Your office job could be sabotaging your health.

With 80% of us working at sedentary jobs, it’s no wonder our society is becoming more and more overweight.

Even if we’re eating well and exercising regularly, sitting at a desk for over 8 hours a day can impact your health in a number of harmful ways.

Fortunately there are things you can do to make sure your time at work doesn’t sabotage the rest of your healthy lifestyle.

Below are a few tips to help you keep healthy at your desk job.

Remember, don’t just do this when the mood strikes you. It’s best to setup a regular schedule, and make this a daily habit

Also keep in mind that the activities below should be part of a larger schedule of regular exercise and good nutrition.

MBS has a lot more information on health subjects; once you’re done reading this, be sure to take a look at our many other Health and Fitness articles.

1. Save your eyesight

Some studies show that as many as 75% of regular computer users have vision problems due to staring at the screen all day. This even has a fancy name called “computer vision syndrome,” so you know it’s important.

To help reduce eye strain, make sure you give your eyes the chance to regularly focus on something more distant. Setting a simple timer (there’s a number of free ones on the web) to remind you to look away from the screen every 20 minutes will go a long way to saving your vision.

2. Improve your posture

Take a look at how you’re sitting right now. Chances are, you’re either leaning forward with an elbow on the desk, or slouching back in your seat. Holding either position for a length of time isn’t going to be good for you, much less doing it for 8 hours each day.

Numerous studies have been done to describe the proper orientation of your chair, desk, and computer screen to ensure you’re being kind to your back and neck. A quick Google search will provide you the best arrangement.

3. Rest your wrists

One of the most common physical problems that comes with working with computers all day is wrist and hand injuries.

Holding your hand over the mouse or keyboard in one position (usually a bad position) for long periods of time increases stress on the nerves and muscles in the wrist and arm.

If you start to feel pain, numbness, or tingling in your hand after working with the mouse, it’s important to seek help. There are a number of ergonomic mice available, and your company will probably purchase one for you.

Another option that worked for me is to use two mice and switch off from right to left. Awhile back I wrote an article describing how this helped me.

4. Take regular walk breaks

While the information above will help you stay healthier sitting in your chair, you really need to get in the habit of actually leaving your desk from time to time.

As with your eyesight above, try to use some sort of timer to make yourself get out of the chair and walk around.

Plan on 5 or 10 minutes each hour to get to walk and stretch.

5. Talk in person

Today’s technology includes a lot of different methods to ensure you don’t have to speak face to face.

Telephones, email, Facebook, Instant Messenger, and a dozen other electronic communication tools certainly improve time management, but can also contribute to an unhealthy office.

Make it a point each day to return a few messages face to face. Get up and walk over to the next cubicle, next hallway, next floor, or even next building to speak to a coworker.

Not only will you get some exercise, but you’ll probably get more out of the conversation.

6. Stand up for phone calls

Finally, if all else fails and you’re stuck at your desk, try this simple trick.

Anytime you get or make a phone call, stand up while you talk on the phone.

Eventually this will become a habit, and it will give you the chance to stretch your legs several times a day.

Summary

Hopefully the information above will help you stay fit at your desk job.

If you have additional tips, be sure to leave a comment below.

The post How to Stay Healthy at Your Desk Job appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Here are 10 questions to judge your suitability to work from home.

Working from home is becoming more and more accepted in today’s workplace. Bosses have found that telework supports the environment, employee productivity, and the company’s bottom line.

Whether you’re trying to figure it out for yourself, or hoping to convince your boss, this info should point you in the right direction.

Provided below are 10 questions to ask yourself to figure out whether or not telework is right for you.

Your Job’s Suitability for Telework

Let’s face it, some jobs just aren’t built for telework. For example, a security guard or facilities manager probably couldn’t do their jobs from home.

Additionally, those providing face to face support to customers probably can’t offer the level of support necessary while working at home.

Ask yourself these questions to see if your job is right for telework.

