It’s the time when New Year’s resolutions start to get broken. .But as your diet, your exercise regime and your devotion to reading difficult novels start to falter, you can still look at ways to build the skills to move your career on to another level. After all, the rewards for that sort of commitment will last way beyond this year.

Skillshare, the online learning community of over three million students, have some ideas about the the skills that will help you take your career to the next level in 2018:

Champion Attention Management

Technology  has changed the way we communicate, build relationships, and work. We are less limited and constantly accessible, meaning we are prone to work longer hours and take on more than one project at a time. As such, it’s increasingly important that modern workers have tools to optimize their time and improve their productivity. 

The latest popular concept in the field of Productivity is attention management. This concept suggests that instead of trying to create efficiency through time management, you can focus on the attention you allocate to each project or person in order to  give each project the time it deserves without distraction. Being able to pay better attention to individual projects will consequently improve your productivity.

Attention management is a two-part concept; it’s your ability to deliberately dial in your focus when needed, and to choose wisely when deciding which tasks deserve that focus. There are several ways you can improve your attention management, for instance with the help of apps like Todoist, or classes, such as the recently launched class on attention management by Mark Siskar, the Managing Director of Founder Institute.

Master Mindfulness

The main purpose of mindfulness is to allow you to become more present in everyday life and be aware of your thinking, thus helping you improve your focus and boost your productivity. People might associate slowing down with being less effective, but it has the opposite effect.

In fact, many companies are offering mindfulness sessions during work hours in order to improve the employees’ productivity. A study by the insurance company Aetna, found that offering mindfulness-based training to team members added almost 60 minutes of productivity each week.

You can practice mindfulness on your own, or with help, through a variety of sources – apps like Headspace and Remente have guided meditation programs and tips on how to practice mindfulness and to improve it.

Become a Storyteller

Good storytelling is one of the most effective ways to get your point across and inspire action. Whether you’re talking to end consumers or your colleagues, the art of storytelling can help you cut through the nose and capture your audience’s attention. Improving your storytelling skills can touch almost every part of your professional life —  from executing productive meetings, writing concise emails, or simply expressing your feelings to a co-worker, friend, or family member.

Learn how to use the practice of storytelling to connect with your audience from broadcast journalist, Soledad O’Brien, who launched a course on Skillshare just a couple of months ago ().

Become a Data Visualization Pro

In this era of big data, the area of data analytics is more in-demand than ever. Even if you’re in a field that doesn’t require you to crunch numbers on daily basis, have some basic dana analytics skills on your resume can help you stand out from the pack.

One particular skill that’s gained alot of traction in recent years is data visualization, the art of transforming sets of data into digestible, impactful visuals. Understand the journey from data to design, and become a data visualization pro, through classes taught by analytics professionals on the Skillshare platform. 

Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes in design, business, technology and more. The Skillshare community is comprised of over 3 million students and thousands of teachers, from 100+ countries, who come to the platform to learn cutting-edge skills, network with peers and discover new opportunities. Students can enroll in hundreds of free classes, or unlock unlimited access to the full class catalog by upgrading to Premium for a low, monthly rate.

Skillshare teachers include both industry leaders (such as entrepreneur Simon Sinek and notable designer Aaron Draplin) and talented practitioners who have built a following and a significant passive income stream through the site.   

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