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.
0 Comments
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! Just in case you are looking for me in the next four months, I'll be hiding under a desk, with a gun, hoping the tax man doesn't find me. He will though; I'm legit. It is so freakin' expensive being honest!
As you feel your wallets squeeze (or possibly inflate) over the next few months, just think about me - huddled in a corner, in the dark, staring blankly at a red number on my computer screen - a number that tells me I owe the government way more money that I want to pay them. Work on freelancers. Work nobly. And please start working above the table so the IRS will remove their forearm and come play with you for a while. Have a lovely tax season everyone! Mindflash recently released a very interesting look at e-learning in the world. The data looks at what tools are beings used, how implementation is being completed, who is using what, and pros and cons. As we shift our educational efforts to digital learning environments and techniques, this report is an interesting catch-up summary and springboard for additional thought. Click the image to open the full-res version. ![]() You know what the problem with conventional wisdom is? It relies on someone else's conventions. Okay, so 100 people are doing it this certain way. Conventional wisdom tells us that we should do it the same way because obviously their method is working for them. Well gee golly! If we all thought that way, we would never create anything new or revolutionary. I'm a little past tired of hearing people refer to processes and our need to support those processes as "conventional wisdom." I'm thinking we need some "revolutional wisdom." So it's working, is it? Great! Is it getting better? No? Then it's broken in my book. Let's strive to improve everything rather than being content when something is just okay. 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!
|
Work BlogEverybody needs something to do. I have lots of things to do. This is where I archive them, reflect on them, and (sometimes) persecute them. Archives
April 2015
Categories
All
|