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10 Conflict Resolution Skills Every

Manager Needs
Intellectually, many of us know that conflict is a part of life. We know that conflict can spur
deeper understanding and stronger relationships. Yet, whenever conflict arises, it puts some
of us on our heels. When disagreements emerge, we are left wondering how to address them
while keeping the relationship intact. This is where conflict resolution skills come in [1]

If you are leading a team or working closely with others, here are 10 conflict resolution skills
every manager needs.

1. Communicate Early and Often

To reduce misunderstandings and ambiguity, communicate your intentions and desires. Ask
what your colleagues need to work their best, and do your part to meet their needs or – at a
minimum – avoid doing that which you know will cause harm.

If you suspect conflict in the relationship, address it swiftly. Problems do not go away on
their own. Failing to act when you see a potential problem can create problems down the line.

2. Listen Actively
Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to know that when they speak, when they take
the time to share what is on their mind, the person with whom they are communicating
listens.

Active listening is a required step for conflict resolution. Active listening is listening to what
is verbally and nonverbally communicated. Is it listening for intent and for understanding[2].
Often, conflicts arise because two parties misunderstand or mishear what the other person is
saying. Active listening helps ensure that the sender and receiver understand one another.
This is half the battle when it comes to resolving conflicts.

Given the prevalence of email and remote working, especially considering the COVID-19
health crisis, active listening is critical. Email and text communications are tricky because
intent and tone are difficult to gauge in them. Team members will have to work extra hard to
ensure that they hear what their colleagues are communicating, thereby reducing the chance
for conflict.

3. Use “I” Statements

To reduce conflict, focus on how you feel. Focus on how an action has impacted you. Speak
from your experience and understand that your experience is not a universal truth. Just
because you feel a certain way does not mean your colleagues do.

Furthermore, when you use “I” statements, you reduce the chance of overgeneralizing, which
can add gasoline to the fire. If you are in a disagreement and you tell the person who has

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caused harm that they impacted everyone – versus telling them that they impacted you – you
may illicit a defensive reaction from the individual. Instead, focus on you and what you feel
and need. This will reduce conflict by keeping tempers calm.

4. Understand What Is Yours

Have you ever gotten into an argument, and the source of your upset was something you have
long struggled with? Perhaps you have struggled with being heard. You have felt as if others
do not hear you when you communicate. Regardless of where you go, you carry this
sensitivity with you. And guess what? It does not take much for others to rouse your anger if
you even suspect that they are not hearing you.

When this happens and you find yourself angry over your feelings about not being heard, step
back and ask yourself whether that really is the case or whether your history is influencing
your reaction in this moment. Ask yourself if the person with whom you have a conflict is
yourself and your history or the apparent offending party.

Sometimes we get upset with people over things that really do not concern them. Get to the
root of what is bothering you or the other person. Sometimes conflict has nothing to do with
the current issue – it stems from something that happened at home, bad news or an unrelated
interpersonal upset.

5. Don’t Take Things Personally

When Don Miguel Ruiz wrote “The Four Agreements,”[3] he cautioned us against taking
things personally. As much as I admire his work, I must admit that this piece of advice is
difficult to follow. Yet, it is imperative that we learn not to take things personally.

In the same ways that our lives are all-consuming to us, other people have enough in their
lives to keep them occupied. When people behave poorly, it may hurt and disappoint us, but
their behavior reflects where they are. It truly has nothing to do with us.

A friend of mine is going through a rough patch. She feels isolated and overwhelmed as a
single mother. I invited her to a party and was initially perturbed when she did not respond. I
thought to myself, “That isn’t like her.” I thought about it for a few days before I decided to
reach out and check on her. When she responded, she shared being in the fog of depression
and struggling to complete even the most basic daily tasks. Guess what? She was barely
doing life, let alone thinking about the invitation that she may or may not have seen. Her
reaction had nothing to do with me. It was rooted in her own struggles at the time.

6. Give up the Need to Be Right

The ego has an insatiable appetite. It wants to be right 100% of the time. When conflicts
arise, give up on the need to be right. Be willing to be wrong. If you fight to be right, you
may have incentive to keep the conflict going. Furthermore, if you need to be right, your
objective becomes defending your position versus getting to the root of the conflict. If you
want to reduce or resolve conflict, do not be vested in being right.

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7. Speak With People Who Can Make a Change

I get that venting feels good. I understand that everyone wants to be affirmed. But when
conflicts arise, it is best to communicate solely with people who have the power to influence
change. This will ensure that there is meaningful action toward resolution, and it will prevent
gossip from flourishing.

When you share information with people who have no capacity to help, you could do
reputational harm to the person with whom you are experiencing conflict. And while you and
this person may eventually resolve your challenge, the seeds of discord that you have sown
will trail the person indefinitely.

8. Identify the Root of the Conflict

For people who have repeated conflict, there is likely an unresolved or unidentified root
issue. In this instance, conflict resolution can only happen once both parties get to the root of
their challenges.

The root could stem from something that happened years or decades earlier. It could stem
from something completely unbeknownst to one party. But it is essential to identify the thing
from which future problems could arise.

9. Seek Appropriate Intervention

Sometimes conflict is so deep-rooted that third-party intervention is needed. The intervention
could come in the form of a therapist, counselor, or trusted adviser. If you have tried
unsuccessfully to resolve conflict, seek intervention from a qualified and objective third
party.

10. Lead With How You Feel

For some of us, being vulnerable is second nature. For others, showcasing vulnerability is a
sign of weakness. For people in the latter camp, it is better to express anger than to say, “Hey,
I felt hurt when this happened, and I am wondering if you could help me with it …”

When something upsets you, ask why. Then lead with how you feel. This will enable the
person with whom you are upset to better understand how you feel and what you need.

Final Thoughts
If you follow these 10 steps and find that conflict is still present, think about how you can
restructure the engagement so that you spend as little time as possible with the offending
party.

It is true that conflict is a part of life. Conflict shows up in our families, in our personal
relationships as well as in our professional relationships. And guess what? Working remotely
will not eliminate conflict. It is as guaranteed as the taxes you are required to pay. But with

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these 10 steps, conflict does not have to be the end of a work relationship, but rather the door
to improve it.

7 Sure-Fire Tips for Conflict Resolution

We live in a world that’s filled with conflict. When you’re a kid, conflict resolution is easy.
All you have to do is scream loudly enough for an adult to intervene and end it. Resolving
conflict as an adult gets a bit more difficult. It’s not that it’s complicated. It just takes
patience and perseverance. Here are 7 surefire tips for conflict resolution:

1. Keep A Cool Head – The first thing you need to understand about conflict is that it can
escalate very quickly when emotions get involved. Some people aren’t able to verbalize their
thoughts and may get frustrated, which can lead to violence. Before taking on any conflict,
stop and breathe for a moment. Keep calm, gather your thoughts, and make sure you keep the
conflict civil.

