Archive for category lifehack
Things to Do in a Boring Meeting
Photo by riddle_
I was in a weekly program status meeting today. Call me the token beancounter. I attended just to give the impression that the finance department was keeping an eye on the exploits of these engineers, and that they didn’t go to far off on a tangent, and just stuck to the contract requirements. I’m not sure if they bought all of that.
After I spoke my piece, I was forced to spend the next hour listening to the propeller heads argue about:
- the benefits of a swappable circuit card configuration;
- where to locate a fan in the test bench;
- who was taking the lead in sourcing a new cable.
If you don’t understand what these things mean, don’t worry - I didn’t either. Also, what had started out as a status meeting morphed into a staff meeting for the lead engineer and his underlings. I couldn’t blame them; their group has been stretched thin by layoffs and attrition, so it was probably the only time most of them had been in the same room in a while.
But now I’m getting off-topic. While the engineers were engaged in heavy technical discussions, I passed the time gazing out the window at a white birch tree. I tracked the flight of a red-tail hawk as he flew over our parking lot, and thought about how many emails would be awaiting me at my computer. It was then that I vowed to be better prepared for a boring meeting.
“The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you’re finished.” - John Corey, in Nelson DeMille’s novel Plum Island
Here are some of the ideas that I brainstormed while I served out my sentence:
- Bring some paperwork with you - if you can do it inconspicuously, why not pass the time by catching up on some real work? Try to limit it to actual work; one of my buddies got busted for balancing his checkbook in a staff meeting.
- Answer emails - if you’re blessed cursed with having a Blackberry, you can knock several emails out of your inbox while someone is droning on about test program cycle times. Why not use this freedom-robbing device for your own benefit?
- Drinking game - keep track of how many times someone says “system” during the course of the meeting. Then, have that number of drinks after work.
- Beating game - if anyone utters “proactive” more than twice, drag them out to the hallway and beat the living shit out of them. There, that feels better! Bow to the applause as you return to the conference room.
- Separated at birth - look around the room, and try to figure out which celebrity or historical figure each person physically resembles. In this meeting alone, I got Grizzly Adams, Charles Bronson, Napoleon Dynamite, Ruth Buzzi, Droopy Dog, James Caan, Aaron Neville, T-Bag from Prison Break, Kathy Bates, and Bobby Knight. A few participants defied description.
- Grab some Z’s - this only works when the room is dark, otherwise it’s too obvious. Larger crowds offer better protection from discovery. Not recommended if you snore. Or drool.
- Stare out the window - provided you ‘re in a conference room with windows. Watching that hawk sure put me in a better mood. It doesn’t have to be a hawk; maybe an attractive person might be bending over to pick up something that she dropped, and she’s wearing those pants that…well, OK, I’m a pig. Use your imagination.
- Daydream - if you’re certain that you won’t be called upon, why not let your mind wander? You might be able to let your subconcious solve a problem. You could even combine it with staring out the window.
- Paging Mr. Ben Dover - have a prearranged time when a coworker buddy calls the conference room to request your presence at an urgent meeting. When I worked in a building with a paging system, we used to do this all the time. The receptionist would call you over the P.A. system to report to the boss’ office, and you were home free. So long, suckers! (That was 2 “systems”, for those keeping track)
- Pay attention - a last resort, perhaps, but if you really want to broaden your horizons, you could try to get past the technical jargon to really understand what’s going on. I usually can pick up a few new terms in these meetings. It helps when trying to relate to the engineers, who are a different species than us beancounters. I think this is a proven fact, but I could be wrong.
What do you do to pass the time in those mind-numbing meetings?
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Goal Status: February in Review
Another month bites the dust, so it’s time for a goal update:
1. Drop 50 pounds
After losing 14 pounds in January, my weight loss tailed off in February. I still lost 6 pounds, bringing my total to 20. Only 30 more to go. I’ll blow this one away!
2. Benchpress and Deadlift 300 pounds
I’m able to benchpress 235 and deadlift 225 pounds, 8 reps each. If I stick to my routine, I’ll hit this one, too.
3. Post more frequently
FAIL! While I surpassed my January post total, this is still only the tenth post for February. But it’s the shortest month. Yeah, that’s the reason. I need to kick myself in the ass.
4. Fund my 401(k)
On track, due to direct deposit.
5. Read a new book each month
I read a collection of Ernest Hemingway’s short stories. I’m open to suggestions for March. Any ideas? Leave a suggestion in the comments.
