Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Stay Home with the Kids while You Earn Money

 
 

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via Real Life Coaching by on 5/26/10

Have you ever dreamed of a job where you could spend time with your family and earn money at the same time? Most traditional jobs don't offer that. But, becoming a WAHM could be your ticket to your dream. But, before embarking on such a quest, here is some helpful information detailing what it's all about. 

WAHM: Just what do these letters stand for? WAHM stands for Work At Home Mom. Over the past 20 years, more and more women have come out of the workplace and gone back into the home.  

The decision hasn't been an easy one. It became apparent a long time ago that men were the only ones being allowed to "have their cake and eat it too." They could pursue a corporate career and still come home in the evenings to the family.  

Women with careers had a different path to follow. Besides working longer hours to achieve the same pay and credibility as their male counterparts, they also had to contend with the housework and the kids. After a long day at the office and doing the household chores, the kids sadly got what was left over which was usually a very worn out mother. 

That has since changed. WAHMs are proving everyday that women can contribute to the family financial situation and nurture their families. Both online and off, a network of support has been created for any woman who wants to consider an option that will help them meet their needs. 

How to get started 

When you talk to your family about the possibility you want to have an idea of the direction you will take. Check out sites like justaddsweat.com, internetbasedmoms.com and wahmtalkradio.com. They offer helpful hints to moms getting started with a work at home enterprise and also a network of opportunities for connecting with other WAHMs. 

If your income has been a big part of the monthly family finances, then switching to a work at home enterprise will cause your finances to take a hit. Be sure there is enough financial cushion in your bank account to weather the first six months of your new career. It will take time to establish your business. 

Opportunities 

First, figure out your interests and skills. WAHMs can find business opportunities to work for someone else doing everything from audio transcription to writing articles to accounting. Be aware that there are scams about and that legitimate companies looking for professionals won't ask for money upfront from you.  

Some WAHMs carve out their own niche and begin an online business. If you are skilled with crafting, you can create a website to promote your crafts and sell products. A blog is also another idea. Blog about your area of expertise and develop a following. Combine that with affiliate or search engine marketing to generate revenue. 

Making it work

With new career comes the issue of balance between home and work. Just because you are home doesn't mean you won't need help around the house or time away from the kids in order to work. Consider these tips for creating a balance: 

  • Develop a set schedule for work and play on a weekly basis
  • Develop a set schedule for work and play on a weekly basis
  • Discuss dividing up household chores between you, your spouse, and older kids
  • Do pre-work such as fixing lunches, prepping breakfast, choosing clothing the night before
  • Hire a babysitter once or twice a week
  • Separate home office space inside the house

There are advantages to being a WAHM. Plan carefully and be patient. Support from your family makes all the difference. For more information see Guidance to Balancing Work and Family.

Post from: Real Life Coaching


 
 

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Monday, May 24, 2010

20. The Moth and the Star and 21. The Owl Who Was God

 
 

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via Fifty-Two Stories by fiftytwostories on 5/24/10

A young and impressionable moth once set his heart on a certain star. He told his mother about this and she counseled him to set his heart on a bridge lamp instead. "Stars aren't the thing to hang around," she said; "lamps are the thing to hang around." "You get somewhere that way," said the moth's father. "You don't get anywhere chasing stars." But the moth would not heed the words of either parent. Every evening at dusk when the star came out he would start flying toward it and every morning at dawn he would crawl back home worn out with his vain endeavor. One day his father said to him, "You haven't burned a wing in months, boy, and it looks to me as if you were never going to. All your brothers have been badly burned flying around street lamps and all your sisters have been terribly singed flying around house lamps. Come on, now, get out of here and get yourself scorched! A big strapping moth like you without a mark on him!"

The moth left his father's house, but he would not fly around street lamps and he would not fly around house lamps. He went right on trying to reach the star, which was four and one-third light years, or twenty-five trillion miles, away. The moth thought it was just caught up in the top branches of an elm. He never did reach the star, but he went right on trying, night after night, and when he was a very, very old moth he began to think that he really had reached the star and he went around saying so. This gave him a deep and lasting pleasure, and he lived to a great old age. His parents and his brothers and his sisters had all been burned to death when they were quite young.

Moral: Who flies afar from the sphere of our sorrow is here today and here tomorrow.

*

Once upon a starless midnight there was an owl who sat on the branch of an oak tree. Two ground moles tried to slip quietly by, unnoticed. "You!" said the owl. "Who?" they quavered, in fear and astonishment, for they could not believe it was possible for anyone to see them in that thick darkness. "You two!" said the owl. The moles hurried away and told the other creatures of the field and forest that the owl was the greatest and wisest of all animals because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question. "I'll see about that," said a secretary bird, and he called on the owl one night when it was again very dark. "How many claws am I holding up?" said the secretary bird. "Two," said the owl, and that was right. "Can you give me another expression for 'that is to say' or 'namely'? asked the secretary bird. "To wit," said the owl. "Why does a lover call on his love?" asked the secretary bird. "To woo," said the owl.

The secretary bird hastened back to the other creatures and reported that the owl was indeed the greatest and wisest animal in the world because he could see in the dark and because he could answer any question. "Can he see in the daytime, too?" asked a red fox. "Yes," echoed a dormouse and a French poodle. "Can he see in the daytime, too?" All the other creatures laughed loudly at this silly question, and they set upon the red fox and his friends and drove them out of the region. Then they sent a messenger to the owl and asked him to be their leader.