1. Can my job easily be broken into projects?

While you don’t necessarily have to start and finish a project on your telework day, many have found this to be a successful strategy. As there are fewer interruptions, it’s much easier to focus on a single project from beginning to end.

If your work permits, you can even maintain a telework folder at your office where you can drop these types of assignments to take home on your telework day.

You’ll find that saving up a few smaller projects will provide you (and your boss) a better indicator of accomplishment.

2. Can my work be scheduled?

In addition to the ability to break up your work into bite-sized projects, the ability to schedule your work can aid in telework.

If your current job requires you to constantly put out fires, this may be more difficult to translate into working at home. However, work that can ‘keep’ for a few days can possibly be set aside for your telework day.

3. Can my work be measured?

Most importantly, at least from your boss’s perspective, is the ability to measure or track your work. While this is important for any job, it’s even more important on telework days.

Many people (and bosses) see telework as a ‘vacation’ from your job. Providing your boss the ability to define, schedule, and measure your output is an essential component of telework, and needs to be defined up front.

4. Will this negatively impact my co-workers?

It’s also important not to neglect those you work with. Whether your entire office is teleworking, or you’re the only one, you need to ensure your co-workers aren’t forced to pick-up the slack while you’re working from home.

Part of your teleworking strategy should include how your co-workers can contact you, and how office responsibilities can be scheduled to make sure you carry your full load.

5. Can I still meet my customers’ needs?

As with your co-workers, you also need to make sure your customers are aware of your telework days.

Be sure to contact them to let them know your new schedule, and that you will continue the same level of service on your telework days. Additionally, make sure your phone and email are forwarded appropriately.

Your Suitability to Telework

Keep in mind your job is only one side of the coin. As with certain types of jobs, certain types of people just aren’t built to telework.

You need to take a close look at the suitability of your home office. More importantly, you need to also ensure you have the right personality to work alone.

1. Can I work independently?

Believe it or not, many people really do need the boss to keep an eye on them. The extra oversight is important to keep them focused on the job. This isn’t a bad thing, just necessary for certain personalities.

When looking at teleworking, you need to take a hard look at yourself and decide whether or not you have the maturity to be productive without someone looking over your shoulder.

2. Is my home setup for telework?

Telework isn’t about watching television in your pajamas while you check email every now and then. Most telework guides tell you to maintain a specific area of your home where you will work.

This area should mimic your office environment. Some folks will even dress for the office even on days they’re at home to maintain this discipline.

3. Is my home office free of distractions?

If you have young children at home, telework may seem like the perfect solution to child care. However, this can quickly lead to problems when you find yourself dividing time between work and children, only to find you’re doing both badly.

Make sure your family understands the rules, and you treat your home office the same as your normal workspace. Try to maintain your work hours, breaks, and lunchtime on the same schedule as your normal workweek.

4. Do I need the face to face interaction?

As much as we may gripe about co-workers, many teleworkers find they miss the day to day interactions. Even the interruptions we experience give us a chance to step away from work for a few minutes.

At home, this won’t exist. If you’re very extraverted and need people around you to draw energy from, telework may not be for you.

5. Can my office contact me when needed?

Telework allows you to focus on projects without interruption. However, it’s important that you maintain appropriate contact with the office and customers.

Nowadays, technology such as email, instant messaging, remote access, etc., provides you a number of ways to stay in touch electronically. Be sure to work with your boss and IT folks to figure out how best to use this to your advantage.

Summary

Telework is a great way to focus on specific projects and to break up the work week. Before starting this, however, make sure both you and your job are right for the change.

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Because half of the battle is just showing up!

Let’s face it, it’s human nature:

• If we really want to avoid something uncomfortable, we’re going to find a way.
• If we really enjoy something, we’ll find a way to do it often.

Public speaking is no different. For those with a fear of public speaking, they’re not going to seek out opportunities to make themselves sweat.

When I did a quick Google search of “public speaking training,” I was presented with over 27 million hits. This definitely tells me there’s an interest in this topic.

With so many choices, I thought it would be worthwhile to spend a few minutes to sort through some of the noise, and provide you some ideas on how to gain the experience you need.

