Photo credit: Sarah MaeHow often do you hear someone tell you that they are "swamped" at work? I've been thinking about this phrase a lot, and it's no irony that it's usually while I'm at work. I haven't touched a topic like this lately, but I used to quite a bit in the past. If you've been a reader for a while you know that I am a big fan of the the concepts of the 4 Hour Workweek and the idea of ROWE (Results Only Work Environment). And since I'm still a 9 to 5 working man, I still very often have thoughts like this, even though I'm not writing them.

I think everyone has found themselves saying "I'm swamped at work" at one time or another. How often do you hear it? Do you hear it more than you did 5 years ago when the economy was blazing? Well, I guess that's a real possibility considering the layoffs that are going around and the fact that your company just might really need to squeeze a bit more out of you, but it's also probable that you don't hear it any more often. I was thinking about it abstractly today, and I realize that being swamped is often indicative of mismanagement. If you are swamped it means your boss or manager is giving you more work than you can handle. Of course there are exceptions, and also industries which are more susceptible to creeping deadlines. But at my company, IMO it's mostly due to mismanagement. Changing tasks on people and losing attentiveness to what was last week's priority results in wasted time and effort, plain and simple. If it is repeatedly happening that something was a priority last week and it's not this week, there is clearly a problem. It's probable that giving you more work is just based on rash project decisions by management, or even worse is just a way to get you to work longer hours. At my company, it's both.

Do you know why I know?


Photo credit: reemerBecause I fell into the trap when I started. I would try to impress my boss by completing a task, but after about a year I realized that it was like chasing the dragon (see definition #3). The longer I worked the more I was expected to work, and the more I tasks I completed the more I was given. And even worse, all that work wasn't even helping the bottom line. As mentioned above, some of my tasks would change priority after a couple weeks or even daily. And other projects were completed "in a push by management" never to even be used.

I have secretly identified hours and hours worth of work that I have put in and my company expects that could be totally removed without even hurting the company. But do you know why no one isolates these tasks and axes them? Because 1) then everyone would only work 10-20 hours per week and we'd look like a bunch of slackers, or 2) the big boss would be so thrilled that another 10-20 hours worth of workload would be added that still wouldn't improve the bottom line.

So I slowly started pushing back, getting myself to an 8 hour day, and on many days much less. And you know what? Nothing changed. As long as they see my face and me sitting at my desk, all is well. There is no tangible measurement of success, the measurement is for the most part hours logged, and the impression of being busy. The company is still around, I get my paycheck, and my stress is lower. And you know what? As long as you are smart enough to determine what really is priority, you can work this out and still be the superstar with a bonus at the end of the year.

I do want to point out that I am quite aware that this isn't the most ambitious plan, nor is it particular enviable to admit to this form of slacking. I also realize that if I need to work like this then I am obviously in the wrong job. But this is not a long term solution, and I have not just settled for handling my workload like this. Instead it is a way to keep myself sane while I explore other options and keep myself motivated in other ways. And even though I have some guilt about it, like I said, I have worked much harder in the past and put in many hours on other projects that just turned out to be wasted effort, which is why I don't feel so bad.

So what did I learn?

I learned that you have to be responsible for managing your own expectations. If you get cornered into a tight deadline, or get more work than can be done in a reasonable amount of time, speak up. Otherwise the work will keep coming. With certain exceptions, being "swamped" is no more than having a boss who likes to give you too much work. Know what is priority, know how to make a difference, but manage your workload on your own terms. If you want to try to be the office rock star, go ahead, people will always find work for you to do, and in the end you may be lucky to have an appreciative boss and get all that your little heart desires, but more likely than not you will just end up stressed out and overworked, and you will continue being able to say "I'm swamped", while I'm sitting in my cubicle with a moderate workload, relaxed and stress free.

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Labels: 4HWW, 9to5, how-to, productivity, work

I realize I have been pretty slow about posting recently. But that doesn't mean I haven't been working on the site. Over the past few weeks I have spent quite a bit of time reorganizing and cleaning up, hopefully to make the site better down the road.

A few things you will notice that are different:

I have made some subtle changes to the layout and the look and feel of the site. This is pretty insignificant to you, and I realize it's probably foolish on my part to spend my time on trivial things like this when I should probably spend it on more important things like creating content and increasing my readership.

