20/01/2017
The modern concept of boredom goes back to the 19th century. For Erich Fromm and other thinkers, boredom was a response to industrial society in which people are required to engage in alienated labour, and to the erosion of traditional structures of meaning. Yet, it seems that boredom of some form is a human universal. On the walls of the ruins of Pompeii, there is Latin graffiti about boredom that dates back to the first century.
19/01/2017
As Horace Capron first travelled through Hokkaido in 1871, he searched for a sign of human life among the vast prairies, wooded glades and threatening black mountains. “The stillness of death reigned over this magnificent scene,” he later wrote. “Not a leaf was stirred, not the chirping of a bird or a living thing.” It was, he thought, a timeless place, straight out of pre-history.
23/03/2016
Companies around the country are touting the virtues of meditation and mindfulness in the workplace. And for good reason: The practice can improve memory and focus, control emotions, and reduce stress—and, in turn, make you better at your job. Here’s how.
1. You won't miss a detail.
You’re sitting in a meeting, laptop open, phone on the table next to you. You’re listening intently when an email pops up. You quickly open it, read it, and close it—with a plan to respond when you “have more time.” The only trouble is now you’re thinking about it. Whether it was about dinner tonight or a presentation due at 3 p.m., although you are not actively looking at the email, it has invaded your brain space. No one in the room may notice, but you’re not 100 percent there.
Forty-five minutes later, back at your desk, you begin discussing the meeting with a colleague, only to realize that the two of you heard completely different things. Now you’ll need to follow up with your other coworkers. Not only have you missed information because you were distracted, you’re slowing down your own workflow because of it.
12/09/2016
For someone who is often called "the Walt Disney of Brazil", Mauricio de Sousa is a very good example of why you shouldn't give up on your dreams after an initial rejection.
An avid drawer of cartoons as a child, he was determined to become a professional cartoonist.
So, aged 19, Mauricio left his small home town and moved to Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, to pursue his dream.
Intending to produce cartoons for a newspaper, he was instead repeatedly turned down. He was told that his work wasn't good enough.
05/09/2016
The differences between a good leader and a great one boil down to a handful of traits that set the great leaders apart. Fortunately, all these traits are skills you can build over time.
Most of us are good leaders. Most of us aspire to be great leaders. Few are. What’s it take to transcend “good” and become “great?” What’s the secret?
There isn’t one.
01/09/2016
People with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can wait years before being diagnosed with the condition, and there is no single test for it. But a new study may have found a “chemical signature” for the condition — a set of molecules in the blood that’s unique to people with CFS.
10/07/2016
I have been hesitating to write about work-life balance because it is one of the aspects of well-being that I have the hardest time implementing in my own life. As a happiness researcher and consultant, I really do try to practice what I preach. But work-life balance is something I often work at for short bursts before I end up backsliding into workaholism.
19/04/2016
It’s tough to hold on to good employees, but it shouldn’t be. Most of the mistakes that companies make are easily avoided. When you do make mistakes, your best employees are the first to go, because they have the most options.