How to Shift Terrible Meetings to Tolerable
This just in from BNET
October 06, 2008
October 02, 2008
TDS Podcast #8: How Do You Recharge Your Batteries?
In today's program notes, I mention Dave Crenshaw and Lisa Hendey. Be sure to check out their websites and tune in to TDS in the coming weeks for a special interview with Lisa.
September 30, 2008
How to Prevent Your Job from Sucking the Life Out of You
It usually arrives mid-week, that dreaded feeling of "here we go again".
The bones are tired.
The work is piling up.
The meetings are double booked.
The people you live with are wondering if you still hold membership in the family.
In a word- dread.
Dread is what overtakes us when we let life get out of balance. We resent the very work that we once loved and start to wonder if life is greener on the other side of the fence.
I can surely relate to these feelings and I usually kick myself for not practicing more preventative measures to keep happiness in first place and dread far in the rear-view mirror. I keep coming back to the following three things:
- Nutrition, Working Out and Rest: be attentive to how much sleep you are getting. Is your diet contributing to that "bogged down" feeling? Are you working out so as to relieve stress?
- Routine: is your job getting caught in the quagmire of the mundane? If so, mix things up by waking up later, shifting your routine and setting up appointments that are actually fun. Sometimes a slight tweak in the routine can go a long way.
- Preparation: are you running from one thing to the next? Put in 5 minutes of preparation so as to yield 25 minutes of productivity. By blocking off chunks of time for specific projects, more gets done than if we simply flitted from one crisis or interruption to the next.
What works for you when you get bogged down with work?
September 28, 2008
Dress for Success: The Details Still Matter
I'll never forget the time when a former boss called a faculty meeting with the guideline of "business casual". Charles showed up in slacks and a dress shirt while Carlos wore flip-flops and shorts. Apparently one of them didn't Google the definition of business casual. My boss was fuming.
BNET has some helpful suggestions for dressing for success. Guess what? The details still matter.
September 23, 2008
Want to get Productive? How's Your Office Layout?
Most offices are boring. A brand new executive plaza near my house just rented some space to a small business. The layout they chose was somewhere between used cubical and leftover partition. I feel ill just driving by the place- imagine if you had to work there!
Dan Pink points out that aesthetics matter. If you feel good about a space in which you spend 8-10 hours a day, chances are you'll get more done.
Google is known for uniting function with fun. Guy Kawasaki took a tour and noted the climbing wall, bean bag room and growing cacti gardens. Amazing stuff.
To see how your space can improve so that you can get more done and leave at a reasonable hour, check out these resources:
Every Day Counts
5 Reasons to Subscribe
Why TDS?
- Meaningful work can change the world. When infused with purpose and meaning, our work becomes a powerful vehicle for learning and insight. The Daily Saint aims to connect our workaday lives with the values that guide us.
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