The Problem

It’s not that hard to avoid public speaking. If you really work at it, you can usually sidestep the occasion by taking a quick vacation day, or by having a coworker handle it. I’ve been there, I’ve done it.

I’ve even heard co-workers say, “I don’t want to be promoted, because then I’ll have to get up and speak in front of a group.”

Essentially it comes down to this conundrum:

1. You’re scared of public speaking
2. Public speaking is important for your professional success

As someone who has suffered from public speaking anxiety, I realize how difficult it can be to break out of this spiral.

So, how do I gain experience?

Unfortunately, there are very few opportunities at work to practice in a safe, supportive environment, and audiences outside of the workplace are hard to find.

However, if you do a little research, you can find some public speaking ‘laboratories’ to practice and hone your skills.

Traditional Avenues

Most of the information you find on public speaking training will fall into this area. As you’d imagine, when so many people have public speaking anxiety, there will be plenty of agencies willing to take your money to train you.

Below are some of the most common.

Seminars and Workshops

Most of the links you’ll find in a Google search on the topic will fall into this area. Though not all, many of these have two things in common:

• They’re short – most are one or two days long
• They’re expensive – many are well over $1,000/day

Don’t get me wrong, you can definitely pickup some great training on honing your public speaking skills at this type of event. However, for the most part, you’re not going to be able to spend much (or any) time behind the lectern.

Additionally, unless you’re funded by your company, the cost is too much for an individual hoping to gain public speaking skills.

There are better alternatives for what we’re trying to accomplish.

Take a college class on public speaking

I guarantee that every college in your neighborhood has a public speaking class available. These are, for the most part, taught by instructors with a degree in communication and years of experience dealing with public speaking anxiety.

I’ve had the opportunity to teach college-level public speaking classes. Trust me, you’ll get plenty of practical experience. In my classes, each student was required to provide five speeches during the term.

In addition to actual speaking, you’ll be taught how to develop and design a speech, and also have the opportunity to listen to, and evaluate your classmates’ speeches. Many will require videotaping your speeches for review…painful, but one of the best ways to improve.

I taught at the local community college, and I’d suggest looking here first:

• Classes are typically cheaper than 4-year schools
• Class sizes are smaller, sometimes as few as 10-15 students
• Normally several sections are held at night for working adults
• The average student age is over 30-years-old
• You can ‘audit’ the class, rather than taking for credit

College classes provide you a great resource, allowing for excellent instruction and chances for practice.

Toastmasters

This is what did it for me! I was scared to death of public speaking, and joined Toastmasters way back in 1989. I’m still a member today. Unless you’re above the Arctic Circle, there are several clubs in your local area.

Toastmaster’s reason for existence is to provide you a friendly and supportive atmosphere to hone your skills. The clubs consist of new and experiences speakers, typically meeting once a week for a few hours.

Go to www.toastmasters.org to find a club and to read about their programs. There are currently over 12,500 clubs, with more than 260,000 members worldwide.

There is way too much information to provide in a short article. Go to the site and find out what this wonderful organization can do for you!

Non-traditional Avenues

While the options above are the typical ideas we think of when we look to gain public speaking opportunities, there are other ways to gain this experience.

Remember, most of the battle is just showing up. You’re looking for opportunities for getting up in front of groups.

One drawback of these ideas, as opposed to the traditional routes above, is you’re not getting the additional training on how to design and deliver speeches.

I’d suggest, when going this route, jumping on Amazon and looking at the thousands of references available on putting together a good speech.

Volunteer to teach a class

I know, this sounds backwards; I’m scared of public speaking, and you want me to teach a class? Trust me, when you’re the expert at something, you’re much more comfortable talking to a group who are interested in what you’re saying.

If you have some expertise in an area, and I know you do, there are many organizations that are looking for talent. For example, if you’re good with computers, your local community center or library is always looking for volunteer instructors for those who are technically challenged.

Work with kids

As an adult, you may be more comfortable talking with a room full of kids. Schools and youth centers are always looking for adults to support their projects.

