The aptitude for growth is what sets people apart from one another across industries. Whether you’re an IT professional, software engineer, sales representative or in my case, a marketing communications and project management professional, staying abreast with the latest trends and newsworthy topics pertaining to your field is not so much an option than it is a requirement to thrive in today’s market. With the competitive nature involved in applying for jobs, justifying headcount, and even maintaining your role in the company, setting yourself apart from the masses is no small task. In fact, the opportunities to earn another degree, take a class, join an association, seek a mentor and read some of the most relevant data, factoids, and subject matter is readily available at your fingertips. But let me guess, there’s just no time. Well, just how do you get over that hump? Wait for January and make a new year’s resolution then? I hope not.

One technique that enlightened me and took my career to a whole new level was taking the time to build my own personal tool kit. This notion was introduced to me by Pat Reed, one of my agile management instructors at the UC Berkeley Extension. The idea behind creating a tool kit is to find ways to grow and better yourself in whatever it is you’d like to achieve. For me, I’d like to read more articles that apply to my discipline, gain more knowledge outside the hands-on experience, and simply learn something new each day. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never loved reading novels for hours upon hours, nor have I religiously read the front page on a daily basis like many others. I wish I could gobble up books like my neighbor, but it just wasn’t in me.

In an effort to become more self-aware and broaden my perspective in the field, I’ve created a simple tool to help me overcome this challenge. I went to the bookstore and bought a pocket-sized planner that I can slip into my purse and carry around with me on a daily basis. The objective is to carve out a little time each day and answer one easy question: What did I learn today? It’s a simple as that! There are no rules or standards. I can go to a networking event, watch a movie, read an article, list a quote, attend a lunch and learn – whatever. The idea is for me to continue learning and get more in touch with myself as a marketing project manager. And each time I complete my little to-do, I take my pen out and record my accomplishment. I started this in January and can’t believe everything I’ve learned in just over 2 months!

This handy dandy tool kit is the first of many I foresee in the upcoming years. Many of the students that took the agile management series created their own tools. One girl decided to write a series of letters indicating her hopes, dreams, and aspirations, and then stamped and sealed the envelopes to mail to herself at a later time. Another student created a first aid kit and packaged helpful tips and tricks for herself to read when she found herself in a difficult position or was met by an overwhelming challenge. One other guy wanted to track his spending and whereabouts, since he was visiting the country for a fixed period of time. He programmed an excel spreadsheet and linked it to the tracking device on his phone to record his location and footprint in and around the Bay Area. He’d then record the amount of money he’d spend per category (gas, food, shopping, etc.) and the document would spit out a myriad of tables, charts, and graphs along with a location of where the money was being spent. He’d review this each week to ensure he was staying within his budget. These are just some of the tool kits that were created to help each individual grow and better themselves. The possibilities are endless and the results are priceless.

Now that I’ve told you about some of the personal tool kits out there, what’s in your personal tool kit?