Some individuals’ careers seem to skyrocket, while others find themselves in a perpetual state of 'SOS' (stuck-on-stupid), a term I use to describe a rut. Regrettably, I've been in the latter category for far too long. 

However, I've developed a rigorous paradigm that has been a game-changer for me, and I'm confident it can be for you, too.

Have fun while doing it!

I received so much feedback that I had to add this section about having fun.

I have been wholly unfairly accused, even by my best friends, of being too rigorous and hard on myself. So unreasonable! Just because I get up at 05:00 every day, including weekends, and have the philosophy of not wasting even 15 minutes does not mean my life is not fun! 😉 

The things I do are my passion. I am very scrupulous about eliminating unwanted tasks. I love to talk to friends, but I cannot stand people wasting time. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I sleep plenty. Even house chores can be pleasant and productive because I usually listen to a great audiobook or interesting podcast. There is plenty of housework as I have kids. I usually come up with new ideas while doing seemingly mundane things.

Now that you see the wisdom and are convinced let me show you how.

Clean up your life and eliminate bad influences.

I decided to start with the cleanup because people often say they have no time. After that, they say they are not smart enough. Both statements are rubbish.

False authority

Surprise! Your teachers, parents, managers, and coworkers could implant your head with terrible career decisions.

I spent decades thinking that the only worthy path was to be a developer writing code. I was afraid to cross into management and stayed at the architect level or technical team leader for far too long. Today, I realize that leadership has a far greater influence on the direction of any venture. You can learn how to write code in two years, but it takes decades to become a good leader. Start early.

In the absence of good mentors, I surrounded myself with smart books and podcasts. The whole mission of my writing is to cut years off from your struggle. 

Avoid naysayers

Nothing will bring you down as quickly as a friend or family member who is a psychopathic pessimist. Sadly, most people have some predisposition towards it. Do not listen to them. If you know that negativity is coming your way, do not even talk to them. Your life and career are at stake here.

Avoid complainers

People with victimhood syndrome will justify almost anything in their life. Then, they will spend the rest of the day browsing Facebook or Instagram, getting depressed. In the evening, they will think about how unfortunate their life is because of the government, parents, or some recently fashionable excuse to blame. Do not talk to them.

Avoid commodity skills

If everyone and their grandma can do IT, you might need to choose something different. Pun intended. Choose the path less traveled.

Manage the distractions

In today’s world, distractions abound. 

As you read it, I am distracting you from what you should be doing. Hopefully, the benefit outweighs the loss.

I love learning new things and binging on YouTube. I would love to study an infinite number of things, but that is not the reality. I do have to make selections.

I cannot list all the bad things you must eliminate; they will be specific to your situation, but I suggest you list them in your little red book. Please read on.

Make a list

Trying to do everything will surely lead to failure and depression. 

You have to become very diligent in prioritizing. 

1. Write a long list of major goals.

2. Prioritize it. 

3. Sleep on it; it is very important. 

4. Make some hard choices. 

5. Do only the top one. It may take months. 

6. Re-evaluate your life. Micro-pivot.

7. Go back to #1.

Here is an example list of my current priorities. It does not include sleep, recreation, work, family, or friends. Below are only categories of career development beyond regular work. Yours will be different.

1. Should I spend time reading and writing?

2. Should I invest the time in new certifications?

3. Should I be focusing on machine learning? 

4. Should I be focusing on autonomous driving?

5. Should I write software apps?

Why number 1 is reading and writing?
Read these posts:

• On Writing …

• On Reading …

• My Books …

Re-evaluate your life

So, you might ask yourself, what is next? What should I focus on in the next few months?

Review your interests, your talents, your experience, and build upon it.

If you have nothing going on yet, follow what interests you most; otherwise, you won’t stay on course.

Do not jump around. Select one single thing you want to do in the next two years. Life is longer than you think. You can change your mind 20 times in your career.

Once you decide about your future, you can relax and study.

Micro-Pivots

I make career direction adjustments every few years. I micro-pivot by a few degrees to respond to the changing market and my interests. I believe we should always build upon our prior experiences. Starting from scratch is generally a terrible idea.

I need to keep this email to about 1,000 words, so I will continue the career development theme in the next episode.

Respectfully,

Uki D. Lucas
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ukidlucas/
https://x.com/ukidlucas
http://www.UkiDLucas.com/

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