Author: Denis John

A recent study by the UK government’s education ministry has found that online aptitude is beneficial to students. The study found that online aptitude had a significant positive impact on grades in arts and humanities subjects, as well as for maths and English Language GCSEs.

Online aptitude tests can be useful for students to assess the amount of knowledge they have for a certain area. Online tests are an easily accessible option, and can give insight into how people learn best. 

Online tools such as online aptitude tests can be helpful in assessing a student’s knowledge in specific areas. If a student is having trouble understanding material, online aptitude test tools like these can provide insight into how the student learns best. This is helpful when going back to school or preparing for a job interview to find out whether you need extra help with an area in which you don’t perform well and need extra practice, or if your learning style aligns better with one particular kind of subject. 

Many people are creatures of habit, and after taking an online aptitude test may discover that their learning style does not align with traditional learning styles or the way in which they have been taught. A student may fail a subject because they do not understand how to learn best, and therefore struggle when it comes to studying for tests. Online aptitude test tools can help students identify their own strengths as well as weaknesses.

Online aptitude tests are also great tools for schools to use in assessing the students, teachers, and administrators. By incorporating online aptitude testing into students’ schoolwork, educators can get a good idea of where their strengths lie and where they may need extra help. There are a variety of resources that can be found online, and all teachers should consider taking advantage of them, especially if they struggle with certain subjects.

Aptitude tests are becoming more popular for students to take. For example, one survey found that a majority of students at all years participating in the survey took online aptitude tests (53%), and many students who did not take online aptitude tests wanted to do so in the future (40%). Such statistics show that many students are interested in using online tests to improve their knowledge and understanding of subjects they have been studying. 

How is an online aptitude test useful for teenagers?

Furthermore, online aptitude tests can be useful for teenagers, who may be interested in taking steps to prepare for college. Online aptitude tests are an easy way to determine whether or not the student has taken the required classes, or if they need extra help. This can help them make smart decisions about what classes they should take in high school and whether or not they need to look into a college program. 

Students who are more interested in a career within a particular field of study may also benefit from using online aptitude tests as a tool to explore their interests and determine how they will best fit into their chosen careers.

Online aptitude tests can also provide additional insight into the characteristics needed for success.

Some online aptitude tests can help determine which courses you should major in at college or university, what type of job you should pursue, or even what occupation is best suited for your personality type—whatever your personal preference is! That’s why this test has become so popular amongst students.

Online aptitude tests are an essential part of the quantitative skills test for students and are used when conducting a candidate selection process. Online aptitude tests can be used as a way to increase employees’ efficiency by reducing the time this takes from the hiring process.

These high-quality tests are used to assess candidates before they start their jobs, and after they have been employed for a period of time to track performance and see changes in their character traits or skill sets throughout the duration of their employment at those jobs. 

In some countries, e.g. the United States, online aptitude tests are usually considered as pre-employment tools and are widely used in the recruitment process.

Apart from the American education system, many other countries have also implemented online aptitude tests into their formalised education systems.

In addition to this, online aptitude tests can also be obtained for a small fee on the internet that helps to assess and improve a candidate’s performance by measuring their ability to apply a skill or knowledge regardless of their educational level or field of expertise. This provides an opportunity for candidates to assess and improve themselves regardless of their educational level or working area.

This type of testing is done by either publishers or test developers who provide these assessments on behalf of companies. Usually, they are paid by the companies to create a set of tests that will be used to assess the skills and personalities of potential candidates.

In today’s day and age, there are many ways to measure an individual’s skill-set. One way is through online aptitude tests. As mentioned above, aptitude tests are very useful as they can provide students with an opportunity to apply their skills or knowledge in areas such as mathematics and logic; personality assessment has also become popular as it gives students a chance to identify their strongest traits, enabling them to develop these traits more effectively.

Apart from this, if you are a student it doesn’t matter whether a college student or a school student online aptitude tests plays a major role in your life. As we all know that most of the companies take aptitude tests for the selection process. So there is a company Mercer Mettl which works in this area and it helps the students by taking mock tests. If you are a student and need help in the field of any types of online aptitude tests, then I suggest you visit mettl.com at least one time. It surely helps you and clear all your doubts in the field of online aptitude tests.