When the owl appeared among the animals it was high noon and the sun was shining brightly. He walked very slowly, which gave him an appearance of great dignity, and he peered about him with large, staring eyes, which gave him an air of tremendous importance. "He's God!" screamed a Plymouth Rock hen. And the others took up the cry, "He's God!" So they followed him wherever he went and when he began to bump into things they began to bump into things, too. Finally he came to a concrete highway and he started up in the middle of it and all the other creatures followed him. Presently a hawk, who was acting as outrider, observed a truck coming toward them at fifty miles an hour, and he reported to the secretary bird and the secretary bird reported to the owl. "There's danger ahead," said the secretary bird. "To wit?" said the owl. The secretary bird told him. "Aren't you afraid?" said the owl. "Who?" said the owl calmly, for he could not see the truck. "He's God!" cried all the creatures again, and they were still crying, "He's God!" when the truck hit them and ran them down. Some of the animals were merely injured, but most of them, including the owl, were killed.

Moral: You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.

*

© James Thurber. From the collection The Thurber Carnival, available here!

Visit the world of James Thurber!

And watch Mr. Olbermann himself give his rendering of these two stories, along with a bonus!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


 
 

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Office jokes-Vocabulary additions

 
 

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via Really Funny Jokes by Mitesh Asher on 4/19/10

Essential vocabulary additions for the workplace:

1. BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

2. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

3. ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard

4. SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

5. CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

6. PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

7. MOUSE POTATO: The on-line generation's answer to the couch potato.

8. SITCOMS: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

9. STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

10. SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

11. XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.

12. IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are Annoying but you find your self unable to stop watching them.

13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

14. ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

15. 404: Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error Message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested site could not be located.

16. GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.

17. OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake.

18. WOOFS: Well-Off Older Folks.

19. CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously passing gas while passing through a Cube Farm.

 
 

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6 Ways To Become Productive on Facebook

 
 

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via Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by Abhijeet Mukherjee on 4/19/10


I know, I know, Facebook and productivity are words that don't belong in the same sentence. I mean in many ways, these words are antonyms, just like night and day.

Well, I'd contend that it depends on your perception of the tool. Yes, it is a social network that's supposed to be used primarily for fun and staying in touch. But, there's a lot more to Facebook than just commenting on your friend's status. It's an information heaven. And unless you know how to use it productively, it is, as some call it, a waste of time.

This article attempts to introduce you to some practical Facebook productivity tips that you should be implementing when you are on this network. No, it doesn't lessen the fun; it actually adds to it. Check them out and share your opinion in the comments.

Set aside time
Here's the first tip - set aside time everyday for Facebook (if you visit it everyday that is). It could be multiple time intervals of, let's say, 15 or 20 mins or just one stretch of an hour or two. But set aside time and stick to that schedule. Sounds silly? Well, you have no idea how much time you end up spending on Facebook each day. This is the first step towards becoming productive with this site. Know how much time you spend there!

One more thing I'd recommend is using a timer to track the time when you are on Facebook. You should do it initially for a few days at least. Later, once you get used to the fixed time thing, you might not need the timer any more.

Create friend lists
You'd agree that there's a trend of randomly adding friends on Facebook, whether you know the person or not. You see a friend request, glance at the profile for a second or two and then add the person. I do it too and that's how I've got a huge list of Facebook friends. It's bigger than I can manage. But thanks to friend lists, I can filter information easily.

Creating friend lists in Facebook is a way to keep track of close friends and give priority to their updates. Here's an article that tells you how to create a friend list in Facebook chat. It helps you selectively appear offline to a group of people. You could also create friend lists by going to "Friends" on the left column in your home page and then clicking "Create List" tab on the top.

Master the privacy settings
I'd say it is very important to be aware of the various privacy settings in Facebook and how to set them according to your preferences. It could save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. I know people who've spent days regretting joining Facebook because of things, they didn't know could happen, happened. And most of the time, it is because they were unaware of Facebook's privacy settings.

Here's a detailed article that talks about some important privacy settings in Facebook. It's an old article but it'll give you the picture. You could also explore by going to Account->Privacy Settings and see what are the options you have there.

Remove Annoying Apps
Most of us end up adding a lot of unnecessary applications to our Facebook account. And we keep getting those updates and notifications that increase clutter in the profile and news feed. Plus, there have been security issues with some apps in the past.

Removing the apps you hardly use is recommended. It'll clean up your profile too. Although Facebook doesn't make the process obvious, you can follow this step by step guide to remove the Facebook apps you don't need.

Filter Your News Feed
Filtering Facebook's news feed lets you segment information and see what matters first. Friend lists can help you filter information related to them. You could also check out the options in the left column to quickly skim through status updates, photos, events etc.

Use an email update tool like NutShellMail
By default, Facebook delivers email updates about your account to your inbox. And if you are very active Facebook user, it could mean a huge number of emails everyday.

The best way to go about it is turning off all the email updates (except for one or two important ones) and using a tool like NutShellMail that sends consolidated account email updates. I personally use this tool and have found it very useful. Even if I don't visit Facebook on certain days, it keeps me informed. And all that in a single email.