6. Run 3 miles
The bad weather has curtailed my walking program, but I’ve shoveled a lot of snow lately. Spring is coming. I’ll get back on track.
Check back for more updates!
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Goal Status: January in Review
Spurred on by a fortune cookie, I wrote about my modest goals for the year in this post:
So, now that we’re a month into the new year, I’ll give you my status. Here goes:
1. Drop 50 pounds
I lost 14 pounds in January, primarily by sticking to the Metabolic Diet (thank you Dr. Di Pasquale). If you can live without bread, you’ll have success with it. I haven’t had any terrible cravings, and the worst thing that I ate for the entire month was a slice of pepperoni pizza on my son’s birthday. I achieved 28% of my goal in the month, so I’m off to a good start.
2. Benchpress and Deadlift 300 pounds
I’ve been hitting the weights three times a week, and I increase the amount of weight every Monday. I’m using a 5 rep x 5 set routine, and I’m benching 220 pounds and deadlifting 210 pounds. I’m taking it easy because of my bad back. You can see that I’ve got a long way to go.
3. Post more frequently
Eight posts for the month. Pathetic! Well, I’m way behind on this goal. I’d hoped to post 5 times a week, but between a death in the family, a crazy work schedule, several birthdays, and the demise of my home computer, I’ve really dropped the ball. Hopefully February will yield more posts.
4. Fund my 401(k)
Thank goodness for automation. This is a set-it-and-forget-it goal. My contribution gets deducted from my paycheck each week, and gets dumped with the rest of my soldiers in an index fund with a low expense ratio. I’ll hit my goal, no problem.
5. Read a new book each month
With a broken computer, I’ve had the time. It’s a good thing, too, because Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment isn’t the easiest thing to read. I’ve also read Never Be Lied to Again by David J. Lieberman. So that’s two in one month. A good start. I’m playing with house money.
6. Run 3 miles
I’m currently walking 3 miles each morning, at a really fast pace, so it won’t be long before I start jogging a little bit. It sure is cold at 6 am, so there aren’t any neighbors that I have to run in to. I hope to be able to run at least a half mile by my next report.
So that’s two that I’ve exceeded, two that I’m on track with achieving, and two that I need to kick some ass in order to achieve them.
How are you doing with your goals? If you’ve fallen short, don’t give up; just start over. There are many bloggers that start on Groundhog Day, so why not join them? Good luck!
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My Goals for 2010 The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it. - advice from a fortune cookie A Disclaimer I don't believe in luck, curses, the Evil Eye, four-leaf clovers, rubbing a rabbit's foot, crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, or the power of wishing wells. ......
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Sins of Omission
Photo by Lori Greig
A husband neglects to tell his wife that he forgot to fill up her car after using all of her gas. A child doesn’t mention that he failed a science test because it’s close to Christmas. You neglect to tell your boss that you came in 20 minutes late this morning. What do these minor sins of omission have in common? The people who’ve been kept in the dark will find out about it, eventually.
Everybody does it
I guess you could call it karma, or what comes around goes around. Many times, we don’t share the entire truth with people because A. We don’t want to hurt their feelings, or B. We don’t want to catch a rash of shit for our mistakes. Probably more often the latter. I know that I’ve kept things quiet a number of times, usually for my own benefit. It must be that selfish gene that I was born with; it causes many of my character flaws.
No big deal
Most of these secrets are harmless. We rationalize them away, because they are minor offenses. But what happens when we extend our tolerance, and really start to slack off? What happens when we’re tempted to cover up a major screw-up with silence? If the inevitable happens, and someone finds out that could do you harm, you’re screwed. Just like some of the leaders of my company’s finance department.
Big rationalizations
See, there was some concern over the accuracy of our financial statements. It seems that our leader was turning a blind eye to some shady accounting practices. I guess he figured that what the auditors didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. But we have some pretty sharp auditors, the kind that take delight in pouring over balance sheets with a fine-toothed comb. They get even more excited when they spot something fishy.
Repercussions
So, our finance honcho and his henchmen started to circle the wagons. This raised even more suspicion (There’s that thing that I mentioned about being found out). And believe me, there’s hell to pay when you’ve crossed an auditor, and they find out about it. So, for our CFO, his sin of omission cost him, and his staff, their jobs.
So, if you’re going to keep something to yourself, make sure it’s a minor thing. You don’t want to get nailed for a big screw-up. Come clean early; it might save your job.
