Note: I came across an article titled “The Biggest Wastes of Time We Regret When We Get Older” that I thought was important to share. It offers wise thoughts and suggestions, no matter how old or experienced you are; so much so, that I decided to make it the cornerstone of my next 4 blog posts. I hope you gain some of my additional insight, augmenting this article.
The first one is about asking for help. From the article’s intro (and my added thoughts on each section):
We spend a lot of energy looking for shortcuts to save time, and sure, those shortcuts add up. But when I look back, my biggest time regrets aren’t spending too much time on Twitter or mismanaging my daily tasks. Those are bad habits, but there are bigger, more systematic time wasters that have really gotten in the way. Fixing these will free up a massive amount of time and energy.
Not Asking for Help
The article mentions a formula of asking for help via email.
OK, that’s fine but very formulaic. Life is not always so cut-and-dried. To which I add: use LinkedIn to ask an open-ended question of a peer / colleague / vendor / member of your entourage (in any case, a carefully selected group of peers), or if appropriate, ask an entire LinkedIn group whose interest aggregate around the topic you are asking about!
Ask “Has anyone had success with a situation like this {…}” or “I am looking for your collected wisdom on a challenge I am facing in which {…}“.
Everyone wants to help out on LinkedIn {OK, most people do}! That’s why it is called social media! So ask away! If you do not receive concrete, helpful and thoughtful replies, you either did not ask the question well or you need a new group of connections!
And it’s perfectly fine to ask questions on LinkedIn, no matter how experienced or sage or old or recognized you are. Check the ego at the door. Where else can you access the world’s greatest group of experts on any topic and be so efficient in tapping into their collective knowledge?
And finally on this topic: if you need help on a mechanical LinkedIn topic, ask within the Help Center. And if you cannot find the answer from the prefab material there, ask them directly. They answer in about 36 hours, sometimes same day! And you can appeal or refine their reply.
Or ask me.
Tomorrow is part two: Trying to Make Bad Relationships Work