Written on 4/19/2010 by Abhijeet Mukherjee. Abhijeet is a blogger and web publisher from India. He loves all things tech as long as it aids in productivity. He edits Guiding Tech, a blog that publishes useful guides, tutorials and tools. Check it out and subscribe to its feed if you like the site. You can also find him on Twitter. Photo Credit: magerleagues

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

A Genius Gallery

 
 

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via Dave Gorman by Dave Gorman on 4/15/10

Apparently a picture tells a thousand words. So maybe the best way of explaining your Genius idea is with a drawing.


Or maybe it's not.

Either way, send 'em in.

 
 

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7 Ways to Overcome Disappointment

 
 

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via World of Psychology by Therese J. Borchard on 4/15/10

7 Ways to Overcome Disappointment"We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world," wrote Helen Keller.

How I wish she were wrong. Disappointments leave us with the unpleasant task of squashing, crushing, and pinching lemons to extract any and all juice. Here, then, are a few of my techniques to turn sour into sweet, to try my best to overcome disappointment.

1. Throw Away the Evidence

Albert Einstein failed his college entrance exam. Walt Disney was fired from his first media job. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Get it?

2. Stay in the Mud

"The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud," says a Buddhist proverb, just in case you thought all crap was bad.

3. Make a Pearl

Allow your disappointment to form a pearl just as an oyster does when an irritating grain of sand gets inside its shell, but grab the pearl before the sand gets in your eyes.

4. Ignore the Critics

Success is one percent talent, 99 perspiration. Take it from a writer whose eighth-grade paper was read aloud as an example of how NOT to write.

5. Grow Your Roots

Although the bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth, it looks lazy at first because there is no branching … just growing lots of deep and wide roots. At the right time, though, the evergreen is capable of surging as fast as 48 inches in 24 hours. So are we … if we grow strong roots.

6. Persevere

"The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground." –Author Unknown

7. Don't Rush the Process

Only in struggling to emerge from a small hole in the cocoon does a butterfly form wings strong enough to fly. Should you try to help a butterfly by tearing open the cocoon, the poor thing won't sprout wings, or if it does, its friends will make fun of it.

Click here to read all 21 Ways to Overcome Disappointment.


 
 

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Education Should be More than Academic Basics

 
 

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via Stepcase Lifehack by Craig Harper on 4/15/10

Smart and Stupid at the Same Time

I've spoken before about human intelligence being a multi-dimensional thing and today I thought we'd take a brief look at, what I believe to be, one of the most important and valuable components of overall intelligence: Social Intelligence. Some people are very intelligent (capable, competent, efficient) when it comes to completing certain tasks but surprisingly inept (dare I say, stupid?) when it comes to others.

You know what I mean.

This Piece Goes Where?

Some people might suggest that I'm reasonably intelligent when it comes to writing, communicating and expressing my ideas but if those same people saw me trying to put together a piece of DIY furniture and understand the accompanying instruction sheet, they might (reasonably) conclude that I am, in fact, an idiot. It's probably fair to say that my mechanical intelligence is low. Actually, no, low would be a significant step up.

And if those same people saw the quizzical (confused, lost, stupid) look on my face in any movie with a plot more complex than Porky's Revenge, they'd probably realise that their initial assessment was spot on. It's fair to assume that I won't be recruited by the FBI, NASA or MENSA any time soon. Sadly, I'm often confused and asking stupid questions before the opening scene has finished.

Yep, smart comes in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you won't realise how smart somebody is until you're stuck on an island with them and they build you a house, catch you some fish and save your life all before sunset. This might also be the same person who struggles to spell or calculate simple equations.

IQ Tests

When most of us talk about measured intelligence we are generally talking about a score someone has achieved completing, what we know as, an IQ test. While a score from an IQ test can tell us a little about a person, there's far more that it doesn't tell us. And quite often the information an IQ test doesn't provide is exactly what will make the difference between success and failure (depending on the task, of course).

We all know at least one person who, if required, could write a quick overview of quantum physics in ten minutes (in three languages) yet would struggle to walk into a social setting and engage a stranger in casual conversation. Neither would they get your joke or know when they're pissing someone off. And if they had to do something complex like change a baby's nappy(diaper) (1) they'd panic and (2) they'd have to Google it.

While there are several definitions for Social Intelligence, what I'm talking about today is our ability to interact effectively with other people in a range of settings, situations and circumstances. Following are some indicators of a person's level of social intelligence.

How do you rate yourself on the following?

  • Being an active listener.
  • Reading and responding to non-verbal cues – keeping in mind that the majority of our communication is non-verbal.
  • Being able to create connection and build rapport.
  • Reading situations and people in those situations.
  • Knowing what is and what isn't appropriate for that conversation and that moment.
  • Being able to avoid and, when necessary, resolve conflict.
  • Making others feel valued, respected and appreciated.
  • Knowing when to say nothing.
  • Knowing how to start a conversation.
  • Assessing the feelings of others and understanding a perspective other than your own.
  • Demonstrating humility.
  • Being able to hold a conversation with someone with whom you have nothing in common.
  • Being able to adapt your communication style for your audience (individual or group) in terms of language, vocabulary, volume, speed and content.
  • Being able to motivate, inspire and empower others.

The Right Person for the Right Job

Since I started my business (just after the last ice-age), I've employed somewhere in the vicinity of four hundred people. When I'm interviewing prospective staff I always rate people skills, communication and social intelligence above academic intelligence on the employability scale. Of course I want knowledgeable, qualified and technically competent staff but I'm acutely aware that those three ingredients don't automatically equal a great trainer, teacher, coach, motivator or employee. It's my experience that people with a high level of social intelligence are well suited to (the numerous) careers which involve significant face-to-face contact and social interaction.