2. Decide What Outcome You Want – Before you can resolve a conflict, you have to
decide what you want to accomplish. Are you trying to change someone’s mind about a
personal belief? Are you defending yourself or a loved one? What’s more important: the issue
or the person? If you can’t answer these questions, then why are you involving yourself in the
conflict? Maybe the best thing to do is drop it. If you feel the conflict is worth pursuing,
continue reading.

3. Be Willing To Compromise – It doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong. If both parties

didn’t believe they were right, there wouldn’t be a conflict in the first place. Sometimes
people argue with you just for the sake of argument. Understand that you can’t win every
battle. You’re going to have to give up a little in order to achieve resolution. Conflicts don’t
have to have a loser. Decide what’s most important to you, swallow your pride, and give up
the rest so that everyone has a chance to win.

4. Listen… Actually Listen – How can you find the middle if you don’t know where both
ends are? The only way you can meet in the middle is by understanding both sides of the
argument. If you’re unwilling to listen to the other person’s side, they’ll be unwilling to listen
to yours. By actually listening, you’ll be able to relate to the other side. You may think you
already know their side, but may not know the full story. Even if you do, it’s much easier to
hold someone’s hand and walk alongside them to your side of the issue rather than telling
them what they should do. If you want to lead, do it by example.

5. Avoid Personal Attacks – Never insult the other person. People tend not to agree with
someone who insults them. Avoid belittling, sarcasm, sighs, and eye rolls. Think of yourself
as a politician trying to win votes. Do you vote for people who insult your intelligence or
attack you personally? If you want to stand a chance of converting someone to your side, they
need to respect you. Respect is something that’s earned, and you don’t earn it with personal
attacks.

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6. Detach Yourself From The Result – No matter how well you argue your case, there’s
always a chance that you won’t get the result you want. It may be necessary to cut your losses
and walk away. A good way to end a conflict without either side admitting a loss is to agree
to disagree. This means you’re both willing to live with the fact that you have differing
opinions. It doesn’t mean that you should harbor resentment over the issue and continue
pursuing it later.

7. Once It’s Over, Drop It – Just like everything else in life, it’s important not to take
conflicts too seriously. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Think about it – will
this conflict stop the sun from rising? Are you willing to let someone ruin your appetite? Life
goes on, and there’s no point in dwelling. Once the conflict is in the past, leave it there.

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7 Keys to Effective Listening

You hear all the time how important effective communication is. It’s critically important in
your career and the same holds true for marriage or any long term partnership.

If you’ve read any of my other articles on this website, you’ll know I am a huge proponent of
strong communication skills. I have seen over and over again how clear and effective
communication has helped people in many phases of their lives.

Here is something that so many of us forget: listening is half of all communication.

It’s great to be able to articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly, but it’s just as important to
have effective listening skills.

Let’s take a look at how important effective listening is and along the way, I’ll share with you
7 keys to effective listening. Read on to learn how to become a powerful listener.

Why Listening Skills Are Important

Unfortunately, many of us can only listen just long enough to form our own responses to
what is being said, then we stop listening.

Why is that? Because we have all the information we need to share our own opinion.
Needless to say, this isn’t effective listening, not by a long shot. Listening skills are vital in
communication.

Deep down one of our greatest pleasures is feeling understood by another person. We can’t
feel truly understood by another person unless we feel they are really listening to us. But once
we feel that they are, it allows us to open up and share what we want to.

We can do this because the sense of someone seriously listening to us makes us trust the
other person. I don’t have to tell you how much trust can help strengthen a relationship – it’s
critically important. When you combine the listening with a nice dose of empathy, it creates
an even stronger bond.

Being an effective listener also benefits the listener. When we take the time to truly
understand the other person, it allows us to gain a deeper understanding of what is being said
and where the other person is coming from.

We’ve already discussed how the person speaking will feel better understood and want to
trust us. This in and of itself helps us gain an ally and better partner, whether it’s in a personal
or a business relationship.

But there’s even more upside to being a great listener. We learn more and open up our
horizons.

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It’s too easy to get trapped inside our little world and look at things through our own lens of
the world. But when we listen to another person, we can learn something new and sometimes,
see the world through a new set of eyes. How cool is that?

What Makes a Good Listener?

Now that we know why listening skills are so important, let’s take a look at what makes a
good listener.

We all know how easy it is to pay partial attention to what someone is saying. This happens
for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s the simple ongoing chatter inside our heads. Other
times we are distracted thinking about another topic entirely. And sometimes we feel we’ve
heard enough from the speaker to form our own response, so we are just waiting for them to
take a break so we can get our 2 cents in. This isn’t being a very good listener.

Besides showing some of the keys to effective listening below, good listeners, in general,
tend to be empathetic and listen with an open mind. They don’t allow their preformed
opinions to color what they are hearing.

Good listeners are usually emotionally intelligent, so they are not only aware of their feelings
but also perceptive of how others feel. They usually do a good job of asking follow-up
questions – another good sign that they are listening.

They ask these questions as a way of gaining a deeper understanding of others. A good
listener is okay with being uncomfortable. They can allow silence to go on while the other
person thinks about what they are going to say and don’t get defensive. These are some of the
traits of a good listener.

What Is Effective Listening?

Effective listening skills allow us to actively understand the information provided by the
person speaking. Effective listening also has to do with showing a genuine interest in the
topic being discussed.

Many times, it also includes providing the speaker with input and feedback along the way, as
well as asking thought-provoking, insightful questions to gain a full understanding of the
subject. Asking these incisive questions also shows the speaker that the listener truly
understands what is being said and can empathize with the speaker.

Sounds like powerful stuff right? Read on for some of the benefits of effective listening.

What Are the Benefits of Effective Listening?

Effective listening will reward all parties involved in many ways, here are a few.

Effective Listening Builds Trust

This is probably the most important benefit of effective listening.

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Remember, when someone feels like they are truly being listened to and understood, it’s only
natural for them to begin to develop trust for the person listening. Or if the relationship
already has a basis of trust, it only serves to strengthen it.

Productivity Goes Up

This is key in the workplace. Just think about how much more productive you could be in
your job if there was all-around clear communication. That alone would help it shoot through
the roof!

Add in working with a group of folks who are effectively listening and understanding each
other and you’ve got a recipe for super productivity.

Better Relationships

It almost goes without saying that if you are communicating with effective listeners regularly,
it will forge stronger relationships. Again, the ability to feel like you are being truly heard and
understood creates tighter and more meaningful relationships.

Greater Problem Solving

Remember that old saying two heads are better than one? What that means is that most of the
time, 2 people can solve a problem better than one person on their own.

The logic is simple: two people can look at the same problem or challenge from different
angles, different sets of eyes, and different experiences from which to draw on. When people
are listening and understanding each other, the ability to solve problems is greatly enhanced.

Now let’s get to the really good part – 7 keys to effective listening.

7 Keys to Effective Listening

1. Be Attentive and Relaxed

Probably the most important part of effective listening is being attentive. Be present and at
the moment with the person you are listening to.

Follow along with the words and thoughts they are sharing to build the full picture. Do your
best to block out distractions, whether that’s street noise or your internal thoughts.