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My Goals for 2010
The odds of hitting your target go up dramatically when you aim at it. - advice from a fortune cookie
A Disclaimer
I don’t believe in luck, curses, the Evil Eye, four-leaf clovers, rubbing a rabbit’s foot, crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, or the power of wishing wells. I routinely delete those chain emails that promise untold horrors if I don’t forward them to ten of my friends (sounds more like an Amway pyramid scheme to me. I’ll save my friends the potential horror). I’ll walk under ladders, step on sidewalk cracks, open my umbrella indoors, and even mention that a pitcher has a no-hitter going on. Oh, and I don’t believe in horoscopes or fortunes, either.
Change is good
But a recent meal of Chinese food brought an unexpected benefit besides the MSG headache and indigestion: a fortune cookie that reminded me to state my goals for the year. The simple statement is listed above, but truer words have never been written. I’m going to list my goals for 2010, but first I’ll give you the behavioral changes that will make my goals a reality:
Eat healthier foods - I actually started this before the New Year, and it’s paid off in a smaller waistline. I started substituting salads and fruits for Doritos and chocolate chip cookies, and I’ve dropped about 12 pounds this year. But some of that weight loss is due to change #2…
Exercise regularly - I’m currently doing 5 days of exercise a week. I try to lift weights at least four times a week, and get some walking in on the weekends. Work has been crazy since before Christmas, so I’ve been leaving and getting home in the dark. When things calm down, I’ll try to walk before work.
Get to bed early - Or really, earlier than usual. I’m trying to get 6 hours of sleep a night. Old habits die hard, but the exercising has been making me sleepy.
Have more patience - this applies to having more patience to let these changes take effect before I throw in the towel. “Stay the course”, as Ronald Reagan once said. “One bite at a time” is my new mantra.
On to the goals
So, if I follow all of these behavioral changes, I should be able to meet my goals for the year. Here they are:
- Drop 50 pounds - Yes, you read that correctly. I started the year just a shade under 230, and I’d like to get back to my fighting weight of 180. I feel this warrants the pole position, as I’m starting to block out the sun. I’ve already dropped 12 pounds, so this is definitely doable. Besides, I’ve done it before, about 7 years ago.
- Benchpress and Deadlift 300 pounds - Why does a beancounter need to be able to lift 300 pounds? Well, just to shut my smartass son up. He thinks the old geezer is over the hill. I’ll show him! Besides, I like lifting weights.
- Post more frequently - Because I have a full-time job, I struggle to find the time to post these strange thoughts that rattle around in my cranium. Going to bed early won’t help, as i usually brainstorm after everyone has gone to bed, but hopefully eating all of that healthy food will increase my energy. I’d like to hit 250 posts for 2010.
- Fund my 401(k) - This is an easy one, as I make it automatic. It’s good to put a couple of softies on the list; achieving them keeps you motivated. I did the same thing last year when the market tanked. I followed Warren Buffett’s advice and dumped more money into my 401(k) when everyone was panicking.
- Read a new book each month - I was doing really well with my reading last year until Thanksgiving, and then the wheels seemed to fall off. I’ll set aside time each day to read. I’m open to suggestions. Has anybody read a good book lately?
- Run 3 miles - Since I’m currently walking 3 miles, this may be the toughest goal to achieve. I don’t enjoy running, and have never gotten the “buzz” that so many of my running friends gush about. I’ll start this one slowly, as I’m no fan of shin splints. Can anyone recommend a good running shoe?
So, there you have it. Nothing impossible to achieve, but challenging to some degree. I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing. So, what’s your biggest goal for this year?
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Police Your Area
Posted by enrique s in Organizing, Productivity, Rants, lifehack on January 19th, 2010
On my morning walks, I notice the same items of refuse strewn along the side of the road. There’s the Afrin bottle that some sinus sufferer discarded. Empty beer cans from some long-ago party. The occasional roadkill bird or squirrel. The stuff never seems to move. I wonder why the homeowners don’t clean up this junk; doesn’t it bother them that this junk has taken up residence outside of their residences? They have failed to “police the area.”
This got me thinking, between puffs on my cigar in the frigid morning air, about the other things that we should clean up in our lives but never get around to. I can’t help it, it’s just my OCD rearing its ugly head, forcing me to organize. At work, it could be that pile of reports on the edge of your desk. Like the Afrin bottle, they probably had some value at one point, but have outlived their usefulness. Or that elliptical trainer in your basement, the one that serves as a clothesline for your laundry. In this instance, policing the area might include posting this unused gym equipment on Craigslist.
