Saying Goodbye to 2014

There is about three weeks left in the year. Yes, less than a month. It is hard to believe that it is almost over. Have you thought back on the year and what really stands out? What are the goals that you accomplished? I doubt that too many people itemize these types of things and really over them with a fine tooth comb. Either way, it is the time of the year to finish all that holiday shopping and think about the new year and setting those goal all over again. Fortunately, there are small changes that you can make that will really make an impact. And, after all, it is those small changes that make the big difference in life. As far as what you should and shouldn't put in your body, go with more water, veggies, and stay away from the junk food and this means eating food that are not processed. One rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Things are in their specific places for a reason. Go for walks outside and really be there by looking at the nature around you and taking in all the sounds and smells. This means that you should also turn off those gadgets and phone services while walking. While you are thinking green, try using more natural products and staying away from chemicals.

Listen To Yourself

Self-awareness is being able to listen to your feelings and understand what they are trying to tell you. You should always strive to be aware of your genuine feelings, regardless of what your mobile application might be telling you. More importantly, attempting to directly manipulate them or make believe they’re different than they really are on a consistent basis is delusional, Utopian and narcissistic. Before reading further, how often have you tried to control these feelings? Be honest with yourself and really think about it. If you want to make the best of your life, here’s how you do it: Be aware of what’s going on inside and around you. Face that reality and deal with it as openly, honestly and effectively as you can. Rinse and repeat. The bottom like is to be yourself, always.

Boosting Confidence

Are you confident? Did you know that confidence can be learned, practiced and mastered like any other skill such as web development or learning a language? If you are not confident in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to be? One of the tips to be more confident is to stay away from negativity and surround yourself with positivity. This means to start focusing on the good things in life and your career. Simple changes in your posture will also do you wonders. Standing taller and smiling will give the other person the impression of confidence. Also, make sure to make eye contact. It will show confidence and security. Never give up. Never accept failure. There is a solution to everything, so why would you want to throw in the towel? Failure can sometimes get us down and life is full of challenges and there are times when it's difficult to keep our self-confidence up. Sit down right now and make a list of all the things in your life that you are thankful for, and another list of all the things you are proud of accomplishing. Start practicing today.

Extending the Workweek Without Going Over 40 Hours

How is it possible that there are some people that can stretch the work week and get so much done without working more? It is possible, lets just get it out there. One of the things that you need to do is assess the meetings that you go to. People think that they need to show up to every meeting in order to stay visible but if nothing gets accomplished in that meeting then it was valuable time when you could have been working. Make sure that you know the agenda and the goals of the meeting. Otherwise, it is better to not waste your time. Secondly, have clear goals in mind for the week. If there are no goal, you will not be able to measure if the week was a success and if you were doing the things that you should have been doing. Lastly, if you really want to get things done, you have to ignore the extra chatter. You do not really need to be checking your email or other communication service every ten minutes. Make sure that you also stay away from the chatty people and those that take really long lunches.

Testing Friendships

So I came across this article about a man in Australia that intends to have coffee with each of his 1000+ Facebook friends. This is quite an interesting concept because most of the friends that are connected to your Facebook account, you do not really even socialize with. In fact, more people than you realize use it to creep on other people. This man is aiming to have about five coffee dates a week. I think it is a great idea to have these type of interaction with people that claim to be your friends. You could also learn something new that you wouldn't be able to otherwise using mobile applications and even talking over the phone. Would you even try to meet every single one of the people that are on your Facebook?

Inspiration in the Midst of a Writer's Block

So you are sitting there staring at the blank word document and you are starting to get nervous because you need to have several pages written for the video conference tomorrow and nothing is coming to you. The creativity is just not flowing and the frustration is starting to build. One of the suggestions is to read some of your old writings. They might trigger something new. You could also look through the slew of surveys and studies. Lastly, you could look at news stories and really dig deeper in the why of it. The best aspect of taking on a news story is that the material is already there and you need to add new insight to it and show the world the story through your perspective and view while raising question that the reporter might have missed. Any other suggestions on how to get those fingers typing the story flowing?

Dinner Mode

When was the last time you were able to have a regular dinner without any interruptions from your phone services and any number of mobile applications? When you are in an airplane, you can put your phone in Airplane Mode so the idea of putting your phone in Dinner Mode is gaining ground online. It is an interesting way to look at unplugging. It will surprise you to find out just how attached you are to your phone and applications. Just try it a couple minutes at a time if it is hard to let go for hours at a time. It is is even good to enjoy Dinner Mode if you are eating by yourself. If you are one of those people that likes to read something on your tablet or phone, try a book instead. There is something quite magical about paper.

