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Productivity and Task Management Uncategorized

The Big 5 Personality Traits: What They Mean And How To Use Them

THE BIG 5 PERSONALITY TRAITS: WHAT THEY MEAN AND HOW TO USE THEM

I am unique. You are unique, too.

Who we are can be defined by our thoughts, behaviors and feelings toward certain situations and people. These personalities can change over time depending on our experiences or highs and lows in life.

Remember being asked numerous times to describe ourselves in our past job interviews? This could help find the best candidate perfect for the position. Then I pondered on why this question matters. During some introspection, it led me to the essential notion of who I really am. I should know myself best, right?

I deliberately took a personality test that could aid me discovering more of my inner being. Learned about the Big Five Personality Traits which has been widely accepted and recognized over the years. It was started by Godon Allport and Henry Odbert (1936) who came up with a list of thousands personality-related terms. It was then further developed and studied by various psychologists through the years which later boiled down into 5 core factors.

To make it easier, simply remember the acronym ‘OCEAN’. Let’s delve into details with each personality traits.

1. Openness

This trait tends to seek new experiences, intellectual pursuits, and appreciation for arts. High scorers tend to have a high level of curiosity and being inventive in various ways. . People who are high in Openness are abstract
thinkers, while people who are low in Openness are concrete. It’s good to notice this in ourselves to become more open on new knowledge, especially if we want to venture on new places, customs, and businesses.

2. Conscientiousness

Do you also see yourself being efficient, organized, hardworking, responsible and goal-oriented? Well, you and I possess this personality of being self-disciplined and always targets achievement. People who are high in Conscientiousness tend to work hard to put their plans into action, Such, we aren’t easily deterred because we are driven seek success. This is normal if we aspire to leverage ourselves in life, both professionally and personally.

People who are low in Conscientiousness are less interested in longterm goals and more interested in responding to the moment.

3. Extraversion, often spelled as Extroversion

This refers to people who are social, outgoing, friendly and energetic. Are you one? Then you are the life of the team, energized by being around other people versus being by oneself and always a go-getter. But hey! Need not to worry. Being an introvert, doesn’t make you less of a person. You are the reserved and listener type, which balances the group.

4. Agreeableness

This is about our behavior with others. This is the tendency to put the needs of others ahead of their own needs. High scorers are typically friendly and cooperative and get along with others. Low scorers are people mostly concerned with serving their own interests When working on projects, better look for people with this attribute because we tend to adjust to suit others.

5. Neuroticism

Do you more likely feel anxious and pessimistic over insignificant situations? Or finds it hard to get over a simple mistake? In simplest term, you are emotional. How do you response to stress? Highly Neurotic people are susceptible to anxiety, depression, anger, and other negative emotions when subjected to stressful conditions. On the contrary, low to average score means that one can cope successfully with any stress or negativities in daily lives. Getting low scores on tests shouldn’t be a problem. On this test, low Neuroticism means we are more emotionally stable, calm, and resilient. And that’s a good thing! Overthinking and becoming a giant worrier doesn’t make a good outcome.

Of course, there are limitations to any blanket assumption of human behaviors. The results may vary from our mood and intuition on the day we took the test, or where our life was at that particular moment. But the most essential part is not the result, but the transition process of discerning our inner self while responding on each personality-relevant items. Results are computed and formulated with room for interpretation. Yet the progression of arriving to those results make us realize and appreciate who we really are.

Because you were different 4 years ago. And you will also be different come another 4 years. It’s interesting to think about our unique lives relative to the general public.

Keep in mind that no one has the same exact traits. Learning these traits within us can help determine our strengths and weaknesses.

Categories
Productivity and Task Management

Top 5 To-do List Apps You Cannot Live Without

TOP 5 TO-DO LIST APPS YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT

I’ve got top 5 to-do list apps that will get you organized with your tasks and might as well, your life too. It feels overwhelming thinking all the things you need to do, right? How many times have you planned organizing them but failed? What if you missed an important meeting because you overworked on a trivial task? Slow down and don’t stress.

I got you. 

Let’s list them down, set priorities, schedule reminders, due dates and organize everything not in a notepad, but in an advanced to-do list applications. This way you can get ahead of your game and become more productive. I’m pretty sure you’ve come across many of these on the internet but pay no heed because you got a handful of tasks. 

Plus! I included the OS compatibilities that sync across all your devices and few key features. Check them down and see which fits your day-to-day need.  

Things 3

Things 3

(iOS/macOS only) 

This app offers wide range of functionalities without making you feel complicated. The elegant and minimal design makes it more appealing and simpler to organize. With easy drag and drop interface, it aims to perform all the to-do tasks effectively. Are most of your devices Apple? Look no further, this app’s version limits to iOS and perfect for people like you. 

Todoist

Todoist

(iOS/Mac/Android/Windows) 

Todoist is not a notable to-do list app in the market for no reason. Todoist gives you a complete balance of simplicity and feature-rich app. This app highlights the integration with Zapier. In other words, it automatically creates a Todoist task whenever your favorite phone calendar, emails, chat messages apps pop an event or happenings. You will even receive notifications from your email and SMS. Using a conducive natural language processing when adding tasks makes it easier too. Remarkable, indeed. 

Microsoft To do

Microsoft To Do

(Android/Windows/iOS) 

This is one of the most effective apps if you are using Office 365 and Outlook on a daily basis. Use this app so you can continue or rewrite whatever pending tasks 

you have. Similarly, it has numerous functionalities from daily task lists to folders and subtasks which are significantly useful. You can also set the level of urgency on task prioritization. In addition, you can share your list with anyone for better collaborations and distribution of tasks.

Tick Tick

TickTick

(Android/Windows/iOS)

Get your hands on this to-do list app that offers voice command making it convenient in adding on the list. Customize the themes to help you sort each task, especially if you are visually inclined. Also in order to achieve full concentration on the task at hand, you can time track your progress and move on to the next one. The rest of the basic features of other to-do list apps are also present.

Google task Logo

Google Task

(Android/iOS) 

A quick and easy, simple and minimal to-do list app that gives you basic tool management. It is integrated with all Google applications, so it makes your managing life stress-free. Just take note, if you are looking for advanced functionalities for collaborations and time tracking then this is not for you. 

Now, we have a clear-cut perspective of these to-do list apps. Here are some few bonus reminders you need to consider when figuring out which one’s for you. 

  • User-friendly and easy to navigate 
  • Design and template 
  • Tools for managing tasks and options for group or collaborations 

” Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

 

Before navigating and getting immersed on these apps, what a better way to start a new endeavor but with a positive outlook. This is something you can never download but it’s a free app innately available within you. Visualize your work getting done and this sets the tone of your entire day. 

Have you finally figured out which of the Top 5 to-do list apps is best for you? Share it with me. Let’s free up your mental space and get things done.