Of course, you don’t have to limit this to physical things. How about unused gym memberships? Good intentions that went for naught. Or subscriptions to magazines that you don’t have any interest in reading. Anybody out there have a Netflix subscription? When was the last time you rented a movie? Police this area by canceling those memberships that are underutilized.
Then I thought about my relationships. My life-long friends, they’ll never be cast to the curb. But of my casual acquaintances, I’m sure that I could think of a few that aren’t doing it for me anymore, notably the Conspiracy Guy at work. Who needs the negative vibe that he gives off? It’s tougher to police this area, especially when feelings could get hurt. I’ll have to be delicate. Or sneaky.
So, unlike my neighbors who don’t clean up their front yards, I’m going to “police the area” of my life, starting with things, and moving on to relationships. I’m sure that all of this junk piling up is affecting my productivity. Time to run lean and mean.
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The After-Christmas Hangover
Photo by littledan77
Yay! Christmas is over! Time to get my act back together. You see, I’ve really slacked off since Thanksgiving, and I’m ashamed of myself. I started eating on Turkey Day, and I haven’t stopped. I have this week off from work, so it’s time to start adding some good habits.
I could blame my binging on the stresses of the holiday season. Year-end is crazy for us finance types. Good thing there were trays of cookies at work to calm my nerves. And my outdoor icicle lights kept blowing fuses. Stress is a killer, I tell ya. Yeah, right.
See, I’m not a big believer in New Year’s Resolutions. Most of my resolutions are broken before the first week of January has passed. If you follow the logic that it takes three weeks to make or break a habit, you can see that I usually fall short. But this year, I’m doing it differently, and I’ll try to add one good habit each month to my routine. Baby steps.
Why am I setting the bar so low? Think back to your own resolutions. If you’re like me, you probably vowed to eat healthy, exercise regularly, read a new book each week, yadda yadda yadda. How many of you stayed the course? I thought so. Me neither. The one exception was when I gave up alcohol. That one lasted about two and a half months. A modern miracle, as I was in college at the time.
So, in light of my past record, I’m starting slowly. And I’m not waiting for New Year’s Eve to begin, since I’ll have a whole week off to devote to my new habit. I’ll also keep a positive spin on it, so that it doesn’t feel like I’m denying myself. So this month’s new habit is to eat healthier. I’m not swearing off junk food; I’ll just eat less of it, and fill the void with fruits and veggies. Baby steps. I’ll report back with my progress when the month is up.
How about you? Feel like changing your life this year? Try baby steps. You’ll give yourself more of a chance to succeed. Let me know how you make out.
Humor an obese man. Follow my progress as I try to eat healthier: Subscribe
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How My OCD Keeps Me Grounded at Work
Posted by enrique s in Career, Rants, Self-Reliance, lifehack on December 4th, 2009
Photo by Roadside Guitars
I have a mild case of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It started in my teens, innocently enough, while watching Yankees games on TV. I’d settle into a “lucky” spot, listening to Frank Messer call the play-by-play, and wouldn’t dare move, lest the Bombers’ fortunes would change for the worse. I gradually let it control my behavior more and more, until I took stock of what I was doing, and fought against it. I didn’t seek any professional help, or ask any of my friends for advice, for fear that they’d think I was nuts. I just gradually started to eliminate each of the compulsive behaviors, resulting in the well-adjusted person that I am now. Yeah, right.
From one extreme to the other
I have it under control now. I still have a few quirky habits that harken back to my OCD-controlled existence, but they’re rather benign. I’m a person of extremes. If I want to learn something new, I usually immerse myself in it. Overcoming my OCD was no exception. I started mixing things up, consciously avoiding any repetitious behavior. For instance, when we go out for dinner, I’ll usually try something that I’ve never eaten before. When driving, I’ll take a route that I’ve never taken in the past. I’m always up for a new challenge. You could say that I’ve done a 180° turn, always seeking out unfamiliar territory. And that’s where the remnants of my OCD actually help me.
He reaches into his bag of tricks…
See, it’s good to have some routine to fall back on. You don’t want to re-invent the wheel all the time; it’s just not productive. Just like Felix the Cat, everyone needs their little bag of tricks to deal with the challenges of life. My bag includes some of the things that I’ve picked up through the years, like my filing system. I’m an anti-paper guy, and if I didn’t have a somewhat strict file-naming system, I wouldn’t be able to find anything on my computer. I also keep an extensive list of helpful Excel macros that I pick through from time to time. I’m big on being prepared, so I like to have my “toolkit” at the ready. I also have my habit of doing three things before leaving the office in order to get a jump on the next day. My OCD has helped to sharpen my focus. I just try to keep it within limits.