Life Lessons

Growing up there were some things that we learned that should be unlearned. One of them being that problems are bad. We all had those problems in math that were a pain to finish. Get ready for this...problems can be a good thing. It is all about how you look at it. People without real problems tend to go into making home design mobile applications a or jumping out of airplanes. They are there to help us in life and guide us. Job burnout? It's steering you toward your perfect career. Finding the solution to each problem is what gives life its flavor. Another lesson that we need to let go of is that we are damaged by the past. And it is not true. You are not only as good as your worst. You have to be able to teach your mind to let go by questioning something that might be worrying you. Working hard will not always lead to success. Playing will though. Through playing we learn different strategies and perspectives.

Stand Up Now

While you are sitting there taking a break from all that mobile application development and VoIP conference calls, you might be doing your body a disservice. There is a lot of evidence that sitting for long periods of time can be a serious danger to your health. In a recent study, it was found that sitting for long periods of time compromises a person's health and even regular exercise will not negate the effects. Sitting for long periods of time can lead to back pain. The natural curves of the spine are more difficult to maintain in a sitting position, which can put strain on ligaments and muscles. A study by the University of Illinois found that taking brief breaks can vastly improve people's productivity. The brain begins to lose focus on a task after a long time of concentration, leading to poor performance. Taking a few quick breaks to deactivate and reactivate the focus on goals can make it significantly easier to concentrate. Not to mention that exercise can elevate your mood. So quit reading this and go take a walk.

No Such Thing as Perfect: Get Over It and Move On

For all the perfectionist out there, just stop. You need to take a deep breath and re-evaluate some things. While you were so focused on getting things perfect and just right, people were actually getting things done. This is not to say that you should only do things halfway just to get them done but rather find that sweet spot that works and prevents you from getting analysis paralysis. First of all, have deadlines and stick to them. You have to hold yourself accountable for getting things done on time and setting it in stone instead of sand. That mobile application project cannot sit around forever while you tweak little parts of it to get it just right, there should be a different time for it. When you’re about to hit send on that epic email proposal, picking up the phone to call that first investor or hitting publish on your website -- those moments are supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. That’s where the magic happens, and don’t you dare back out.

Dystopian Sci-Fi

Technology can be scary when you compare it to Skynet and the like. Just look at what we have now: widespread surveillance, the militarization of police, the stockpiling and application of data detailing minute aspects of our lives, not to mention how these mobile applications seem to be able to predict what we want and are going to do before we do it. This dystopian fiction can be a good thing, even if it scares people. It shows what the world can be like if we misuse the technology and not so much as the tech annihilating us. The fiction enables us to take a step back and look at the direction we are going in. This is not to say that there is no positive aspect to the technology that we have today, we just need to be in control of it instead it controlling us.

Working From Home

It is a blessing and a curse. If you do not have the discipline needed to produce solid results there is a very high probability that you might just fail epically. Here are a couple tips to help you stay productive when you are trying to get ahead on the web development project. First of all, it would be a great idea to have a separate office room. It will help with the distractions such as the TV or people, so keep that door closed to your office space. Maintaining normal office hours can also help maintain productivity. If your productivity is declining or it’s difficult to balance work and life, then it may be time to re-evaluate your work situation. Perhaps you need more interaction with co-workers or bosses or maybe being at home is too distracting, but it’s important to be honest.

Insights From the Child's Mind: How to Deal With Stress

Work can be very stressful, we all know that. But, have you ever heard a kids complaining about Mondays? They must have some sort of secret weapon right? It is something that comes natural but to adults can be very foreign. They deal with stress as it happens and do not stew in it. I bet your are stewing while reading this when you really should be getting back to the business application development. While you are here, might as well finish reading, right? Anywho, one of the things that you could do is peel an orange while really paying attention to the motion and the feel of it. It will help you refocus. After you finish eating that orange, grab a banana. It will regulate blood pressure with the high amount of potassium and improve energy. Another trick is to play dramatic music such as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Other suggestions include blanking out or dancing in your chair. With the first trying staring at a wall for a whole minute (this might be harder than you think) and for the second you won't be looking any more nuttier than you do when you are stressed.

