Doing more with less is hardly a new directive; we’ve all felt the pinch at work and I’m sure everyone reading this has a story to tell on that front. With the recent news of EMC’s temporary 5% pay cut and temporary suspension of 401(k) matching, people are talking about ways to lessen the impact at home. I know a lot of you are probably in similar situations.
Entries Tagged 'Life' ↓
Making do with less
Work/Life Balance Redefined
April 13th, 2009 — Corporate, Life
We’ve all heard we should eat a balanced diet. Of course, what that means is up for some debate. For some people, a balanced diet means starving yourself on rice cakes for five days and binging on fried food and beer all weekend. And while that may average out to a normal caloric intake, nobody really thinks that’s a healthy and balanced way to approach food.
Many people approach their work/life balance similarly. “Work hard, play hard,” brings to mind people overexerting throughout the workday, and then partying all night to compensate. There’s also the approach that says “I do as little work as I can without getting fired. The company works me as hard as they can for as little money as possible without me quitting.” Sure, that’s a kind of balance. But surely there’s a better way?
Same problems, different worlds
March 16th, 2009 — Corporate, Life, Management
I spent some time chatting with extended family members this weekend, after attending a funeral. As tends to happen, the subject of work came up, and we got to talking about difficult times at our workplaces. I’m changing some details to protect some identities, but I thought the stories were interesting enough to share. Though we all find ourselves in different worlds, the major issues we face are very similar. One family member told me that in over 20 years of working, this was the only time he had truly hated going in to work. That’s quite a statement. What sort of environment could cause that?
The Two Month Checkup
March 2nd, 2009 — Corporate, Life
When I was more actively pursuing my fitness, I noticed something interesting. At 2/3 of the way through any training workout, I knew I could complete it. The repetitive and incremental nature of training left me with an understanding of my physical and mental capabilities, and with only a third of the workout left I was generally able to describe how the workout had gone. I still had a full third of the workout left, but there were no surprises left in it (well, barring an injury or accident).
It’s the first week of March. The quarter is two-thirds done. If that pattern holds, there are no surprises left. You know how this quarter is going, you know what is coming in the remaining month. So now is a good time for a checkup.
Seven people to follow on Twitter
February 16th, 2009 — Life
(While I am focused on Twitter in this post, you can easily adapt this to blog subscriptions or other social networking activities)
You might wonder how I can list just seven people to follow on Twitter. I can’t — I lied in the headline to draw you in. Sorry (not really). Instead, I’m going to suggest seven types of people you should follow on Twitter, and explain what I mean.
You should follow people who are:
- What you are: think about the roles you play in life (manager, writer, father, husband, hiker, EMC employee, etc.) and follow people who also play those roles. They will talk about things you find interesting, and pass along links which you probably want to read. You’ll build a network of people who are in similar places as you in life, and that’s very valuable.
- Who you want to be: what are your dreams and goals? Follow people who are achieving them. They will help you understand the reality of their lives, and help you perhaps achieve those goals.
- Who you used to be: why live in the past? To participate! When someone follows point # 2 above and follows you, follow them back. Maybe they want your advice, maybe they don’t, but you’ve figured out something and they want to learn from it, so why not share?
- Educating you: there are a few people out there with thousands upon thousands of followers. You don’t follow them to make friends with them, you follow them to learn from them. They serve to aggregate and distribute information. Find the ones who talk about the things you are interested in, and keep an eye on them.
- Making you laugh: let’s face it, everyone needs a chuckle now and then. So find someone who pretends he’s Darth Vader, or God, or whatever makes you laugh, and follow. The worst that happens is you get tired of their shtick and remove them.
- Inspiring you: whether it’s a marathon runner, a champion cyclist, or a highly successful author, someone who would probably inspire you is on Twitter right now. You might not learn anything from them in a given day but seeing them in this new medium hour to hour will be a constant reminder of what it is about them you find inspiring. And who knows, maybe someday you’ll actually make a connection.
- Outside your world: there’s so little cost in following someone on Twitter that it would be a shame to limit your network unnecessarily. Find some people who are experiencing a life you have very little background with, and follow them. Get a glimpse into the life of someone in a country you’ve never visited, an industry you’ve never worked in, a hobby you’ve never tried. Keep your horizons a little broadened.
Oh, and it goes without saying that you should follow your co-workers and boss, if that’s applicable 
. Does your employer have a corporate Twitter identity? Do your competitors? Maybe this should have been a list of ten … who else did I miss?
Five reasons to “friend” your co-workers (or boss!)
February 11th, 2009 — Life, Social Media
(This same question is raised over and over in different contexts. Though I’m talking about Facebook the discussion is clearly not limited in scope to that site.)
If you’re on Facebook, you’ve probably had to make a decision in the past year or two on whether or not to accept a friend request from a co-worker, perhaps even from your boss. If you aren’t on Facebook, there’s a good chance you’ve overheard people talking about it, who are, and wondered whether you should be there.
If either of those describes you, the time has come. Go forth and connect … and here’s why.
Online Overhaul: Knowing my goals
February 9th, 2009 — Life
I blogged earlier about my desire to revamp my online habits, how I felt I was lagging behind. Before investing too much into this, though, it’s best to step back and look at my goals. What do I want to be doing that I’m not? What don’t I want to lose? What is my desired end state? Once I started doing that I thought it would be interesting to share this here, for others who might be tackling a similar situation.
So, in one short statement, I want to be more participatory. I want to spend more time writing, commenting, connecting, and sharing. At the same time, I want to continue monitoring the online world for news and discussions about topics that interest me personally and professionally.
On a personal note: chase your dream
January 13th, 2009 — Life
I had every intention of writing a post with performance review tips today, but I received a sad email this morning. I hope you forgive a personal moment, as I mourn the passing of a friend – Peter O’Connor.
Enjoy the moments
December 23rd, 2008 — Life
(This is the final planned post for 2008. I’ll be taking some time off for the holidays and will resume posting next year.)
Last summer, my wife and I spent the afternoon and evening at a distant relative’s cabin by a lake. We were visiting her brother and his family, who were staying there for a few days. We enjoyed an afternoon of swimming and fishing, and sat around a campfire as the night grew darker. In the hills surrounding the valley we were in, we could see thunderstorms. They were so distant that no sound reached us, but we saw the lightning flashing in the clouds many miles away. The four adults stood by the lake and watched as we quietly talked.
Video gaming and the office
December 9th, 2008 — Life, Management
I left a bit of information out of my response to Storagezilla’s question about how I ended up in a manager’s office instead of writing code. After talking to him briefly in email I realized there was no reason not to add that information here. It’s the story of how playing video games made me a manager. Or something along those lines….
Continue reading →
