We were once a beginner at a thing at a moment in time. And before we become experts we made many mistakes.

Here are some avoidable mistakes I made in 2022:

Image by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Time Management

Time, they say is money. Often, my thought is : I have everything under control; 24 hours is more than enough to work and chillax.

So I just flow with time without making a list of my priorities for the day, as a result I lose track of time.

Until I realize control can be placed on time only if you diligently and realistically plan your day — especially using daily time slot.

I have learnt my lesson the hard way. Managing time wisely and setting priorities would have saved me the headache of having to give excuses for not turning in my tasks (client work) early.

Unclear Goals

Using Nigeria’s context, most times People tell us to let nature take its course. I took that expression literally thereby taking goal setting lightly.

Funnily, my short-term goals that ought to be written down were abstract — they were safely left to grow and produce results in my head.

My dear, whether short or long term, have your goals written down and plan towards achieving them.

As an illustration, If I plan to land a freelance or remote job on LinkedIn, I write it down and plan towards achieving that goal. If yours is to learn new or improve your skill — say in 3 months write it down and plan towards achieving it.

Note: Plan in terms of time constraint, cost, and usefulness.

Networking

To network aptly, you must approach and be approachable. Networking is a deliberate act; it doesn’t happen on the street nor will you find it at your doorstep at a moment in time.

You need to attend events in your niche, meet new people, mix and mingle (have a meaningful exchange with *an expert, *speaker that inspires you at those events).

On a Sincere note, this can be a bit difficult for some of us that are introverted, but not as hard as it appears. Let’s make effort to network this year and in years to come. Fighting 💪… fighting (k-drama lovers in the house, you gerrit 😉).

Note:

• Networking is a two-way relationship for mutual benefits.“You do and I do” that is how it works
• We maintain a cordial relationship with experts through networking, however avoid sending many messages to them.

Learning new skills

This takes will-power and drive.

You mightagree with me that there are countless factors that hinder us from learning some in-demand skills in Nigeria.

Cost is one, other “excuses” (in quote because they aren’t really hindrances since it requires us only to put in effort as little as this 🤏) that you and I make are time and bulkiness (of a course/skill).

Moreover, who are we kidding 😂

Cost you say — there are many free resources online that can help you start from somewhere.

Do you say time and bulkiness — those are just silly excuses we make up ( we find time to gist with friends and also read textbooks as big as Anatomy textbooks for exams naa abi I dey lie).

Note: Those free resources now come in video contents.

Social Media Absence

You could be on social media, but be absent at the same time. You could spend time on social networks everyday and not spend time rationally.

If you don’t know, now you know 🤞

Social media presence goes beyond catching cruise online. It involves creating valuable and relatable contents consistently, contributing reasonably to conversations in form of engagement.

Eureka moment, you gerrit 😜

That was my story in 2022 and may I tell you it cost me big time; Low visibility, poor engagement. Gonna Change that in 2023 😌; join me let’s do it together

social media can be addictive, but can also be immensely useful when used appropriately.

In a nutshell…

This article is for me as much as it is for you. It’s an eye opener to what we are to do better this year.

Have a good read!

I love feedback 🤗.

What would you want to read next? Send a mail to [email protected]

Obrigado (thank you).