Saturday, September 24, 2016

If You Can't Kill It With Fire, Then Kill It Like A Boss



How I Plan to Kill This Final Report

like a Boss.



I'm not going to lie to you, starting is always the hardest part for me. Call it what you will; lack of

motivation, or abnormally cold weather - this final report is very daunting. Like always, Mum senses 

my desperation and gives me a good piece of advice. "Work at it even just a little bit, every day and 

you'll see that it will be done in no time." So after receiving this momentarily inspiring advice, I 

calculated that if I contributed 200 words each day, then I would have the report done in 3 weeks.



That old chestnut.


Of course, that didn't happen and more time passed. There was no sudden, brilliant epiphany and

certainly no progress. Why? because the bulk of my report would come from my PR plan, which was

still pending. The obstacle was, that I just couldn't find a way to narrow down my ideas, in a way that

would holistically achieve the organisational strategy. Finally, I asked myself this simple question:


"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?"


My first answer was, "because I want to graduate - obviously." I then pushed myself to answer 

more objectively and reworded the question. Michelle, what exactly are you trying to achieve? So I 

answered, "A solution."


That's when it hit me. All PR plans, start with a problem. Some people are scared of that 

word... 'Problem'. But they shouldn't be because if there is a problem, then there is also a solution to 

counteract it. Problems might seem intimidating, but take courage. There are ways to approach 

problems, so that they don't seem so unbeatable.


Without further ado, here is the best problem solving tip I ever learnt. When faced with a problem, 

consider what you can do about it.

Courtesy of my first year unit, Business Information Systems - 2014.
Thanks goes to that amazing Unit Coordinator.



THE COGS IN THE BRAIN GO ROUND AND ROUND

round and round, round and round.



I sat and thought about the problem that the business was facing, which wasn't difficult; because my 

boss already told me exactly what the problem was. Coming up with the solution was also a self-

explanatory process. Logically, I want exactly the opposite of the current problem, to happen instead.

The difficult part now, is how to make the opposite happen. That's when I started analysing and 

thinking critically. What are we doing now and what or how does it need to change? I used the 

problem-solving approach above and now I can gladly tell you that my PR plan and final report is all 

planned out and a promising work-in-progress.



WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BLOG?

Super Simple Steps: how to solve a problem



1. Establish the problem exactly


2. Establish the ideal solution


3. Establish what can be done about the problem
using a problem-solving approach like the one above.



I wish you all the best, killing your reports like bosses, also. 


Until soon. Always like a boss, 

 - Mivalaa










7 comments:

Unknown said...

I absolutely love reading this post. it's so accurate and I can really relate on a student level to how one experiences the challenges on completing such an important task. The tips you wrote are so motivating and very accurate to ensuring we students get the job done (this also applies to our internship). I love the "graduating" part because, that is true, we need this to graduate. I hope you'll be more motivated to complete your report just like I am now, Thank you! Have a good one and all the best.

-Clinton Chua

Unknown said...

Great post Mivaala, I agree with your mum about doing a little bit each day, my mum says the exact same thing! So much less stressful if you get a little done each day.

Unknown said...

Hi Clinton!

Thank you so much for your comment. I love knowing that my words resonated with you - even more so, I love hearing that my words have even done as much as motivating you! You are most welcome, thank YOU for your comment. Your positivity has re-energised me and I will work on the report as soon as I finish replying to these comments!

Good luck to you also, may the force of fruitfulness be with you.

- Mivalaa

Unknown said...

Hi Holly!

Thank you for commenting on my post! Haha, yours too huh? Mothers... always right.

Have you been able to work on your report consistently? That would be some really good self-discipline right there. I hear that consistency is also one of the leading factors to winning at life.

May the consistency continue with thee!

- Mivalaa

Unknown said...

Hi Michelle

Great Post! I love your title "If You Can't Kill It With Fire, Then Kill It Like A Boss"!

I can relate and agree so much to your blog!

I like the tips you said in your post, and also asking "Why are you doing this?", the answer came up to me was exactly the same as you, 'TO GRADUATE'.

After reading your post, I should start using the problem-solving approach! (I think it would be quite useful for me)

Thank you Michelle for this amazing blog post!

P.S Now I should put in mind, to kill the report like a boss! haha

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Hi Winnie!

Thank you very much for your comment! I replied from the wrong google account so I had to sign in again to soothe my OCD tendencies, ha!

Well I have heard that great minds think alike... Time to kill this report, get out of here and jump into the real world!

That's fantastic to hear, I hope you do find it useful and I'd love to hear about the instances where you were able to apply it.

Thank YOU for loving it and letting me know!

YASSS GIRL THAT'S THE SPIRIT!