Out of control
However, I’ve encountered other sufferers of OCD in the workplace, and some of them aren’t as well-adjusted. One supervisor that I had hosted a weekly conference call from his office. He was always fumbling with something in his desk drawer. I later found out that he was stacking his paper clips into neat little piles. A harmless activity, to be sure, but his behavior carried over into his daily sealings with people. He started to get a reputation as a guy with “toys in the attic”, and news of his eccentricity spread. It eventually undermined his standing among his subordinates, and his habits became the stuff of water-cooler jokes.
So, I’m glad I can harness my OCD for the benefit, and not the detriment, of my career. I’m sure there are others of my kind out there. Are you one of them? Let me know in the comments how you deal with this malady, and if you’ve been able to use it to your advantage.
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Finding Time for Positive Change
Posted by enrique s in Productivity, Rants, lifehack on November 4th, 2009
Photo by hagwall
While carving a pumpkin for Halloween this past weekend, I sliced a chunk of my thumb off. I did a good job, too, with a real sharp hunting knife. There was enough blood spilled to make my son nauseous. The four-hour wait in the Emergency Room gave me plenty of time to ponder my situation.
Take a number
I’m fairly patient, especially if I have time to kill. But four hours was pushing it. I began to imagine what else I could be doing. Exercising. Writing blog posts. Watching TV. Wait a minute, I just spent 4 hours watching TV with the other casualties. I didn’t miss anything. Could this really be just an excuse to not do something positive?
Get off of your ass
Well, I took this mishap as a positive kick in the ass. Four hours. I’m sure that I’ve wasted plenty more than that before I cut my thumb. I spend at least a couple hours each night watching TV, and even more when my team is in the World Series (currently with a 3 games to 2 lead). So I’m going to start tonight, not only because Game 6 isn’t until tomorrow, but because I’ve just told all of you, and I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite.
Excuses, excuses
“I’m just so busy.”
“I can’t get up any earlier.”
“I’m not giving up my lunch hour for that.”
“That’s the time my show is on.”
There’s always time to be found if you really look for it. There are twenty-four hours in a day, or so I’m told. So I’ll use one of those for some exercise tonight, and maybe another to do some research for blog posts. I’ve found my extra time, and I’m not going to piss it away. I urge you to do the same.
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Seek Discomfort
Posted by enrique s in Career, Motivation, lifehack on October 16th, 2009
Photo by colinedwards99
There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it’s easy. - Unknown
Just about every piece of advice tries to make your workday less stressful. To-do lists help us rank our tasks in order of importance. We’re offered the following steps to deal with those dreaded tasks:
- Don’t do it
- Delay it
- Deflect it
- Delegate it
- Do it imperfectly
- Do it
Why does “Do it” wind up at the end of the list? Why such an aversion to a challenge? Do these self-help gurus doubt our capacity to rise to the occasion? I think we’re passing on great opportunities for personal growth.
When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before. - Mae West
Because I get bored easily, I’m always experimenting. I guess you’d call it Lifehacking to some degree. Perhaps this makes me a little weird, because I can’t just leave well enough alone. For instance, I gave up drinking coffee this summer. People ask me: Why? Do you have a medical condition? When I tell them that I just wanted to see if I could do it, they look at me like I have three heads. People just don’t tackle hard things anymore. We’re becoming a nation of wusses.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rather than run from change, I embrace it. I’ve changed jobs several times just because I felt that I needed a new challenge. So have many other famous people. It’s a little scary to leave a place where you have a routine for a new job where you don’t know anyone. But I think the first step to real personal growth is to break out of your comfort zone.
So I challenge you today: Skip all of the easy items from your to-do list. Pick a challenging one, something that you’ll really have to apply yourself in order to finish. The Big Kahuna. Then get busy. It may take you longer than the other “gimmies” that you’d normally tackle first, but you’ll get more satisfaction when you’ve completed it. I know, because I did this a few days ago. It was a killer assignment, with many complications, and I had to involve other people in order to move forward. But after 3 days, I completed this magnum opus, and gained some respect from my peers for my work ethic.
So it’s time to get uncomfortable. Let me know how you made out.
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