Another major change that has been implemented is the rollout of the "shopping" part of the site using Amazon's Astore feature. I know this is also trivial, but I figured rather than having random links send traffic over to Amazon, now I can increase my branding and the site experience by keeping readers on my domain. So now if you click through on an Amazon link you won't end up over at Amazon unless you are actually purchasing. I decided on doing this after reading Chris Guillebeau's 279 Days to Success Manifesto.

In short, he says that by using Google Adsense (yes I know Adsense and Amazon are different, but bear with me) you essentially devalue your site, give your users a worse experience, and also send your traffic away to sites that you don't endorse. The fact that I still run Google Ads, and also that Amazon and Google are two different beasts is not lost on me, but in taking a tip from Chris, I have attempted to customize my Amazon store to mostly products that I have used, or at least product categories that I would use myself. And by incorporating it into my site frame, if you do browse over there, the experience is seamless and you can easily come back.

Lastly, I have reorganized my travel section for better SEO, and also have focused on updating it to include my recent travels. I should be fully caught up in another week or two, at which point I can set my mind at ease and re-focus on putting out more content and increasing my readership.

Thanks for reading, and as always, I welcome your feedback here.

Labels: updates, work

What is the American Dream?
Photo by hellochris.The other morning on the way to work I was listening to NPR and they were having an interesting discussion about the American Dream. What they were considering was the idea that the American Dream is now outdated in the face of current events and the current state of the economy. It was an interesting discussion and one which I am glad that I caught. And I have to say that I am happy that people are looking for the Next American Dream rather than the old one. I have thought for a long time that the pursuit of the American Dream is making people unhappy, and this conversation really was able to help me put my finger on why.

According the the discussion, there are (or were) four pillars of the American Dream.

• education and the ability for anyone to go to college
• opportunity and mobility
• home ownership
• retirement

The basic premise that they were exploring was that the New American Dream is becoming less about materialism and more about personal freedom. Which to me means choosing to live life as each of us wants to, with less emphasis on what we have and more emphasis on what we do. So the idea of trying to keep up with the neighbors and constant yearning for more "things" is less important, and people can focus on doing and experience rather than accumulating.

But to go back to the four pillars that they discussed, it does seem about time to consider that these all mean very different things than they did when the term "American Dream" was coined in 1931.

I think that education is still very important and should still be something everyone strives for, however the idea that going to college means success is not really accurate anymore. In the age of the technology and the internet, self learning is much easier than it ever was, and college is also a different place than it was 50 years ago. In today's market, having a college education doesn't guarantee much, nor does lacking one keep you from lofty achievement. There are plenty of successfully programmers, entrepreneurs, and multi-millionaires out there that prove that.

Opportunity and mobility, in my mind, are still mostly the same, however again, due to technology and globalization, the game is an entirely different story.

The ideal of home ownership has certainly changed just in the past year. I think it is still part of the dream, but many are reconsidering the lengths that they will go to reach that dream. With rising oil prices, urban sprawl, climate change, and the foreclosure crisis, the way that people approach home ownership is sure to change over the coming years. Some may choose to rent in cities rather than own in the suburbs, some may reconsider where they live to save their commutes, and hopefully many will pass on the McMansions and opt for modest homes that bring them happiness and enjoyment rather than headache and debt.

As for retirement, that should remain a goal, however again in the current economy and with the inevitable demise of the social security system many are having to look at the goals for their future through different eyes. I have been a long time fan of Tim Ferriss, and he goes so far as to challenge the whole notion of retirement, instead suggesting taking mini retirements throughout your life. Certainly the idea of sabbaticals is nothing new, but this could be something more people will consider when they see that their traditional retirement at 65 may not pan out, if it does at all. Enjoying life in younger years may become more important than trying to skimp and save for just the possibility of an easy retirement.

See the NPR American Dream report here.

Labels: 4HWW, 9to5, American Dream, lifestyle, work

Disclaimer: I should preface this article by saying that I do not currently have the job I love. This is really an article based on my thoughts, and one that can hopefully one day help me.

The situation

Perfect hit - Photo credit cloud_nineThe situation I seem to perpetually be in is one where my job is tolerable and pays decently with decent benefits, however I know that it is not the right place for me to be. In today's economy, conventional wisdom seems to say you should stick with something that is decent, however I don't necessarily agree with that. Sure, people are out of work and some would do anything for a job, but does that mean I have to tolerate something I don't enjoy? I'm not talking about walking out on a job, I'm just talking about actively pursuing something better. What inevitably happens with me is that I look for months and months at job listings, but I know that all would simply be lateral moves, just a band aid so to speak. And again, conventional wisdom says a job is a job, but quite honestly in my opinion conventional wisdom has never made people truly happy, it's the out of the box thinking that seems to reap the rewards. So what I want is to push my limits and find the "right" job rather than just another job that will fizzle after a year or so.

