Remote work is becoming increasingly common amongst IT pros. Here’s how you can benefit from this trend a from the comfort of your home or personal office.
Remote work is becoming increasingly common amongst IT pros. The way in which tech experts look for jobs and carry out missions was already changing before Covid-19 hit. IT freelancing was on the rise; With higher levels of remote work; slowly becoming an industry standard and the figure of the digital nomad gaining acceptance.
Now that digital transformation efforts have accelerated and companies have had to adapt their hiring strategies to a world in lockdown; remote work across countries and time zones is out in the mainstream. Regardless of country reopenings and a slow return to the office, remote work is here to stay. Here’s how you can benefit from this trend and what you should keep in mind when pursuing a new gig from the comfort of your home or personal office.
First of all, you need to pinpoint your target company type. The kind of company you will be applying for jobs at and that you will turn to support your remote work lifestyle. Whether that is as a freelancer or as a full-time employee.
For that, you need to make sure you are aiming for industries and organisations that have friendly policies towards remote hiring and working. Most big tech companies have fully shifted to remote work after the start of the outbreak. So they will be open to receiving applications and collaborating with fully remote employees. Other sectors of activity will be less prone to hire remote employees due to a lack of organisational readiness or the nature of the job to be done; jobs relating to IT infrastructure and cybersecurity tend to involve an on-site component because of its confidential and hands-on nature.
IT remote work: Make sure your environment and tools are ready
This one sounds rather obvious. But you would be surprised to learn how many IT projects encounter roadblocks along the way. Due to unforeseen technical limitations on the remote worker’s side of things. And we are not talking here about a stable internet connection.
Make sure you have analysed the project requirements and spoken with company stakeholders to understand the technical needs of the project. And also see if you should ask for extra equipment or services – think of cloud processing resources, networking equipment, etc.
The social component
Working remotely can make collaboration with other team members more difficult and requires you to put in some extra effort. The social component of remote working should not be overlooked, but you can follow a few easy steps to ensure you are properly connected with project stakeholders.
First and foremost, make sure you are conducting a proper onboarding. As with most things in life, setting a robust foundation is key. If the employer doesn’t have a fully fleshed out onboarding process, be proactive and put together all the questions you will need clarification on. Make sure you get acquainted with the rest of the team. Even if that means proposing quick one-on-one virtual chats to get to know them a bit.
Secondly, set up follow-ups and regular check-ins with your colleagues to keep track of the progress and let them know you are there and on top of things.
Maybe looking for a job remotely sounds good, but you would rather work on-site at least some of the time. Or maybe you are looking for a job remotely as a way of moving to another country. No problem. The IT jobs market has never been better for that.
Just make sure you are considering everything first, like immigration regulations and demands (visas, health insurance, etc.). Sometimes, working with a recruitment partner who has experience relocating IT experts is the best choice. They will help you figure out all the details so you can get started with your new life as soon and as easily as possible.
Martin Fischer, SAP Portfolio Manager at BridgingIT, SAP Mentor and a host of the SAP Coffee Corner podcast discusses the career path of an SAP consultant.
German ABAP expert Martin Fischer is a Business and SAP Portfolio Manager at BridgingIT, SAP Mentor and a host of the SAP Coffee Corner Radio podcast. He recently sat down with us to talk about how he got started with SAP and discuss the career path of an SAP consultant.
What is the SAP consultant career path: How did you get started in the SAP ecosystem?
I started to become interested in computers and technology when I was 16 or 17. At that time, I was about to start an apprenticeship in business administration at a wholesaler for tires and other technical products. I had had some Visual Basic for applications lessons in school before, so I started supporting the financial department by writing a macro in Excel or Access, I don’t remember for sure.
The head of the department got interested in my skills at that time, and they were about to start an SAP project to implement SAP FI in SAP 4.6c. That was the coincidence that got me started in the whole SAP ecosystem, and it’s been 20 years since.
Of all the career paths available within SAP, why did you choose ABAP?
I worked on that project for one and a half years and took over the responsibility for running that system. A year after, I decided to study computer sciences and business and, during my studies, I became more interested in software development. So, I thought, OK, I have a background in SAP, and there is a need for ABAP developers: why not look for a job in that area? And so, I did.
And what has been your career path as an SAP consultant since then?
I joined a consultancy in Zurich after my studies and was there for about a year. Then I moved over to Capgemini and was there for three years. Now I have been with BridgingIT for almost 10 years. I left the development space and moved over to more architectural stuff, as well as team leading responsibilities. I am not programming for the whole day anymore. Actually, I seldom program now. But it’s still in my roots, and I like to dig into the technological details.
