Project Girl 2 Woman, Author at ProjectGirl2Woman

3 skills of successful entrepreneurs and how YOU can train them

Do YOU want to be successful ? Do you want to do fascinating speeches like Steve Jobs or motivating hundreds of thousands of people like Tony Robbins? Then stay for another minute and keep reading. Because today’s post will be all about the Skills successful people have and how you can get them too!

Have you ever read one of those “ poor to rich” Books or listened to a “how to be successful” podcast? Then you will know how important it is that you train your mind and learn the following skills:

Communication
Problem solving
Time management

Of course there are more skills like leadership, efficiency and determination, but they will be explained at a later point of time!

Interested in more tipps? Then check out other posts we created just for you!

[Read: 5 Strategies to Become really Self-Disciplined]

[Read: Challenge Your FEARS – a 2021 approach]

More here:

Communication:

Communication is one of the most important Skills that exist. Whether you want to build a stable relationship, create a booming career or build an incredible business: You will have a hard time if you have poor communication skills. Elon Musk, an incredible speaker, shares the idea of transferring complex information in an easy and understandable way. This way not only experts are moved by his fascinating ideas and products but we all. Steve Job also showed us that we can convince and entice people by putting our passion into words. By inducing emotions within our audiences and connecting those positive emotions to our speech and to our products.

But communication goes far beyond presenting and speaking. Oprah Winfrey caught the interest and empathy of her viewers through her amazing listening skill and her way of interacting with the audience, understanding their struggles and motivations. Listening can also be in the form of seeing how a person or group reacts, be it in words or body language.

So both speaking and listening skills are a major asset. But how can I improve my communication skills?

The first point is to be honest with yourself – do you take the time to listen? In a world filled with noise and people striving for attention, it is sometimes easier to shout than to actually listen. But like mentioned in the previous section, listening is an important part of communication. It can help you understand your audience, their needs, hopes and challenges. It can help you solve problems with people in your office or family members. It helps you see the world in a different light.

Stories that might inspire you. Traditions that might change you and beliefs that might set you free from your previous life. Asking people what they want from your product rather than creating something you want! The good point is that in a noisy world everyone offers you a good story. All you need to do is open up and listen. (Short notice: There is also a lot of negativity out there so if something pulls you down – move on).

The second part is speaking. Having a terrible fear of speaking myself I know how hard it might seem. But believe me, it will get better! Shaking knees and sweaty palms? It is all about practicing and getting more confident in the speaking category. Practice. Practice. Practice. Don’t avoid speaking and instead see every occasion as an opportunity to improve your communication skill. There are speaking classes and communication tipps all over the internet. Or maybe you could join a local acting class/club?

A quick and easy starter solution if you feel very anxious and insecure to speak: practice in front of a mirror. No matter if having a job interview, the introduction to your parents-in-law or maybe just small talk with your new neighbor: Practicing in front of a mirror not only shows you how you present yourself, but you also learn to talk more freely and be more confident in your occurrence (Alternatively you can also practice in front of a camera and review the material later!) .

More tips to upgrade your communication skill:

Watch and reenact how great speakers talk
Check your body language
Cold call 100 people asking them questions
Prepare some topics in advance, know the person you talk with (check their social media)
Feel the discomfort and do it anyways
Risk making mistakes
Don’t brag
Avoid hot topics in the beginning
Talk structured
Join a speaking club like Toastmasters

Check out our communication post here!

Problem-solving

Elon Musk is also known for his amazing problem solving skills, but which successful person isn’t? Now problems can vary a lot – from raising your children to creating your dream product: Everything can happen. But it is how you act once a problem occurs, that differentiates you from others. BusinessTown.com states following attitudes are important for problem solving:

Critical Thinking
Creativity
Initiative
Persistence
Flexibility
Self Discipline

Every single second something unexpected can influence your progress. May it be a new invention changing your production material or just getting an over excited customer. .We constantly need to be on alert and we need to adapt fast. We need to be open to new techniques and material or creative enough to find a unique way to level up. But most important we have to be confident in what we do and sometimes be ready to take the risk.

