Is an open plan office good for productivity?

We’re starting to research new office space, prior to moving in Summer 2011. During the five years we’ve been in our current location, working practices and expectations of staff/clients have changed. So is an open plan office still the best layout?

Should you listen to music at work?

Many of us listen to music when working. Some say it helps concentration by blocking out background noise. Others claim it’s a distraction and inhibits performance. So is music good or bad?

Break your limits

We’re often advised to know our limits. We shouldn’t over-reach or over-step the mark, but instead operate comfortably within our capabilities. Then we know we’ll deliver and we won’t embarrass ourselves with failure.

The problem is this leads to entropy. Unless we push ourselves, how do we even know what our limits are?

Are you generous?

You probably like to think you are. Just like we’re all above-average drivers. But generosity comes in many forms.

How to control your emotions

Unless you are a robot, you might not have full control over your emotions at all times. However with some practice and by building emotional awareness, we can learn to select the right emotion for each situation.

The gift of presence

A victim of multitasking is not just our productivity, but the attention we give to those around us. We’ve all been in meetings where people are working merrily on their laptops; been on conference calls as people check their email; even been sitting face-to-face talking to someone as they check their smartphone. I am guilty of this, even with my kids.

How not to cope with failure

‘A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in the experience.’ – Elbert Hubbard

We’ve all heard about the lessons you learn from failures. Most of us have failed, some of us on numerous occasions. The problem is not whether we fail or not. It’s our coping strategy for failure. And some of us fail at that too. Here’s how:

It’s not about you

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Many of us are too wrapped up in ourselves to notice what’s happening. We look at the world through ‘me-tinted’ glasses.
How does this affect me? What’s in it for me? What about me?

How to get fewer emails

Many of us struggle with email volume. It’s a source of stress, interruption and distraction. Taming your Inbox is important. The first step is to get fewer emails in the first place. Here are a few tips:

The curse of ASAP

When someone tells you a task needs to be done ASAP, how do you feel? Pressured right? This is a task of such priority it needs to be completed as soon as humanly possible. Which is pretty darn soon. The trouble is ASAP has no context and no deadline. As soon as possible could mean [...]