What were the biggest challenges you faced when transitioning into a more managerial role?
Becoming the team lead of my former colleagues. There are a few of them who have much more experience than I do, so it was a bit of a challenge for me. I guess it wasn’t that much of an issue with them, pr at least I had that feeling. But for me, it was different.
The second one was having to care about more people and things in many aspects. So, consulting, finding the right project assignments for my team, etc. It was a bit hard because the role involves some pre-sales and that part was hard in the beginning to learn. Also having to accept that I don’t have that much time anymore to focus on my technology topics. Now I have multiple other topics to devote time to during the day, and I had to accept that I will, over time, lose the deep knowledge of the latest technologies.
But now, after more than four years, I have accepted it and I’m fine with it.
What do you enjoy the most about your new role?
The possibility to drive things in the direction I want to, or which I think is the correct one. Of course, I don’t decide that all by myself, but I have a bit more influence than I did before.
I also enjoy very much the interaction with customers, so the pre-sales part that was so challenging in the beginning turned out to be something I really like. I’m much more confident in these discussions now. The first times, you are very nervous. At least I was. Nowadays it has become more of a routine, and I really like it.
What do you value more, certifications or experience?
There are many things you have to learn for the certification exam that you don’t ever use again. That’s actually one reason why I’m not really convinced that getting many certifications is real proof of qualification or knowledge. I’m quite sure you can get the certifications if you do a proper preparation for them and learn the stuff they will ask you for. But you will not really be able to work with the technology you are certified for. I rate experience higher than certifications.
When does pursuing certifications make sense?
I would say at the point in time I did my certification, as a junior, it was a good thing to have it because, especially if you work for a consultancy, it helps you to get better project assignments. Some customers are still looking for it. But, in the development area, I don’t see the need to do all the certifications that come with the technology. I don’t see the value in that.
Sometimes you have to do it as a partner to maintain your partner status. That’s another reason why sometimes you have to get certified.
But, from a career perspective, I’m not a big fan of certifications. I think there are better ways of getting a deeper understanding of what you are doing. Get involved in small projects, do a POC, get your hands on the latest technology somehow.
You are an SAP Mentor. What is the Mentors program like?
The program has changed a lot over the last 3-4 years. I’m now almost at the end of my 4th year in the program.
There’s a new program called SAP Champions which took over the community focus and the focus on the outside community, which was also part of the Mentors program. The program now focuses more on providing feedback to SAP on certain topics.
It’s an honour to work with all other mentors in the team because they are all very experienced. The international aspect is also very valuable for me because you get to hear things going on in the United States, Australia, or Asia, and things are different in different countries, so it’s also something you have to learn.
What career advice would you give to other SAP and IT experts in general?
Stay curious and never stop learning. That is very important. And work in something that you like to do. I am lucky to have a job I really like. I cannot imagine investing so much time in something I don’t really want to do.
I think that’s very important. More important than more money, etc. If you have passion for your job, money, at least in technology, comes along.
For more tips on how to navigate the career path of an SAP consultant, make sure to follow Martin on Twitter and LinkedIn and through SAP Coffee Corner Radio.
Want to make the most of your career in SAP with S/4HANA? Check out our definitive S/4HANA Careers Guide.
Interested in DevOps too? Find out more about career opportunities in this promising field through this expert’s DevOps career story.
Need advice on how to start or develop your freelance consulting business in tech or IT? Need to start a new permanent or freelance assignment? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.
Peter Fisher, host of the popular How To Code Well podcast, discusses why he started teaching coding and some of the best career advice he has given.
Peter Fisher; freelance web developer and host of the popular “How To Code Well” podcast; discusses why he started teaching coding and some of the best career advice he has given.
I never actually wanted to be a programmer. I actually started off from an arts background. So I did a lot of graphics design and a lot of 3D animation. We did a lot of flash animation and action script coding, so the coding came alongside the multimedia stuff.
When I was at school, I was building small little websites for myself and friends just to post images on. And I found it interesting that one could build something with really small feedback loops. All you had to do was write some HTML code and refresh the page and you had something.
And then when I got my first job in a web development agency, I discovered very quickly that I wasn’t actually a graphics designer as more of a coder. So, I was able to transfer my passion for design to a passion for designing and architecture.
You are the host and teacher of How To Code Well. A podcast and learning hub around web development and pursuing a web developer career. How did this adventure start?
