In October of 2020 I made the following declaration “I hereby declare to attempt the AWS Data Analytics Specialty certification by Dec 2020. Over to you, now!“. I’m glad to announce that I kept my word and earned myself a 4th AWS certification in the process. I’ve already mentioned several of the simple tips that I use to keep myself on track for my goals in the previous article. I faced some obstacles during my preparation for this certification too. In this post I share with you some of the ways in which I overcame those obstacles.
Deadline
It’s surprising how much an approaching deadline can forcibly push us into top gear performance. Somehow the last minute rush will start firing all the engines even in the most unmotivated of individuals. (I speak from experience.) Well, here’s a little known corollary about deadlines, you can give yourself a deadline. I once speed-read the 30 odd remaining pages from a borrowed ebook, just because the library app reminded me that the book was going to be returned in the next 5 minutes. I could very well have re-issued the book. But somehow, a deadline set by a mere app pushed me into hyperdrive mode. Post that experience, I said to myself, “Well, if an app can do that to me, I can do it to myself too.” And as mentioned in the opening line, I’ve used that to my advantage by setting a deadline for my cert. And you can too. Pick your topmost goal, do an approximate estimation of how much time it would take to get there, look up the calendar and set the date. Then make your goal known to someone to add some accountability.
Break it down
Once you have a deadline set, it’s trivial to work backwards from that date. Break down the goal into smaller tasks. I usually make a list of the topics that I need to study, the areas where I want to get some hands-on experience, the videos that I need to aid my learning, etc. I set smaller deadlines for the tasks which would eventually help me in the overall goal. I like to take a text file and simply jot down dates and the specific tasks/topics I plan to complete by those dates. I leave buffer on a weekly basis because “life happens”. Also, whenever I finish off a particular task, I make it a point to ceremoniously move it to the DONE list. This helps in providing a sense of achievement for my efforts on a daily/weekly basis rather than waiting for a few months to get a larger goal struck off from my todo list. Also, this upfront planning frees me of the daily dilemma of “What should I do today?”. Another benefit of this approach is that it prevents stagnation that arises at times by over-dwelling on a specific topic/task.
Efforts
Note that in my declaration I didn’t claim that I would “certainly clear” the certification by a certain time but that I would merely attempt the exam. There are a lot of factors which contribute towards the outcome of a particular endeavor. Hold yourself accountable for the efforts that you put in, not for the outcome. Bad news: the outcome is usually not in our complete or direct control. Good news: the efforts that you put in are completely in your control. And usually your efforts will determine your outcome. If you dread an unfavorable outcome, simply add a margin of safety by pouring in more efforts.
Give up
If your hands are full and you want to pick up something else, you need to give up something that you already hold. Everyone wants to succeed, but sadly not everyone is willing to pay the price for success – effort, time, sacrifice. There is only so much that you can do in a day. You can either work on your goals or you can watch that movie that is trending on Netflix today. I have willingly let entertainment take a back seat if I have not been able to tackle my “daily tasks”. I have grown used to sacrificing in order to achieve my goals. I remember watching this “funny” video clip where a bunch of random teenagers on the street were asked, “What’s your biggest achievement in life?”. Most of the kids said something along the lines of “I’ve watched the entire 7 seasons of XYZ series in x months.” or “I’ve reached the Nth level of XYZ game.” I don’t want to live a life where at the end when I meet my Maker, I state my accomplishments in merely the speed at which I consumed entertainment. You were put on this planet with a specific set of talents for a purpose. Find out what it is and pursue it!
Remember: With daily efforts your deadline will one day become your finish-line.
