CHALLENGE MINDSET
Making the best of local travel
During the pandemic, travel photographer Roff Smith decided to try his hand at self-portraits. He packed only a camera, tripod, and remote shutter timer to snap photos of himself biking around the southeastern England countryside. The photos, which are stunning, were all taken within a ten-mile radius of his home. "Creating these images has required not only a new way of visualizing, but a whole new photographic skill set," says Smith.
[NY Times]
Using subtraction to get more with less
In our striving to improve our lives, our work, and our society, we overwhelmingly add. But what if we do the opposite and think about improving by taking things away? University of Virginia professor Leidy Klotz lays out the case for subtraction as an overlooked strategy, through both lab experiments and an Lego exercise with her child.
[Behavioral Scientist]
Walking the Wal-Mart marathon
Have you thought about new exercise options during the cold months of the pandemic? Two brothers walked 26.2 miles inside of a single big box location. And they did in over the span of 11 hours.
[Men's Health]
CREATIVE HABITS + SKILLS
Day batching changed my life
Batching is the practice of scheduling based on focus areas. Choosing specific areas of focus for days of the week can give you the structure to stop stressing out about a gigantic to-do list. if you're in a position where you have this kind of control over your schedule (or even over a part of each day), here's an in-depth account of how it worked for one writer.
[Better Humans on Medium]
People share their psychological tricks for everyday life
We all face stressful or emotional situations, whether it's an argument with a friend or partner, or a toxic colleague bringing everything down. And if you're lucky, you might have a surefire tip or trick to deal with these scenarios.
[Buzzfeed]
What a day for a daydream
At times, daydreaming may be considered a negative, unproductive activity. But allowing our minds to wander can also help us fight boredom and avoid resorting to bullying or sadistic behaviors.
[Popular Science]
LEADING TEAMS
Insights from a reluctant leader
Margaret Lee was raised in America by Chinese immigrants, but eventually found herself leading user experience teams at Google, two vastly different life perspectives that she struggles to reconcile. One of her insights is that companies should stop talking about hiring for "culture fit" and start looking for "culture add", the values someone could bring to a workplace that bring improvement instead of assimilation.
[Google Design]
10 questions to ask in a job interview that expose a company's actual culture
usually, you get answers that are values, squishy concepts like trust and collaboration and transparency that no one would argue with. If you ask more pointed questions, you'll get a better sense of what life is actually like on the inside.
[Fast Company]
Does your company have a jargon problem?
Stiff language that clouds actual meaning is common in many industries and in many offices. There are a lot of reasons it happens, two of which are insecurity and a desire for professional status. If you’re concerned about the potential negative effects of jargon on you or your organization, there are four steps you can take to mitigate them.
[HBR]