I never started How To Cope Well with the intention of building a business from it or being a creator. It was a purely accidental thing that I got into. I always started blogging when I started learning because that was my way of keeping note. But I was writing to myself rather than to others.
After I finished university, I was in this ocean of developers who’ve just come out of university, and they were all looking for the same jobs. I was speaking to a lot of recruitment agents, and one of them, off the cuff, said “I wish there was a way I could show our clients how well you can code.” This was like 2006-2007, so YouTube was just coming out. And I thought: “You know, that’s something people is starting to use more, so I will video myself doing some code.” It was a very selfish decision. It was never intended to teach anyone how to code, it was just to show how I coded, so I could have called it How Well I Code rather than How To Code Well.
But then you decided to focus on helping others. What changed?
At first, I did about four videos and posted the links up onto my CV, but I very much doubted that anybody would actually see those videos from a job perspective. So, I forgot about it for a few years and didn’t bother logging back into YouTube.
Then one of my family members wanted to post or share a video for other family members. And I just thought “Oh yeah, I’ve got this YouTube account.” So, I logged in and, after several years of it being dormant, I noticed that there was a ton of comments and questions and feedback which were all very positive. I thought this was something I could run with, and it went from the very selfish decision of promoting myself to helping people out. People on YouTube were asking if I knew how to do other things, how to use other programming languages, where the next part of the course was. The funny thing is that I never thought it was a course when I did it. The driving force of How To Code Well is its community.
What was the most challenging part of starting to produce educational content on a regular basis?
I was a junior dev working a full-time job with freelance work on the side, and I was now teaching people to code, so time was and is a thing that is against me.
I’ve got a very strict rule of not doing it during working hours, so it’s evenings and weekends, and over several years I’ve managed to keep that going. But there’s a lot of sacrifices one has to make. For instance, if I live code on YouTube on Tuesdays after work, my working day is prolonged, and my downtime is shorter. If I live code on Twitch on Sundays, my Sunday afternoons are out of the water. And there’s a lot of preparation that you have to do before you do that. You need to think about what it is that you’re going to code and talk about.
What about impostor syndrome. Do you experience it yourself? How do you address it?
Impostor syndrome is something that is definitely real, and with the podcast that came through accident as well. I started doing long-form content where I was touching upon subjects that I didn’t know much about. It got to a point where I was getting to the limits of my knowledge, and I just decided to bring people on the show to learn from them. It’s always a learning journey, always knowing where my limitations are.
With every course I build, I think that I’ve done the wrong thing, if I’ve said the wrong technical thing. You know, if I’ve pronounced an acronym wrong. You’re constantly doubting yourself. It does get easier because you get used to that feeling and you can have a little word with yourself and say “It’s fine. It’s okay, you can publish it.”
You’ll never truly know how the audience is going to react until you publish it. So, every doubt that you’ve got in your mind is just your doubts. It’s not the doubts of others. I think that’s how I get through it.
Speaking to people on the podcast who know about the subject matter, I do come away feeling like I know nothing. I know what they’ve said because I’ve understood what they said, but it just makes me aware of how little I know of web development, which is another reason why web development is so good, because there is so much to know and so much to learn, it’s endless. You’ll never learn everything.
In your experience, what makes a good web developer versus a great one?
From a technical standpoint, a good web developer knows the syntax and the processes. But a great developer understands the technical consequences of those processes and decisions, and they can lean upon past experiences.
Also, a great developer is highly professional. They know when to say no and they have justifications of why they’re going to say no. They have testing, they know how long things are going to take, they have some experience behind what they’re doing. They’ve seen it from inception to deployment, and they’ve gone through the whole bug fixing cycle. But really, I think what boils it down is experience. You can’t just learn to be a great developer, you must embrace it and experience it.
Based on what you have seen through your courses, what are most developers struggling with these days?
Not understanding core programming concepts is something that I see a lot, so knowing the framework but not understanding the core principles of the programming language behind that. Learning the concepts of programming is a transferable skill. I’m not just talking about learning JavaScript or learning PHP or Python. It’s learning the operators, the logical flows, learning what a function is versus what a class is. All of those things you can take with you to the next programming language.
What I see a lot is people diving into frameworks and then getting stuck when they move to another position or another job, or when that framework changes. They are comfortable in that world, but they’re not comfortable in the world outside of that framework.
What’s the best web developer career advice you have given?