You don’t want to be attentive to the point of staring unblinkingly and not moving at the
person while they are speaking. That can get unnerving. You want to temper your
attentiveness with being relaxed as well. This will help the other person feel more at ease.

And speaking of staring unblinkingly at the other person. . .

2. Maintain Eye Contact and Face the Other Person

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You’ll want to keep regular eye contact with the person speaking and have your body facing
towards them.

Again, the regular eye contact doesn’t mean you are staring directly at them without batting
an eyelid for minutes on end. It means, in general, you are keeping your eyes focused on
them and their eyes.

You don’t want your eyes darting to your phone or your computer screen. That takes away
your attention.

You’ll also want to have your body facing the other person most of the time. It’s a non-verbal
way of communicating that you are paying attention to and listening to them.

3. Listen and Paint a Picture

While you are listening attentively, allow your mind to paint a mental picture of what is being
said. This could be a literal picture in your mind or it may be more abstract involving
concepts and ideas.

When you combine listening attentively with your mind creating a mental picture, it will help
you gain greater clarity around what is being said, as well as build a more lasting impression
in your mind.

4. Do Not Interrupt

One of the surest ways to create choppy communication is by interrupting.

Think about when you’ve been in a verbal fight with someone and you both keep interrupting
each other to get your point across. Nobody ever gets to fully vocalize about what is upsetting
them.

The same concept holds true here. Don’t interrupt the other person while they are talking. It
conveys the message that you don’t care what they are saying and that you think what you
have to say is more important than what they have to say.

Speaking of having your turn to talk. . .

5. Ask Questions to Clarify and Understand

When the person you are talking to stops talking and indicates you can take a turn, you want
to use your words to good effect. The goal here is to ask clarifying questions that will help
you understand fully what the other person is saying.

Again, wait until the other person stops talking before asking your questions. Do not interrupt
them to inject your point of view or ask off-topic questions. Asking tangential type questions
can easily take the conversation down a completely different path.

We see this happen all the time during everyday conversations. Someone is telling us about
an adventure they went on and mentions a restaurant they went to. Someone else then asks a

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question about that restaurant and BOOM, the conversation turns to a discussion of
restaurants.

Don’t be that person.

6. Keep an Open Mind

Another of the 7 keys to effective listening is to keep an open mind. It’s important to listen
with an impartial mind and not mentally judge the person speaking to you.

To truly hear someone and to give them a chance to fully share what they are talking about,
you must keep an open mind. If they say something that gives you pause or raises some
concerns, keep it to yourself for the time being.

Now is not the time to be forming judgments or making assumptions based on what is being
said. Keep your mind open to allow them to speak freely and for you to listen fully.

7. Try to Feel What the Other Person is Feeling

Now we get to the part where you are working to empathize with the speaker. Do your best to
put yourself in their shoes and see the situation from their vantage point.

To get a good depth of understanding, you’ll need to do your best to put yourself in as close
to a mindset as the other person is. This isn’t easy, and it does take work.

If you’ve gotten to the point where you are feeling happy when they seem to be happy or sad
when they are, you’ve done a great job of really understanding what they are telling you to
the point of feeling similar.

Conclusion
As a reminder, listening is half of all communication.

Being a good listener takes practice and some work, but it’s well worth it. You’ll gain greater
clarity with your interactions with other people you interact with. This benefits both your
professional and personal life.

Imagine having clear communication with the people in all areas of your life. Sounds great,
right?

Be sure to use these 7 keys to effective listening to greatly improve your communication and
relationships with others.

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How to Negotiate With People Who Won’t

Negotiate Effectively
When you hear the word “negotiation,” your first thought might be high-stakes corporate
deals or the occasional salary discussion with your boss. However, the truth is that every day
presents opportunities to learn how to negotiate, whether you’re attempting to secure a refund
on a hotel booking or having it out with your spouse about whose turn it is to do the dishes.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, tensions are running especially high, and you might find
yourself faced with more aggressive counterparts who make finding common ground seem
almost impossible.

To help you get started, here are some expert-backed tips on how to negotiate, especially with
people who refuse to play nice.

Before the Negotiation Begins

Before you ever begin discussions with the other party, take some time to consider the
following.

Explore Possible Solutions

One of the most important parts of the negotiation process happens before it even begins:
thinking through possible solutions so that you arrive at the discussion prepared. To take it
one step further, anticipate how the conversation could go and how you’d like to respond.

For example: If my boss says it’s too soon to consider a promotion, I’ll highlight my
contributions to our team and the value I’ve created.

By doing your homework ahead of time, not only will you feel more confident, but you’ll
also signal to your counterpart that you’re invested in the outcome.

Before difficult negotiations, Susan Hackley, Managing Director of Harvard Law School’s
Program on Negotiation, recommends running through the following questions[1]:

• What are your hot-button issues?

• What is essential to you?
• What is unacceptable?
• What you are likely to hear from your opponent?
• How will you react?

It’s like golfing: Jack Nicklaus recommends that golfers take lessons on the most basic skills
like grip and alignment. As Hackley writes: “[I]f your setup is sound, there’s a decent chance
you’ll hit a reasonably good shot.”

Make sure you’re prepared before you set foot on the golf course.

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Be a Giver

It’s natural to head into a negotiation focusing on what you stand to gain. Negotiating tends
to feel adversarial, and we worry about winning or losing.

Take as much as you can, right?

Research, however, has shown that being generous while negotiating may be a sign of
intelligence. Furthermore, these smarter people, who New York Times contributor Adam
Grant calls “givers,” tend to make their counterparts better negotiators, too.

Grant writes, “The most successful negotiators cared as much about the other party’s success

Beginning from a place of generosity — focusing on how you can meet your counterpart’s
needs and not just satisfy your own — can prove beneficial for both sides of the negotiation,
and not to mention, help form stronger, more harmonious long-term relationships.

During Negotiations
Once you’re in the middle of the process, focus on the following to help it move in a positive
direction.

Ask Questions to Uncover Hidden Motivations

Heading into a negotiation, most people focus on their objective and what they’re going to
say. However, according to experts, listening is even more critical to discovering the best
solution for both parties. Former F.B.I. negotiator Chris Voss explains: “We like to say that
the key to flexibility is don’t be so sure of what you want that you wouldn’t take something
better. If you’re focused on the number, you’re not seeing the other possibilities.”[3]

Let’s say you’re taking on additional childcare duties and want to ask your supervisor for
more flexible hours. At the outset, your supervisor refuses. You might assume she’s being
unfair, but only by asking questions and listening can you discover her reasoning and try to
find an alternative solution that’s mutually satisfying. Maybe she trusts you the most to
handle a certain responsibility; or perhaps she’s run into problems with giving employees
increased flexibility in the past.

It might be worth it to dig a little deeper before you throw your hands up and walk away from
the negotiating table, figuratively or IRL.

Involve Your Counterpart in Finding a Solution

In his book, Getting Past No: Negotiating with Difficult People, William Ury, co-founder of
Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, offers a brilliant method for dealing with
hard bargainers. He proposes changing the game “from face-to-face confrontation into side-
by-side problem solving,” restructuring the alignment of a typical negotiation.

