Archive for March, 2009
Progress Report: Giving Up Coffee, Part 2
Posted by enrique s in Productivity, lifehack on March 27th, 2009
Here’s an update from an earlier post on giving up coffee: I’m down to two cups a day! I haven’t been down to two cups a day since my twenties. And I’m not a walking zombie, either.
I’m having one cup in the morning, and one after dinner. I don’t have any cravings during the day, either. My body has adjusted to the reduction in caffeine, and I find that I’m sleeping better at night. Waking up in the morning isn’t the ordeal that it used to be.
One side benefit is that I’m more productive. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I’m getting to work earlier, and there’s no “adjustment period” after I get to my desk. I don’t have to finish my coffee before starting work; I just get right into my day.
Another benefit is my reduced weight. I won’t attribute all of it to the coffee, but I’ve dropped over 20 pounds in the last 2 months, with no trips to the evil vending machine. I used to grab a candy bar to go with my coffee, so no coffee = no candy bar. That’s about 300+ calories that I’m saving each afternoon. So cutting the java has definitely helped.
My goal is to cut my coffee drinking to one cup a day. This will take a lot of willpower. But with longer daylight hours, I’ll probably be doing more yardwork, and I hope to drop the after-dinner cup o’ joe.
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The Unthinkable: Giving Up Coffee Ahmed Rabea I've cut down my coffee drinking. I used to drink ten cups a day - well, ten mugs, really. I used to associate my coffee drinking with working. Anytime that I had a task that I was procrastinating about, I would get a cup of coffee. It...... -
5 Ways to Grow Your Shrinking Nest Egg mary_thompson Your 401k is looking more like a 201k. A pension is a relic from your parents' time. Pretty soon, you may not even have a job to complain about. Maybe your dreams of early retirement will have to remain only dreams. SmartMoney recently had an article listing 5...... -
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Outliers: The 10,000 Hour Challenge
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews on March 26th, 2009
In Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell talks about “genius”, and what it takes to become an expert in any field. Gladwell’s argument is that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve perfection. Given a 40 hour workweek, at 52 weeks a year, we’re looking at almost 5 years of full-time application to achieve genius status, given that’s the only thing you’re working on. Becoming a genius in a hobby, for instance, would be extremely difficult. I would imagine that any hobby would require many years to achieve genius status, especially if you work full-time, and can only devote a few hours each week to perfecting your skills.
Faced with these daunting odds, I’m still determined to put Gladwell’s theory to the test and become an expert in some area. I could stick with what I know, which is Excel. I’m learning new things all the time. But maybe I’ll stretch myself a bit. I could become an expert on the Metabolic Diet, which has helped me lose 20 pounds in the last month and a half. Or, I could learn a new language, like Spanish or Italian. Or maybe even Russian!
Part of the reason to take on this challenge is this: I get bored easily. It’s not that I have a short attention span; it’s the fact that I like to stand things on their head, to push the envelope, to smash old paradigms to bits. This 10,000 requirement might be just the thing to fire me up. I’ll keep you posted.
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Barbaric Links: Sweet Sixteen Edition
No, not the birthday - the NCAA Tournament! I’m still in good shape, with 13 of the 16 teams, and all of my Final Four picks advancing to the next round. I’m picking Louisville to win the whole thing. Here are some worthwhile links from around the web:
- Steve at Brip Blap tells us to hold our breath and roll up the windows;
- Nate has a guest post on Clever Dude showing us 7 ways to save money on college transportation;
- Flexo at Consumerism Commentary reviews Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You to be Rich;
- J.D. at Get Rich Slowly invites us to The Personal Finance Hour on BlogTalkRadio;
- Xin Lu at Wise Bread debates whether the world’s cheapest car is a blessing or a curse;
- Miserly Bastard at Yet Another Blog About Money delves into the other side of the Toxic Asset plan.
Happy reading!
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Personal Finance Resource Links 02-08-09 The first month closes in 2009. I can't believe we're in February already! Time slips by quickly! Let's get right to some links! The Money Life Network teamed to write Jumpstart Your Economy: Tips For Starting The New Year Off Right. Go take a gander at the seven wonderful......
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
I’m the office Excel guru, but I wasn’t always comfortable with computers. When I first starting working, we only had terminals that were hooked to a mainframe. The only software we used was the mainframe program. There was one PC, which was located in a small side office. Only one guy in the office was qualified to do anything on it. To me, the office that the PC was housed in was a “shrine” to our computing ignorance.
Quick jump to my second job. I got to work with an “older” gentleman of about 50. His name was Ed. He took the time to teach my younger, snot-nosed self everything he knew about Lotus 1-2-3 (this was in the mid-’80’s), including how to write macros. I didn’t think people that age even knew how to turn on a computer. This guy was really good. I was an eager student, and we pushed each other to become better.
Jump ahead another 5 years. I’m interviewing for a new job, and the question comes up about my computer skills. “So, you know how to write macros?” Heh-heh. Sure I do. I was taught by the best. Let me at those spreadsheets!
I got the job.
I got a lot of jobs because of my proficiency with computers. But I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Ed. Even though I’ve switched from Lotus, to Quattro Pro, to Excel, the skills were transferable, and I never feared a new software package again.
Thanks Ed, wherever you are. You continue to inspire me, and I still stand on your shoulders. Even though I’m about 40 pounds heavier.
I’m also standing on the shoulders of the blogs that inspired me to start this blog, such as Free Money Finance, The Simple Dollar, Get Rich Slowly, Problogger, Yet Another Blog About Money, Unclutterer, My Two Dollars, Smart Passive Income, Brip Blap, and many others.