First of all
Take breaks. Take more breaks than you think you need to. Your brain works offline, so even if you’re not physically at your machine, you’re thinking about the work. I think about the work when I wake up and when I go to bed. I never switch off in terms of thinking about the bugs that I need to fix or the logical flows, but because I’m not staring at a screen, I’m not getting stressed about it. I’m processing this information in my brain in the background. And, when you come back to the code, it’s easier to identify the issue that you are in.
The second one
The second one is to keep asking questions. Web development is super hard and it’s going to get harder. You think you know it now, but, in two years’ time, you’ll know two years’ worth of it, and then you’ll discover another two years that you don’t know. There’s more stuff in web development that I don’t know than there is that I do know, and I’ve been in it for a long, long time. Don’t beat yourself up and if you don’t understand what you’re trying to achieve, then ask someone. And, if you don’t understand what that person is saying, ask someone else, because perhaps that person hasn’t talked about the answer in a way that you can absorb. Maybe you are more of a visual learner. Maybe they can show you on a whiteboard or take you through the process. Throwing acronyms at someone isn’t a very useful thing, is it?
Lastly
Lastly, technology comes and goes. At university, I studied visual basic and action script. Well, action script is for Flash. Flash is never used. And visual basic, I just wouldn’t even know. I did well in that course, but I’ve never used it. What I’m trying to say is that technology comes and goes, and whatever you learn now probably won’t be the thing that you will be learning in 10 years’ time or doing in 10 years’ time. So, what you need to do is accept that and embrace change, but don’t embrace change every five minutes.
And the only thing would add is to just enjoy it. Don’t get too stressed with it all. It’s a very challenging thing, and I find that, the more I get stressed, the more I dislike it. So, once you find that you’re actually getting stressed and frustrated with something, take a breather, take a couple of hours. The code will still be there tomorrow, so take an evening off.
How To Code Well is a video podcast which is live on YouTube every Thursday at 20:00 BST. The audio version is released every Friday and is a week behind the live show. You can find it on iTunes, Spotify and most other podcast platforms.
You can follow How To Code Well through its website, on YouTube (Live every Tuesday @ 17:30 BST and Thursday @ 20:00 BST for the podcast) and on Twitch (live every Sunday @ 14:30 BST).
Here is a quick refresher of what you’ll need to cover to ensure you are aming for the best IT job according to your needs and aspirations.
Let’s get this out right off the bat. All jobs are fundamentally rewarding and can teach you at least one thing that you’ll be able to leverage for future assignments. But you will need a bit more focus if you want to go after the best IT jobs.
Outlining the best career path according to your needs and aspirations is an art, and; just like with every form of art; you need to start by mastering the basics. Here is a quick refresher of what you’ll need to cover to ensure you are building the career you want, one job at a time.
Need advice on how to start or develop your freelance consulting business in tech or IT? Need to start a new permanent or freelance assignment? Join Mindquest and get support from our team of experts.
Define your professional aspirations
First of all, you will have to figure out what type of assignments you want to pursue. It is at this point that the choice of company and industry becomes essential.
You should learn all you can about that sector and account for the long term. Keeping in mind where you are and where you would like to get to will allow you to develop and implement a solid career strategy that sets you on the right path. For example, if you want to be in the luxury sector, you will have to prioritise companies or industries that are at least linked to it.
Position yourselffor the best IT jobs
Then you should define your set of skills and
position yourself according to the type of projects you want to target.
You need to make inventory of your skills and update your CV accordingly. Making sure it is aligned with your profiles on social and professional networks like LinkedIn. Define your offering and highlight the capabilities you would like to develop through your next project. And don’t make things up. Recruiters are not stupid.
What you are offering should be in line with the strategic vision of the company or industry you are targetting. Therefore, it is important to understand the current state of the business as well as the possible needs that the company may have now and in the future.
Polish
your brand and organise your activity
Finally, having a polished and coherent image is key. The image you project is vital because it reflects both your personal and professional brands. It should be aligned with your offering and the needs of the industry you are targeting to maximise your chances of attracting the attention of the right recruiters.
But your image is worth nothing if you can’t
deliver on it. Most recruiters will ask for references from past companies for
which you have worked.
Knowing how to improve your online visibility is key to your career success. Here’s how to optimise your LinkedIn profile as a tech or IT consultant.
Knowing how to improve your online visibility is key to your career success. In terms of visibility on the web, LinkedIn is a must. Here’s how to optimise your LinkedIn profile as a tech or IT consultant and get that dream job.