Imagine there are two teams working toward the same goal: an agreement. When you deal
with a hostile negotiator, they’re likely to reject any initial proposal. However, if you offer

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them options and the opportunity to find a solution together, you might be surprised at how
they let their guard down and participate in the problem-solving process.

For example, say you want to convince your boss that your company should change its
software, and your sights are set on a particular option. If your boss tends to stonewall
change, especially when suggested by someone else, try presenting a few options and
working through the reasoning for each. Focus on the big picture and emphasize how your
proposal will advance the organization’s goals.

Instead of presenting a single idea, which can be knocked down with a simple “no,” allow
your counterpart to come to a solution on his/her own — with some gentle nudging towards
the one you previously chose.

Keep Aggression at Bay

There’s a big misconception in the business world, and it’s this: you have to be a hard
bargainer to get ahead. If your counterpart is aggressive, then you better be even more
aggressive.

But guess what?

Research has shown that aggression, in fact, doesn’t help either party in a negotiation at all. A
recent study found that anger — both interpersonal anger (when the other party is angry at
you) and intrapersonal anger (being angry at the other party) — led to less profitable
outcomes in the negotiation process. In other words: neither party negotiates as well when
one person is angry.[4]

Instead, try to keep your calm, or as William Ury describes it: Go to the balcony. That means
“[taking] yourself mentally to a place where you can look down objectively on the dispute
and plan your response.” By removing your emotions from the situation, you can proceed
more productively and, hopefully, diffuse a high-stress situation.

Last-Ditch Efforts
If nothing seems to be working and it looks like all is lost, use these techniques to get things
back on track.

Loop in Others

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our negotiation counterpart refuses to play nice. Maybe
they’re a deliberate hard bargainer or just plain obstinate. That’s when it’s time to loop others
into the process.

You might be wondering: how will this help?

For starters, oftentimes, a difficult person is likely to be on better behavior when held
accountable by more than one person. What’s more, whether you cc: relevant people (but
taking care not to over cc: anyone) or invite third parties into the meeting, you’re creating a
record of your good-faith efforts to come to an agreement.

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Preserve the Relationship

Whoever you’re negotiating with, chances are they can have an impact on your life —
whether it’s the trajectory of your career, the success of a business deal, or simply the hotel
room you’ll be staying in for the weekend. It pays to conclude a negotiation, even an
unsuccessful one, by reminding your counterpart of your respect for them.

A genuine sentiment of appreciation, or even a little light-heartedness, can go a long way. As

former F.B.I. negotiator Chris Voss advises:

“Never be mean to someone who can hurt you by doing nothing. If you’re good, they’ll be
delighted to do for you whatever they can. A playful, enjoyable attitude gives you latitude.”[5]

You might not get the raise or the hotel room, but maybe something else can be done, even if
that means just a more favorable outcome next time.

Hopefully, these strategies can help you make your next negotiation more successful and less
stressful for both parties.

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Prioritization of Task: 7 Methods to

Become a Pro
Prioritization of tasks has been one of the biggest challenges for business owners, corporate
executives, and employees. However, with a lot of tasks on your to-do list, you only need to
master some time-tested techniques to become a pro at prioritizing tasks.

Figuring out your priorities can eliminate stress, enhance your focus, and improve your
productivity in your work.

While it may look simple to figure out which tasks need your urgent attention, prioritization
of tasks goes beyond a simple exercise. If your tasks are piling up, these seven methods can
empower you to become better at prioritizing things.

1. Capture Your Priorities on a Master List

You cannot be effective at prioritizing the tasks that you only keep in your head. The best
way to start is by creating a MASTER LIST. You can create it in doc or use a project
management tool that you can easily access or update.

Your Master List will enable you to figure out what tasks you need to complete in a month,
week, or day. It also helps you figure out the priorities that align with your long-term goals.

According to Brian Tracy,

“Your monthly Master list is an extract of your Master List. Your Weekly Project List pulls
from your Monthly To-Do List; while your Most Important List pulls from your weekly To-
Do List”.[1]

One notable benefit of this prioritization technique is that you get to focus on completing
bigger and difficult tasks instead of smaller ones. Pulling your MIT from your bigger list
gives you a sense of focusing on something meaningful-not just the most urgent.

2. Use Eisenhower Matrix to Differentiate the Urgent

From the Important Tasks
While your Master List enables you to figure out how to prioritize every task, you might still
be confused about what you need to do now or later. There are techniques you can leverage to
do this.

We have the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle. According to this technique,
“20% of your efforts tend to produce 80% of the result”. Therefore, identify those tasks that
generate the results on your lists.

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The limitation of the Pareto principle, however, is that it only relies on experience. If you are
working on a new task, or you are uncertain about which task to prioritize, Eisenhower
Matrix is a more effective technique.

Urgent tasks are tasks that require your immediate attention, such as your texts, phone calls,
emails, and project reviews. Important tasks, on the other hand, are those activities that
impact your long-term goals, values, and mission.

How do you figure out urgent tasks from important tasks?

• Complete tasks that are urgent and important immediately.

• Figure out when you will do the tasks that are important but not urgent and schedule
them.
• Delegate or outsource the urgent but not important task to someone competent.
• Eliminate tasks from your list that are neither urgent nor important immediately.

One of the most challenging aspects here is getting tasks that are urgent but not important off
your list. That’s why I recommend finding someone capable.

Delegation entails finding the most capable person for the task and explaining its
requirements. It also incorporates giving the person sufficient time and guidance to get the
tasks off your list and mind completely.

3. Leverage the Ivy Lee Technique to Rank Your Daily

Tasks Based on Their True Priority
Have you ever found yourself ending up with an overwhelming list of tasks that are both
urgent and important?

Here’s the solution!

Find a means of digging deeper to know the true importance of those tasks.

Ivy Lee, a productivity consultant, developed one of the most effective approaches to do this
over 100 years ago. The Ivy Lee technique guides you on how to prioritize your day by
adhering to some set of rules:

Here are the rules:[2]

• Highlight the six most significant tasks you need to do the next day at the end of each
day.
• Rank those six activities in order of their real significance.
• Focus on the first task first thing the next day. Work until you have completed the
task before taking out the next item.
• Apply the same strategy to take out the next task. Move uncompleted items to a fresh
list for the next day.
• Repeat this procedure each day.

This strategy of single-tasking enables you to stay focused and prioritize your tasks properly.

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4. Use the ABCDE Technique to Separate Tasks With

Similar Priorities
While using the Ivy Lee technique can help you to prioritize your daily activities, one
question that you still need to ask is this:

How do I determine the true priority of a task?

You may sometimes come in contact with tasks that feel they share the same level of
significance. If you are busy with difficult or more demanding tasks, the Pareto principle, as
well as the Eisenhower Matrix, may not completely cut it.

That is why Brian Tracy recommended the ABCDE technique for the effective prioritization
of tasks. This method establishes two or more levels for each task instead of maintaining
them on the same level of significance.