Studying can be pretty frustrating, right? It can feel like there’s so much you need to learn and understand, but there just isn’t enough time in the day. Studies show that by studying in small chunks, rather than a continuous stream of information, we make better use of our memory and retain information for longer too. If you’re anything like us, then taking a course may be your answer. Taking a course may not seem like a big difference from studying alone. After all, how often do you really study with just one person? But there are a lot of benefits to taking a course as opposed to studying alone. Here are 4 reasons why you should consider taking a course like Kraftshala’s Facebook Ads and Google Ads Course, instead of studying on your own.

You’ll Learn From Better Instructors

A course is meant to give you a set amount of information over a specific period of time. You can’t do this in an extra session with someone, so how can we improve our teaching methods? There are a few ways we can improve the way we teach, apart from becoming better teachers, we can also use better technology. As technology advances, so do our teaching methods too. Online education is constantly evolving as technology advances and with that, online courses have become more engaging and engaging learning methods have become more common. There are several ways online courses are more engaging than traditional classroom based learning, like using visual aids, using gamification, having quizzes, and even having homework. These engaging methods allow for better retention of information, as well as motivation to study.

You’ll Be Inspired By Your Instructors

When you take a course, you’re surrounded by an inspiring community of students. You may have taken a class before where the professor was inspiring, but in a classroom that’s different than online. Online classes are led by an instructor who is a student too, which makes them more approachable and relatable. Not only will you be inspired by your instructors, but your classmates too! You’ll want to be surrounded by people who are interested in the same things as you are, whether that’s like-minded classmates or a specific academic area. You’ll be able to learn from people who are already experts in their fields.

You’ll Have Accompanying Materials

If you’re taking a class, you’ll always have the textbook, but for some classes, you may not have the accompanying notes and workbooks. If you’re studying on your own, you can use whatever materials you find helpful, but often, these materials are from a secondary perspective or not even found in your field of study. If you’re taking a course, you’ll have access to everything the instructor wants you to have access to. This includes access to the syllabus, assignments, and course materials. This can be a huge advantage if you think you’ll need more materials to feel more confident in your subject matter.

You’ll Build Relationships And Communities

If you’re taking a class, you’ll likely be meeting your classmates and your instructor in person and online. You may only meet your classmates once or twice, but you’ll likely be meeting your instructors in person. Online classes can be a little impersonal, especially when you don’t know your classmates. You may feel more connected when you know your classmates can be the source of support, especially if a subject or a class makes you feel uncomfortable. Meeting your classmates and instructors in person can be helpful when you need extra support or want to find out what’s going on with a class.

Studying is hard. No matter how much you like a subject, it can be challenging to wrap your head around everything, especially when you don’t have the time to experience it fully. That’s why it’s so helpful to find ways to study that work best for you. When you take a course, you’re able to study in a way that works for you. You can set aside specific times to study, you may be able to join study groups, and you can also find ways to study while doing your regular activities. There are so many ways to study, and many of them can be done alongside taking a course. From studying with a group online, to getting help with assignments and notes from your instructor, to using study materials, there are so many ways to study that work best for you.

The e-commerce landscape has transformed significantly over the past couple of years, courtesy of the pandemic.

If you have been planning to launch your own e-commerce venture, now is the best moment to start. More and more people are turning to the e-commerce industry every year because of this opportunity as well as the comparatively low entrance barriers for new retailers. 

However, the only thing holding people back is their inability to obtain a trustworthy financial source for their online business. Here, let us find out some practical options for funding your e-commerce business.

1. Business loans

The first and foremost choice for very reliable e-commerce funding is business loans. Under this form of financing, the business owner could borrow a specific sum of money from a lender as start-up capital. This type of financing falls under the category of debt financing, where the borrowed funds must be repaid to the creditor within the specified time frame in addition to the loan’s stated interest rate. The majority choose fixed-term business loans since they are thought to be the best option for e-commerce businesses.

2. Invoice financing

The issue of delayed payments is one that business owners often deal with. Due to the potential waste of time, money, and resources, a delayed payment could have a significant negative impact on the company’s cash flow. You could choose invoice financing because it enables quicker payment ways by releasing the capital that is bound up in the invoices. With this kind of funding, you can get the money right away and avoid having to wait a while. Another significant benefit of this sort of financing is that, depending on the lander, it will reimburse you for 90% of the upfront capital you have invested.

