New Year's Resolutions worth keeping - learn new skills

In our original blog on New Year’s Resolutions and how to keep them, we noted that amongst the most popular category of resolution were the “be better somehow” resolutions. 

So in this category we find the “learn new stuff” resolution. It sounds good, most “be better somehow” resolutions do but let’s get specific on why you would want to make this your resolution for 2012.

Living in competitive and constantly changing times most of us are aware that that the skills we learnt yesterday aren’t the ones that are valuable today. We could wait until this is patently obvious (ie redundancy) or make 2012 the year we are proactive in updating our skills.

The other reason to focus on learning new skills, and one that current research is increasingly supporting, is that we have choices about how we age. The good news is that our brains can stay agile and responsive into our later years – the hard-work news is that we have to push our boundaries and continuing forcing our brains to learn new skills in order for this development to take place.

Additional benefits for those who decide to learn new skills in 2012 include:

• Breadth in our learning gives us a range of perspectives to call upon when faced with new problems in our own areas of specialisation.
• The more unfamiliar situations we deal with, the more we practise our innovative and creative thinking. 
• Can we add, that learning deepens our character and makes us more inspiring to those around us?

So is 2012 the year you want to make that positive step? If so, take a moment to think about what skills you could learn. 

Firstly - what do you enjoy – really this is the most important criteria, all the others are secondary because if you decide to take up the most worthwhile new skill in the world but don’t enjoy it, you are highly unlikely ever to complete the learning.

Secondly:

• what learning is available? Your workplace may sponsor learning of new skills they see as valuable.
• what local opportunities are there to learn in the company of others – eg community colleges, night school. Many of us are motivated by our social nature. If you take a class with others and enjoy their company, you’re likely to keep going to class.
• other learning opportunities – the internet can deliver on nearly any learning need you have – a quick search will generally bring up a choice of resources – from free HowTo to Hack a Day to subscription only courses.

Whatever skill you decide to focus on this year, you’re going to have to allocate time.  Think carefully about the commitment you’re prepared to make and is that realistic to the lifestyle you lead. A little bit every day, is more valuable than big blocks of time every now and then.

We’d love to catch up with you this time next year and find out what new skill you took on board and how that made a positive difference to your life!

 

INTEGRATION GOOGLE CALENDAR: set reminders from within your inbox

The latest in the Unified Inbox series of updates to make your life easier and less burdensome is the Google Calendar integration.

Adding a Google Calendar connection to your account is as simple as adding any other connection.

Whether you have added a Google Calendar connection or not, you will still be able to schedule reminders for yourself in Unified Inbox. The latest update allows you to drag any message into the Reminder folder and be asked when you would like to be reminded of it. You have here the option to keep the message out of sight until that time.

And then if you have added a connection to your Google calendar you can choose to add it to your calendar with just the click of a button.

Sign up for Unified Inbox today to experience the tools that make life easier and get a one month free trial.

 

A bright start to 2012!

Read the story of the Unified Inbox team member who discovered the benefits of location-independant work the hard way.....

"I'm sure it's not just me that has those anxiety dreams about being late for a flight or running all over the airport trying to get to the gate before the plane leaves. But for me at least, until now they have only been dreams.   I had the experience last week of actually missing my flight"....read more

 

New Year's Resolutions worth keeping - keep a balance

We published a blog last year that reported data from a “use of time” study that showed we are increasingly experiencing feelings of hurriedness and time famine.

If it is your resolution this year that you will create a more equitable balance between work and personal life, then we've got ways to go about it.

• Just because you have the technology doesn't mean you have to use. Set aside some time each week (or day) to be technology free - this means phones too! It's amazing the things you can learn about those nearest and dearest to you when you're actually talking to each other. In addition, you can start to think about some physical spaces as technology-free - the bedroom and bathroom are good places to start. You may choose ultimately to return to a “work only in an office” mode, as a way of ensuring that your work/life balance is good.

• Bring all your incoming messages into one inbox and keep all your appointments in one calendar. That need to check all those different places in order to keep on top of your life will go away. Then set aside times to work through your inbox, rather than reacting the minute a new message arrives. Given the time taken to process a message and then get back to what you were originally doing, means that doing this will add significant chunks of time back into your day.