Over the years, I've met, worked with and employed many people who have had limited technical knowledge (to begin with) and basic qualifications yet they constantly produced great results, built fantastic relationships and were always in demand because they simply had a high level of social intelligence. They were smart where and when it counted. They had excellent awareness, empathy, insight, understanding and overall people skills.

A Different Education

How great would it be if our school kids were part of an educational system which not only valued and taught the academic basics (mathematics, sciences, humanities), but also one that held the development of their social and interpersonal skills in the same esteem? If this were to happen, I believe our kids would come out of school much better prepared for the practical realities and challenges of life beyond the classroom. Imagine if they had the choice of elective subjects such as communication, conflict resolution, leadership, emotional intelligence and relationship building 101… just to name a few.

Very cool.

I might build that school.

Let me know your thoughts on this topic.

image

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer. For the past 25 years he has been a leading presenter, educator, motivator and commentator in the areas of personal and professional development. You can visit Craig's blog at Motivational Speaker.FREE eBook – So… You've Decided to Get in Shape (Again) Craig's FREE eBook takes 20 – 30 minutes to read, and addresses the REAL getting-in-shape issues based on his 25 years of experience. To get Craig's FREE eBook click here, weight loss books.

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

How To Find Your Passion

 
 

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via Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life by DLM Writers on 4/6/10

passion
Imagine a scenario where you actually loved getting up in the morning. I'm not just talking about those occasional weekends or days off where you actually have no plans (or only plans made and loved by you). I'm talking about every single day. Before you scoff at the ridiculousness of such a concept and flick on further down your reader just stop . Indulge me for a moment.

If I were a genie and could grant you anything you wanted, don't tell me you wouldn't be interested in finding a pastime (career, hobby, part-time adventure) that not only paid the bills but actually made you feel – what's that word? – good. And I'm talking gooooooood. Like so darn happy you smile at strangers on the street, walk with a little bounce in your step, constantly update Facebook with perky little notes, and basically just spend every day feeling like a kid does on Christmas.

Sounds annoying, doesn't it? Unless it's you of course.

So let's assume for starters that you still need regular income. To start with we're going to need this muse of yours (thank-you, Mr. Tim Ferriss ) to occupy only a set amount of time. Perhaps half an hour each day, with weekends off. That's doable, isn't it? Of course I'm talking about a solid 30 minutes committed to changing the way you live your life. All in one block.

The idea of introducing part-time passion like this is that it eases you in to the next step. Which is to gradually move you to a point where you are making a living from doing what you love. Where your part-time passion has replaced your full-time job. Sounds good, doesn't it? I managed to do this about 5 years ago. I was in a mid-level management position which I was kinda sick of. Ok, hated. And I was doing some part-time Personal Training before and after work. It took me a full year of being over that job to toss it in and have enough courage to try running a full-time Personal Training business. But at least I got there.

Where would you like to be a year from now? What would you love to be doing?

If you're not at all sure what your passion might be, then I'd recommend taking some time to identify your strengths. Here are 3 easy ways to get started on that:
  1. Ask your friends what they'd consider your strengths/natural skills to be.

  2. Take an online personality or strength/weakness test. This one from Dr. Martin Seligman is world-renowned. You have to register, but that's free.

  3. Invest a little time in some daily journaling. Just let the pen roll as you envisage what your perfect day, then week, then year would look like. I don't mean the down-time (although there's plenty of people who've turned a passion for travel into a solid income).
By this point you should be starting to get a little excited. Even the act of thinking about how cool it would be to actually love what you do should get the motivational juices flowing. But if you're still really not sure what you'd like to do – or perhaps you feel like there's so many things to choose from – then try this.

Find a clean piece of paper and a pen. Write down the numbers 1-10. Think back over past weeks, months, even years – which events/activities stand out as being joyous or exciting for you? If you can't think of anything, consider those events you reacted to in others with excitement, even jealousy. You might like to consider the following categories as a memory-jogger or just for ideas:

· Travel
· Creativity
· Social connection
· Helping others
· Making deals
· Re-selling goods
· Teaching

The long and short of it is that you want to highlight those times when you feel most alive. What makes you feel creative, happy, free, a sense of belonging?

Now that you have your passion in mind it's time to start making it happen. This is actually the easiest part of the process so far. Remember back to the start of this article? You've already committed to setting aside 30 minutes per day to work on your passion, so set the timer and get started. Try not to worry too much about how you can turn it into money, just focus on action. And, if you have several possible passions in mind, then choose one and start with that. Commit to it for 21 days and then decide if you'd like to keep going or start afresh.

Here's how you might fill that 30 minutes –

  • Write about your passion, what you like about it, what comes easy to you, where you'd like to improve your skills

  • Research the work of others who are effectively using your passion in their lives

  • Teach it to someone else

  • Read about it

  • Study different methods of doing it

  • Create a vision board of what your life will look like when you're doing it
Do this diligently and sooner or later you'll feel ready to take the next step: offering a discounted version of your service, applying for a freelance position, sharing your knowledge with someone who can help you get ahead. This could be the moment when that part-time passion suddenly really does seem like something that might one day replace your full time income. Soon as you make that first measly dollar from it you'll have the immediate excitement of knowing that if you can make $1, you can make $100, then $1,000. You get the idea. A year from now (or less if you're not such a scaredy-cat like I was) you just might not be imagining that lovin' the morning scenario anymore. You'll be living it.