Do you think that Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler stopped when they faced hardships? Do you think they just threw in the towel? Moved away from their incredible idea of their first car just because they were at a loss at some point? Even though I do not know how the progress of those two great men went by, I can only assume that they had marvelous problem-solving skills. Otherwise we might not be able to chug around with the fancy cars we have right now.

So how can you improve your problem-solving skills?

According to the Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness, there are 6 steps to solve a problem:

Step 1: Defining the problem

Step 2: Brainstorming

Step 3: Analyzing

Step 4: Managing Risk

Step 5: Deciding

Step 6: Managing Emotions

You can read the full entry here:

Following this order helps you analyze a problem and figure out the best option to go by. Alternatively, if you struggle with one step: eg: you are really indecisive or just very insecure about choosing the right path: you can concentrate on this area and build a strong foundation to avoid decision fatigue in the future. Alternatively, you can also practice by reading case studies or finding logical/problem-solving exercises online.

Time management:

Another very interesting but yet predictable skill is time management. I assume everyone has a moment in life where there is a ton to do but just not enough time to finish all. (Procrastinators raise your hands XD) The more important it is to have a good time management skill and achieve the highest possible outcome in the time given. Hey, yes you procrastinator! I see you grin because you know exactly what you do wrong! But this is not only for people pushing their tasks to the last minute before the deadline. A good time management skill helps you finish tasks more organized and quicker, shows you exactly when your next deadlines are and helps you to not forget anything in the meantime.

Kate Dagher of the Fellow Blog describes simple ways to improve your time management skill (Check out the full post here)

Set Smart Goals
Set weekly priorities
Delegate Tasks
Take breaks
Avoid Multitasking

Personally I would recommend you to use Google calendar as it is easier to add repeating events (for making new habits or when having regular classes etc).It is also better organized as you can enter different sections in different colors. (Sometimes I also just scribble some todos on a white paper and that’s it!) At the moment I am trying different time-management strategies and I am most fond of just planning my week on sundays. (I currently do not have deadlines which makes it easier for me in the planning category)

There is one more thing Kate Dagher mentioned which is the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique is very popular amongst students as it helps with being productive. You simply set a timer for 25 minutes and then have a 5 minute break afterwards. There are many “study with me”’s online that can help you stay concentrated and less lonely (plus they work great even if you work instead) Additionally if you prefer longer time periods, you can also find study streams on twitch which are usually between 50 and 100 minutes long. (My fav twitch streamer when it comes to being productive is i_jam_u)

If you liked today’s post then please leave a comment or feel free to add a topic we should cover for you!

If you want to get informed about the latest updates, please subscribe to our newsletter. Last but not least we update every Wednesday and every Saturday. So, it would be great to see you again. Also, for updates follow us on:

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Love from Germany,

Carina and Julia

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5 Simple Productivity Tips 2023 – Start the Year Right

Project Girl 2 Woman

Do you want to have the best and most productive year yet? Despite the whole COVID-19 thing?

Did you already fail at your new year’s resolutions? Don’t worry we’ll help you.

We’ll never have as much time on our hands again as right now. Instead of wasting our lockdown time with Netflix let’s build something amazing! Do something amazing! Become someone amazing!

In each misery, there is an opportunity.

We aren’t meant to waste away watching TV! So, let’s get a head start.

Turn on some epic music, grab pen and paper, and let’s get started with 5 crucial actions that will propel you into this year!

1. Set goals for the year!

I can’t mention goal setting often enough. If you have no goal, it’s like taking a boat without a captain. No destination. Ever felt lost in life? No wonder when no one is in the driver’s seat.

Don’t feel lost.

Take responsibility.

Make goals. And go where you want to go not where life pushes you! Even if it’s scary.

You can set 2 types of goals depending on what type of person you are. You can also mix them up.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Compass goals are not specific. They are more about a feeling. A kind of lifestyle you want to achieve and the type of person you want to become. They are a guideline. You have to start behaving like the person you want to become.

Check out our great goal setting and achievement post!

Now that you as a captain know where to go, you’ll need to find a way to check whether you are on course. You have to create a working process.

2. Create a Productivity System

As important as setting a goal is, it’s equally important to create a system that lets you work towards your goal. You need to know how you will get there.

Check out our productivity system!

As James Clear said: “goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress.”