• Be smart in your use of technology – if you really have to send that email out of office hours, how about you take the recipient into consideration and schedule it to arrive during their work day.

• Get a hobby,  or a class or one definite appointment you have to keep each week that is not work-related. Over time you might increase the frequency but let's start out with an achievable goal. It's a great idea if this activity is fun to do with friends or family.

• Take breaks. No-ones productivity improves when they work non-stop. So take a break (leave your desk) and increase your productivity for the rest of the day. If you get more done during your “work-hours” you can in good conscience "not work" for the rest of the day. Sometimes, to work faster, you just gotta work slower.

As with all the resolutions we're considering this week, make sure you start with something that is achievable in bite-sized pieces and then, all going well, increase the frequency or intensity. In this way, you may well get to the end of 2012, with that rare gift of a balanced work/personal life!

New Year's Resolutions worth keeping – improve your etiquette

The etiquette written about by Miss Manners may be more concerned with the correct knife and fork to use or the suitable time to send a thank-you card but its goal of allowing social interactions to run more smoothly is just as applicable to the electronic workplace.

Email overload is a well-defined problem in workplaces today, with some organisations going so far as to ban the use of email altogether. We however believe that there are better solutions to the problem. One such solution is that each of us can take some responsibility for the burden we place on others with each email we send, and that we take the time to consider our email etiquette.

What then is good email etiquette? Here are our top seven etiquette guidelines to consider:

1. Be concise and to the point – remember that someone else has to take the time to read this email that you have sent in the middle of what is likely to be a busy day for them.

2. Check your spelling and grammar. The reason we have such rules is to ensure that our messages are easily understood. By being correct in your messages you will make your email that little bit easier to read.

3. Don't use capitals. It's the written equivalent of shouting. Mixed case sentences will be easier to read and comprehend.

4. Take the time to read back over your message (in fact, even read it out loud to yourself) and check the tone. An email dashed off in a hurry can come across as brusque or angry and lead to a pointless emotional exchange of messages. Even making sure you add a hello and goodbye will make a difference here, as well, of course, as “please” and “thank-you”.

5. A clear subject line. This enables the recipient to start processing the email before they open the message. In fact, for very short messages such as “see you at 5pm” - the text can be entirely in the subject line with “(eom)” at the end signifying “end of message” so your recipient knows they don't need to open the message.

6. If you've got a long email with a lot of action points – consider breaking it into multiple emails that can be acted on separately.

7. Who are you sending this message to? This could well be the guideline that makes the biggest difference to the email burden you give the world. Check that recipient list carefully. Do the people on there really need to receive this message? Every person you send to will have their day interrupted by this message – think again, do they really need to receive it?

Great email etiquette takes time and training. In terms of introducing it into your workday, take the first email you send and check it against all seven etiquette guidelines listed above. Feeling good? - then do it again for the second. That may be enough for the first day. Day 2 – make sure your first two emails out are perfect in terms of your etiquette, then do another two perfectly (just because it feels good). Each day use the list above consciously for a few more messages.

Before you know it you'll be using this list without conscious thought. By doing so, you are taking a little bit of that email burden off others. And who knows, they may start asking you how you do it, so making their outward messages that little less burdensome as well!

 

New Year's Resolutions worth keeping – practice focus

Over 2011, we wrote several times about the myth of multi-tasking. While it seems that every job description will specify strong multi-tasking amongst the list of essential qualities for that job, research shows that we do not perform at our best while performing multiple tasks.

In fact, experiments on how multi-tasking effects our IQ shows that we drop 10 IQ points when forced to handle multiple tasks at once – which is the same level as if we had missed an entire nights sleep and is higher than the loss associated with smoking marijuana.

So, if you've taken this on board and made the decision that this year you're going to practice focus, we got some advice for how to go about it.

One of the specialist techniques available for free is Pomodoro which states that you choose a task to be accomplished, set your timer for 25 minutes, work on that task until the timer rings and then take a short (5 minute) break. At the end of every four Pomodoro units take a longer break.

