Displaying All Posts from October, 2009

Will Google Wave Work For You?

This post was meant to happen at least a week ago, but I simply got caught in the “current event” that is Google Wave.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Google Wave (and didn’t have or feel the need to sit through the 80 minute video when it was announced), it is the ongoing realization of the question:

“What would email look like if we set out to invent it today?” – Lars Rasmussen, Software Engineering Manager, Google Wave

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How to Make Meetings Matter

Meetings: the bane of all self-confessed “busy people”. Unending exercises in monotony, sucking up precious time that could be better spent fixing bugs, designing applications, polishing pitches, writing reports – anything that involves actually working rather than sitting in a room (or on a call) staring into space.

Considering how badly most meetings are run these days, it’s no surprise to learn that the age-old practice of getting a group of people together for a common goal has become such a contemptible and dreaded activity.

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How to Clean Up Your Slides in 5 Minutes

What do you think about when you hear the phrase “clean up”? Maybe you picture cleaning up food after a party, or cleaning up a small biohazard after your dog. That’s the real world for you: Stinky. At least at work, cleaning up is a bit easier on the nostrils.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, sooner or later someone is going to ask you to “clean up some slides” in preparation for a meeting. This is because “someone” had time to doodle in PowerPoint but lacked the time or skill to create a proper business visual. Cleaning up slides is rarely an opportunity for fun, so let’s try to make it quick. And while we’re at it, let’s make that slide look sharp. Click Here to Read Article …

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Cut Out the Clutter in Your Workflow

Working for a company that practically defines the term “Corporate America” for over 5 years, I’ve seen my fair share of ridiculous moments. I’m rarely surprised when I come across a person who appears to go out of their way to work harder, rather than smarter. This, of course, is bad for the company, and even worse for the employee.

Remember back to grade school when we learned, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line? This ideology applies to work flows and processes inside the cubicle as well. I’d like to present you with a few actual examples of unnecessary or non-efficient work flow processes that should help you realize the small things you may do daily that can really add up to a lot of wasted time.

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Memo:Random #7

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Taboo but True: Rules of the Loo

I’ve started and stopped this article the way a 13 year-old boy, or anyone for that matter, dials (or texts?) a number in hopes of a first date. This is a difficult conversation that can no longer sit on the sidelines. I know you’re waiting for me to make the first move, but let’s break the ice with easier topics first:

  • Remember when you were seven and your hamster suddenly stopped getting nowhere fast on his wheel? Your parents lied when they told you he went to a rodent resort and spa.
  • On December 25, if a red-suited, overly-gregarious man enters your house via chimney, he is a drunk burglar. Give him the mace, not milk and cookies. It’s not a question of naughty or nice.
  • Only our moms truly believe we’re special. Everyone else finds us average-to-moderately unannoying.

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School Did Not Prepare You for Work

Congratulations! You’re out in the real world, living on your own, holding down your own job, building your career one day at a time. You made it through high school, through college, through the job hunt, and now you’re here: at work!

But you’re not entirely comfortable, are you? Something is slightly wrong with the world, but you can’t put your finger on it. You like your job, more or less. You like your company and coworkers, more or less. Your career seems to be on track. And yet you feel anxious, out of place, rudderless.

I think I know what’s bothering you. Click Here to Read Article …

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Lunch Vacation: 5 Ways to Fully Enjoy Your Break

In today’s economy, more and more people are trying to save money and be more responsible with their finances. One of the easiest ways to do this is to bring a bag lunch to work instead of going out to eat.

Now, if you’re like me, you’d rather not spend your lunchtime gabbing with the office gossip goose or even worse, work through your lunch break. So, what other things are there to do?

Luckily, there are lots of options to help pass the time and make your lunch the relaxing mid-day break it’s supposed to be.

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