The Jargon Jungle series has been akin to a walk in the jungle — making out what you encounter, dealing with it, sidestepping it, or keep the learning for future. These were random encounters, and we crossed many trails during this long walk.
Let us now take an aerial view of some of the trails we walked in this series. We will start by covering the ‘personal growth and well-being’ trail.
Bandwidth
“Bandwidth drops with age — it is at its peak when you leave your B-School...”
You have a ‘bandwidth half life’. When you can’t devote time for important things like exercise or deep thinking an important project, you have a bandwidth issue. Sooner or later, you will become your own obstacle, hindering your growth and health.
This article on how to deal with lack of bandwidth talks about the issue in detail, explaining how to prevent the problem and how to give yourself more room for truly important things.
Emotional intelligence
Your emotions can boost your creativity or productivity. Likewise, they can also send you on a vicious downward spiral of anxiety, hate, jealously, and anger. Our achievement-oriented and busy lives make us blind to what is simmering under the hood. The problem here is that there is a wide range of literature on the subject and a large number of tests — and most won’t leave you any wiser. This article, on decoding emotional intelligence , shows a middle path.
Work-life balance
Effects of your ‘bandwidth limitations’ and ‘emotional issues’ are felt over long term as ‘work-life imbalance’. This is another term which gets talked about quite a lot. Unfortunately, it stops right there — at being talked about.
This write-up, on what work-life balance really means , holds a mirror to you so you can recognise if you have a serious ‘work-life balance’ issue. If you do have one, then it is time for you to take matters into your own hands. The article describes what you need to look at, and gives a few tips for creating conditions conducive for balance.
Left and right brain thinking
As a result of pop literature, these terms are often confused with logical thinking and creative thinking, respectively. The confusion has caused many people to stereotype themselves as either rational thinkers or creative thinkers.
There is no neurological evidence for such a ‘specialisation’, as far as our brain is concerned. Worse, it limits people from developing whole brain thinking that is necessary for personal and organisational growth. The " whole brain thinking is key to excellence " article debunks the popular myth and helps you set yourself free from the constraints these boxes impose on your progress.
Actions
Action plans or action items seem mundane, but your good thoughts, noble intentions, and great ideas will have a tangible effect only if you convert them into specific and verifiable actions.
If you find yourself stagnating, this is the area you must look into. To understand how to convert your thoughts into actions, read ' all talk and all action '. Try to think through any jargon to decide what you can actually do. You will find that actions are the best jargon-busters.
Further reading
Here are a couple of articles about spotting your own talent.