Once you have established systems and processes you automatically work towards your goal. I would go as far as to say that if you have a working system and no goal you will still grow.

Your goals are checkpoints. To validate the efficiency and suitability of your systems. Don’t focus too much on the final goal, focus on perfecting the processes.

For example:

If your goal is to lose 5kg and you achieve it with a non-sustainable diet and a non-sustainable workout routine, you will gain those 5 kgs again. And if you do not see success soon you will lose motivation.

Instead, if you focus on the process like walking daily, changing the diet. That will benefit you long-term.

As lifehacker.com stated: “When your goal is the process, you manage to hold on to your motivation longer because you’re achieving your goal every day”

The goal is your compass the System is your means of getting there.

For example:

Goal: On the 10.08.2021 you want to run and finish a 20 km marathon.

System: Every day, an hour after a healthy breakfast, you run 5km. Each Sunday you run 10km. As your stamina increases you change the system to 15km on Sundays.

One way to do so is to create a list of habits/ repetitive tasks that get you closer to your goal.

Most of the time achieving your goal doesn’t depend on major life-changing events. It’s the little things.

All your hard work, the small steps, accumulate.

100 words a day are 36.500 in a year.

Making 1 person smile a day are 365 moments you made someone smile!

The same goes for bad habits tho…

1 hour wasted on Netflix per day are 365 wasted hours!

I am not generally against TV. If you know it does you good after a long workday, I’d even recommend it. But often we use it as a means to escape and procrastinate.

3. Break your goals into milestones!

You might easily lose track of your goals if they are too far ahead in the future. It’s also hard to track your progress.

That’s what milestones are for. Milestones are mini-goals they give you structure.

For example:

Your goal is to do a freebie event on the 1st of October.

Your milestones are for example to have the freebie ready by April, to have a set of rules by May, to know about the packaging by June, to do the shoutout in August.

This way you can ask yourself: Am I on time? Milestones give you the when.

4. Create actionable steps towards your goal.

After you are done with breaking your goals into milestones. You have to break your milestones into actionable steps. They give you what to do.

Usually, people write down tasks such as prepare for the spring event. This wouldn’t be an actionable task. Where would you start?

Instead use clear, short, and precise words for your actionable steps. Use verbs.

For example:

Research 3 caterers.
E-Mail them for an offer.
Chose the best offer.
Make an appointment with the 1st and 2nd best offer for a test eating (Tony’s only free on the 5th of June!)
etc.

Fill the tasks into your calendar:

Write down tasks that occur daily.
Tasks that occur weekly.
Tasks that occur monthly.
One-time tasks.
Activities, appointments, meetings, deadlines, obligations.

5. Create a new/ fresh work environment.

Habits are based on a cue, action, and repetition.

So, if we want to establish a new habit or unlearn a bad habit it helps to remove old cues.

For example:

Each time you got home you ate a piece of chocolate.

You keep your chocolate in a bowl on your desk. You see it (cue) you grab and eat it (action).

If you change up your environment, you can eliminate the cue.

Out of sight out of mind!

Not only is changing your environment and workspace good for your habits it’s also fun and refreshing!

Throw out all the baggage from the last years. ( the stuff you don’t need anymore)
Color your workspace.
Put some candles on strategic spaces.
Make your home your happy place. Your refuge. Your little nest.
Declutter away. For a declutter list check out our post on decluttering.

Check out our post on decluttering!

Last but not least

on the way to your goals there are many distractions:

Work
Friends
Family
The tax declaration (god is it really time again already)

Don’t get discouraged when something doesn’t work out immediately. Don’t beat yourself up if you fail to achieve something.

Figure out what the reason was. Review your processes and try again.

Topics that could also be relevant to you:

Pinterest: projectgirl2woman

Instagram: projectgirl2woman

Twitter: @girl2_woman

Love from Germany,

Carina and Julia

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Challenge Your FEARS – a 2021 approach

Project Girl 2 Woman

Everyone has fears. Small children might be scared of monsters under their bed or what’s lurking in the dark. But even grown ups carry their fears around. Some have accompanied us since our childhood, some were formed by society and life. While most fears don’t keep us from having a nice life others can have a huge impact on our careers and relationships.

What are your fears?

