PAUSE – 9.36 – Get a ‘Smove On
October 7, 2009
REFLECTION:
I don’t know about you, but some days it’s pretty easy for me to get distracted noodling around the web. A simple query takes me to web site A. An interesting link lures me to site B. Site B suggests a detour to site C. And so it goes.
It’s a bit like meandering through the streets and canals of Venice. You know you’re lost. You have no idea where you are. You’re not sure how you got there, or where you’re going. There’s always something enticing just around the corner, beckoning from a distance. But, still the journey itself is highly engaging.
And, so it was – meandering around the web one day – that I stumbled upon the Smile & Move site. Smile & Move is a ‘smovement’ created by a media group in Richmond, Virginia.
In brief, their goal is to encourage others to participate in the world in two important ways: by building connections and by making contributions.
Building high quality connections by becoming more attentive, engaged and interested in the people around you. Getting a move on in the service of others by finding ways to contribute without excuse or complaint.
ACTION:
It’s an engaging message. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.smileandmove.com
Be forewarned, though. Exploring the site is definitely more of an amble than a sprint.
Watching the 3 minute ‘smovie’ is a good place to start for an overview of the ‘smovement’: http://www.smileandmove.com/smovie/.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
If you are so moved, share the ‘smile & move’ message around your office through the mini-posters provided as a complimentary download at: http://www.smileandmove.com/resources/
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, Tuning In & Tuning Out, Pause reader LC writes: “How we deal with interruptions may show where our heart really is. Somehow we want things to go smoothly without a bump in the road.
An interruption of sorts that became a huge irritation for me was around the coffee pot at work. The understanding is that when you take the last cup, you make a fresh pot. There always seemed to be some who would forget, or ignore, the rule. It rankled me and I thought that my time was just as valuable as that of others. What right had the other person to interrupt my finely tuned schedule? Why should I have to make coffee when he or she should have done it?
I don’t recall when it happened, but at some point, I changed my thinking and purposed to use coffee making time for a moment of gratitude. Now, when I make a pot at the office, whether I or another person took the last cup, I choose to let that time be a signal to be grateful. I am grateful for my job, for my health (which at one time seriously jeopardized my job), for interesting and fulfilling work, for family, for friends. Life is full of irritations. We can choose to be upset, to worry, or to take time for gratitude. “
REFLECTION: I don’t know about you, but some days it’s pretty easy for me to get distracted noodling around the web. A simple query takes me to web site A. An interesting link lures me to site B. Site B suggests a detour to site C. And so it goes.
It’s a bit like meandering through the streets and canals of Venice. You know you’re lost. You have no idea where you are. You’re not sure how you got there, or where you’re going. There’s always something enticing just around the corner, beckoning from a distance. But, still the journey itself is highly engaging.
And, so it was – meandering around the web one day – that I stumbled upon the Smile & Move site. Smile & Move is a ‘smovement’ created by a media group in Richmond, Virginia.
In brief, their goal is to encourage others to participate in the world in two important ways: by building connections and by making contributions. (more…)
Introducing: New E-Product
October 5, 2009
INTRODUCING NEW E-PRODUCT:
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace? These collections of article may be just the ticket. Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at: http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
Looking for challenging ideas, thoughtful suggestions and practical solutions to help your people cope with the demands of the nonstop workplace?
These collections of articles may be just the ticket.
Check out the newly formatted WorkWise, PauseWise, and 2nd Thoughts Series as well as the Bonus 3+1 Collection at:
http://www.pauseworks.com/shop/article_series.php
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…)
Plogged? Intersturbed?
September 17, 2009
Years ago, my eldest daughter tugged at my sleeve while I was speaking on the telephone and pleaded, “Mom, sorry to intersturb you, but…” I don’t remember the nature of the emergency, but I do remember the word – a cross between interrupt and disturb. I don’t believe ‘intersturb’ has yet made its way into the dictionary (my spell-checker tells me it hasn’t); but, I’m sure it belongs there!
On the weekend, as I tried my best to force a reluctant (or should that be recalcitrant) water sprinkler spike to do its thing, I complained to my husband, “The dang thing is plogged.” Apparently, I couldn’t decide if it was clogged or plugged so I opted for the combo!
If you, like me, occasionally find yourself struggling to choose the right word, you’ll definitely be interested in the new e-book authored by my friend and world-class editor, Barbara McNichol.
Barbara specializes in helping people find the perfect words and avoid mistakes in everything they write. She has now made it easy to find the exact right word when it really matters through her ebook, WORD TRIPPERS.