How does the ABCDE method work?[3]

• Go through your list and label every item from A to E, with A being the most
significant.
• For every task, assign a number that shows the order you will complete it.
• Repeat this process until you have assigned letters and numbers to all tasks.

The real priority of each task becomes more obvious as you create multiple layers of
prioritization for each task.

5. “Eat The Frog” to Establish a Productive Tone for

Your Day
Now that you have prioritized your task, it is time to devise the best strategy to attack your
day. The effective prioritization of tasks also requires effective strategizing.

How you start establishes the tone for the rest of your day. And taking out the biggest, and of
course, important task first provides you with the energy, inspiration, and stamina to keep
pushing through the day.

A lot of productivity coaches recommend working on your Most Important Tasks (MIT) as
soon as possible.

Here’s how Mark Twain puts it:

“If you have a live frog to eat, it makes no sense to look at it for a very long time!”[4]

Frogs are those tasks that are most challenging and important. When devising the means of
prioritizing your day, it is advisable to place some of your frogs on top of your MIT list. This
approach helps you take out difficult tasks and also keeps you motivated all through the
day.[5]

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6. Deploy Warren Buffet’s 2-List Method to Extract the

“Good Enough” Goals
Your efficiency will not produce meaningful results if you are pursuing the wrong goals. That
is the reason why you have to evaluate your goals as well as priorities to ensure they are in
line with your life missions.

Warren Buffett provided us with a 3-steps Productivity method that he employed in

improving the productivity of his employee. This method is called the 2-List Technique.[6]

Here’s how it works.

Highlight your top 25 goals. It could be your career goals, business goals, education goals,
life goals, or anything you want to commit your time to. The next step is to circle out five
most important goals from the list (if you have written your top 25 goals, you can circle your
top 5 goals out before you read on).

Then, move any goal that you did not circle out to the ‘avoid by all means’ list. Only focus on
the significant tasks and in line with your long-term priorities.

7. Boost Your 24 Hours With Time Multiplier

Prioritization of tasks is also about time. Performing the right tasks can create more time for
you in the future or take a toll on your time. The best means of becoming more aware of how
your choices impact your future obligations is to use time multipliers in maximizing your
time.

Rory Vaden recommended that you figure out things you can do today that can impact your
tomorrow positively. In other words, think about the best means of maximizing your time
today to free up some hours tomorrow.[7]

Bonus: Do the Most Important Tasks in Your Peak

Productive Period
The prioritization of tasks does not always have to be planned. You can improve your
productivity by aligning your task and time priorities.

Fluctuations in energy and focus are bound to happen. We refer to this high and lows as the
productivity curve. It means you are more productive at some specific period. You only need
to figure out those times and plan your top priorities around that time.

The best approach to be productive all through the day is to discern your peak productive
moments.

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How to Focus Better and Increase Your

Attention Span
Can you remember the last five articles you read? More importantly, do you remember how
they ended?

Studies show that a reduced attention span is formed and enhanced by companies like
Facebook & Google, SnapChat, and their peers[1]. Instead of relying on expensive marketing,
they link their services to our daily routines and emotions.

What do you do when you feel a tad bored? Do you instantly open Twitter or Instagram?

Today, tech companies can profoundly change our behavior by guiding us through a series of
hooks. The hooked model was developed by Nir Eyal in his book Hooked: How to Build
Habit-Forming Products , typically consists of four phases:

1. Trigger

Imagine a friend of yours is uploading a picture to Instagram (external trigger). You see it
and click on it. Over time you form an internal trigger, which you attach to your behavior or
emotions.

2. Action

You like the post. Maybe you click on it and see the whole album of your friend’s holiday.

3. Variable Reward

You’ll see more pictures of your friend. You don’t know what you will see when you scroll
down your feed. Many pictures, status updates, and ads may bore you to death, but there are
some rare gems that you really enjoy (or hate).

4. Investment

Finally, you leave a comment on the picture, and you don’t know if your friend will reply or
like your comment.

When you invest time and effort into an app, it’s more likely that you’ll pass through the
hooked cycle again in the future, which will reduce your ability to focus.

How to Stay Focused and Increase Your Attention Span

If you are wondering if you can learn how to focus and increase your attention span, you
want to inject awareness before you form negative habits.

1. Be More Aware of Your Actions

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For this, a simple approach developed by Martin Boeddeker to overcome our internet
addiction[2] works to respond to the reason for your reduced attention span and increase your
focus.

How far away is your mobile phone right now? Most people are within one arms length away
from their phones 24/7.

In one experiment[3], researchers found that anxiety levels of many people increase drastically
after just 10 minutes of not being able to use their phone, and their level of anxiety continued
to decrease in the next 60 minutes as well.

Another study[4] points out that “simply the presence of a cell phone and which it might
represent (i.e., social connections, broader social network, etc.) can be similarly distracting
and have negative consequences in a social interaction.”

Rightfully, Larry D. Rosen commented on this experiment in his book The Distracted Mind:

“If the presence of a mobile phone can negatively affect social connections and feelings of
closeness during a short conversation with a stranger, what does that imply about how it can
impair our real relationships?”

2. Write Down the Things that Distract You

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with tasks and unable to focus, keep a little piece of paper and
a pen/pencil with you and write down the things you check often, putting a mark next to those
things each time you check them[5].

If you use this technique of noting when you use your cell phone you raise your awareness.
That’s the first step to increase your attention span.

If this does not work for you, there are several apps and softwares you can download that will
track your usage of various websites, helping you to see where you’re spending your time.

The goal is to get you an accurate picture of the distractions taking your focus from the
important tasks in front of you.

The best way to work on your attention is to raise your awareness, notice when you get
distracted, and create a mental pause for just one second.

During this mental pause, simply ask yourself, “Am I distracted again, and why?”

Try to catch yourself as often as possible when you get distracted. This will tremendously
help in your pursuit of increasing your attention span. If you find this difficult, try working
with meditation for five minutes each day. This will increase your awareness of your
thoughts, which can help you identify when your mind wanders.

3. Reduce Proximity and Exposure by Design

Ideally, you want to reduce proximity to all kinds of distractions that will lower your
attention span by changing your environment.

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This will reduce the need to use willpower or to “remember it.”

It’s the same for losing weight and changing your eating habits where it’s recommended to
throw out all tempting junk food.

That’s why the best way to increase your attentionspan is to reduce your proximity and
exposure to your smartphone. This will remove most of the triggers that start the hooked
model.

To do this, simply start by putting your cell phone in another room while you’re working. It
will likely be difficult at first, but after a few hours, you likely won’t even remember that you
don’t have it.

4. Delay Discounting

Delay discounting is a trick that Kelly McGonigal presents in her book The Willpower
Instinct. It is also a mind hack recommend by behavioral scientists.

Researchers found that the longer you have to wait for a reward (e.g. checking Instagram or
Twitter), the less it is worth to you[6].

Your brain chooses immediate gratification at the cost of future rewards because immediate
rewards trigger the old reward system in your brain.