3. Merchant cash advance 

The merchant cash advance mode of funding is different from the other funding options, this financing, also known as merchant cash financing, stands out from the others. The proprietors of e-commerce businesses will benefit from this financing strategy by having access to potential future revenue. There are several considerations you should make before committing to merchant cash funding. One, the majority of merchant cash advances charge more fees than usual and seek frequent payments. Second, merchant cash financing is an unsecured method of business financing. This indicates that they won’t be subject to the same rules and regulations as companies that provide long-term finance.

4. E-commerce venture capital 

Another way to find funding for your online store is through e-commerce venture capital, in which the business receives funding from a single person in exchange for equity. Early-stage firms with a strong potential for growth in the future are more likely to employ finance that is given by a single investor or that originates from a venture capital fund. Early start-ups need adequate cash for their initial growth stage, which is ensured by E-Commerce venture capital financing because it gives the businesses a sizeable sum of money throughout their early stages of expansion.

5. E-commerce grants

E-commerce grants are one way to finance the development of an online firm. Grants are something that is seen as capital that firms are not compelled to repay. They are free stipulations, so they won’t cost your company a lot of money in the long run. They are among the top sources of finance for new eCommerce businesses because of this. Another significant benefit of e-commerce grants is that they come with no-strings-attached policies, which provide firms with total control over their operations.

6. Crowdfunding

The majority of people are aware of crowdfunding. People who are uninterested in the rules and fees associated with conventional financing choose this. For a number of reasons, crowdfunding might be the best financing option for online retailers. And a few of them are: it comes with no conditions attached; funding; total control over your business; and it’s one of the best ways to advertise your company.

Wrapping it up

Every funding option has unique advantages and downsides of its own. Some of these might be perfectly appropriate for your business, while others won’t be. Decide sensibly by taking into account your credit history, the amount you need, how quickly you need the money, the interest rate, as well as your willingness to give up equity.

Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash

The fact that going on an educational tour can help break up the routine of college life is one of the most important reasons why college students should take advantage of these opportunities. It allows them to explore the unknown, bringing them delight and a sense of accomplishment. In addition to this, it assists teachers in meeting particular curricular goals by helping them in the development of tours that are suitable for specific requirements. 

Fortunately, Oregon offers many options to explore adventurous locations and gain knowledge. The people in Oregon are among the friendliest in the country, and the state is home to breathtaking waterfalls, barren deserts, snow-capped mountains, gushing rivers, scorching hot springs, and a stunning coastline. In addition to the natural splendor of its landscape, Oregon is also famous for the allure of its cities. Here are some places that are a favorite among students.

Portland 

The magnificent Multnomah Falls is a waterfall that plunges in a picturesque cascade. In addition, there are many hiking paths in the surrounding area. Finally, it is highly recommended that you visit the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (also known as OMSI) on your list of things to do while in Portland. This online science museum features a wide variety of hands-on displays that are appropriate for visitors of all ages and cover a wide range of scientific disciplines, including chemistry, physics, astronomy, natural history, biology, and paleontology. 

The Columbia River Gorge National Area 

This breathtaking river canyon can be found on the border between the states of Oregon and Washington. It is most well-known for its stunning scenery and numerous waterfalls. 

While driving through the gorge on the Historic Columbia River Highway, you’ll experience a more relaxed pace than you would on the adjacent Interstate 84. This historic corridor is a popular route to explore by bicycle because it features several roadside sights visitors can enjoy. 

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park is located in the Cascade Mountains of southern Oregon and features a landscape unlike any other place on earth. 

Its unplowed route is utilized for travel throughout the winter by snowshoers, cross-country skiers, and other winter sports enthusiasts. In addition, some of Oregon’s most beautiful hiking routes are located in Crater Lake National Park. 

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is a well-known vacation spot located on the coast of northern Oregon. This beach is known for its expansive stretches of sand and breathtaking views of the rocky coastline. The most prominent sea stacks are known as Haystack Rock, which can be seen on the horizon during any trip to this seaside village. 

In addition to having breathtaking views of the ocean, Cannon Beach also has a vibrant cultural scene with a variety of excellent restaurants, quaint boutiques, and motels. 

Portland’s Washington Park 

The city of Portland has many beautiful parks. The beautiful Portland Japanese Garden is adjacent to the well-known International Rose Test Garden, both located inside the park grounds. Each demonstrates an excellent level of competence in horticulture and is a fan favorite among people with green thumbs. 

The National Forest of Mount Hood 

Mount Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon, has a peak elevation of 11,239 feet. This open area provides opportunities for a wide variety of outdoor pursuits. 