Written on 4/6/2010 by Kat Eden. Kat is a Personal Trainer from Australia. Visit her blog Body Incredible to be inspired with the latest nutrition tips, weight loss advice, and motivational thinking. .Photo Credit: neil conway



 
 

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Free Life Coaching Offer

 
 

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via Life Coach Blog: The Discomfort Zone : by Tim Brownson on 3/30/10

There are lots of changes going on behind the scenes here at the moment. The result will be a new blog design, new domain name and sadly, the demise of the cartoons I have been using for the last 18 months or so.

The style of writing will NOT change (stop groaning at the back!), but I really want to generate some actual clients from my blog rather than relying so heavily on referral work as I do now.

There are too many mixed messages here for new readers and I have a feeling some first time visitors that may be looking to hire a Life Coach think I don't take what I do very seriously.

The fact is, I take Life Coaching and my clients needs very seriously indeed. It's life that I don't take so seriously, but I throughly understand why people may not realize that from my blog.

I have also been charging a lot less than most life coaches with my level of experience and proven results, so my prices are going up too when the new site launches. This will also allow me to dedicate some more time to the How To Be Rich and Happy project without wondering if I can pay the rent!

With all that in mind, I'm wondering if you want $2,000 worth of free life coaching?

Whether you or somebody you know would like to work with me for 6 months and not pay a Penny, Peso or Euro?

I'm not going to say any more here other than my head is going on the block. So if you're interested and you really want to take your life to the next level, then check out Free Life Coaching Offer at How To Be Rich and Happy.

By the way, if you read and enjoyed the great guest post from Carl Harvey called 'Death of the Self-Help Seminar' you'll be keen to pop back on Thursday(ish) when he takes it all back and I publish his latest offering "Resurrection of the Self Help Seminar"


 
 

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Educating Kids to Be Change Agents

 
 

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via Outside Innovation by Patty Seybold on 3/25/10

My most recent trip to URDT in Uganda was the most satisfying of the five trips I've made there in the past four years. In the past, I've been able to go on field trips into the bush to see firsthand the differences being made in the lives of local people and to talk with them directly. This time, I took four field trips to meet and talk with people who are taking the initiative to change their lives from living conditions that are extremely primitive to near-middle-class lifestyles. I also interviewed and solicited essays and drawings from the 262 students in the URDT Girls School. 

The three secrets of success of this integrated rural development program are:

1. Using a visionary approach-focusing on people creating the outcomes they want to achieve.

2. Girls and young women as change agents-in a culture in which women are treated as second-class citizens and are under-educated.

3. Community radio to engage citizens in strategic conversations about the issues that matter most to them.

As many of you already know, I am midwifing a children's book that will be written and illustrated by the girls at the URDT Girls School—the 10- to 18-year-olds who are becoming effective change agents. In doing so, I have learned much more about their school, their stories, and their lives. It's amazing how much you can learn from and be inspired by a motivated young person!

Although I have written about the URDT Girls School before, I had never really analyzed it to understand HOW these girls (and their families) are educated and how they catalyze change in their households and communities. As you'll see, this is a true "path of least resistance" story. At the Girls School, URDT has created a structure and an environment that makes it logical and easy for people to improve their sanitation, nutrition, and basic living conditions so that they can aspire to and create productive lives for themselves and their families.


 
 

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IQ. EQ. We Need CQ--Creativity Intelligence. How Much Do You Have? How Muc...

 
 

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via NussbaumOnDesign - BusinessWeek by Bruce Nussbaum on 3/25/10

There is an extraordinary moment in "Horse Soldiers," a book about the US Special Forces team that went into Afghanistan right after 9/11, when the men realize they need to ride horses into battle to defeat the Taliban. Dropped into a culture they knew little about, in a land of unknown and threatening terrain, with tools that were insufficient for the mission, and dependent on a group of distrustful people, the SF team did what it was trained to do--design a valid new pathway to their goal.

The 12-man, multi-disciplinary team went through the ritual of innovation--they observed and empathized with the local culture, collaborated among themselves and with their partners, brainstormed to generate new options, iterated a few and chose the best one. In the end, that best option was to get on a horse. The team mounted up to show respect to the culture, establish their social position as warriors, and effectively transport their high tech GPS and laser sights across the mountains and desert to call in air support and achieve their goal of victory in battle.

The Special Forces have a very high CQ--Creativity Quotient. Another way of putting it is that they have a high DI--Design Intelligence. Teams know how to go into unknown, changing, dangerous cultural spaces, do fast ethnography, brainstorm, collaborate, iterate options, choose the most valid solution for the situation and execute. They would never call it Design Thinking, but that is what it is. They learn it in training, through education. It is no accident that this paradigm of "as if..." organization and behavior is spreading not only through militaries around the world, but through the smartest global corporations as well.

So it is time for individuals and organizations to ask themselves--what is our CQ? Just as IQ and EQ has proven to be measures of specific capabilities, the capacity for creativity is increasingly the core to building value in these uncertain and treacherous times. And just as IQ and EQ scores can be raised significantly for anyone by teaching and training, so too can CQ be bolstered for individuals and organizations. When Rotman's DesignWorks holds a workshop, it raises the CQ of the participants. Ditto for IDEO, ZIBA, Continuum or Jump.

