How many productivity apps do you have on your smartphone? Do you have a folder labeled "Productivity" that holds all of these wonderful apps? Do you occasionally (or regularly) find yourself not getting things done despite this plethora of digital assistance? Am I speaking to you yet? Read on.
|
No, this post is not about over/under splits dealing with lots for sporting events - note the "(other)" in the title. Besides, you don't want gambling advice from me anyway. I can't win at paper, rock, scissors or even at flipping a coin. I'm fine with games where everyone has an equal shot. Not so great at chance; it's just not my thing. But I digress.
 You've heard them - words and phrases that are like nails on a chalkboard to the calm tranquility of your working mind. You expect the kids to be screaming at home, but when you're at work, you use your work brain (ideally). It is sensitive to different abhorrent stimuli. None are more dreaded than the buzz words and brown-nose-banter we've created to make ourselves sound more intelligent, relevant, and useful.
The following list addresses the top 5 words and phrases that will result in an immediate kick in the pants should you utter them around me. Have I ever uttered them before, you ask. [...hums a tune...] No comment. Do you use Twitter? Facebook? Social media? Ever heard of the Internet? Just kidding. Social communication is not just the way of the future; it’s the way of the now. There are a ton of people who still won’t give into it, and, in full disclosure, I understand almost all of their reasons. However, there are millions and millions of people all over the world that are “all-in” when it comes to social media and social communication. Wouldn’t it be nice if your business could reach those people in a more effective, value-building way? Well of course it would, dummy. Now, read on and find out how to do it.
Have you ever worked on a project where you felt like there was no defined objective and that ultimately you (or your team) were going to fall flat on your face? Well sure. I think everyone has been there at some point. From your middle school science fair project to that lucrative contract you landed and are now sweating, we've all been there. I saw a particularly good image floating around on the interweb that beautifully illustrates how a concept/product can be so completely screwed up at every stage from inception to delivery. I have a million suggestions for how the following all-to-true situation can be avoided, but we'll save that for a later post. For now, just laugh, scoff, and bang your head along with me. Work productively my friends! 
Isn't it amazing how easy it is to be distracted by digital elements in our society? Right now you are reading this blog post instead of doing whatever else you should be doing. Granted, your brain is taking care of your heartbeat and breathing rhythm, but we are always finding things to distract us from the voluntary tasks we should be doing. I found the following infographic on Visual.ly this morning, and I thought it addressed the subject of digital distraction fairly well. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about our techno marvels. But it is kind of eye-opening when you really take the time to consider how distracting they can be. Work on (or continue to digitally procrastinate)!  There's an infographic floating around out there that asks, "How Would You Like Your Graphic Design?" While the illustrated concepts have everything to do with output from the graphic design process, they are equally applicable to just about any kind of work product. The original version can be found on Visual.ly, but I've cropped the title off the version below so that you can see how this diagram directly relates to your work and the quality of work you expect from other people. Enjoy!  Sometimes you see something online and you just can't help but laugh hysterically. I found the following image online yesterday, and I feel compelled to share it here. This is an absolutely perfect explanation of work relationships in modern business. I admit to falling into the project manager column, and I believe almost everyone I've ever worked with views me as one of these variations. Enjoy!  Just to clarify, this office will never be done. Over two months, I've completely changed my mind about it at least five times. However, progress has been made, and wall decor has been mounted.  An inspiring ode to aviation if I've ever seen one. Vintage airplane models, vintage airplane artwork, AND a window to the outside world. Note my new throne (discussed in a previous post) prominently featured behind the never clean glass L-desk. The open area there, beside the desk, is available for rent. Let's make it $500/month, one year minimum contract, paid upfront. Takers?  An alternate view showing my a portion of my portal to the outside, and my open-area floorplan. This will almost certainly change, as it already has several times thus far.
The short, black two-drawer cabinet is actually rather enormous. It will soon house my newest distraction - a 32" HDTV. Soon I'll get even less actual work done. But wait, do you know what looks amazing on a 32" HDTV....? My work blog! Perhaps I will get something done after all.... So, I unwrapped an enormous box at work today. Inside was this awesome flight simulation chassis from HotSeat. Looking forward to getting it set up and functional. In the mean time, the following terrible photo will have to suffice. Updates will follow as information is available.  |