My predicament
By training I am a software engineer. I truly do not mind doing this work. What I mind is the mindset that seems to come along with most typical corporate environments. The need to keep producing and work more hours, without a concern of management for employees' personal lives. From my experience, most places that are corporate seem to expect that everyone should want to work as much as possible, to suck every last ounce of productivity out of their days. And if they are really productive, they simply get more work rather than a pat on the back for a job well done and some time off. And when it comes to time off, though I am lucky to get a generous four weeks, I also am sort of forced to implicitly think that this is enough, that most people get less thus I am lucky. And when I use it, rather than a "enjoy your time off, you deserve it", I get the wiseass comments like "Who approved this?" or am made to feel like I am getting more than I should. What it must be like to work somewhere where management treat everyone fairly and actually care about your personal life! On top of this, it seems that corporate environments seem to breed negativity, something of which I am guilty of participating in more than I care to admit. I have had two co-workers leave the company, one to attempt to start a coffee cart, and another to open a pet business, and both were not sent off with well wishes, but were chastised behind their back for doing so.


So what do you/I want?

My job - Photo credit estonMost people seem to accept the status quo, and that if things are decent that is as good as they can or will get. So as in my situation, many people say that I should be lucky or thankful to have what I have (which I truly am), but at the same time I don't think just because everyone else accepts something as a "success" that I should have to feel the same way. Sure, things could be a lot worse, I could have bad co-workers, worse bosses, less vacation, a more rigid schedule with longer hours, the list goes on, but does this excempt me from having my own lofty goals or ambitions? Just because everyone else accepts certains things doesn't mean we all have to. Certain lives work for certain people, but not everyone sees things the same way. Because most people barely even get paid time off does that mean I should start believing that two weeks is great? No, I still firmly belive that everyone should get 4 to 6 weeks paid time off.

So what do I want? Quite simply, I want to work somewhere that I can apply my specific skill set to help make the world a better place. Sitting in a cubilce writing code for Company X doesn't feed that criteria. A company or organization that can harness my skills and directly apply them to making the world a better place. And to surround myself with people who feel the same thing and care about work and life, and not just work. People who can share in life outside of work as friends and who can separate the need to work with the need to enjoy life, and who can inspire you to be a better person, and not just a better worker.


Where to look?

I heart my job - Photo credit cobalt123So we have now reached the point where I don't have any answers. The run of the mill job boards like Montster and Career Builder seem to be corporate breeding grounds, looking for more drones. Craigslist seems to be a bit better for interesting opportunities, but Craigslist is also notorious for surfacing people who are flakes. I don't know if that extends into the job postings as well, but I can say for sure there are always a lot of start up opportunities on there, which typically don't pay. So for this question, I don't have a good answer for where to look for your perfect job. I suppose it depends what you are looking for. I am starting to really believe that I can look and look and will never find my perfect job, I think one day it will find me. Good old networking probably is the best way to find the perfect job.

Is it possible in today's economy?
I believe it is, yes. The economy may be bad and people may be getting laid off, but if you are a self starter the claim is that economic down times can be one of the best times to start a new enterprise. You just have to know where to look for your niche. And regardless, even though times are bad when I browse the help wanted sections there are plenty of opportunities.

What do you think?
Share your thoughts. Where are the best places to look for extraordinary jobs? Are those jobs still out there right now? Are good employees staying put?

You may be interested in Idealist Cafe recommended books.

Labels: 9to5, how-to, inspiration, lifestyle, personal development, work

I am not big on resolutions, as most of them seem to just fade in time. But from time to time I re-assess my life and try to make some positive changes. For this New Year, this is what I thought to myself this morning:

I will learn to speak my mind, follow my heart, and live how I wish to live. I will be healthier and be more moderate with my vices.

Pretty simple, right?

Though I enjoy my life, and am generally pretty healthy, I could really do a lot to positively improve myself as well. There are many days where I wonder how I've gotten to this point and what I can change to improve. Most of these thoughts center on my own growth, as well as my career choices.

