PAUSE – 9.35 – Tuning In & Tuning Out
September 30, 2009
REFLECTION:
Ever watch a teen or twenty text and twitter? If so, you might envy their finely tuned ability to coordinate thumbs and ideas, communicating with abandon. These folks respond to friends and colleagues at top speed while appearing to tend to other tasks at hand with ease. However, the youthful advantage may not be as rosy as it seems.
The Institute for Innovation & Information Productivity and the Institute for the Future of the Mind recently conducted joint research, asking: What kind of impact does communication technology have on our ability to accomplish a challenging task?
Two groups were assigned a timed task that required a high level of concentration. They were asked to use a code to translate images into numbers in 90 seconds. As they worked on the task, volunteers were interrupted with either a telephone call, a text message via phone, or an instant message via desktop computer.
Members of one test group were 18 to 21 years of age. The other test group members were 35 to 39 years of age. The young ‘uns, having grown up with technology in their hands and lives, were expected to outperform the older group who had learned their way around the techno tools as adults.
The results? With no interruptions, the younger group performed ten percent better at the task than the older test group. However, when the interruptions were introduced, the 18-21 year olds lost their advantage.
Meanwhile, the performance of the older age group changed very little with the introduction of the interruptions. The 35-39 year olds were more easily able to accommodate switching attention from task to interruption and back again with minimal decline in performance.
The ‘elders’ may think more slowly, but were better able to block interruptions and choose their focus. Granted, they weren’t quite as fast as the younger set in the first place. However, it appears that the constant connectedness and reactivity of the millenials can take a toll on performance.
ACTION:
What’s the take away message? Practise maintaining your focus in the midst of external demands on your attention. Cultivate your ability to assess the importance of a new call for attention relative to the track you are on when it arrives. Become more discerning and you’ll be far more focused and effective – no matter what your age!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Interruptions can be viewed as sources of irritation or opportunities for service, as moments lost or experience gained, as time wasted or horizons widened. They can annoy us or enrich us, get under our skin or give us a shot in the arm. Monopolize our minutes or spice our schedules, depending on our attitude toward them.” – William Arthur Ward
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
For a related article see the NYTimes piece titled, “Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Donít Read This in Traffic” at: http://tiny.cc/suaHf
REFLECTION: Ever watch a teen or twenty text and twitter? If so, you might envy their finely tuned ability to coordinate thumbs and ideas, communicating with abandon. These folks respond to friends and colleagues at top speed while appearing to tend to other tasks at hand with ease. However, the youthful advantage may not be as rosy as it seems.
The Institute for Innovation & Information Productivity and the Institute for the Future of the Mind recently conducted joint research, asking: What kind of impact does communication technology have on our ability to accomplish a challenging task? (more…)
PAUSE – 9.34 – Work Life Research Update
September 23, 2009
REFLECTION: Wondering what’s happened with work-life balance issues given the recent downturn in the economy? CEB, the Washington based Corporate Executive Board which advises high performing organizations around the world, offers a few insights in their August 2009 report on the issues. Of note are these developments:
- financial instability has fueled work-life balance pressures.
- growing demands and heavy workloads have reduced employee engagement and morale.
- work-life balance has risen on employees’ priority wish lists while their satisfaction with achieving it has fallen.
Bad news for individuals, certainly. But why would organizations care? (more…)
PAUSE – 9.33 – Decide Already
September 15, 2009
REFLECTION: How often do possibilities and opportunities collide on your calendar? I’ve been struggling with competing options for one particular week in October for some time now.
Up for consideration were my possible attendance as a participant at: a four day certification program, a three day professional association conference, and a five day workshop. Layered over top of those options were tentative client holds on two potential presentation days.
Today I jettisoned the first two options from my calendar and registered for the third. I decided that if the hold was confirmed on one of the two presentation days, I’d absent myself that day from the workshop. Situation resolved. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.31 – Are You Engaged?
September 2, 2009
REFLECTION:
So often when we talk about balance and overload with respect to work and family life, work is portrayed as the villainous task-master. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
Recent research by Culbertson and Mills from Kansas State University reveals that invigorated and dedicated employees who are highly engaged in their work (but not workaholics or work addicts) tend to be better able to deal with issues at home, make better companions, and are more effective overall in the home environment.
We’ve long known that stress at work and stress at home don’t respect any perceived boundary between the two. So, it makes sense that a positive experience in the workplace would spill over into our home lives (and vice-versa).