To increase your attention span and delay gratification, the prefrontal cortex has to be forced
to cool off the promise of the reward. Therefore, even small delays can dramatically lower
the chance that you distract yourself.

It only takes a moment of resistance to stay focused. As soon as there is any distance between
you and the temptation, the rational part of your brain takes over and it becomes easier to stay
focused.

How to Inject a Small Pause

Put your smartphone on airplane mode and put it into another room or into a drawer.

Take note of which apps you use most often. Is it Instagram? Facebook? Youtube? Quora?
Twitter?

You know what your digital kryptonite is.

Ideally, when you feel the urge to check something, pause for just one second.

During this pause, simply ask yourself, “Do I really want to do this, and why?”

While this will help dramatically, you’ll see a real breakthrough when you don’t use
willpower to “remember it” but to use apps to change your environment.

To do this, try the following:

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Step 1: Identify Potentially Addictive Apps on Your Phone

Action Step

1. Write down the apps that you want to use on a piece of paper.
2. Rate the addictiveness of these apps on a scale from 1 to 10.

Use these 3 questions as guidelines to decide which websites and apps to use:

• What’s the best possible outcome if I stop using this app?

• What’s the worst possible outcome if I stop using this app?
• What’s the most likely outcome if I stop using this app?

Step 2: Block Everything That Increases Your Internet Addiction

Action Steps:

1. Delete every app that is potentially addictive from your phone.

2. Download apps like AppDetox and add times for apps that you have to use less often
but cannot delete completely.
3. Download the app AppLock for Android to block the play store and your internet
browser.

Step 3: Prepare for Emergencies with the Password-Photo-Hack

Action Steps:

1. Take a photo of a complicated password.

2. Use this password in the AppLock-App.

This will force you to look at the photo and write down the complicated password with a pen
and paper when you want to access a specific app or website.

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Comfort Zone: Why Is It Dangerous And

How to Step Out Of It
Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of your comfort zone.

It’s a quote that many people have said time and time again to push people beyond their
comfort zones to great effects. But more often than not, whenever examples of confidence
spring up, you and I only tend to see the end results. We see the final results of people’s
efforts but not the efforts themselves.

There are other aspects that are hidden from us as well. Why should you be stepping out of
your comfort zone in the first place? Why is it dangerous for you to leave things as they are?

When you begin to understand why your comfort zone can be dangerous and how to step out
of it, you can push yourself to new heights and potential.

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Comfort Zone?

2. Why Is Staying Inside of a Comfort Zone Bad for Us?
3. What Holds Us Back from Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone?
4. How to Break out of the Comfort Zone
5. Final Thoughts
6. More Tips on Breaking out of Your Comfort Zone

What Is a Comfort Zone?

Before getting into details, you need to know what the comfort zone is in the first place[1]. As
the name implies, this is a zone or position in which you feel comfortable. As long as you
stay in this area, you’re not going to feel pressured, anxious, or stressed. At first glance, it’s a
good position to be in on the surface.

Why Is Staying Inside of a Comfort Zone Bad for Us?

So why is it so bad for you to be staying in that zone? Well, one thing that I’ve come to learn
about improving myself is that in order to improve, it’s essential that you embrace fear and
change in your life.

The issue with fear and change is that, when we are comfortable, we are less inclined to make
those changes and lean on our fear. In the end, your life will begin to stall and remain
unchanged.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem all that bad. However, with life, change tends to find a way.
Whether it’s through something large like the coronavirus to something smaller like you
wanting to be a better partner or financially secure, these shifts come with risks and changes.

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And depending on how much we are in our comfort zone will determine how much we resist
those changes, even in situations where those changes are very good for us.

What Holds Us Back from Stepping Out of the Comfort

Zone?
As I’ve hinted at a little bit, our resistance can stem from many places. That said, the most
common ones can be boiled down to three fears:

• Fear of change
• Fear of failure
• Fear of the unknown

These fears are all manageable, and by learning about them, you can start to break them down
in a way that works best for you. Here is what you can do for each one.

Fear of Change

As the most generalized fear of the three, this fear tends to mask the other two. You’ll be able
to tell because this fear often leads to thoughts like:

• This task is too big.

• Why me?
• I can’t do this alone.
• I don’t know where to start, so I won’t do it.

As you can tell, if you have a fear of change, you’ll justify it in order to procrastinate on
whatever it is that you need to be doing. You would rather keep things the way they are than
put in work and take risks.

It’s a natural feeling that you’ve likely been leaning on ever since you were a child. It’s been
ingrained in you. What matters now is that you work on changing it.

Fear of Failure

Going past fear of change, perhaps you remain in your comfort zone due to a fear of failure.
I’m sure that many of you can relate as this particular fear can be instilled in various ways:

• A childhood event or upbringing can cause you to internalize damaging mindsets.

• You are a perfectionist or have perfectionist tendencies.
• You over-inflate failures in your head, whether they are in reality big or small.
• You are masking true confidence with false confidence when it comes to your personality
and abilities.

Getting into more detail, fear of failure[2] can be described as a lack of confidence in yourself
and your current abilities to complete a task or goal.

Fear of the Unknown

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The last common fear is the fear of the unknown. From a logical standpoint, this makes
sense, too. Life is a mystery, and we have no idea where it’ll take us. Instead of you seeing
this as a gift, you may use that as a reason to be paranoid and to be afraid whenever there is
something that would disrupt your way of life.

This disruption can be something major like a job loss or a loss in the family to something
smaller like your partner wanting to spend more time with you or you getting into better
shape.

How you react depends on who you are, but it always comes back to you resisting change out
of worry that your life could be different or, at best, better.

How to Break out of the Comfort Zone

Now that you have an understanding of the potential fears that stand in your way, you need to
learn to break them down. Regardless of what fear you have, the methods to pushing yourself
out of your comfort zone are relatively similar. I say relative because how people choose to
act in order to succeed and strive in life varies from person to person.

There is no specific method that you need to take to push your comfort zone. What matters is
that you do it in a way that makes sense for you.

1. Look at Your Habits and Challenge Them

Habits are things that you pick up from various life events. Some habits stem from family and
friends, while other habits stem from your past achievements. Pay attention to the particular
habits that have led you to past achievements.

These achievements can be big or small, but they remain with us so long as we exercise them.
For example, consider walking. Walking was something we built a habit towards, and now
we can do it without fail so long as we’re able to use both our legs.

One way that you can push out of your comfort zone is to look at your habits and begin to
challenge them. If it’s a bad habit or a habit you want to break, replace it with a better one
and reinforce it. For pre-existing good habits, find new and exciting ways to push yourself.

For example, say you love working out and are in great physical shape. One way to break out
of your comfort zone of your otherwise solid exercise routine is to try a different exercise or
take a new class they’re offering at the gym. Or maybe you can give yourself a goal to
prepare for a marathon.

In either scenario, this can present great challenges and change your life. When working out,
you may not be so focused on cardio. On the other hand, if you’re breaking a habit, the
challenge is starting a new one and implementing it.