I talk a lot about diet, travel, and other things like that. There are many things I'm interested in, but nothing I want to go to any extremes with -- I like a life of moderation and being free to indulge extremes as well. For example, I like travel, but I like home too. I like health and my new explorations into raw eating, but I like to enjoy a few beers and dinners out with my girlfriend as well. I like hiking, exercise, and pushing my limits, but I also like lounging on the couch watching TV or reading a book.

So in the coming year my goal is to continue living a middle path, but to try to align my work and career with my interests, and also to be passionate about what I do, regardless of which extreme I am enjoying at the time.

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An experiment with raw diet
Meat, to eat or not
Back from Spain

Labels: health, hiking, inspiration, lifestyle, raw diet, work

I had seen this article about a 4 day workweek a while back and had intended to post about it then. I never got to it, so anyway here are my thoughts on it.

Personally I love the idea. From the point of view of someone who has worked in the tech corporate world for years, I think there is so much wasted time that could be avoided and minimized by a more flexible working schedule. The nature of tech jobs is such that sometimes you are on a roll and will work a longer day, sometimes not. Years ago at my old job there were days that I would literally go ask for work and was told to just "relax" for a bit, that nothing was coming up at the moment. To me this is absurd. In this situation why do I need to be in the office doing nothing? Well because from a "professional" point of view it would look bad to send me home because there was nothing to do.

I feel strongly that most office jobs are more about keeping up appearances than ensuring actual productivity. It is more important to keep people on the clock 9 to 5, five days a week (or longer) than it is to actually get things done. Now to get back to what I was mentioning earlier about the tech industry. The reality (at least for me) is that there are some days that I might hit a good stopping point with my work midday, and the rest of the day is sort of spent toiling between projects. And of course there are other days that come 5 or 6 I am in the middle of deep thought and being productive. I feel that allowing employees to be flexible could harness these work patterns and make for more productivity overall.

And when it comes to the 4 day workweek, I believe this flexibility could work very well with that. Time off and the need to recharge on weekends is another under estimated thing in the corporate world and especially by most management. For me it really increases productivity to have more time off. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but when you know you will have more personal time and less office time, you can better schedule the time that you do plan for work, and in those few, more flexible hours actually get more things done

Labels: 9to5, productivity, time off, work

This question is often on my mind, and can be interpreted in many ways. What I mean when I ask myself this is why do we settle for mediocrity when it comes to jobs, relationships, or even the life we lead in general? There are many reasons for all of us, I know I do it as well, and my reasons are probably similar to most. When I think of settling in my own life, I think I mostly about my career and my lifestyle.

For a long time, pretty much since I've been out of college, I've never been fulfilled by my jobs, nor have I been fulfilled with my daily life. Is it bad, am I unhappy? No, most days I am happy and most days I have nothing to complain about. Is my life better than most people's? I would say yes. However, do I feel that I am living up to my potential? No I don't. And do I feel like each day could be just a little bit better if it were different? Yes I do.

Mediocrity. I suppose like most people I am guilty of settling for it. I have these weird introspective moments very often, where I see myself in a life that is truly amazing, where I am making a difference in the world, getting to fulfill my dream of experiencing other places and cultures, and most importantly, living each day to the fullest and not "wasting" time working for someone doing something that doesn't bring me pleasure.

So why haven't I made the jump to this life that I often dream of? I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I believe that there are several reasons. The first being uncertainty, and the second fear, both of the unknown and also of what people will think if I make a drastic change.

Uncertainty is a given. When you have a job and a certain way of life there is security, whether it is in a regular paycheck and benefits, or in a routine that has become comfortable. To get past this you need to realize that with any change there is uncertainty. And likely, prior to getting into the position you are in, there was uncertainty before it as well. The second, fear is a little more personal. Everyone may have a different fear. For me part of the fear is of the unknown; "what will happen when I make a change, what will happen, and will the result be worth it?". The other part of fear I suppose is breaking a societal norm. Again in my case of career choice, I have ended up where I am because I studied in college and created this path. If I suddenly break from it, I will be breaking for the traditional "ladder approach" to life that most people take. Starting at one position and slowly and steadily moving upward. A drastic career change or change of lifestyle breaks this approach, and in addition to causing you to be unsure, can also cause other people to question your motives and try to keep you "in line."

So what is the solution to ensure that you don't settle in your life? It is different for everyone, you have to first figure out where and why you are settling, and then make a decision to change.

Labels: fear, inspiration, settling, work