This easy-to-search guide includes more than 300 everyday word pairings that cause confusion (e.g., further vs. farther or except vs. accept) with examples that make selecting the right word fast and easy.
To take a peek (not peak), follow this link to purchase Word Trippers (and receive bonuses that will improve your writing): http://4f1a7enss2yy7u3vtdjiya1p10.hop.clickbank.net/
Dithering
September 16, 2009
No sooner had I posted today’s Pause message about indecision on the blog, than I opened the paper to the comics section where I discovered a great cartoon expression of the same conundrum.
Check out the ‘Cornered’ cartoon for September 16/09 at: http://www.gocomics.com/cornered/2009/09/16/
Enjoy!
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…)
Turn … Turn … Turn
September 13, 2009
Autumn is clearly upon us.
So say:
the first red leaf on the bonsai maple,
the brightest tiny pumpkin,
and these eager tomatoes of varied heft and hue.
If the sun-drenched glow of red, orange and gold
warm your heart and call your name,
then your time and your season have arrived.
PAUSE – 9.32 – Labor Day Legacy
September 9, 2009
REFLECTION:
Another Labor Day weekend has come and gone. We spent our trio of days socializing in a uncommonly active way: hosting an out of town colleague for dinner on Friday, visiting with dear friends around the riverbank fireworks on Saturday, taking in a dinner theatre with my parents on Sunday, and enjoying two visits with our grandson and his parents – one involving a last-day-of-the-season twirl on the merry go round. We experienced wonderful connections with all these people who are so important in our lives.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but remember two who are no longer with us. You see, in addition to marking that transition from summer to fall, for two decades of our family life, Labor Day weekend was the time for our annual visit to a treasured aunt and uncle in Edmonton. Both have passed away in recent years, but I still think fondly of them and the memories we created together during those ‘same time next year’ Labor Day visits.
I’ve noted that my aunt’s birthday still appears every year on my electronic calendar (September 3rd was her day) and that her address and phone number are still listed in my electronic address book. For some reason, I can’t yet bring myself to erase either one.
ACTION:
As summer ends, the leaves turn, school begins, work ramps up, and fall activities roll into full gear, spare a moment to think about the status of those relationships that are near and dear to you.
In whose lives do you want to have the kind of presence that your influence – not to mention your vital statistics and coordinates – are treasured long after you’re gone?
And, when you take a look at your plans and schedules for the days and weeks ahead, how often do those folks appear in the mix?
You probably already know that devoting time and attention in the present moments of our lives is exactly what it takes to build relationships with that kind of lingering impact. I’m just offering an autumn reminder, before the fall calendars and commitments get jammed so tight that there’s very little space for those who matter most.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?” – Stephen Levine
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
My friend and speaker colleague, Jim Clemmer, offers a generous storehouse of articles on life, leadership and learning on his website. Here’s a link to one that describes how ‘Life Accumulates in our Personal Choice Accounts’: http://www.jimclemmer.com/life-accumulates-in-our-personal-choice-accounts.php
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READERS WRITE:
In response to one of last month’s Pause e-zines titled ‘What Do You Want From This Experience’, reader YD writes:
“Thank you for this wonderful question, ‘What do I want from this experience?’ Only seven words – but a lifetime of awareness and discovery.
As of late, I’m trying to live the daily experiences of life through two prisms or optics:
a) What would I think of this situation if this was my first morning ever?
b) What would I think of this situation if tonight was my last evening ever?
Somehow, I experience the daily events differently. I wonder why.”
REFLECTION: Another Labor Day weekend has come and gone. We spent our trio of days socializing in a uncommonly active way: hosting an out of town colleague for dinner on Friday, visiting with dear friends around the riverbank fireworks on Saturday, taking in a dinner theatre with my parents on Sunday, and enjoying two visits with our grandson and his parents – one involving a last-day-of-the-season twirl on the merry go round. We experienced wonderful connections with all these people who are so important in our lives.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but remember two who are no longer with us. You see, in addition to marking that transition from summer to fall, for two decades of our family life, Labor Day weekend was the time for our annual visit to a treasured aunt and uncle in Edmonton. Both have passed away in recent years, but I still think fondly of them and the memories we created together during those ‘same time next year’ Labor Day visits. (more…)
Sooke-ing It Up
September 6, 2009
Highly recommend the dining room at Sooke Harbor House, just an hour drive west of Victoria, BC. Arrived early enough before our reservation to stroll and explore the grounds, enjoy the excitement of a wedding in progress on the lawn overlooking the sea, and do a quick sketch of Sooke East Point across the bay. Seated for dinner at a table with a spectacular view – and savored every mouthful of the Dungeness Crab.
