Most of these forecasts are, of course, overly artistic and naïve, but the impact of technology cannot be denied. Their rapid development is changing society.
culture and the whole world, forcing a person to adapt to the new challenges of the time right now. The labor market is especially sensitive to the changes taking place – some professions are being replaced by others. New scientific disciplines are also emerging as engineers, biologists and programmers around the world are trying to develop human skills, defeat ailments and improve physical abilities. The answers are in a joint project between Lenta.ru and Homo Science.
The labor market against the backdrop of new technologies is undergoing dramatic changes. If a few years ago specialized knowledge and a deep understanding of tasks were key, today companies are paying attention to other qualities of candidates. Soft skills, or flexible skills that help a person to absorb new information, solve life problems and successfully interact with other people, are increasingly valued.
“We live in a constantly changing world in which new competencies appear every day, and old ones fade into the background,” says Yulia Uzhakina, General Director of the Rostom Corporate Academy. – In order not to stand still and remain a sought-after specialist, a person needs to constantly engage in self-development.
And the skills that are applicable in any situation, both at work and in life, come to the fore. These are, for example, the ability to organize oneself and others, the ability to learn and unlearn, start from scratch, willpower, the ability to set goals and achieve them, resilience – the ability to get up after a fall and adapt to new environmental requirements, flexibility and much more.
It is believed that soft skills develop throughout a person’s life, from childhood, and are closely related to emotional intelligence – the ability to recognize other people’s emotions, the intentions of colleagues and influence them. Moreover, many employers value interpersonal skills even more than specialized technical knowledge.
In the future, priority will be given to open-minded people who can easily switch from one task to another, take on different responsibilities as needed, adapt their behavior to the needs of colleagues, cope with uncertainty and find positive aspects when things go wrong. so. In addition, purposefulness and intrinsic motivation play an important role, since employees with such qualities do not need to be controlled and pushed.
In a rapidly changing future, these skills will be paramount to success.
However, one should not think that only developed soft skills guarantee success in work for a potential applicant. Under the influence of all the same technologies, the tasks of the worker are gradually changing. To stay competitive requires constant learning, adaptation and assimilation of new information.
In this regard, the experience of computer scientist Roger Craig is indicative. Using German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus’ memory technique known as spaced repetition to practice, he became the champion of the Jeopardy This method allows you to retain a lot of new information in memory, preventing it from being erased using a pre-prepared schedule of repetitions. Craig used computer programs using modified versions of the Ebbinghaus schedule, which allowed the researcher to memorize new material in as little as 10-30 minutes a day.
The practice of neurohacking, a set of techniques that allow a person not only to quickly master new knowledge, but also seriously increase productivity, has also become widespread. These are not only specific exercises related to the development of cognitive skills (memory, attention, concentration), but also a special way of life, since effective brain function is impossible without good habits like proper nutrition and sleep hygiene. It is known that good sleep favors the formation of connections between neurons, which is necessary for the consolidation of new skills and abilities.
A lot of new data about the work of the brain to humanity is given by neuroscientists. For example, they explain how to deal with procrastination and successfully focus. Procrastination, being one of the main causes of loss of productivity and working time, is a particular problem for people whose living and working conditions are changing, especially during a pandemic. Procrastination is the result of a conflict between the limbic system, which plays a key role in avoiding stress, and the neocortex, which decides to do useful work.
The limbic system perceives the need to do some work as something that can bring pain and discomfort, and often it dominates the neocortex. The neocortex takes advantage when the deadline hits: the threat of not completing work on time becomes a priority for the limbic system. However, in order to cope with procrastination, you can use a number of techniques.
According to the famous law formulated by the historian Cyril Parkinson, the work fills all the time allotted for it. Therefore, work that takes an hour can be stretched out if a person knows that he still has time. However, a large task can be divided into smaller tasks, and after completing each part, reward the brain with a small reward – a short break.
In the late 1980s, Italian student Francesco Cirillo proposed the Pomodoro Technique to manage time and fight procrastination. To increase the efficiency of work, you need to divide it into periods of time: 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. Fits both a mechanical timer and many digital time management applications. Different people fit different ratios of work and rest time – for example, 50 and 10 minutes.
However, even procrastination can be used for good. According to Anatoly Kharkhurin, professor of psychology at the Higher School of Economics, expressed in an interview with the popular science project Homo Science, created with the participation of Rosatom, procrastination is sometimes necessary for creative thinking. In a distracted state or when a change in activity occurs in the brain, subconscious mental activity occurs, which can lead to sudden insight. There are special techniques that promote insight, including brainstorming, free writing techniques, and business games.