Keeping with our earlier article on how to keep New Year's resolutions – there's little point deciding to switch your entire work day over to Pomodoro blocks tomorrow. Instead we recommend starting small and starting to train yourself and those around you (because it can be more difficult to train those around you than it is yourself!) to respect one (or two) focus sessions.

Another important process change that you can implement to improve your focus is the way you handle email. If you are in a job that allows for a hour or so to respond, we recommend turning off your notification sounds (and even your whole mail package) except for the three (say) times per day that you will be processing email. By not having your email on for the main part of the day, you can remove these seemingly small, yet in actuality time-consuming, interruptions and regain focus on the actual task in hand.

The final area you can implement if focus is your thing this year – put your phone down when talking to people or listening to them, and yes, this includes meetings. Make sure you catch the full message of the people you're talking to and, by modelling the behaviour you value, maybe (just maybe) they'll start listening to you without interruption too.

As with all the resolutions you plan to work on this year, it's best to have a goal in mind. A general - “I'm going to focus more” is unlikely to get a result, whereas “I'm going to practise one Pomodoro session per day and check my email no more than five times per day” may.  

 

New Year's Resolutions worth keeping - fight the clutter

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” -Leonardo da Vinci 

Followers of feng shui believe that clutter is low, stagnant, and confusing energy that constantly drains energy from you. Even if you're not on board for the full belief system you'd see that most of us work better in an organised rather than a messy environment.

Removing clutter from our lives is about freeing ourselves from “stuff” that takes mental energy to keep track of and care about. By removing it from our lives we are able to spend more of our time and energy on creating.

And in the tight business world of today, the ability to create is one we all need to be thinking about.

There are many articles written about ways to get rid of physical clutter and these articles contain methods such as:

• the four boxes – take four boxes with you as you approach a cluttered area. These boxes are labelled “put away”, “sell/donate”, “storage” and “rubbish”. As you pick up each item, don't let it leave your hand until you place it one of the four boxes. When you have finished the area – deal with each box appropriately.
• circuits – get a large carry container (such as a laundry basket) and make a circuit of the room. As you pass each out-of-place item, put it in the basket. Then do a circuit of the room, putting items away. You may need to do several circuits.
• penicillian – target a small area – eg a table – and clear that. That area has been innoculated and you know not to put anything in that area. Select another small area and repeat.
• box and banish – pick up everything in an area and put it in a box. Over time remove items that are needed and put them away in their proper place. At the end of a defined time period – throw away the rest of the items.

But if all these articles are written about physical clutter, there is an increasing need to consider our digital clutter. Digital clutter can be just as damaging as physical clutter. Just because it doesn’t take up any physical space, doesn’t mean digital clutter doesn’t carry the same emotional baggage and have the same impact.

So it's time to take a breath and acknowledge that our digital clutter is distracting us, causing our computers to slow down, and preventing us from getting things done that really matter. By emptying our inboxes, desktop, and other places of digital clutter, we free our resources up to write new messages, create new documents, and find new music. 

So how do we go about the process of digital decluttering. The most comprehensive article we found on this topic was 25 Areas of Digital Clutter to Minimalize  which covered areas from inboxes and emails (a subject we are most interested in) to documents to programmes to desktop icons. There are 25 ideas here to get you started.

One of the most common methods for each of these areas of clutter seems to be a variation on the physical box and banish method – eg: take all your email messages and put them in a temp folder and take them out as you work on them. After a week (say) any left can be permanently deleted or archived.

In keeping with the spirit of our last article on how to keep New Year's resolutions – if you decide that fighting clutter is your resolution for 2012 then make sure your goal is realistic and achievable – say one tip per day - and look forward to reaping the benefits of reduced digital clutter in your life.

 

Curated Series - Tips, Stats and Wisdom (issue 28)

As well as building the Unified Inbox  software product , we are currently curating a Twitter series that focuses on information useful to people working with information.  If you would like to receive these daily - please follow us on Twitter :

• Tips for dealing with information and email overload
• Stats - all the numbers you ever wanted to see about email, internet and information
• Wisdom - because sometimes in amongst the information overload, we all need to take a step back and reflect.