ACTION:
So, how exactly, do we cultivate a higher level of positive engagement in our work?
Here are a few starter steps:
– connect with the underlying meaning and purpose of the work
– learn how and why a specific activity or outcome makes a difference for those you serve
– commit yourself wholeheartedly to a task that awaits your attention
– do what you can to get clear about a task or direction that seems fuzzy at the moment
– create an opportunity to put one of your best skills to work
– build a strong positive relationship with a colleague in the workplace – you’ll become more invested in supporting each others’ success and well-being
– focus attention on tasks you accomplish and projects you advance – don’t be discouraged by an endless backlog
– celebrate what goes well every single day
Each small step that moves you in these directions will positively impact engagement at work for you and those around you – and, as we’ve seen in this research, improve life at home, too.
Gotta love those twofold investments!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi
“Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.” – Alexander the Great
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
For a first hand read of the Culbertson/Mills research see: http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug09/worklife82409.html
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, Finding The Fun, Pause reader DG writes: “Great quote, and message. I’ve been so doggedly determined in my work lately (doing a lot of things I’d rather not) that I’ve been missing my life, actually watching it go by. That’s crazy when I really don’t know if I’ll be here next year. None of us really do, right? Thanks for the reminder! I’m focusing on delighted engagement today!”
REFLECTION: So often when we talk about balance and overload with respect to work and family life, work is portrayed as the villainous task-master. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
Recent research by Culbertson and Mills from Kansas State University reveals that invigorated and dedicated employees who are highly engaged in their work (but not workaholics or work addicts) tend to be better able to deal with issues at home, make better companions, and are more effective overall in the home environment. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.30 – Finding The Fun
August 26, 2009
REFLECTION:
We’re just back from a four day weekend get away to Victoria. Amongst the many people we encountered were Susanne, Mauro, and a handful of Harbor Ferry pilots.
Susanne served us in the restaurant at the Laurel Point Inn. Though business was brisk for both Saturday breakfast and Sunday brunch, Susanne made the time for conversation. She remembered our names from one day to the next, asked about our plans each day, tossed in a few bits of info about herself, and we shared more than a few laughs in the process. I almost stopped to apologize for deserting her on morning three, as I headed off to breakfast elsewhere.
When Mauro, the proprietor at The Tuscan Kitchen, discovered my husband Dave was a fellow foodie, he eagerly swapped stories on a wide range of topics – the merits of various balsamic vinegars, food and travel in Italy, fresh garden vegetables, and old country cooking tips. We wandered into his shop looking for one thing, purchased something entirely different, and popped back again for yet another item and a second round of stories.
We used the Victoria Harbor Ferry services to scoot across from one side of the harbour to another. The pilots we met were easy-going, personable and brimming with information. At 10:45 on Sunday mornings through the summer, five of the pilots muster their boats in front of the Empress Hotel. As the sounds of the Blue Danube waltz blast across the harbor, they execute a synchronized water ballet involving circles, turns, rotating lines, and criss-crossing paths. Think the RCMP musical ride on floats! The ten minute performance is pure whimsy – transporting no one from point A to B and transporting everyone from serious sightseeing to guffaws and giggles.
What do all these people have in common? To a person, a love of their life and work. And … that feeling was infectious.
Sure, you could make the case that their actions paid off in increased business. Great customer service and word of mouth marketing can and do build sales.
But not once did I have the sense that there was an ulterior money-driven motive in their actions. These individuals all seem to have cultivated a love of life and work that just spills from their core, catching others in its wake.
ACTION:
So what might this have to do with reducing the impact of overload and overwhelm in our lives and work? In my mind, a great deal.
When we tap into the raw enthusiasm for our work and the services we deliver, that energy influences the way we engage our clients and colleagues. It’s an upwardly infectious spiral that builds both relationships and businesses, energizing givers and receivers in the process.
Where is the play in your work? If you’ve lost sight of it, see if you can’t tap into the source once more. Look for opportunities for lightheartedness in the everyday grind. Reclaim the joy and let it work its magic for you and those you serve. You will be energized – and so will they!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Delighted engagement trumps dogged determination – and it’s a lot more fun, to boot!” – Yours Truly
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
If you are curiously inclined, take a moment or two to treat yourself to a sample of the ferry boat ballet at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peNcxsFk7f8
REFLECTION: We’re just back from a four day weekend get away to Victoria. Amongst the many people we encountered were Susanne, Mauro, and a handful of Harbor Ferry pilots.
