Adopt them and watch your friendship bloom
As we navigate the waters of life, we often clutch at some pillars to stand firm in the shifting sands under our feet. One of these pillars is friendship.
Research published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that most adults have at least one close friend.
It shows the importance of friendships and why everyone has to invest some time and effort in nurturing a quality friendship.
Among the new friends we make and the old friends we miss, some little traits we exhibit can leave the biggest impression and make us more desirable. Simple, everyday things…
Learn how to write, every day
I read if I wanted to become a better writer, I had to write every day. In response, I had written at least one 1000-word article each of the last 18 days. After conquering my fears, I submitted one of those pieces for review.
Three days later, an editor gave me some good feedback on it. He apologized for leaving thirteen comments on my article, while he pointed out what I did wrong. Valuable feedback. But even better, a real turning point.
With my tail between my legs, I went to bed, vowing to bounce back stronger. After tossing and…
Experience is certainly a good teacher
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake off the thought of another stream of income meandering into my cash pool. The excitement bubbling up within my mind swallowed all the doubts I had. High on excitement and big on promise, I dove head-first into the side hustle hole.
That was in mid-2017 when the spark of the flash lured me to the photo studio. I wanted to be like a colleague who shot weddings every other weekend. He persuaded me I could even divert into architectural photography, which, for a real estate surveyor, was music to my ears.
In…
How to really procrastinate and get things done
95% of us suffer from mild procrastination; 20% of us suffer from chronic procrastination, concludes findings by Dr. Piers Steel, as captured in this New York Times article.
On the back of these numbers, it doesn’t surprise me that procrastination has gotten such a bad rap and become the butt of some very unkind jokes: cue procrastination is the thief of time.
But contrary to popular sentiment, procrastination is not a vice.
After I read and saw how anyone could harness the benefits of procrastination, I changed my mind. Sort of. It’s not a habit of lazy people. …
Stay the course and be more deliberate
On the 3rd of January, I shared a request with some friends and WhatsApp groups. I wanted to rent a new apartment by the 1st of February 2021.
A week later, the kind-hearted among them reached out and offered to help. I had six apartments within a 1-mile radius to choose from. I went and inspected the properties, asking questions and taking notes.
I promised the owners I’d call them back with some feedback, but I never did. Over eight days, I fell into an endless mess of analyses of which to pick, eventually missing out on all six.
It took me too long to realize it
“Before you forward any file to me, here’s a checklist of items you should never miss: the property number, the date of transaction, the names of the parties, and the selling price,” my new boss was saying as he handed me a yellow sticky note.
My hands trembled as I reached for it. The results of a lab test couldn’t have scared me more. While our time together was short-lived, his advice to run my work through a checklist will stick with me forever.
When I started writing, I looked up some suggestions of what to include or cross off…
You can help yourself to victory
Remote working has long been with us, mainly lurking in the shadows of a few industries.
But when the pandemic forced us home and focused the spotlight on it, governments added remote working to the new normal package.
Left with no choice or voice to bargain, we accepted it.
Most of us dusted off our desks and lit our lamps for the first time in ages. We tidied up our kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms as we let our colleagues in — some of whom we may even allow on our front lawns on a rainy day.
We tried to…
How’s how to put those milestones in perspective.
“Get an undergrad degree by 22. Land your first job soon after. Buy a house, get married, and have two kids by 32,” I had written in my diary.
I was then a teenager — a skinny 17-year-old awaiting the results of his final high school exams, the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
Four years later, I checked the first item off my list. Next, I waltzed through the revolving doors of the corporate world, my second milestone just within reach. Then reality bit.
The allowances from my parents had dried up. Home prices were through the roof…
A classic tale of giving items a second chance
When I entered the home office fray, my biggest challenges were fighting the distractions and finding the discipline to stay the course. Thus, I enlisted the help of some experts online.
Almost every article on how to stay productive at home suggested getting an enormous desk, noise-canceling headsets, comfy chairs, and a capable computer.
But I realized I had all that and wasn’t as productive as I would have loved. As if task-switching wasn’t killing my productivity enough, I couldn’t help getting up from my desk to pick something up every few minutes.
For example, I would get up to…
A nod to David Majister’s 30 articles to 30 pubs in 30 days challenge
I don’t mind standing in the rain with a fork and the intention to quench my thirst, even if everything shows it's nigh on impossible. So long as that’s what I feel, that’s what I’ll do.
Yes, I’m that wedded to my ways, never mind that most of them often lead me nowhere. Oh, and I don’t care that people find my sacred ways weird.
But this month, I’ll make a brief departure from my weird ways and, like an old dog, try to learn a few tricks.
By a few tricks, I mean copying something my friend David Majister…
Boateng Sekyere
Valuer | Photographer | Writer. Grab a free guide on how to write more engaging articles here: https://bit.ly/writ-guide