 

 

To paraphrase Sir Winston, e-mail is the worst form of messaging
except for all the others that have been tried.  
Jonathan Spira

Brain Health, Stress and Overload
Information Fatigue Syndrome, is a new ‘Syndrome’ which many people are experiencing. Some symptoms include increased anxiety, sleeplessness, less leisure time and less enjoyment when we do take leisure due to multi-tasking, and our brain always working.

 Ban email, fly pigeons!  
Will Breton’s announcement set off a new trend, given that it is quite fashionable to groan about email overloads? Tech journalist Mike Arrington wrote sometime ago that he routinely declares ‘email bankruptcy’. That is, unable to cope with the thousands of emails landing in his inbox, he often closes his eyes and deletes them in one go, only to make space for the next deluge 

Company ban on email gives employees a break, and maybe a different type of headache  
In case you were too busy catching up on email last week and missed the media interest in the news, the French company Atos has banned internal email. Or will, over the next 18 months, as it phases out the tool for its employees. The company’s CEO, Thierry Breton, said that because only about 10 percent of the messages his employees receive is worth their time, and because too many of his people spend hours every night sifting through the internal e-mail they get every day, he’s getting rid of the stuff. Completely. 

Should we send work email to the trash?  
Email has moved from being the internet’s first killer app to being a productivity killer. You can make news by claiming to hate it, ban it or kill it.

London taxi drivers offer window into human brain's flexibility  
Talk about information overload: becoming a taxi driver in London means memorizing all of the sightseeing destinations the city has to offer, plus the names and locations of 25,000 streets within a six-mile (9.6 kilometer) radius. 

How To Reduce Information Overload
Yet another report has come out telling us what we pretty much already know. Many workers feel overwhelmed by the deluge of emails and information they are confronted with on a daily basis. 

What would Socrates think of Google?
I was discussing with a college student I’ve been advising whether it was a good or a bad thing that Google makes access to answers so easy. To my surprise, she opined that it’s a bad thing.

• 2 out of 5 companies in Australia and New Zealand are suffering from information overload...more 
• Growing infoglut is costing New Zealand economy $400 million per year...more 
• The average employee spends 21 minutes per day looking for lost information...more 

 

So you want to keep your New Year's resolutions this year?

With the Gregorian calendar clicking over to a new year, many of us are thinking about our New Year's resolutions – those vaguely worded intentions to be a better person in some fashion or other.

For others the top resolutions are losing weight (interesting enough the least achieved resolution), exercise more, quit smoking, save more and to just be better somehow (volunteer, be less grumpy, keep a journal – you know how these go).

What is interesting about the New Year's resolution phenomenon is that a massive majority of people fail to keep their resolution – we're talking here about 88% of people making a promise to themselves that they don't keep.

So why do only 12% of people fulfill on their promises to themselves?

It seems it comes down to some pretty basic brain/body chemistry. The part of our body that regulates will-power is not that strong. When asked to resist temptation it burns up energy, and that energy has to be replaced if we are not to give in .

But there are strategies that are considered successful for dealing with temptation (in terms of resolutions you're trying to keep). The most successful strategy is distraction – whatever you do, don't think about the thing you're trying not to do. Thinking about what you can't do or have just tires you out and leaves you vulnerable to giving in. Instead make sure that whenever the subject of the thing you're trying not to do comes up, that you have an alternative to do or to think about.

If you're dead set on keeping your resolutions this year – and we've got 7 that we think are a good idea coming up this week – then you need to make sure that you include a plan for the following with the resolution itself:

 

1. Make sure that you have definite goals.

2. Acknowledge that you can only make resolutions for yourself – don't include others in them – because ultimately the only person in this universe you have any control over is yourself.

3. Make sure that the goal you set is realistic.

4. Don't try to change the world – moderation is the key.

5. Take the time to know yourself, so that the goal you set is one that you are capable of achieving.

 

Over the new few days we've going to publish the seven New Year's resolutions that we're actively working on. Like our Facebook page to get updates as we publish these over the next few days.