival and continuity.
At this time, I hope all my readers are safe and still taking the necessary precautions to safeguard yourselves against COVID-19. I urge you to please not chance anything but continue to practice proper sanitation and good hygiene, along with social distancing.
Without a doubt, I know TOGETHER WE CAN curb the spread of this COVID-19 virus.
Sources:
https://www.colourbox.com/vector/question-mark-word-cloud-background-vector-36474614
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/235946467951330688/
https://www.valamis.com/hub/continuous-learning
About the Author:
I am the Owner/Creative Designer at Gia’s Creative Studio and YBTT Mentor/Advisor presenting ‘Insights from a Creative Entrepreneur’ on motivation, transformational leadership, business strategy, shaping a legacy and attracting success.
Niala Ramkallawan MBA, BSc.
You’re welcome to join me on:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/giascreativestudio/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/giascreativestudio.868/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/niala-r-71b12742/
YBTT - https://ybcaribbean.skysthelimit.org/volunteer-profile/15317