2. Remind Yourself of Key Aspects of Change

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Another way to break your comfort zone is to remind yourself of some key aspects of change.
Change is a journey that you must take if you want to succeed. Part of that change is having
lessons and learning from those lessons.

These lessons can stem from failures and successes. Some examples of these are:

• If you want to change, you’ll need to trust yourself.

• The process matters just as much as the results you’ll get in the end.
• Effort in change is what matters. Even if you fail, you at least put in the effort, and that
makes all the difference.

As many others have said before me, even if you fail, it’s not a complete failure unless you
didn’t learn something. Learning is all a part of life, and walking away with a lesson can be
just as rewarding as achieving something.

3. Experiment With Various Methods

As mentioned, there are so many ways you can step out of your comfort zone, and there is no
right or wrong method. Every successful person has their own method for success and
breaking out of their comfort zone. It’s key that you do the same.

While you don’t know which method is the best one for you, that’s kind of the point. Yes, it
can be scary, but I’d argue it’s a reason to be excited. If one method doesn’t work, you’ve got
dozens of others to get excited about and to apply in your life.

The idea that one of these methods can lead you to a new and exciting life filled with more
fulfilment and satisfaction is thrilling. It’s human nature that you would want to be achieving
more and getting more out of life.

The question is what kind of methods are there? Well here are some brief examples:

Consider What’s Beyond Your Comfort Zone

When you have an idea of what the change looks like, you can be motivated to make that
vision a reality. Try writing down three new things you would like to try. Tackle one of them
each month. By starting small with things you are interested in, it will motivate you to step
out more often.

Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable

Always wanting more and never settling can seem scary for those in their comfort zones, but
I’d say this is how you ought to live your life. Always strive to make changes, big or small.
Will the changes be uncomfortable for a time? Probably. But after some time, it will become
your new normal, and you won’t even remember the discomfort that came before.

See Failure as a Mentor or Teacher

I hinted at this as lessons can stem from failure. By training yourself to see failure as a
teacher before experiencing failure, the experience will be easier for you. In an instant, you

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reframe yourself as a student, someone who is learning the right way to being more
successful.

Final Thoughts
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. This quote makes more sense once you
understand what your comfort zone really is and look at what comes when you begin to make
changes in your life.

And the glorious thing about comfort zones is that it is never too late to stretch them and to
break them. You can begin to make small changes in your life today and watch over time as
they transform your life into something better. All you have to do is have a plan, adopt a
method, and take action.

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How to Improve Your Computer Skills to

Get Ahead in Your Career
Technology has taken the business world by storm. People and businesses are progressively
reliant on technology world these days. As a result, the people with impressive knowledge
and experience with a computer are in demand.

Considering this growing market trend, if you too wish to bag a profitable job, this article is
apt for you. Here, we will dig deeper into the business and technology world to look into
what are the best computer skills one should invest in and what resources to get help from.

So, are you ready? Here we begin.

Table of Contents

1. 6 Most-In Demand Computer Skills This Year (and Beyond)

2. The Roadmap to Excel Your Computer Skills
3. Mobile Apps and Websites to Enhance Computer Skills
4. Bonus: Tips to Accelerate Your Approach For a Better Career Ahead
5. The Bottom Line

6 Most-In Demand Computer Skills This Year (and

Beyond)
When talking about computer skills, following are the 6 computer skills that can fill your
mailbox with endless job opportunities (besides, having an English and Hindi typing speed of
40+ WPM):-

1. Spreadsheets and Databases

Considering the treasure trove of data companies are handling these days, Spreadsheet and
Database management skill tops the list. It is considered the most wanted job skill in the
market, with a salary of around $53,129/yr for an entry-level position. However, the
spreadsheet skill does not confine to auditing data from cells.

To get hired based on this computer skill, you need to become a Spreadsheet ninja. From
storing data to organizing them, applying complex mathematics formulas, and creating
complex macros, you need to be an expert at all.

In other words, you need to have an expertise at working with:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Access
• Statistics
• Data Analytics
• Adobe Campaign
• Quickbooks

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• XML Database management system

• Filemaker Pro
• MATLAB
• Hive
• FORTRAN
• RDBMS (Relational Database Management System)
• SAS

2. Social Media, Email, and Blogging

Though people are socially active, not everyone knows how to use the social media tools on
the professional front. In such a scenario, having an expertise at writing engaging yet
professional emails, writing blogs, and managing social media activities is a ticket to entry in
reputed organizations.

Some of the skills related to social media, email and blogging that will have a leg up in the
hiring process are:

• Content Management System (CMS)

• Google Analytics
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Email Marketing
• Web Page Design
• WordPress
• Digital Media
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Campaign Management Software

3. Graphic Design and Word Processing

A solid grasp of skills to present the gained information in the much readable form is another
market need. When considering this computer skill category, you need to enhance your skills
at:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Illustrator
• AutoCAD
• CorelDRAW
• Microsoft Visual Studio
• Maya
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Publisher
• Operating Digital Cameras

4. Software and Hardware Design and Development

The Software and Hardware development, in simpler language, means designing,

implementing, and testing the computer software/hardware applications. It is the most

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profitable computer skill, with a different job opening, including Software Architect,
Software Analyst, Software programmer, Hardware configuration, etc.

To be capable of developing and testing the software and hardware, you need to peruse your
users’ needs and build an application that hits their pain points. You need to work with
different web and mobile app coding languages for gaining the attention of your audience,
some of which are:

• HTML
• C/C++
• Java
• Python
• XML
• UI/UX
• LINUX
• CISC and RISC architecture
• Embedded Processor Hardware Design
• Memory Management
• PCB Layout
• SQL

5. IT Troubleshooting

Working on computers is one thing and having a knack of looking into the associated issues
and resolving them in real-time is another. There are various employees and graduates who
work with computer systems in their daily lives, but get confused when it comes to dealing
with frozen programs and performing routine maintenance.

So, if you are familiar with the basic anatomy of computers and machines and know the
tricks to perform such tasks to streamline the working process, enter the IT support arena.
The prime IT troubleshooting skills one needs to work upon are:

• Backup management
• Diagnostics
• End User support
• Client-Server management
• Installation and configuration
• Issue tracking system (ITS)
• System administration
• Tech support

6. Enterprise Systems

Many Enterprises have their own enterprise solutions like PeopleSoft for managing their data
and operations.

Becoming a master at using the enterprise solutions mentioned in their ‘Requirements’ area
can also lessen the barrier to get a job.

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The Roadmap to Excel Your Computer Skills

Now that you know the 6 most popular computer skills in the market, the first decision, you
need to take is which computer skill you want to work upon. All the skills are equally
considerable for making a career ahead. So, choose one as per your interest.

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Learn an easy 3-step method that you can practice anytime to ignite your motivational
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Once done, look forward to the following resources for boosting your computer skills and
getting a reputed, handsome job.

Depending on the computer skill you opt, here are the online courses you can turn to for
elevating your career opportunities:

1. Become a Spreadsheet and Database Ninja

a. Microsoft Excel Training Online Course – Basic & Advanced

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or expert at working with spreadsheets, this online
course has something new for everyone to become excel efficient users.