The first task is to reflect on yourself and to think about everything that scares you. Whether we are afraid of heights or of our next dentist visit, everything is legit. Even though I have many fears on my list I’d like to share my fear of spiders but also the fear of being social. Both fears have the same impact on me: I am terribly scared of both of them. While the fear of spiders usually ends in a loud scream and me threatening the poor little creature with a slipper to leave, the fear of being social definitely has a more severe impact on my life.

How do they hinder you?

Before I go deeper into why the second fear has a deeper impact, I want to give you the next task: Write down how they hinder you. It could be that you are an amazing comedian and you love what you do but your stage fright just keeps you from appearing publicly. Or your dream car requires you to have a driver’s license, but you are scared of driving and thereby don’t dare to apply. Write down a few words for each fear.

Now before we move on: The social fear.

Being scared of social interactions definitely hinders you in many areas of your life. Practicing hours before meetings on what you say, shaky hands and a rapid heartbeat to just make a short call. You fear to speak up in case you embarrass yourself terribly. You don’t dare to say something in class, just in case you get it wrong and people laugh at you.

Not only does this behaviour say alot about your confidence but it also gives you hardships when it comes to school and work performance. Do you know that feeling? You might also have the fear of being social. Being unable to present yourself in interviews and presentations makes it hard for you to prove yourself worthy for a job or promotion. You might have great ideas but you never state them. It just holds you back from living life. But:

How would life be without the hindrance?

This third point helps, and helped me the most with fighting my fears. I just imagine how life would be without those fears. Being able to talk freely. Being able to bungee jump off a high building. Being able to just enter the plane. To just watch the lightning in awe. Or to just enjoy the time being alone. Wouldn’t it be amazing to just lift these chains we were bound to all this time?

What caused those fears?

But, to unlock the chains we need to find the key. And just with most mental barriers, fears also were triggered by either bad past experiences or our survival instincts. It wasn’t hard for me to figure out why I was scared of social interactions. Already in middle school people laughed at what I said. Sometimes for entertainment purposes, sometimes to hurt me.

At that moment I was very insecure about how people reacted towards me, so I tried my best to avoid negative feedback by avoiding interactions in general. Even though people left and came into my life, the fear of embarrassing myself in front of others stayed. Where did your fears come from? Is someone you grew up with scared of something and you just mirror his/her behaviour? Have you been in an accident, bullied or in any similar situation that had an impact on your life? Write it down.

It’s great to know where our fears come from. But without action there is no change. So our next step is to find one simple way on how we can fight it. Simple and easy. You don’t need the Eiffel Tower to fight your fear of heights. (But you need a driver’s license to fight your fear of driving!) You could look for a very high building you can visit or a nice hiking route.You could find someone who has a pet spider and meet with her. You could ask a friend to fly with you if you are afraid of flying. Or you could take part of a swimming course if you are afraid to drown. If you are scared of social interactions: So go and do things alone, dare to give someone a compliment or just raise your hand in class.

Do it anyway.

At one point you will be standing there, nauseous, with shaky knees and sweaty hands. And you will have to choose if you want to push through or give in. This is what fears do to us. Take a deep breath, remember why you have to do this and just act. The more often you will fight through these uncomfortable situations the easier they get.What I have learned over the past 12 months is that fears are like a muscle: You have to train them regularly to keep them strong. Being in lock down definitely threw me back with my progress, yet there is no way that I give up on my goal of being fearlessly social. I know that you, too, can achieve your fear free life once you set your mind on it.

Summary:

1. 1. What are your fears?
  2. How do they hinder you?
  3. How would life be without the hindrance?
  4. What causes those fears?
  5. What can you do to fight these fears?
  6. Do it anyway.

Topics that could also be relevant to you:

[Read] How to become Proactive – Create your “Proactive Personality”

[Read] The Mindset Of Successful People

[Read] How to get better at Communication – The most important Skill

[Read] 64 Questions for Self-Searching and Finding Yourself

[Read] 10 Ways to be more Social during Quarantine

Pinterest: projectgirl2woman

Instagram: projectgirl2woman

Twitter: @girl2_woman

Love from Germany,

Carina and Julia

Challenge Your FEARS – a 2021 approach Read More »