Scoutmasters, home-room parents, and other opportunities will get you in front of a group of young people. This experience will help whittle away your anxiety.

Provide a reading at your church

What could be more supportive than church? Many churches rotate readings among their members; if not, ask if they can start this program. Additionally, your pastor may appreciate a volunteer youth minister or Sunday school teacher.

Give a tour

Talk to your local museum or park service. They may be looking for adults willing to take groups around, and will provide you a canned speech to present.

Again, it’s all about just getting up and doing it!

What about after…

No matter what method you choose, it’s important to keep at it. I’ve found that public speaking isn’t quite like riding a bicycle; you can’t just jump back on after avoiding it for a year.

However, that won’t be a problem, right? Once you start, you’re going to look for more and more opportunities to get up in front of an audience.

You never know, you may even start to enjoy it! Feel free to offer up additional suggestions in Comments.

The post How to Get Public Speaking Experience appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Make sure your subject line actually has something to say

Well, my home computer gave up the ghost (loudly) yesterday, sounding amazingly like a leaf blower before heading to PC heaven. With several laptops, two more desktops, and an iPad around the house, getting most of my work done isn’t much of an issue.

No big deal, save one exception. I currently can’t screen my work emails from home. This means that I came into work this morning to face well over 100 emails in my inbox.

I thought I’d use this opportunity as a chance to rant about one of my many pet peeves, email subject lines.

Glancing through my current glut of emails, it amazing me how a group of professional, white collar workers can be so clueless when it comes to something so simple.

Below are some of the more common issues that make my head spin, see if you can recognize any of these. Feel free to comment and add your own.

1. Useless, say-nothing subjects

What if your email list had a 100 of these variations:

“Hi, What’s Up “

“Help!”

“Got a problem”

“Info Request”

“Status Update”

“What are you, a moron!?!”

Chances are, these will be placed at the bottom of the pile until I sift through the titles that actually mean something.

2. “Quick question”

If it’s quick, put it in the subject line. How about:

“Quick question on this morning’s meeting on thingamabobs.”

In this case, I’ll read it immediately.

“Quick question on next month’s meeting on thingamabobs.”

I can wait on this one for awhile.

3. “FYA,” “FYI,” “FYSA”

Having spent 20 years in the Air Force, acronyms aren’t all that intimidating, and these actually work for me if used correctly.

Keep in mind, however, if not used correctly, I’ll probably read the ‘For Your Action (FYA)’ emails first, and move the others down the list.

Though I still haven’t figured out the difference between ‘For Your Information (FYI)’ and ‘For Your Situational Awareness (FYSA).’

4. High Importance, Priority Tags, CAPS!

I have known several people over the years so full of themselves that they felt every one of their emails should be at the top of my list each morning. They always tagged it with ‘High Importance,’ and TYPED THE ENTIRE EMAIL IN CAPS.

Take a guess on where these wound up on my priority list.

Remember the boy who cried ‘wolf.’ Sorry Mr. Narcissist, everything you say is not a priority!

5. “Re:Re:Re:Re: Thingamabobs”

Can someone please stop the madness! Let’s condense these into “Ref: Thinamabobs.”

6. “Meeting”

Yes, what meeting do you mean? I’m brain dead a minimum of 10-15 hours each week due to these things (see future rant).

Variations on “Meeting”

Today’s staff meeting

Today’s meeting is cancelled

Today’s staff meeting moved to Room 127

At least these put the subject into some context.

7. No subject at all

Hello, spam filter…

Summary

Bottom line; email subject lines should be short, well thought out, and meaningful. Be sure to take a little more time to ensure your subject actually adds to your email.

The post Email Subject Line Etiquette for Dummies appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Give one or two of these simple 30 day diet changes a try.

Admit it, diets can be scary things.

They tend to be these huge, life altering promises with no light at the end of the tunnel.

For a change, try to look at trying a few short-term solutions.

Knowing that eventually you’ll be able to go back to your old ways, you can handle it for a month, right?