At a recent symposium on the Future of Design at Stanford University, a group of design/innovation practioners and educators (including myself) came up with the concept of Design Intelligence/ Creativity Quotient. We hope it takes Design Thinking and the conversation around innovation to the next level. The concept really came home to me when Bill Burnett, the Executive Director of the Stanford University Design Program, said he wanted to add an additional screening measure to the SATs and GREs that students submit for admission to the school. "We measure math, verbal and writing capabilities, why not creativity?" Why not indeed.


 
 

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.

 

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How I Became (Mostly) Google-free in About a Day

 
 

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via Zen Habits by Leo on 3/18/10

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on twitter or identica.

Are we too reliant on Google's services? As long-time readers know, I love Google's products and use them daily, as they're absolutely the best I've tried in their categories: Google search, Gmail, Google Chrome browser, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Picasa, mostly.

But is it dangerous to give all our information and to rely so completely on one corporation? Should we be worried? Should we be looking for alternatives? Should we be moving our data out of Google as soon as possible?

Another thing that concerns me is the commercialization of every aspect of our lives. It's bad enough that advertising is already so pervasive — in television, in newspapers and magazines and blogs, on billboards and in our mail. But if it's also in our email, calendars, maps, search, and basically everything we do every day, then there's no hiding from it. I'm not convinced that using amazing software is worth giving a corporation complete access to my life and my attention.

I've been thinking about this for some time. I don't have answers.

However, last week, I decided to try an experiment: could I go (mostly) Google-free? How hard would it be? How much would I like the alternatives?

It took me one day.

Here's how I did it, and how it's turned out so far.

First, Overall Principles

Remember that my main reasons for doing this are that 1) I don't want all my data in one corporation and 2) I don't want everything I do to be pervaded by advertising.

So the main principles I chose when seeking good alternatives were to find services that:

  1. are not Google (whether it's a corporation or not)
  2. are pretty good to use

And in an ideal world, those alternatives would also be:

  1. free, open-source, using open-standards
  2. free of advertising
  3. non-corporate (small businesses are OK)
  4. as good as or better than the Google services they're replacing

These last few ideals are not necessary, but would be great. In most cases, I didn't achieve them.

Google Search

The all-pervasive app that we can't live without. There aren't really good alternatives — there's Google search, then there's everyone else. Bing gets talked about a lot, but I don't much like the results and Microsoft isn't any better in my mind than Google. Same with Yahoo.

The alternative I chose: so far it's a split between Clutsy, ixquick, and Scroogle.

A word on Scroogle — actually it uses Google's search, but sets up an intermediary (Scroogle) that sits between your computer and Google's servers. Google places its cookie on Scroogle's computer, and then Scroogle deletes it, and also deletes any logs of your anonymous searches. So the results are as good as Googles, but ad-free, without Google's tracking, and 100 results per page (instead of the frustrating 10 results that Google has).

Update: Be sure to go to Scroogle.org, not Scroogle.com, which is completely different and NSFW.
Still, it seems like cheating, so I've been alternatively trying Clutsy and ixquick. Both are decent, not the best, but also sometimes have ads.

The transition so far: I set up each of these as my browser's default search engine for a little while. They all work fine, but I've been finding Scroogle finds the results I want more often.

Other alternatives I looked at: Ask, Cuil, Wolfram Alpha.

Gmail

I absolutely love Gmail, so giving this up has been as hard as Google Search. It's by far the best email program, period. And I've tried almost all. Luckily, I'm far less reliant on email these days — mostly it's just for family and a few business partners.

The alternative I chose: Fastmail. It's not as pretty as Gmail, but it's fast and secure and has a lot of great features. Most importantly for me, it has great spam filters (as Gmail does) and keyboard shortcuts. If you pay a nominal fee ($5 for a year, or less than 10 cents per week), you also don't get any ads.

The transition so far: It was easy to set up, and I forwarded all incoming Gmail emails to Fastmail. Eventually I'll delete my Gmail, but for now I'll leave it. I like Fastmail almost as much as Gmail, especially now that I've set up a few key folders (like Archive) and filters and learned the keyboard shortcuts. A couple things I really miss: Send & Archive (in one button or shortcut), automatic adding of email addresses to the address book (Fastmail does it but you have to confirm each time), and threaded conversations.

Other alternatives that look good: Roundcube, Zenbe, and Sup (self-hosted, but similar to Gmail but for command-line geeks). I may eventually use Sup once I get a better command of the command line.

Google Chrome

In the last few months, Chrome has been hands down my favorite browser, for its simplicity, speed, and beautiful features. I love it, and can't do without it. Firefox, Safari, Camino, Opera all seem clunky next to Chrome.

The alternative I chose: Chromium, the open-source version of Chrome. This is almost cheating, as it's practically the same browser. But after switching to other browsers for a little while, I couldn't stand it, so I chose Chromium. It's open-source, which is great, and doesn't track your info like Google does.

The transition so far: absolutely painless. I had to migrate some of the keyword bookmarks I'd set up for Chrome, but that took a few minutes. Otherwise, it's the same browsing experience, and just as stable.

Other alternatives: Firefox, Safari, Camino, Opera, and the beautiful Plainview.

