Displaying All Posts from August, 2010

How Helpful is Blue Sky Thinking?

The blue sky view. Not a cloud in sight. Perfect conditions, endless opportunity, unlimited potential.

People often formulate ideas using the “blue sky view,” a hypothetical landscape where challenges are nonexistent, success is straightforward, and every lucky break seems to go your way.

Advocates of blue sky thinking say that brainstorming in an idealized, setback-free setting allows you to focus solely on the idea, not the related obstacles or logistics. You develop the idea in a perfect, immaculate universe, and then approach the potential challenges separately.

But, even a bad idea can look good if you picture it within an idealized, utopian scenario. The blue sky view could distort your expectations and affect your judgment. Under the blue sky, a risky move can look like a safe bet.

Undeniably, the road to success will seem clearer if you wish away the obstacles. The question is: Does the blue sky view truly help you formulate viable plans, or does it leave you unprepared for the inevitable challenges of reality? Click Here to Read Article …

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Individual Contributor vs Manager: What’s Your Preference?

In roughly 30 years of full-time employment, I have been both a manager and an individual contributor.  Through the years of experience I’ve developed my own preference, of course. While I’ve come to my own conclusion on the matter, some of you are just beginning to explore both options as possibilities. Let’s talk a little bit about what is attractive – and what is not – about both types of jobs. Click Here to Read Article …

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Do You Prefer a Single or Dual Monitor Setup?

A dual monitor setup is something which I have considered for a long time. I am yet to go for it because, honestly, I think it could distract me instead of enhancing my productivity.

Having said that, a lot of people seem to work better with two monitors. Even with a laptop, some people prefer to add another screen on one side. This setup does have its advantages. For example, you could assign one monitor for native applications and the other for browsing and web research. That’s just one example – there are many other merits.

Some people prefer to go for a big 30 inch screen instead of dual monitors because it offers bigger screen real estate that eliminates the need to scroll down often.

So, what do you prefer? A single or dual monitor setup? Have you tried using two monitors? How has it affected your work? Click Here to Read Article …

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5 Great Links for Speed Reading and Concentration

In an earlier article, I discussed the merits of teaching speed reading in schools.  While it doesn’t appear to be something on the immediate horizon, the web has a few options worth considering if you want to upgrade your speed reading skills:

Speed Reading Techniques

This is a quick guide from Indiana Wesleyan University.

How To Speed Read

BBC.com’s guide to students who want to learn speed reading.

Developing Better Concentration

Athletes have to concentrate if they’re to improve.  Here is a guide from a fitness professional that includes concentration techniques.

A Guide to Meditation for the Rest of Us

Concentration is key not only to speed reading but also to achieving goals.  Here’s a guide with suggested timers and music.

Building One Big Brain

New York Times columnist Robert Wright comments on author Nicholas Carr’s suspicion that the internet ‘is chipping away [his] capacity for concentration and contemplation.’

Do you have a particular method or tool at your disposal that helps you improve your speed reading skills?  Let us know in the comments. Click Here to Read Article …

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Real Life Organizing

If you could see my desk you would be mortified. I have magazines, empty Diet Coke cans, and photos scattered everywhere. My computer screen is framed in sticky notes. I have a screwdriver and a couple of chapsticks around here somewhere…

Andy Rooney himself said that the messier the desk, the more productive the person. And I agree. I am very messy. And productive.

No one taught me how to organize. I do what is best for me—and it works. I can’t tell you how to best organize your workspace, but I can offer you some suggestions that have helped me be able to manage my workflow, which includes editing two monthly magazines, a yearly wedding magazine, social media outlets for all three, and whatever else gets thrown in my direction—including an intern or two. Click Here to Read Article …

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Do You Have an Intern from Hell?

Ah, summertime in the northern hemisphere!

If your company takes on interns this is the time of year where you’ve got your share of college kids walking around the office in their only pair of crumpled slacks and inappropriate shoes.

By the average office standards, my “intern shoes” weren’t exactly inappropriate. But by the standards of my employer, a Madison Avenue boutique public relations firm, my shoes and the rest of my wardrobe were offensively unfashionable. But this was the least of their worries. I officially became the intern from hell on the day I unintentionally mixed up the press clippings from 2 brands that had very similar names – let’s call them Soda and Soda A. There were hundreds of clippings! I realized this soon after I ended my contract (as opposed to my contract being ended for me);it must have taken my supervisors quite a while to sort out everything.

How about you, have you been an intern from hell or have you had one in your office? Click Here to Read Article …

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What Are Your Office Etiquette Pet Peeves?

Office etiquette issues are mostly behind me, but before I fled cubicle hell for coffee shops and other freelance hangouts, I shared workspace just like (almost) everyone else, so I’ve dealt with the quirks of toxic coworkers — and they’ve had to cope with mine. One cubemate was deeply disturbed by the sound a plastic water bottle makes when you try to squeeze out the last bit of water. Another couldn’t stand the sound of an office chair swiveling back and forth as one coworker twirled absentmindedly.

My biggest workplace etiquette peeve? I’m annoyed by loud phone talkers. You know the type: people who make personal phones during work hours and then act as if their acid reflux or marital problems are the most fascinating and important topic on the planet. That’s why I always made a point of slipping away from my desk when I needed to make a non-work call (let’s face it: we all occasionally need to make calls between 9 and 5) and scheduling time in the conference room when I had a lengthy work call scheduled.

What about you? Are there habits you’d prefer to do without? Click Here to Read Article …

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28 Creative PowerPoint and Keynote Presentation Designs

There’s a certain art to putting together a solid presentation and PowerPoint and Keynote are the primary tools of the trade.  The “art” comes into play when you’re trying to set yourself apart; so how you use the tools is of great importance.  Often it is the design of the presentation itself that does the trick.  In an effort to help you put together a great-looking presentation, here are 28 examples of creative presentation designs using Powerpoint and Keynote:

Click Here to Read Article …

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