Give a few of these a try, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll turn one into a life-long choice.

1. Switch to diet soda for 30 days

If you haven’t looked at the calories in a can of cola, you really need to pay attention.

One 12 oz. can of soda will add from 140-150 calories to your diet. Multiply this by three cans each day, and you’re looking at well over 13,000 calories each month!

As a pound of fat equates to around ~3,500 calories, just kicking the sugary soda habit could knock off 3 to 4 lbs in one month.

2. Remove all junk food from the house for 4 weeks

If you can’t find it, you can’t eat it, right?

Clean out the fridge and all the cupboards of any and all junk food. We’re talking chips, candy, cake, and all of the other nastiness you have stuck away.

If you have to ask the question, “should this be considered junk,” just say yes and toss it.

During the same month, be sure to stock up on extra fruit and veggies that you can grab for a quick snack.

3. Keep a food diary for 1 month

Most people will be shocked once they realize how many actual calories are consumed every day.

Keeping a food diary of every soda, back of chips, and fistful of M&Ms will pinpoint just how much of this is nutrition, and how much is junk.

Bookmark a site like Livestrong.com which will provide you nutrition information on just about everything you can find both at the grocery and at the restaurant.

4. Make all your own meals for 30 days

One of the best ways to make sure you’re eating well is to make it yourself.

Making your meals yourself also provides a number of other benefits. For one, it cuts out fast food, which tends to be one of the main reasons why we need to lose weight to begin with.

Making your own meals also forces you to take the time to plan out your week accordingly, rather than just grabbing anything off the shelf.

For example, you can take some time to grill a few chicken breasts for sandwiches, burritos, and salad toppers.

5. Drink one meal each day for 4 weeks

No, I don’t mean a five Martini lunch…

There are numerous meal replacement drinks available on the market today. Do a little research, and choose one that sounds promising.

Another idea is to invest in a handheld blender like the “Cuisinart SmartStick”, and churn up a fruit smoothie for your healthy meal.

It’s simple, a cup of frozen fruit, a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, and add skim milk to fill the glass. Blend for about 30 seconds, and you have your smoothie.

Summary

Hopefully, cutting your resolution down into a manageable chunk will give you the willpower you need to give it a try for 30 days.

You never know, you may just learn to like it.

Good luck!

The post 5 Simple 30 Day Weight Loss Tricks appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

5 things to research to help land your next job.

For most of us, there’s a lot of anxiety that comes with interviewing for a new job.

Like anything else, the less information you have going in, the more nerve-wracking it’s going to be.

Fortunately, there’s a great deal of information available to you if you’re willing to take some time to dig for it.

Walking in with a good idea of both the job and people you’ll be interviewing with will help you succeed.

Nowadays, most companies provide a great deal of information on-line. This is a great resource available to you as you prepare for your job interview.

Most of the time their top level web site provide info on what the company generally does, the products they make, and where they’re located.

However, if you take some time to click around, you’ll probably find a great deal more information buried in the site.

As you dig deeper, try to keep the following in mind:

1. Research the company

From experience on both sides of the table, I know that interviewers are impressed when they know you have taken the time to research your future employers.

Asking questions during the interview is just as important as answering, provided you ask some intelligent questions. Asking, “so what will I be doing,” probably won’t score many points.

However, throwing in comments like, “I saw from your strategic plan that you’re branching into XYZ, and I happen to be an expert in this area…,” will go a long way to impressing them.

Learn as much as you can about structure, goals, personnel, and anything else that’s available to you.

2. Research the decision maker

Depending on the size of the company, those reviewing your resume, or even doing the interview, may not be the person deciding your fate. Often you won’t meet your future boss until the second or third stage of the interview process.

As you research the company’s on-line information, take some extra time to dig through whatever personnel or phone listing are available, and try to find where your position fits into the company.

For example, if you applying for ‘Chief, Training & Education,’ you may report to the head of Human Resources. Often an on-line organizational chart will provide the name of your future boss.

