The Unproductive Internet

The internet can be super distracting, we get it. Here you are sitting trying to finish the web development project and looking for inspiration and next thing you know, two or three hours goes by. At any given moment there are thousands of videos, Facebook posts, tweet-storms and memes to keep you from getting work done. But Saent, a new productivity startup aims to make its users more productive with a combination of distraction-blocking hardware and software. The desktop application actually blocks apps and sites that are unproductive. It also comes with a reward system where you can start focused sessions and then accumulate points when you finish them. It will also give you reports on the times of the day when you are most productive so that you can tailor your work schedule to actually work smarter. The button that comes with it is about the size of a coaster and will be a visual cue for when your session is over. Would you be interested in something like this? Do you think it will help with the way you work?

Weekend

As business professionals, sometimes it is hard to separate our working lives from our lives at home. We are constantly working with no end in sight. The weekend is there for a reason though. If you use it wisely, you will be able to avoid burnout and just hating your life in general. You should use the time on the weekend to learn new skills or keep up with the news in your field. It will also give you an opportunity to clear your mind. This means that you should not stare at a screen or mobile application the whole time. You need to recharge all of your body and mind. Most of us can't perform our best if we don't get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. So use the weekend to recharge, even if it might seem lame to your friends that you are going to bed around 10 pm on a Saturday. As humans, we are creatures of habit. We want to develop routines so we can save our minds from overthinking. While many of these routines happen naturally, we don't take enough time to analyze and build new habits. You have some time over the weekend to analyze those habits and continue to improve upon them.

How Your Job is Killing

Your job may be killing you, aside from the whole bit of sitting for hours on end working on web development and such. First of all, your commute to work can wreck havoc on your health. Statistically speaking, if you travel more than ten miles to work, you are more likely to have higher blood sugar and blood pressure. It will also mess with your sleep. Once you get to work, you notice that your office has changed and there are much more standing desks than sitting ones. But we actually invented chairs because we're not made to stand for long periods of time, either. Those standing desks are even creating new problems. Your monitor is now in a less ideal position, which pisses off your neck, and you're overextending your wrists, increasing your risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. You might lose a few pounds, but it's actually a worse idea if you're overweight, because it puts too much of a strain on your back, joints, and veins. Bottom line? Move around every 20 minutes or so.

Reasons to Smile

We have learned a lot over the past decade about happiness. I am sure that you have seen plenty of articles about meditation and mindfulness these days. With as much as we have been able to figure out about human happiness, that is still just the surface. Here are a couple facts summarizing what we know so far. First of all, as we age, we get happier. That might be due to learning to love who we are and not trying to be someone else. One of the most amazing things about the human brain is neuroplasticity -- the brain's capacity to rewire itself in response to new experiences. We can actually wire our brains for happiness by focusing our attention on positive experiences and emotions. Another amazing benefit of being happy is that it increases your immunity, improves sleep quality, and protects you from various diseases. Being kind to others is a fast track to happiness. Volunteering makes people happierand boosts their longevity, according to a recent review of studies. Helping others may also be an effective way to combat feelings of disconnection in our increasingly online lives. Too much use of technology and communication services can actually isolate us and make us lonelier.

Dressing for Work

How do you feel about your dress code at work? Is it too relaxed or too uptight? In the software development business and all those silicon valley companies, you see people straight out of college working in jeans and a t-shirt. In a recent study published in the journal Social Psychological & Personality Science, Columbia University and California State University researchers suggested that more formal clothing resulted in more abstract cognitive processing. Of course, this study is nowhere near answering the question of why it happens but we can speculate. Since the more formal way of dressing might symbolize power, it can lead people in thinking along higher-level ideas. It might even improve your mood if you feel good in the formal clothes and think it looks good. It is not so much about knowledge but the attitude towards a problem or question at this point. I think there should be rules about formal dress and everyone should take casual Friday very seriously.

Healthy Workplace Practices

Sitting for long periods of time can be so damaging for your health. If large companies and even small business wish to keep their employees, they need to seriously think about promoting healthy workplace practices. One of the ways that you can change your constant sitting is by creating your own standing workstation. Raise your work surface to the appropriate height for standing and use a stool when you need to sit. You should also try to stand when you are talking to someone either in person or over internet phone systems. This will actually achieve several goals at once. You will get the benefit of standing and also be more productive because when you are standing you tend to get more so to the point. If you are in one posture for too long, get up and stretch it out or do a lap or two around the office. A sure sign that you have been sitting too long is that you are getting tired which is you metabolism slowing down. Lastly, you do not need to do it alone. Have a buddy to stand with you and hold you accountable for standing more.

Addicted to Our Smartphones

How much time do you spend on mobile applications a day? It might be easier to count the hours that you are not staring at a screen. Also, are you one of those people that start feeling a rising panic when you do not know where you trusty sidekick the smartphone might be? According to a recent study, people use their phones over 20 hours a week. That is like a part time job! If you are feeling depressed and pressed for time, I think that this might be the first place to look for extra minutes or even hours. Doesn't it ever feel like life is just going by? We could be working towards our goals and dreams here. We could also be saving the world. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but we could at least learn a new skill or even language. I realize that many of us use our phones for work but I am willing to bet that we spend too much time crushing candies and snooping on Facebook. I am not saying that we should go off the grid but it might be important to take a look around and maybe smell the roses....or the pile of crap that you just stepped into since you were texting while on your walk.