Google Docs

I store almost everything in Google Docs (and Dropbox, for text files I draft on my computer). It's absolutely great for sharing documents. Haven't used Microsoft Office in years.

The alternative I chose: Zoho, an online document and productivity suite, actually more complete than Google Docs. I'd tried it in 2007 but concluded that Google Docs (or Writely, before that) was better. That hasn't changed, but Zoho is a decent second.

The transition so far: Migrating is fairly painless. You can sign up for a free account, and you can even import your Google Docs (through a mis-labeled "Upload" button), though only 5 Google Docs at a time. Zoho works just as you'd hope, though it's not quite as good or fast as Google Docs. Still a good alternative, although I'd love an open-source alternative that worked as well.

Other alternatives: Etherpad looks great but was BOUGHT BY GOOGLE! It's now open-sourced so you can try it Google-free at Typewith.me or PiratePad. While these are great for individual collaborative documents, unfortunately it isn't a great replacement for Google Docs in managing a lot of documents. Others to check out include drop.io, Feng Office, Peepel.

Google Reader

By far the best RSS reader (for reading blogs & news), Google Reader is simple, fast, and always synced no matter what computer you're using. It beats desktop RSS readers easily, and I've used them all.

The alternative I chose: Vienna, an open-source desktop app for Mac. I was using NetNewsWire for a little while and liked it but then realized there was no way to sync without Google Reader anymore, and as I don't want to give my info to Google, I had to ditch it. So I tried Vienna, which doesn't have sync at all, but is even better than NetNewsWire in every other way. And is open-sourced and ad-free, which is great.

The transition so far: As Vienna doesn't sync (at least I haven't figured out how), I just read on my Macbook Air, which is absolutely fine. It means my iMac is now just for working, and not reading, which is actually a great thing for my productivity and focus. I exported my subscriptions from Google Reader and imported into Vienna, which took like 30 seconds, and otherwise reading in Vienna is great.

Other alternatives: online readers such as Netvibes, Pageflakes, and Bloglines, or desktop readers such as Netnewswire, FeedDemon, RSS Owl, Thunderbird (not a great RSS reader in my view), or self-hosted varieties such as Gobble RSS or Fever, or browser plugins such as Sage.

Google Calendar

Absolutely my favorite calendar ever, I've been using Gcal for almost four years and love it. So much better than iCal or Outlook, it's simple and fast and accessible everywhere.

The alternative I chose: 30 Boxes, another good online calendar that I can share with my wife and access from multiple computers. I tried this several years ago but liked Gcal better — still do, but they're fairly close.

The transition so far: I probably could have found an easier way to export Gcal events and import into 30 Boxes, but I was testing out 30 Boxes and started entering the events manually. It's pretty fast and painless, so I ended up doing all my events by hand. Took about 20-30 minutes. 30 Boxes works pretty much as you'd hope, and I haven't had any problems so far.

Other alternatives to try: Monket (open-source, self-hosted), desktop apps like iCal or Sunbird (open-source), or online suites such as Zimbra or Feng Office.

Picasa

Great photo management software that's integrated on my desktop and online. Makes syncing your photos painless and works better than you'd expect if you're used to clunkier alternatives such as iPhoto.

The alternative I chose: SmugMug, which is a beautiful online photo app but not cheap (if you do sign up, use my coupon to save $5: TlepT5Lpv1XmQ).

The transition so far: Honestly, I haven't fully made this transition yet as I have thousands of photos in Picasa and haven't had the time to move them all to SmugMug. I've uploaded some of the photos I have in iPhoto using a free plugin, and it works pretty well, but moving all the photos will take a little time. SmugMug is a nice service, though again, not cheap.

Other alternatives: Flickr (which is good but I've never been a fan), iPhoto, a few others I didn't bother to look at.

Not Fully Google-free Yet

There are some things that I haven't done yet, but plan to do in the future to get fully Google-free:

  • migrate all photos & other data from Google's services
  • shut down my Gmail once my main contacts know my new address
  • move from Feedburner's blog subscription service (I actually forgot about that until just now)
  • stop using minor services (minor to me as I hardly use them) such as Google Maps – haven't researched alternatives for these yet

There might be others that I've forgotten about, so it'll take a bit longer than a day. But in one day, I was able to move from the main Google services I've been using for years, to good alternatives.

Conclusions

Overall, I haven't missed the Google services one bit. I really thought it would be harder to make the switch, but it was fast, fairly easy, and without glitches.

The services I'm using are almost as good, and once you get used to them you don't feel like you're making a sacrifice.

I need to be clear: I don't hate Google, nor do I think they're evil. They make great things, and in general have been more supportive of open standards and open source than other corporations like Microsoft or Apple. But it's not wise to put everything you have into one corporation, nor do I like commercializing my entire life. It was time for a change.

I also believe that if you give someone power, eventually they'll abuse it. It's just a matter of time. How much power should we give one corporation?

I don't know if I'll stay (mostly) Google-free, or if I'll eventually head back to Gmail or one of the other services. But I do know that I like using multiple services — putting my eggs in different baskets — and I like having fewer ads in my life. And I also know that it's possible to get out of Google's clutches.

Next up: Apple (see Linux). Twitter is in my sights as well (see identica).

Post inspired by Freemor.

—
If you liked this guide, please bookmark it on Delicious or share on Twitter. Thanks, my friends.


