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Yesterday afternoon i listened to three webcasts. I'd signed up for them live, could not attend, and have found many systems will give you access to the recording at a later date. Friday afternoon was a good time for listening. All three were more about soft skills, and i don't think any of them brought anything new to my attention.
One was on "The Information Diet." I did not like the author's food analogies because he was lacked any nuanced understanding of "obesity." Once we got past "why there is an obesity epidemic," though, there were assertions i did not find offensive. His analogy of processed food to processed media was useful: if the goal of a corporation is to make money for shareholders, both food and media conglomerates are going to optimize production for cheaply-sourced, highly-desired content. Fat, salt, and sugar on one side, opinions that confirm instead of challenge on the other.
I was actually hoping for a more "mindhack" type discussion, insight into how i might better manage all my incoming information, but the discussion was more about being a more aware consumer of news media and information. Many of the behaviors he advocated are behaviors Christine and i advocate, so i multitasked while listening. (See, *that* is the type thing i was hoping to get a sermon about: the evils of multitasking!) One thing he advised that made me glow with pride was his challenge to "produce" first thing in the day. My long habit of journaling or corresponding in the morning -- Christine and i were reminiscing back to long before i had a digital outlet -- echoes his advice, although i think he was advocating less the mind-clearing dump than a directed research writing exercise.
Nonetheless, knowing your own mind when you wake rather than letting pundits and personalities populate your thoughtscape seems wise. When visiting my sister's i was struck by the morning TV running in the background during their Monday morning routines. How many households do that, i wonder. I suspect the stereotype in morning commercials of a spouse holding up the newspaper and reading that is nearly extinct, but no commercial is going to be playing the morning news in the background.... Although the infinite regression possibility is entertaining.
The other two seminars were from The Energy Project, a group that advocates work places become more sane. (I'm sure that's not how they describe themselves.) I've learned many things from them over the past year (eg: an interesting suggestion to "feel your feet" when you feel triggered), but in these two sessions i didn't really learn anything new. The first presentation would have been useful if i were to have to defend my utter disregard of the particulars of when and where my staff were working. Fortunately, i get to implement "autonomy for accountability" as far as i wish.
Why i value listening to The Energy Project folks are the challenges they offer: "What are you doing in each moment to more fully live your values?" the second presentation asked. It's an interesting contrast to the "Stress at work" workshop the corporate "wellbeing" program offers. In that program, i found myself completely irritated by the structure of listing stressors and then being challenged with an open writing space titled, "What I need to work on." The past week's experience of lancing the boil, bringing into discussion the decision made by the parties who structure my work environment, was stressful. When confronted with, "What do i need to work on?," "Finding another job, you stupid worksheet!" was my indignant answer.
Nonetheless, i have "agency" and power. While i will in no way take that to mean that i am responsible for fixing the brokenness in my management structure, i can turn to a challenge like "What are you doing in each moment to more fully live your values?" and find ways that i can be more grounded and centered in the chaos.
Part of my multitasking was finding some other presentations for later this year. Two quite relevant technical presentations are coming up, and i signed up for those -- and encouraged my staff to do so as well. I also arranged another informal session for us to learn more about UML on a Friday afternoon.
Sudden thought: would i want to go into HR to help companies make use of all the freely available and quite useful training content out there? (Which would require some sifting of the less than useful content, i admit.) Hmm.
Anyhow. Today: taxes and laundry and being with Christine before she heads east for a week.
One was on "The Information Diet." I did not like the author's food analogies because he was lacked any nuanced understanding of "obesity." Once we got past "why there is an obesity epidemic," though, there were assertions i did not find offensive. His analogy of processed food to processed media was useful: if the goal of a corporation is to make money for shareholders, both food and media conglomerates are going to optimize production for cheaply-sourced, highly-desired content. Fat, salt, and sugar on one side, opinions that confirm instead of challenge on the other.
I was actually hoping for a more "mindhack" type discussion, insight into how i might better manage all my incoming information, but the discussion was more about being a more aware consumer of news media and information. Many of the behaviors he advocated are behaviors Christine and i advocate, so i multitasked while listening. (See, *that* is the type thing i was hoping to get a sermon about: the evils of multitasking!) One thing he advised that made me glow with pride was his challenge to "produce" first thing in the day. My long habit of journaling or corresponding in the morning -- Christine and i were reminiscing back to long before i had a digital outlet -- echoes his advice, although i think he was advocating less the mind-clearing dump than a directed research writing exercise.
Nonetheless, knowing your own mind when you wake rather than letting pundits and personalities populate your thoughtscape seems wise. When visiting my sister's i was struck by the morning TV running in the background during their Monday morning routines. How many households do that, i wonder. I suspect the stereotype in morning commercials of a spouse holding up the newspaper and reading that is nearly extinct, but no commercial is going to be playing the morning news in the background.... Although the infinite regression possibility is entertaining.
The other two seminars were from The Energy Project, a group that advocates work places become more sane. (I'm sure that's not how they describe themselves.) I've learned many things from them over the past year (eg: an interesting suggestion to "feel your feet" when you feel triggered), but in these two sessions i didn't really learn anything new. The first presentation would have been useful if i were to have to defend my utter disregard of the particulars of when and where my staff were working. Fortunately, i get to implement "autonomy for accountability" as far as i wish.
Why i value listening to The Energy Project folks are the challenges they offer: "What are you doing in each moment to more fully live your values?" the second presentation asked. It's an interesting contrast to the "Stress at work" workshop the corporate "wellbeing" program offers. In that program, i found myself completely irritated by the structure of listing stressors and then being challenged with an open writing space titled, "What I need to work on." The past week's experience of lancing the boil, bringing into discussion the decision made by the parties who structure my work environment, was stressful. When confronted with, "What do i need to work on?," "Finding another job, you stupid worksheet!" was my indignant answer.
Nonetheless, i have "agency" and power. While i will in no way take that to mean that i am responsible for fixing the brokenness in my management structure, i can turn to a challenge like "What are you doing in each moment to more fully live your values?" and find ways that i can be more grounded and centered in the chaos.
Part of my multitasking was finding some other presentations for later this year. Two quite relevant technical presentations are coming up, and i signed up for those -- and encouraged my staff to do so as well. I also arranged another informal session for us to learn more about UML on a Friday afternoon.
Sudden thought: would i want to go into HR to help companies make use of all the freely available and quite useful training content out there? (Which would require some sifting of the less than useful content, i admit.) Hmm.
Anyhow. Today: taxes and laundry and being with Christine before she heads east for a week.
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