Bend is a city in Oregon, roughly in the middle of the state, surrounded by national forests, volcanoes, and dry plains. The High Desert Museum in the town provides enlightening presentations on the arid regions in the surrounding area. 

Activities such as rafting expeditions on the Deschutes River, visits to the volcanic landscapes of Lava Butte and Newberry National Volcanic Monument, and skiing at the expansive Mount Bachelor Ski Area are among the most popular things to do in the Bend area. 

Hood River

A little over an hour east of Portland is the picturesque Hood River, located on the Columbia River banks. It is well renowned as a site for kiteboarding and windsurfing, all of which may be enjoyed here, along with sightseeing and other outdoor sports. 

Tips on how to make your student excursion even more memorable 

Prepare some plans for activities

When traveling, organizing activities for larger groups can be challenging because it might be difficult to find space large enough to accommodate everyone. Everyone will have a better time participating in activities with a smaller group. 

Add a souvenir 

It is a one-of-a-kind method to get students excited about their journey. You can match the student event with a stylish personalized drawstring bag for class groups to fit when learning outside the classroom. You might also include other necessities, like a flashlight, hand sanitizer, etc. In addition, you can get custom drawstring bags in bulk to showcase uniformity among students.

Free up some time 

Even if the students learn a lot from the educational components of the trip, you don’t want them to have the impression that they’re sitting in a classroom the whole time. A vacation allows one to learn about one’s independence while exposing one to other environments. Hence, leave some free time for students to introspect.

Social media is an essential part of our lives now, and it’s becoming a competitive field where posts need to be in accordance with trends as fast as possible. Despite that, social media should still hold some value and spread helpful information in a way that’s accessible for everyone to understand. Therefore, infographics are a great way to improve your social media marketing because they allow you to use templates where information is put in a form that’s easy to grasp and aesthetically pleasing as well.

You can use an infographic maker to develop successful social media marketing. Here’s how!

Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/jrh5lAq-mIs 

They attract engagement

People’s primary sense is vision, which makes it our most used tool in identifying what’s in front of us for analyzing it. This is the reason people are more attracted to visuals because they can understand them better, rather than plain text or another form of content.

Infographics are part of the visual marketing strategy, in which you focus on providing qualitative and trustworthy visual representations of a subject related to your business. Using only text images won’t help you create a connection with your customers. But by creating eye-catching and persuasive figures containing stats and figures, you make one’s journey to learning easier and more accessible, leading to more credibility in your brand image.  

Luckily, you don’t even have to create them yourself and spend too much time on making the perfect infographic. All you need to do is use templates and modify them to your liking while ensuring the information shown is valuable.

They can make your content go viral

Going viral these days can pave the way to success in a matter of hours, especially if you’re a small business and are growing organically. However, a small percentage of the success is also luck, so the perfect recipe for it is to post frequent infographics and increase their quality with time to ensure that your viral post will make people check out your social profile.

Infographics are also easy to share with other people since they’re easy to understand and perceive. Despite being the perfect type of content marketing for regular users, infographics have been used progressively more in the past four years among B2B marketers. This only shows that smaller businesses and enterprises use them more to catch people’s attention since they’re highly informative.

They prove you’re a professional

Although you can use already-made infographics, searching for information and making it easy to understand is not that easy. You need to search for trustworthy sources to back up your posts and provide proper phrasing in order to make your posts look expertly made.

By using more high-authority sources for your infographics, you’re slowly attracting people who are looking for valuable information to share. Therefore, by being among the trusted sources regarding news, data or information, you’ll be considered reliable for people to look up to when it comes to learning something new.

And the possibilities are limitless. You can use an infographic maker for creating:

• Timeline infographics if you want to show how a particular event has developed quickly and simply;
• Process infographics to help people understand complex processes by walking them through simple steps;
• Comparison infographics to compare certain products or services or top highlight advantages and disadvantages;
• Educative infographics to summarize lessons and engage your learning audience to make their learning process easier;
• Statistical infographics through which you can tell the story of how a product or a technique has provided certain results in your next business meeting;

And much more! As there are many templates for you to use that can fit almost any circumstance, you’ll impress your audience and make them come back to you for valuable data assembling.

