The Increments

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The Sticky Note System Part 4: The Personal Development List

The Sticky Note System is holistically important, but some sticky notes hold more prominence than others. The Personal Development List is by far the most foundational, the ultimate prerequisite. Essentially, it is a list of the biggest issues in your life that warrant attention. This list will be divided into two tiers. Items categorized under practice-based personal development fall under the first tier. This can include spending time in solitude and/or meditating, memorizing scripture, eating healthier, etc. The second tier lists mindset-based areas of personal development. Examples of this are humility, respect for parents, and contentment. This part of the Sticky Note System is incredibly simple. Look at this list every day and choose one or two things to work on (ideally one from each tier). Then work on them.

The Sticky Note System Part 3: The Responsibilities List

Weekly e-mails, zoom calls, and more. If there's anything humans are prone to forget, these are it. Here's the problem with this. Improving yourself and taking on leadership positions inherently includes these responsibilities. For example, as the president of my local National Homeschool Honor Society chapter, I sometimes have to send emails on specific days. In addition, there are a lot of random, unscheduled tasks that fall on me to be completed. And this principles apply to all the other leadership positions I hold. However, it's hard to balance all of these things that are scheduled or even unscheduled with a to-do list. The solution I've found is the third part of the series, "The Sticky Note System". It's called the responsibilities list. Here's how it works: Create a simple list of the responsibilities you have outside of school. This isn't a list of all the chores you have to do because of your position. It is a list of the

The Sticky Note System Part 2: The Fuel List

I remember when I filled the gas tank with my parents' car for the first time. It was shocking. I mean, people had already told me that it was going to be expensive. But actually seeing the price per gallon add up and then realizing that this was a routine payment was quite the experience. People are willing to pay a lot of money for fuel. Why? Well, it gets them places. This story begs the question, how often do you think about the ways that you fill your fuel tank of motivation? For most people, the answer is not often, or even never. Here's a way you can change that. It's the second part of my beloved Sticky Note System: The Fuel List The Fuel List is something that a good friend of mine introduced me to. It's really simple. You keep a list of names on a sticky note. These names belong to hard-working peers who either compete with you on the daily or are going into the same career path as you. Those two criteria are incredibly important. I have many

The Sticky Note System Part 1: The To-Do List

I still don't know how my grandparents did it. They lived most of their lives without sticky notes. It doesn't make logical sense to me, and it never will. My grandparents must be superhumans to have survived like this. If you aren't a superhuman, then we are in the same boat. We must have sticky notes to function, which is why this is the first article of a 5-part series entitled, "The Sticky Note System". Throughout this series, I will guide you in developing your very own comprehensive system of 5 different sticky notes. Unfortunately, the first sticky note you need on your desk is relatively rudimentary and boring. Nevertheless, it is vital to your work life. So, without further ado, let's discuss the to-do list. The to-do list should be a sticky note containing all of your tasks for the day. I recommend a three-tier system. The first tier details anything you need to get done that is either major or urgent. Then, you should have a secon

How To Write for The Increments

Do you want something new on your resume? Do you want to expound upon your writing abilities? Do you want to make me happy??? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, please send me an email (contact information in profile) that includes: 1) Your name and age, 2) Your writing experience, 3) A sample of your writing abilities. I will review your application and get back to you as soon as I can.

The Increments: What This Is and Why You Should Care

Hi! I'm Brayden Braun. Interesting, I had to introduce myself immediately. Why? Well, you don't know me. In fact, most people don't. Is that a problem? Maybe not at this point, but it could be. Imagine how redundant it would be for Elon Musk to introduce himself to you. He would probably do so out of formality, but it wouldn't be necessary. Because you (assuming you don't live under a rock) already know of him. Now, let's go one step further. Imagine if it would be redundant for YOU to introduce yourself to someone you have never met. That would be insane. It's possible though. Virtually no one knew who Elon Musk was at one point. Virtually no one knew who Vladmir Putin was at one point. Virtually no one knew who Mother Theresa was at one point. Every celebrity I just mentioned has two things in common: 1) they are great people (not necessarily in a moral sense), and 2) they now have influence. The former is the means, the latter is the en