IT consultants: how to highlight & optimise your LinkedInprofile
With more than 600 million users worldwide, 40% of whom are active every day, LinkedIn is a major tool for freelancers of all backgrounds. IT freelancers who manage to build a complete and optimized profile are way more likely to appear first in search results and attract the most interesting recruiters. Here are a few steps to make your LinkedIn profile shine and set yourself apart from other IT consultants.
Take care of your LinkedIn profile
The first element to take care of is your profile’s presentation. Your profile should be cared for and frequently updated, allowing you to appear in the best light possible for your future clients. This implies taking care of several elements:
A professional and impactful title
LinkedIn allows you to describe your activities in 120 characters. You need to choose an impactful title, being creative to attract the attention of recruiters while remaining professional. Note that the title is the element that appears directly in the search engine results. It is therefore important to pay particular attention to it. In addition to appearing after your name, the title will largely impact the recruiter’s first impression.
It is advisable to include in the title the mention of your consultant status as well as your area of expertise. The title should include the main search keywords related to your profile.
A professional photo that represents you
A profile with a photo is always more likely to stand out. The photo must be taken from the front, always clear and of good quality. Preferably, you should be smiling –, without exaggeration of course.
A concise summary of your profile and
the opportunities you seek
In this rather summary, list your skills and detail your professional experience. So, if you are hyper-specialized in a particular sector, do not hesitate to include that in your summary: this may interest recruiters looking for very technical skills. It is also an opportunity to add your diplomas, your most significant professional successes and everything that makes a company more likely to choose you than another consultant. Try to demonstrate as much as possible that you know how to anticipate the needs of a business.
Also do not forget that your LinkedIn profile allows you to give information on what you are looking for: types of job, location, aspirations in terms of projects and professional development … With this simple step, you will avoid being contacted by recruiters who would approach you with ill-suited assignments or positions.
A more detailed summary of your past experiences to optimise your LinkedIn profile
Your LinkedIn profile is the ideal support for detailing your experience and the various positions you have held — just as you would do on your CV. You can provide background information, technical stacks, and tasks associated with these projects. Focus on your accomplishments by highlighting concrete results.
Share relevant content about IT consulting on LinkedIn
To improve your visibility on LinkedIn as an IT freelancer, it is strongly advised to share content frequently. You can share all kinds of content, including:
Links to articles related to your area of expertise and your favourite subjects
Infographics or videos to spread a message visually and thus make it more impactful
Posts in text form, to share news about your professional life for example.
Articles that you have written on the platform, to highlight your knowledge of specific subject. This requires a certain investment in terms of time but can really help you enhance your profile.
It is better to share content regularly, without necessarily looking for the quantity. Unlike other platforms where the organic reach of posts requires sharing content on a daily basis, LinkedIn works differently. Also, remember that LinkedIn now accepts user tags and hashtags, which improves thematic search.
Last tip: don’t hesitate to share and comment on the posts of other people in your network. Taking part in conversations about your areas of expertise will allow you to position yourself as an expert and to be identified by recruiters for the best missions.
The staffing as a whole is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation. But what about the IT staffing sector? IT staffing enjoys all the benefits...
If you are an S/4HANA expert living the 9-to-5 life, chances are that you have considered going independent at some point. No one would blame you. Becoming a freelance S/4HANA consultant can be a solid career choice
Proof of this is the resurgence of self-employed workers we have been experiencing since 2018. However, this sweet desire often clashes with the harshness of reality. Plus, this lifestyle is not for everybody.
Hence the importance of being prepared. It is essential that you ask yourself the right questions at the right time. Focus on these essential questions.
Here are a few honest questions you should ask yourself before blindly jumping head-first into the unknown.
The real reasons for your wish to be a freelance S/4HANA consultant
The first question you need to answer bluntly is why you really want to become a freelancer. What are your underlying motivations? Would you like to have more free time or no longer depend on an employer? Or is it because you would like to have a wider variety of projects from which to choose? Is it for financial gain?
If your main arguments are mostly “anti-wage,” well – that is not always a good sign. There is the danger of opting for independent employment as a means of escape rather than as a set career goal. If it is only a question of no longer being a permanent employee, it is very likely that you will quickly be faced with the harsh reality. Being a freelancer doesn’t mean drinking French press coffee and decorating your table with a succulent plant while strumming a few hours a day on your keyboard. It is a real commitment, a new way of living and organising your day.
You should take a look at what kind of relationship you have with work, identify your professional aspirations and define your priorities.
Assess your strengths and areas for improvement
Most often, someone embarking on a freelancing life already has years of salaried employment behind their back. They are, hence, well aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Making an honest self-assessment is a must to orient your future moves.