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Helping the New Guy at Work
Yesterday, a new person started working in my department. The person is a recent college grad, and this is probably her first real job. The manager in charge started giving a rundown of job responsibilities and guidelines that made even my head spin. I heard at least a dozen acronyms, which I’m sure she wasn’t familiar with. I’m not sure if this force-feeding is the best approach when breaking in a new employee.
The other thing that usually occurs on your first day at a new job is the round of introductions. I’m terrible at remembering peoples’ names, and the initial meet-and-greet is no exception. Everyone knows who the new guy is, but the new guy may have to remember a dozen new names right from the start. I’ve tried using a mnemonic, but I always wind up excusing myself and my bad memory. Not the way you want to kick off a new job.
I’ve been the new guy at many jobs over the years. The new guy has to remember that it’s going to take time to feel comfortable at their new job, both professionally and socially:
Professionally
- The new hire has to learn new procedures
- Training may be needed to learn new software
- Follow the structure of the chain of command
Socially
- You may find yourself alone amongst a group of cliques
- You can choose to either fit in by partaking in group lunches, kaffeeklatches, Super Bowl pools, or softball teams
- Choose to remain an outsider
I would recommend trying to join something. After all, you’ve joined the organization professionally, and you’ll be spending most of your waking hours at work. Why not make a few new friends? I’m sure that she’ll get all the help and encouragement that she needs from my coworkers; we’re all pretty helpful here.
Whether you choose to be one of the gang, or remain aloof, or you could decide that the job isn’t right for you. I think that you should give the decision at least a few months before deciding to move on.
You can read a guest post on Brazen Careerist from someone who quit her new job after just two weeks. The comments are particularly interesting, ranging from bashing to applauding her decision. I’ll let you be the judge.
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The Unthinkable: Giving Up Coffee
I’ve cut down my coffee drinking. I used to drink ten cups a day - well, ten mugs, really. I used to associate my coffee drinking with working. Anytime that I had a task that I was procrastinating about, I would get a cup of coffee. It was my “on” switch, a physical reminder that it was time to get cracking.
My addiction started in college, and just got worse when I landed my first job. The building we were in had no cafeteria, and I used to buy coffee twice a day from a coffee truck that served the industrial park. The receptionist used to announce it’s arrival over the PA system. I can remember going through caffeine withdrawal whenever I got stuck in a meeting when the roach coach arrived.
Things really started to get out of control at a later job, where coffee was free! I thought that I hit the jackpot. But I was getting more agitated with every cup that I drank, and I eventually would hit the candy machine for a snack to go with my java. When I started my current job, one of the first things that I did was scope out the cafeteria hours. Much to my chagrin, the cafeteria closed at 2 pm, so I had to plan my coffee trips accordingly.
About two years ago, in an effort to gain some control over myself, I started bringing in green teabags from home as a substitute. This brought me down to about five cups of coffee a day (two when I woke up, one for the ride to work, and two after dinner). I kept to this ration until this past September, where I cut down to three cups a day.
I can report that I’m no worse for wear. I’m drinking more water than ever, and I’ve even cut out the green tea. I’ve stopped my association of coffee and snacks with working, and my productivity has increased. I bet some of my former coworkers would never believe the change in me, as it seemed that I was always holding a cup of coffee.
I unexpected benefit came from my addiction reduction: I’m saving about $25 a week, and over $1,000 a year, by not buying coffee at work. I’m still working on giving it up completely, which is my ultimate goal.
What addictions have you given up in the past year?
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Pay it…backward?
My son was recently accepted to his first-choice college. It happened on Fat Tuesday, so we were all in a joyous mood. The next day, I thought that I should try to do some good, and stopped to get ashes before going to work. My company was also holding a blood drive, and I donated a pint, which also helped my friend (a Blood Captain). But it also made me feel really good, and I had a great day in terms of productivity. This feeling was sustained for the rest of the week.
It got me thinking about the opportunities that we have to do a little good, whether helping a coworker in the office, or a complete stranger asking for directions. As long as this buzz persists, I’m going to make more of an effort to be proactive with helping others.
Link worth checking out:
NCN at No Credit Needed is having a random giveaway of debt reduction books this week. Check out how he used goal setting as a strategy to reduce his debts.
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Excel How-to: The GETPIVOTDATA Function
In a previous post, we created a simple pivot table from a list of Excel data. Today, we’ll link the pivot table data to a spreadsheet using the GETPIVOTDATA function.
Note: You can follow along with the how-to by clicking on the following Excel file link: The GETPIVOTDATA Function.xls
(In the attached file, the tab labeled “Sheet1″ contains the pivot table, and tab “Sheet2″ contains the spreadsheet)
We’ll start with this pivot table as our source data:
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A Foot of Snow: Should I Call in Sick?
Posted by enrique s in Book & Product Reviews, Career, Debt, Productivity on March 2nd, 2009
After shoveling out this morning (at least a foot of snow in my driveway), I pondered taking the day off. But it’s Monday, and I had a lot of stuff waiting for me at work. So I sucked it up and reported for duty. I had this quote in mind when I made my decision:
“There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back” - Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
When I arrived at work, the parking lot was emptier than usual. It looks like many of my coworkers had THIS quote in mind:
“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow” - Mark Twain
I’m still glad that I came in. The thought of coming in on Tuesday with an extra day’s worth of emails waiting for me was the deal breaker.
Here are some links worth taking a peek at:
Dumb Little Man talks about accomplishing more by working at your peak times of day
Greener Pastures discusses the Dreaded Bi-Weekly Paycheck
Kit Cooper talks about the Ultimate Productivity Driver at Stepcase Lifehack
Happy Monday!
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