Phone Plans While Traveling Abroad

When you are traveling abroad with your phone, it is important to take certain precautions so that you do not get an ugly cell phone bill when you get home. One of the things that you can do is modify your phone service. Most major phone carriers offer an optional travel plan, of sorts. Some of these come in prepaid voice and data packages that you can buy before you travel. Though you have to read the fine print to figure out exactly what you are getting and how much it will cost. On the other hand, you can get your own hotspot.  Boingo, a company that has over 1 million hotspots worldwide, is a well known provider with a good track record. For $7.95 a month, you can get worldwide Wi-Fi on up to four mobile devices. It’s a recurring subscription, but you can cancel it when you return with no penalty. Be sure to see what the coverage is like in the location you’re visiting. Some are better covered than others. Happy travels!

Artificial Intelligence

When I think about AI, it usually leads down the road to Skynet. And that is not the road that we actually want to be going down. The fact is that we live in a world where software development has come so far that computers are better than people at chess, jeopardy, and even solving a Rubik's cube. Self driving cars are actually safer than the ones driven by humans. Also, airplanes are driven by computer software programs that decide which planes are in the air and when is the best time to take off. All of this is truly a marvel of just how far technology has really come. It is easy to theorize that robots and the technology would always be programmed in such a way as to help the human race and solve some of the major issues such as poverty and hunger. At the same time, this becomes a rather gray area when robots are designing themselves. There is also the issue of people highjacking the software to their advantage in the same way a virus might behave. This is a new world that we are facing and it has never been more important to take a step back and look at where we are going.

Constraints

People often say that they want options. When it comes to getting things done, however, options aren’t always a good thing. When everything is a possibility, it actually becomes harder to make the right choice (or any choice at all). This is the paradox of choice. I could go into the whole free will bit but it might get tedious so let us stick to just fighting procrastination and inefficiency for now. Having too many choices can be hazardous to getting things done, especially if there are deadlines looming. Say you have a business application development project in the works and it is supposed to bring more efficiency to the business professional. There are so many different directions that you can go that they need to be narrowed down because you cannot possibly explore every single option. We sometimes need a tunnel that will get us more focus in the direction that we want to go. Limiting yourself can also eliminate the need to make the same decisions over and over again because making small decisions can actually drain your willpower. What if we apply this strategy to life as well?

Interesting Addictions

The one eating disorder that seems to function most like a traditional drug addiction, however, is binge eating—in which people spend excessive amounts of time thinking about or planning eating experiences, and engage in periods of frenzied eating, often past the point of fullness. It’s not hard to see how this particular behavior can become pathological. From an evolutionary standpoint, getting humans to nourish themselves is one of the primary reasons the reward system even exists. Scientists have determined that tasty foods—in particular those high in sugar and fat—activate the dopamine reward circuit the same way drugs do. Other addictions include the internet and all the wonderful social media and communication services that come with it. A recent addition to the hallowed pages of the DSM-5, “Internet gaming disorder” is listed in the section on disorders requiring more study. The extra interest comes mostly because of reports out of Asia of young males becoming so engrossed in their game of choice that they stop eating, commit suicide or neglect their children. Would you ever get so interested in the online world that you would even forget about your kids?

Keeping Productive

If you're struggling with productivity, it can be tempting to start changing your routine or trying new solutions before you uncover the real problem. I've definitely done this in the past, and found it never leads to a long-term solution. The first step in becoming more productive is working out what your regular time-sucks are. To start with, track what you do every morning to get ready for work. You might find that you're spending time on things like choosing your clothes for the day, which could be done the night before. Then track how you spend your time during the day and look for patterns -- a tool like RescueTime can help. Perhaps you'll find that you're getting caught up on Facebook too often or making sure that web development project is utterly perfect. If you're aiming to get out of the office around 5 p.m., you might set up a dinner date, a quick after-work drink with a friend or a family visit. External forces can sometimes be the motivation you need to get things done within the time you have, rather than letting them drag out.

Real Things in the Real World

What I would love to know is when did this happen? When did the transition from being not connected to knowing exactly what everyone is doing at any given moment happen? And why is the world was it so seamless? A interesting comment was made the other day by an amazing person, "I like real things in the real world." Do we have to redefine what real means? It seems like technology has really blurred the lines between real and digital. but it also seems as though the digital things can be just as real. Take the internet phone revolution for example. The phone systems have been able to connect people that are otherwise miles apart. What is not real about that? I guess you can also make the argument that the person is still on the screen and you are limited in really being with them because you cannot see them completely and notice slight changes in body language. Not to mention you cannot hug them if they are a loved one. True, there are numerous things out there that can help with that issue but it is still not the same. What do you find real in this world?