If you are disorganized by nature, for example, it will be good to put an effort into developing your organisational skills. You could use one of the many apps targeted at freelancers or improve your time-management methodology.
You should also pay attention to your starting point. If you are starting with a non-existent network, this is a disadvantage that you will need to work harder to overcome. If you have a financial safety net, then you have an advantage compared to those who start without any safety net.
However, don’t turn these disadvantages into barriers. On the contrary, these must be seen as challenges to overcome, to push you to go even further and stay motivated.
In some cases, it can be a good idea to do a little training before you start, to network a little and save enough money to be able to deal with unforeseen events. Take advantage of this period to clarify and outline your services offer and make a business plan.
Defining your offer and your target audience
Freelancing encompasses a large number of roles and services. An S/4HANA consultant must properly market their expertise in order to be successful. Their profile must fit into often-searched categories and nevertheless stand out from competitors.
There are many questions to ask yourself at this stage:
What services should I offer? Which kinds of jobs do I want to do as a freelance S/4HANA consultant?
What elements should I highlight to stand out from my competition? What are my strengths?
How much is this kind of work worth today?
Who is my offer for?
Pay attention to state and European regulations
This step is crucial. Depending on the country you plan to operate in, there will be several legal forms and statutes that you are obliged to comply with. Efficient management of your fiscal and employment status takes knowledge and caution.
For example, you should find out about the rules governing sick leave and unemployment benefits before you start. The world in which you enter is radically different from the salaried one.
Creating a personal business entity is a good place to start. Administrative and management procedures are greatly facilitated and you can often benefit from advantageous social contribution rates. Taxation is also interesting here.
Working with industry-savvy recruiters can also help you choose your status and navigate the regulatory landscape.
Explore our definitive S/4HANA Careers Guide. to gain more insights into S/4HANA careers and how to best approach them.
Discover our time management tips in remote for IT Professionals. Here are a few tips on how to achieve full efficiency while working remotely.
Discover our time management tips in remote for IT Professionals. Having independence in one’s work is a great thing for any driven professional who likes to take the initiative. But it is not all advantages.
Working independently lets you distribute your energy throughout the day as you see fit, giving you more flexibility to dedicate time to yourself and others. Yet all that schedule juggling requires solid time management skills.
Here are a few tips on how to achieve full efficiency while working remotely.
Time management tips in remote:
Start by building a comprehensive calendar
It is easy to get overflowed with daily activities and forget about the bigger picture. Especially for newcomers to the remote working life.
Outline all your tasks and upcoming deadlines and incorporate them into a comprehensive calendar. Plan your week and then look at each day, building a schedule that defines clear goals while allowing for some flexibility.
Spending 10 minutes at the start of each day to review your calendar will let you reassess priorities and adjust objectives. Your goals should be “smart”, that is, achievable without excesses. Sort priorities and categorize tasks.
You can use one of the myriads of free calendar apps out there or opt for the more traditional paper version. Whatever works best for you.
Make sure to put some time on your calendar to deal with all the administrative tasks we all love so much (invoicing, timesheets, reporting, etc…).
Prioritize the most important tasks
It is advisable to use the morning hours to carry out your most important tasks, namely the ones that will demand the most energy and attention from you. For most people, the morning is the time of day when their brain is most productive.
Starting with the more tedious tasks will make the rest of your day easier, leaving the less strenuous tasks for when your mind is tired.
Find an adequate place to work
You must be comfortable to deliver your best work. Your work environment should nurture your productivity and creativity while promoting general well-being.
Don’t forget that your body and mind need to rest periodically to remain at full capacity. Choose a work setting that allows you to take breaks throughout the day. An hour of work usually requires 10 minutes of break.
To manage your daily schedule in the best possible way, try using the Pomodoro, or ‘Tomato’ method — yes, Italian.
This technique is designed to help you split your working day by alternating breaks and intense concentration sprints.
The steps are pretty straightforward:
Focus your attention on a single task at a time
Set a timer to a fixed duration of 25 minutes
Work on that single task for the duration of the timer
Once the time has passed, take a break for 5 minutes
Start again from the beginning and, after the 4th repetition, take a longer break (15-30 minutes).
Plan for the unexpected
Your daily schedule will often be thrown off by unforeseen events that you will have to deal with. As Murphy’s law makes clear, nothing goes as planned. Here, reactivity is key. Allocate some time on your calendar for contingency management so that you are not caught off-guard by unexpected pitfalls.