They’re great for SEO

You’ve mostly heard that good writing is the only good way to increase your SEO ratings, but that’s not entirely true ―infographics can be a valuable tool, too, since they’re easier to grasp. As people click, like and share an infographic, Google might index your website higher due to the algorithm. That means the search engine will recognize your infographic-based content as shareable.

However, ranking your infographics high does not mean you won’t need to pay attention to keywords and choose the best strategy because, as they’re trending, you’d want your post to drive the perfect type of new visitor to your website, so you might need to work on these aspects too so that the infographics get to the people you need to sustain your business.

Infographics matter because they can help you rank higher in search engines, even organically, when used with other marketing strategies. For example, when someone is looking for information and needs it immediately, it’s normal to use the more straightforward visual method of grasping it rather than going through endless articles or posts. So, your strategy will always be a priority.

They’re easy to embed

Analyzed from a technical perspective, infographics are more portable and more accessible to embed than regular posts. That’s because people can share them quickly by embedding the code you included in your posted infographic directly into their pages so that it will link back to your site automatically, bringing more readers to your social page.

Embedding facilitates your social media marketing by:

• Boosting your site engagements;
• Reducing your bounce rate;
• Making your website more interesting;
• Driving visitors to your social profiles;

Embedding an infographic is easy. You need to generate your embed code and take care of the basic elements like height, width and other considerations to ensure that the infographic appears impeccable. Anyone who embeds it can share it while the quality stays the same.

Final thoughts

Infographics are an easy and efficient way to grow your social media marketing, as they’re quick to create, and you can find many interesting templates to comply with your needs. Infographics have plenty of benefits, including boosting your site engagement and creating a professional brand image of your business, so they’re necessary to use for any company.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-red-blazer-wearing-blue-framed-sunglasses-sitting-on-wheelchair-4063618/

Most of us know that life insurance policies are important because they help protect our loved ones in the event of our death. Yet, many people think that disability insurance is much less necessary. The truth is disability insurance is just as important as life insurance. There are many types of disability coverage from generic policies to specialized disability insurance for doctors. Let us take a closer look at how disability insurance can be part of your financial protection strategy.

What constitutes a disability?

While definitions can change depending on insurance providers, a disability is generally defined as a medical condition that prevents you from working for some time. There is a misconception that disabilities tend to be the result of catastrophic accidents, but the fact is that many disabilities are caused by common illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. These illnesses often result in prolonged absences from work and in some cases may prevent you from returning to your former job. In addition, mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression may also qualify as a disability depending on the severity of your condition.

Short-term vs long-term insurance

Short-term disability insurance provides you with funds to replace a portion of your income if you become disabled for six months or less. It does not provide coverage for disabilities that last for more than six months. Short-term disabilities can cover issues such as back injuries, broken limbs, and recovery from surgery. It may also cover childbirth and maternity leave. This type of insurance is typically provided through your employer’s group insurance plan and premiums are generally paid through pre-tax payroll deductions.

Long-term disability insurance is designed to provide monthly income to individuals who cannot work due to an injury or illness that lasts longer than six months. While some long-term disability policies may provide benefits for five to ten years after you become disabled, some extended policies will cover you up to retirement age. Long-term disabilities can include conditions such as cancer, childbirth complications, partial or full paralysis, and brain injuries. You may have to purchase your own long-term disability policy and typically must pay extra for increased coverage.

Important considerations when choosing a policy

Premium – The insurance premium is the amount of money you will pay each month for the policy. The amount of coverage you select will have a major impact on the price of the premium. A higher level of coverage will generally result in a higher premium than a lower level of coverage.

Benefits – The benefit is the amount of money that you will receive per month from the insurance company if you are unable to work due to a disability. The amount you receive depends on the amount of coverage you purchased. Most of the time, the benefit will only cover a maximum of 70-80% of your pre-disability income. However, you may also be able to receive other financial benefits if your policy covers them.

Elimination Period – Also known as the waiting period, this is the time that must pass before you can begin receiving benefits under a disability policy. If you become disabled during the elimination period, you will not be eligible to receive any benefits. Your elimination period may be as short as a month to as long as a year. Shorter elimination periods typically result in higher insurance premiums.

Maximum benefit period – This is the maximum length of time that your disability benefits will continue for. Some policies may provide you with coverage for your entire working life while others only provide coverage for a specific number of years. Most people opt for a policy that will cover them until they reach retirement age but this may cost you significantly more.