 
 

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

9 Tips For Better Sleep

 
 

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via Stepcase Lifehack by Seth Simonds on 3/24/10

This article is the 4th in the 6-part series, Lifehack Challenge: Become An Early Riser In 5 Days. If you'd like to join, leave a comment that includes your promised wake-up time. The hard part is actually getting out of bed!

Whenever I see a toddler or small animal sleeping in a ridiculous position, a little part of me gets terribly jealous. Not because I want to be a small child or a furry kitten. Because I want to enjoy that same sort of rest!

I had a lot of trouble sleeping a few years back. Through a lot of experimentation and a bit of help from some very cool experts, I was able to take charge of my sleep and learn how to not just sleep, but find true rest.

At first glance, most of the tips listed below will seem familiar to you. They're straightforward, simple ways to get better sleep. It's okay if you've seen them before. The question is, have you actually put them into practice since the last time you saw them?

Hmm?

If not, let's have another try and maybe get some better sleep tonight!

1. Learn your sleep position

Your "sleep position" is the position you always move into right before falling asleep. If I'm not very tired I'll spend some time on my back, stomach, or other scenario until I feel like sleeping. Then, as soon as I feel like sleeping, I move onto my side and get down to sleeping business. Once you know your sleep position you can move into it immediately once you get into bed. Take a few deep breaths, relax, and your body will assume that it's time to sleep and you'll be drooling on your pillow in no time.

2. Create a sleep ritual

Not unlike your morning ritual, a sleep ritual is a few things you always do before going to sleep. Do you brush your teeth (you should be), listen to a bit of some favorite song, or stretch for a few minutes before bed? Figure out what helps you relax and make a habit of doing those things every time before you plan to sleep. You'll soon find it's easier to rest, even in circumstances that otherwise might have kept you awake, because the rhythm of your sleep ritual has lulled you into a relaxed state.

3. Build a sleep cocoon

Please don't start spinning silk and wrapping yourself up to sleep. If you can actually do that, your problems are much bigger than a simple lack of sleep! (Do spiders sleep? Anyone?) What you should try is creating a "cocoon" of silence and cool darkness that makes it easier for you to sleep. Experiment a bit with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones to counteract the loud neighbors, air conditioning or a fan, and a blackout curtain to keep the street lights from keeping you awake at night. You know your situation best. Now optimize it so you can sleep better!

4. Experiment with naps

You could take an extreme and try polyphasic sleep (been there, really hard to get started, kinda fun once you've got a groove going) which is only naps. I'd recommend something more along the lines of a quick cat nap in the afternoon when you're feeling tired. Napping doesn't work for everybody. In fact, it might make it harder for you to sleep at night! The easiest way to find out if an afternoon nap will work to help you get the best rest is to try napping over a weekend and see how you feel afterward. Keep it under 30 minutes long and you should be able to avoid the bewildering effects of longer naps. There's always the caffeine nap, but that might conflict with the next tip.

5. Skip the late-afternoon caffeine

If caffeine can affect you for up to 8 hours after consumption, what are you doing sucking down coffee at 8pm? Skip the caffeine in favor of a tall glass of water and a few minutes of aerobic exercise. You don't need to put on a purple leotard and dance in the hallway. A few flights of stairs in your normal clothes should do the trick.

6. Maintain a sleep schedule

"Get up at the same time every morning and go to sleep at the same time every night" says the Mayo Clinic. Seriously? Life rarely allows such a luxury as that! If you're not one of the few who can arrange their schedule around sleep, do your best by keeping your sleep and wake times within an hour at each end. For example, if you can get to bed between 11pm-midnight and wake up between 7am-8am, a few minutes given or taken each day shouldn't be a problem in the long run.

7. Go to directly to bed when you're tired

You know what happens when you start to feel tired and decide to stay up for just a few minutes answering emails: you get a second wind and end up watching Youtube videos until 3am and paying for it the following day. Enough! If you're within an hour of your normal bed time and you're feeling tired, go to bed and try to sleep. Anything else is a waste of your time and future productivity.

8. Have clean bedding you love

"Love" might be too strong a word. It's hard to find anybody other than a mattress salesperson who sounds passionate about a mattress. That doesn't mean your bedding doesn't matter though. The clean part, which results from laundering your sheets and pillowcases, matters very much though. Who doesn't like the smell and feel of freshly clean sheets? (Put your hand down. That's gross.) Take a look at your pillow, too. If it's old and the filling is clumping up, it might be time to treat yourself to a new one.

9. Exercise early, don't eat late

Two tips in one? What a deal! There are some who can exercise right before bed and not have it affect their sleep. If you're one of those, good for you. If not, consider exercising when you get up in the morning as a healthy way to get your day off to a running start. Exercise, amazingly enough, can also work well to fight off the fatigue you feel after sitting in an office chair all day. Turn away from the coffee and get moving! You might associate eating with feeling sleepy because of the "carb coma" you get after a big meal. Take a break from the late-night stuffing and focus on relaxing instead. Perhaps a glass of wine? That'd be nice.

Any thoughts or tips you'd like to add? Fire away!

If you're participating in this week's Early Riser Challenge, you'll want to check out reader blogs: PeterxPark, TinaRenee, and LiveLighter.

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I'm an editor here at Stepcase Lifehack. I know the value of long walks, good books, joyful repartee, and a well-made martini. Say hello in the comments here, find me on my blog or hit me up for a follow on Twitter.

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