Susanne served us in the restaurant at the Laurel Point Inn. Though business was brisk for both Saturday breakfast and Sunday brunch, Susanne made the time for conversation. She remembered our names from one day to the next, asked about our plans each day, tossed in a few bits of info about herself, and we shared more than a few laughs in the process. I almost stopped to apologize for deserting her on morning three, as I headed off to breakfast elsewhere. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.29 – The Simmering Stew of Assumptions
August 19, 2009
REFLECTION: Anyone who has ever parented a teenager is familiar with ‘the look’. A defiant lift of the chin, a roll of the eyes accompanied by a vaguely audible sigh, wrapped in an attitude of long-suffering impatience. Assumed subtext translation: How can you be so stupid! What planet are you from? I am the only person in the world who has to put up with stuff like this!
The exchange presents challenges in family communication because of its powerful unspoken subtext.
There are equivalents in the workplace. Case in point: You’ve just been asked to work a third night of overtime this week. Your family is expecting you home this evening. You’re brain dead from the extra exertion and exhausted by a lack of sleep. You decline. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.28 – I Wonder
August 12, 2009
REFLECTION: The bud on the Morden Sunrise rose popped open this morning. With its warm gold and apricot tones, it’s aptly named. I wondered at its beauty.
During yesterday morning’s riverside walk, a beaver surfaced, nosing its way downstream – slicing smoothly through the water, ripples streaming to either side. I wondered at its ease.
Last week I accompanied my grandson to the Exhibition Parade. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.25 – Seasonally Adjusted
July 8, 2009
REFLECTION: What’s the seasonal cycle like in your workplace? What I’ve noted consistently over 23 years in my business, is that for my kind of speaking and training services, demand tends to be low through July and August. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, I have come to anticipate that a large part of the summer will be free of what I refer to as ‘up-front-delivery’ work.
The summer downturn used to cause me considerable concern. In the earliest years, every July I worried and agonized that my business was in its final death throes. I pictured myself on a downhill slide – bankrupt by Christmas. It’s amazing the stories I could create to torment myself! Not that you ever write those kind of stories yourselves!
What I have also noted year after year is that, as surely as the engagements ebb through the summer, they flow again through the fall, winter and spring. I refer to the phenomenon as a Seasonal Adjustment. And, more recently, I have come to see it as something to be welcomed with enjoyment – not simply tolerated with annoy-ment. (I know, I know – that’s not really a word – but I like the sound of it anyway!) (more…)
PAUSE – 9.23 – Taking A Break
June 17, 2009
REPRINT OPPORTUNITY: Wow, have these been popular! It’s only taken four months to sell out the most recent print run of two thousand Take A Break booklets. I will be reprinting ‘TAB – 67 Ways To Pause When You Absolutely Positively Do Not Have The Time’ again in the next couple of weeks.
These booklets are being used by clients for: conference and event give-aways, corporate wellness initiatives, orientation packages for new employees, EFAP libraries, coffee room reading, and gifts for clients, staff and colleagues. See Reader Writes below for one individual’s testimonial to the value of the Take A Break booklets.
At this time of reprinting, I’m delighted to once again offer specially reduced pricing for quantity orders with your corporate message imprinted on the front cover. See this two page pdf ( http://www.pauseworks.com/take_a_break.pdf ) for a look at the cover with sample imprint, and for custom pricing info on orders. Fax your order form to (306-242-0795) if you are interested in putting these great ideas in the hands of people who matter most in your world.
REFLECTION: I can’t say that I’m much of a fan of Twitter – the on-line instant text service with a per message limit of 140 characters. It seems to me that we have more than enough interruptions in our everyday lives already. However, I recently stumbled across a reference to a twitter service that I can actually see having some merit. (more…)
PAUSE – 9.22 – Calm
June 10, 2009
REFLECTION: Where do you rate on the worry scale? Do you suffer from a rotating series of ‘Worries Of The Day’? And, if so, how well is that practice serving you?
Do your worries keep you engaged in life? Help you feel needed? Feed the illusion of averting potential disaster?
Or are your worries simply too much to handle? Sending your blood pressure soaring? Interfering with a good night’s rest? Keeping you from enjoying what’s good in your life? (more…)