Riders – Riders are coverage add-ons that allow you to customize your insurance policy to meet your needs. Common riders include cost of living adjustments (COLA), student loan riders, alternative care riders, and future purchase options. Each rider has its own terms and conditions as well as its own cost.

Level or graded premiums

Some insurers offer graded premium policies where premiums start low and become higher over the policy term. Such policies are good choices for certain people who are just starting in their careers, such as medical residents. This ensures that you get better rates because you start your coverage at a younger age. As your age and salary increase, you can then convert your policy to a level premium that keeps your coverage at a fixed rate regardless of your policy term.

Profession-specific policies

It may be prudent for people in certain professions to have disability insurance policies that are designed for their specific industries. For instance, doctors should have true own-occupation coverage that allows them to collect insurance benefits if they end up working in a different role due to their disability. Because the medical profession is a very specialized field, such policies protect doctors from loss of income when they leave the specialty that they invested a lot of time and money in.

Disability insurance is an affordable way to protect a valuable asset—your ability to earn an income. Always look for true own-occupation coverage when shopping for a disability insurance policy and be sure to explore your options thoroughly with insurance advisors before making a decision.

Photo by Zyro on Unsplash

Today ecommerce is bigger and better than it has ever been before. For a few years now, the shift from traditional commerce opportunities to modern marvels has been something that has been met with more and more interest and investment as time has gone on. So much so, in fact, that today there is more advancement and enhancement around us than never before. And a lot of it is geared towards allowing and empowering even the most traditionally inclined businesses and industries to embrace modernisation. Quite simply, this is the way that the world is now moving and it is essential that businesses are willing and able to adjust.

Building a thriving career in the ecommerce space can be quite overwhelming. However, the best news of all is it does not have to be. There is a lot to be said about the many advantages of not only being aware of ecommerce but being a part of it as it continues to evolve and expand as time goes on. So, what are the advantages of a career in ecommerce and how can you hope to be able to actively consistently build upon your career opportunities to be able to continue to work in a field you are so passionate about not just now but for years to come? 

A career in an ever evolving space

There is more emphasis and we have never seen before on the fact that e-commerce is not only well and truly here to stay but it is definitely an ever evolving space. Every other day it seems that this is a space that exceeds opportunity and provides more and more opportunities for growth and expansion not only for those who have careers within ecommerce but also for anyone involved in the space at all. In a relatively short time span, ecommerce has gone from one strength to the next with more years and transparency than we have ever seen. And this is very much just the start.

A fast-paced career trajectory

In the online space, there is so much attention to detail surrounding the fact that careers in the space are the very same ones that are very much fast paced. From having to create on the ground solutions to problems to being able to expand and improve a business model from the inside out in an online space that seems to have room for everyone and yet quite a diluted framework, the reality is that The ecommerce space is very fast paced and so is a very rewarding space to build your career in as well as being one that is only going to continue to be more valuable in the digital era and beyond.

Getting in on a field that continues to gain momentum

The fact is that being able to build your career in a field that continues to gain valuable momentum even – and especially – today is an invaluable asset not only to your current trajectory as a career driven individual but to your career’s longevity and success as we continue to go into the digital era more and more. To learn more about careers in ecommerce and how you can become involved yourself (or simply build on your already well established ecommerce career), click here to see content marketing tactics.

Whether you’re leading a team or have to juggle multiple tasks to hit your deadline, chances are you’ve had to plan. And how good you were at planning tied directly to how good you were at meeting those goals.

Just like learning to learn, learning to plan is one of those skills we’re all supposed to have but aren’t taught. At best, we are forced to develop some kind of planning strategies (some better, others worse) by doing. At worst we can find ourselves starting a career we perfectly qualify for, except for one tiny ability: planning.

If you need to get better at this vital skill, and fast, don’t panic! We’ve broken down what actually goes behind a successful plan, into 5 quick steps for you to easily apply in your day-to-day professional life.

Step 1: Can I do it?

Yes. Yes, you can. You don’t have to be the most organized person in the world (although it can help). Even if you have a more spontaneous nature or have a shorter attention span, you can and should learn to plan effectively to avoid being overwhelmed by tasks.

While there are layers of complexity when organizing yourself or others towards a certain goal, you don’t always have to know advanced excel formulas to make spreadsheets or graphs. For example, a very easy-to-use decision tree maker online can do a lot of the heavy lifting in any kind of planning process. 