Divided into 48 interesting lessons, the course empowers you to learn the technique of using
mathematical, statistical, logical and text functions, sorting and filtering the data, creating
Pivot Tables, building macros, finding a value with VLOOKUp, and much more.

b. Excel- Online Courses, Classes, Training, Tutorials on Lynda

This is another impressive course to unlock the power of Excel. Designed for people from all
walks of life and familiarity with Excel tools. This course helps you gain in-depth knowledge
from the experts about this data-analyzing tool and make the magic in spreadsheet creation
and management process.

c. SQL & Database Design A-Z™: Learn MS SQL Server + PostgreSQL

Build a successful career in the data analytics world with this online course.

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Revolving around the two top databases, MS SQL and PostgreSQL, this course will give you
a comprehensive knowledge of the working of the databases and understanding of all the
related elements, including how to create, update, organize, and safeguard the data.

2. Rule the Social Media World

a. Free Social Media Course by HubSpot

Introduced by the top experienced inbound professors from Hubspot, here you will get a
comprehensive knowledge of Social media marketing.

From understanding how to build relationships on different social media platforms to creating
a perfect strategy to engage them, leveraging the benefits of social advertising, and analyzing
your social media ROI, this course will bring out the best out of you.

b. Write Professional Emails in English by Coursera

This online course will be the right weapon to look into the differences and similarities
between different email styles, improve your English writing skills, write effective subject
lines, maintain the formality tone in emails, and more to make a powerful impact on the
receivers with your email.

c. Ninja Writing: The Four Levels of Writing Mastery

Founded by Udemy, this online course will excel your skills to build a masterpiece everytime
you write.

Here, you will get the guidance from the editors of the top newspapers and websites, and
understand what kind of words and tone to use for leaving a spellbinding impact on the
readers.

3. Launch Your Own Software or Hardware Equipment

a. Hardware and Software Courses by Coursera

From Big Data to IoT, Sensor Circuit Design, Embedded Software and Hardware
Architecture, and Motor Control Circuit, this course will give you a glimpse of all the
hardware devices, equipment, and programming languages to build wonders.

b. Free Software and Web Development Certifications Online by Alison

Become the software developer market demands with Alison’s Java, C#, Python, R, PHP, or
MySQL database course. From backend to frontend development and software testing.

The course helps you to learn how to design, develop and test software and working in a team
while contributing to the team success.

c. Free Online Software Development and MOOCs Course by Class Central

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The Class Central online course will make you a master of software development. Here, you
will learn the basic concepts of development like Agile, Design Patterns, and Version Control
with Git, along with gaining experience of working with the top programming languages.

4. Live and Breathe Creativity

a. Udemy: Introduction to Graphic Design

It is a top-rated program for the new learners and designers to explore the Graphic Design
world.

From the history of communication to the design principles, the course will help the students
to learn everything specifically and implement in the real world.

b. Canva Design School

From a beginner to advanced level, this course will provide you with an elaborated and
comprehensive knowledge of graphic design. In the form of 4 modules, this course will help
the interested graphic designers to try out their skills at Graphics, ranging from fonts to
colors, backgrounds, images, shapes, and layouts.

c. Microsoft Word – Basic & Advanced

62 personalized lessons, premium video tutorials, and unlimited tests and quizzes – this
certified course has everything that will make your entry to the business world easier.

d. Microsoft Office: Word, Excel and Access Productivity Bundle

The course will make you productive in Word, Excel, and Access through video lectures,
articles, and various other supplemental resources.

Besides, it will offer you exclusive tips and tricks to enhance your skills at using Microsoft
office.

5. Raise Your Reflexes to IT Troubleshooting

a. IT Troubleshooting Skill Training by Udemy

IT Troubleshooting Skill Training will upgrade your logical concepts over technical
components to find and repair faults.

It will provide you with a methodological approach to learn the basics of troubleshooting,
practice them via exercises and drills, and enhance your IT troubleshooting intelligence.

b. IT Help Desk Online Course on Lynda

The Lynda’s IT troubleshooting online course will train you how to respond to the issues
related to Windows 10, Office 365, JIRA software, and more, from a local as well as a
remote location.

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Mobile Apps and Websites to Enhance Computer Skills

The aforementioned online courses will undoubtedly train you for a successful career ahead.
But, in case you want a long-term support, turn towards the following websites and mobile
apps:

• Duolingo – Duolingo app will improve your spoken and written communication skills
in different languages. With the magic of gamification added to the study, the app will
make learning a fun and addictive task.
• Hemingway – Hemingway app defines the length, complexity, and common errors
associated with the sentences. In this way, it helps you to write effectively and go
ahead in the career.
• Udemy – The Udemy, with its 2000+ courses, is a great platform to master new
skills, advance your career and explore the newer technologies and programming
languages. Enrol a course as per your budget and make a brighter future.
• eDX – eDX is yet another commendable platform you can look forward to. The
platform offers you the best of the tutorials prepared by the business professionals and
technology experts, ensuring a great boost in your computer skills.
• Excel Easy – Excel Easy, as the name depicts, will make working with Excel easier
for you via their detailed tutorials and 300+ real-life examples.
• GCF LearnFree.org – It is a one-stop platform for accelerating your future in the
computer world. From graphic design to Microsoft Office, resume writing, enhancing
adaptability, and much more, the top experts will guide you with everything on this
platform.
• QuarkXPress – The QuarkXPress will aid you to add soul to your design with its
unparalleled collection of font style, size, and typography. The best part is that it is
avails all the options in different languages, including English, Spanish, German,
French, and Italian to name a few.

Bonus: Tips to Accelerate Your Approach For a Better

Career Ahead
Though these resources will make you stand out from the crowd and get hired at once, you
need to focus on various other things, such as:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

It is common to forget what we learn. To ensure that you do not miss any opportunity just
because you forgot, keep practising.

Make it your routine. Polish your computer skills and you will surely end up getting an offer
letter from a recognized firm.

2. Work on Your Efficiency

Remembering what you learned is not enough; practice to enhance those skills to do better.

For example, if you take around 50 minutes to create a design, target for 40 minutes.

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3. Look for Shortcuts

Smart work rules over hard work more often. So, look forward to learning shortcuts to do any
task. This will increase your chances to crack an interview and get selected.

4. Apply for an Internship

Last but not the least, apply for an internship to see what’s trending in the market and how
much you are ready for it. While doing an internship, pay attention to your weak points and
work on them. This will ensure a success when you apply for your dream job.

By the late, it’s never too late to be an intern or grab whatever opportunity to learn something
new! Here’s how:

How to Start Over and Reboot Your Life When It Seems Too Late

The Bottom Line

Seeing the current market scenario, it is evident that having computer skills is a boon for a
better career ahead.

So, rather than struggling with thousands of other things and trying to crack interviews, focus
on the computer skills mentioned in this article. Utilize the resources and experts’ tips shared
and look forward to having a successful and prosperous future.

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