Alternatively, many plans can be made easier with a pen on a piece of paper. It’s been proven that writing things down, as opposed to typing on a device, can help you retain and also focus better as it stimulates the creative part of your brain. 

If you haven’t done a lot of planning, or have bad memories of not succeeding where you wanted, you might view yourself as a bad planner. It’s important to put that view aside, so it does not stunt your development process as you try implementing different ways of organizing.

Step 2: Be selective.

Especially in the beginning, but also throughout your planning process, it’s important to know where to direct your focus. You have limited energy, attention, and time, and how you use it is vital in getting things done.

One of the worst things that people who want to improve this skill do is to start one day and micro-manage every little part of their or their team’s day. That is doomed to fail, not only due to lack of experience but also from decision fatigue.

We need to think of this like going to the gym to work an underdeveloped muscle – we don’t want to damage it through overwork. We want at first to start small, which for planning can be trying to just give structure to your day. Don’t plan every little thing, just divide your day between your work life and your personal time. Assign just a few tasks to be done at work and chores for when you’re at home.

This seemingly insignificant effort will train your ability to break large things into small tasks. After a while, try going deeper with complex work tasks while at the same time looking for opportunities to keep training your planning ability in your spare time (such as when planning a vacation for example). At this time, using different tools will probably be a must.

Step 3: Use tools to help you.

Everything from online resources to spreadsheets and notepads, when diving deeper into organizing large projects you will need something to help direct your thoughts. While before a simple event on your calendar could suffice, now you’ll need to push yourself to do more.

Many naturally tend to gravitate towards the usual sticky notes, to write down what they might forget otherwise. This can be useful especially if you’re the kind of person that works better with visual cues. Other creative options worth mentioning are whiteboards and mind maps. Try them all, and see which one sticks.

Step 4: Prioritize.

Some tasks need to be done in one hour, others by end of the day, and others sometime this week or month. You’ll need to have an easy, intuitive way of differentiating these tasks so that you’ll be able to know at a glance which is which.

You can either assign each task a value, or a color. Green for “it can be done anytime this week”, red for “urgent” or 5 for low priority while 1 is the highest priority. Many successful business people usually have a simple but effective to-do list of tasks needed to be done and then another list for a given day.

Every morning they wake up reviewing the list, choosing what they think they can do that day, what can wait until tomorrow and what can or can’t be pushed. At the end of the day, they would do another check, crossing what was done and what would need to be carried over to the next day.

They would also add additional tasks from sticky notes, emails, or any other notes they took during the day. Developing this kind of system is the end goal of this stage, as it  will greatly affect the number and efficiency of tasks you are able to carry out throughout the day. 

Step 5: Time management and multitasking.

If you’ve done everything in the previous steps but nothing else, you’ll most likely end up at the stage where you get things done at a better rate than before, but still feel like you’re not that effective. You might think that there’s a missing piece of the puzzle. You would be correct. That piece is time. 

Assigning each task a time estimate for completion once started is absolutely necessary. This will help you manage your time more efficiently, by putting a timer on every task during which everything else goes out the window. You’ll need to absolutely abandon the illusion of multitasking during this stage.

Multitasking isn’t the ability to focus on multiple things at once, human psychology teaches us that is impossible. True multitasking is the ability to quickly switch focus from one thing to another in a seamless transition. While it might seem counterintuitive, this is true focus mastery and what you should aim for. But how do you get here?

First thing is to learn to say no to distraction. Either by blocking off time off your calendar or by telling people a firm “No.” when trying to distract you, make sure once the task scheduled comes next, you focus 100% on it. Nothing else should exist for you besides the task for that given time.

Make sure to also plan breaks. By asking for more from your mind through these periods of time when you’ll be concentrating intensely on a singular purpose, you’ll also tire more. While before you could’ve been fine with a full workday with no breaks, now you need to be as serious about your breaks as about any tasks on your list. Focus on not focusing, on relaxing your mind to be ready for the next task.

Conclusion

Self-development takes time. True mastery will probably take you your whole life (or just 10 years by following the 10,000 hours principle), but you’ll receive immediate returns on your investment of time and effort. You can easily track this by comparing what was planned versus what was done. If you see the result is at least 70%, you can consider this ideal.

Another counterintuitive consideration is that we can never reach 100% planning. This is impossible due to the randomness of life. Everything from a doctor’s appointment to an accident, things will pull you in different directions without you being able to always say “No.”. But if you look back and see you’ve managed to do what you planned roughly 70% of the time, then you can consider yourself a good planner.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/F9DFuJoS9EU

Mental health conditions are becoming more prevalent in the modern world and can degrade the quality of life. However, experts suggest that these conditions are reversible. Psychotherapy is a legitimate treatment practice that encompasses different approaches to help identify and mitigate the effects of challenging thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Here are the benefits of psychotherapy:

1.      Reliable Help with Depression and Anxiety

Depression is among the top mental health issues that jeopardize the quality of life. The condition interrupts sleep patterns and appetite and can leave you with an intense feeling of guilt and apathy.

Psychotherapy treatments can provide sufficient emotional support to help individuals overcome the symptoms of depression. Professional therapists with EMDR training often host patients in favorable environments where they can explore potential causes and solutions to underlying issues. The sessions aim at helping the patient establish better thought processes and reactions.

Anxiety is a common issue affecting about 40 million people in the US, and almost half of those with depression suffer from anxiety. Unlike the normal stress that most people experience, anxiety is a chronic issue that is often ongoing. Clinical anxiety can cause severe social complications when left untreated. Psychotherapy can help you deal with anxiety and regain your grounding in life. A therapist helps you identify the underlying causes that jeopardize your normal well-being.

2.      Help with Relationships and Compulsions

Obsessions are unwanted thoughts fixated on a specific goal, while compulsions are repetitive and irrational behaviors exhibited by individuals. In most cases, people are compelled to perform specific things to relieve stress due to an obsession.

Experienced psychotherapy professionals can guide patients to take an objective stance and examine inherent behaviors. The goal is to reveal negative thought patterns and determine viable alternatives to deal with the issue. With time, an individual can break the cycle and return to normal life.

Psychotherapy treatment is a powerful tool that can help people improve their relationships. Typically, professionals help people maintain and improve the lines of communication to enhance relationships. This treatment can help you gain a deeper perspective on various relationship issues that may arise. You can also use it as a preventative strategy when you feel your relationships are about to experience turbulent times.

3.      Minimize the Rate of Psychiatric Hospitalization

Psychotherapy can reduce the instances of psychiatric hospitalization as well as additional medical procedures. Appropriate integration of psychotherapy treatment in primary care can lower the cost of medical care by up to 30%.

In addition, a combination of psychotherapy and pharmaceutical medication is more effective and has better long-term benefits than medication alone. Research shows that two-thirds of patients who receive medication alone experience anxiety and depression relapses. On the other hand, only a third of patients who receive psychotherapy treatment and medication experience mild anxiety.

Endnote

Psychotherapy treatment is effective and beneficial in addressing different psychological health issues. And while it may take some time, the treatment can bring peace of mind and clarity to patients suffering from difficult experiences. Typically it helps patients explore negative thought patterns and understand the impacts on their psychological health. It also helps reframe thought patterns and behavior to ensure optimum mental health.

Introduction 

CoPilot’s Return to Normal Index is the only index that tracks the used car market’s return to normal. The Index shows the differential between what an individual used car would have been worth today if not for the extraordinary dynamics of the past two years, versus how much it is actually worth now – and tracks this differential over time. In doing so, the Index provides the only real-time barometer of which vehicle types offer the best value, how close a particular vehicle is to its projected normal price, and how far it has to fall. 

Using CoPilot’s free Price Pulse tool, car shoppers can easily check current prices and the Price Premium on any car, track price changes, and compare across years and models to choose the right car and know when to buy. 

Background

The combined effects of extraordinary market dynamics over the past two years have created unprecedented inflation in used cars, leading to all-time high prices, up 51% percent from before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Significantly, the Return to Normal Index reflects current retail prices, rather than wholesale prices, offering a real-time metric of the challenges facing consumers in the market. 

Return to Normal Index report anatomy

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Previous month’s data)

PRICE PREMIUM BY TYPE OF VEHICLE 

PRICE PREMIUM BY BRAND 

Luxury brands

Domestic brands

PRICE PREMIUM BY VEHICLE AGE 

CONCLUSION 

METHODOLOGY 

Example reports

CoPilot’s Return to Normal Index 8/22

CoPilot’s Return to Normal Index 7/22

CoPilot’s Return to Normal Index 6/22

Additional information

Official website

Price pulse

Media Contact: 

Kerry Close 

kclose@groupgordon.com 

732-609-2644