3. Research the incumbent

One opportunity that many people don’t think of is to find out information on the person leaving the position you’re applying for.

Using the same methods mentioned above, try to find his or her name then do a search on the company’s website and the Web.

Often you’ll be able to find information on committees the incumbent runs, reports he’s written, and other notable activities he’s done in the company.

This will give you a better perspective of the type of job you’re applying for, and the activities you may be involved in.

This will all give you background on possible questions that may be asked during the interview.

4. Research the interviewers

This may be a little harder to get your hands on, but often companies will provide the names of those on the interview committee.

Chances are you’ll want to call the point of contact for the position to talk about logistics for the interview, so why not nonchalantly ask, “Could you tell me who I’ll be meeting with?”

You may be able to obtain the names and positions of the interview team, then you can use the same methods discussed above to research these individuals also.

Also, it couldn’t hurt to do a Facebook search on each of the interviewers. Knowing what they look like and what their hobbies are will make you more comfortable with them.

5. Research yourself

While you’re at it, what does your Facebook page say about you?

Right or wrong, potential employers are going to do a search to find the ‘real’ you if they’re interested in you after the interview.

Summary

As the old adage says, “Forewarned is forearmed,” and it works just as will in job hunting as on the battlefield.

Hopefully the information provided will give you a better advantage at your next interview.

Good luck!

The post A Few Sneaky Research Tips for Your Next Job Interview appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Here’s some advice to help you prepare for your career fair.

Your next job fair could be one of the most important events of your life.

Most job seekers will attend these events with no understanding of how to make themselves stand out above the hundreds or thousands of other applicants.

Having had the opportunity of working both sides of the table, I’ve learned that there are things you can do prior, during, and after the job fair to help improve your chances of landing a job.

Read on for some tips to succeed at your next career fair.

Prior to the Job Fair

1. Do some background research on the companies attending the fair

While you may have the time to wander by every booth, you’re not going to be able to meet with each company at the fair.

Take some time to go over the list of companies attending, and then narrow the list down to those that meet your interests.

From this list, do some in-depth research on the companies. Read up on particulars such as their goals, their customer base, and their recent successes.

Write down a few questions to ask the company representative or interviewer when you speak with them. This will show them you’re interested in their company, and took some time to learn about them.

BTW, “So what does your company do?” is not one of the questions you should be asking.

2. Create a several versions of your resume based on your company list

While you don’t need to have a special resume for each company, you’ll want to have a targeted resume for each career area you’re interested in.

For example, if your background is technical but you’re also interested in program management, have a version of your resume for both areas.

If you speak with a company about jobs in your technical area, provide them a resume highlighting projects you’ve been involved in relevant to this.

On the other hand, if a company is looking for program managers, you should also have a version of your resume that outlines your work in this area.

3. Build your personal ‘commercial’

One statement you’ll no doubt hear from each employer is, “Tell me little about yourself.”

This isn’t the time to ‘wing it,’ although amazingly many job seekers are caught off guard by this.

Have your commercial ready to go. This should include key elements of your background, your best success stories, and what you bring to the table for the company.

During the fair

1. Dress for the event

Many job fairs will state, “Business attire preferred.” If you show up in jeans and a t-shirt, you’ll no doubt stand out, but in a bad way.

Find a conservative suit and tie (or the equivalent for you ladies), get a haircut and shave, and get ready to impress.

When you look your best, this will also extend to your confidence and attitude.

2. Ramp up your enthusiasm

Speaking of attitude, be sure to put some polish on yours along with your clothing.

The employers are going to meet a lot of job hunters just going through the motions; now’s your chance to stand out from the pack.

Introduce yourself with confidence, smile, and offer a firm handshake, not just in the morning, but throughout the day as you meet your potential employers.

3. Listen and ask follow-up questions

This is where your research comes into play. In addition to your ‘personal commercial,’ listen to what the employers have to say about their company, then follow up with your own questions from your notes.

Feel free to refer to your notes; this will only impress upon them that you took time to learn about their company.

4. Take notes

As you leave each booth, take the time to jot down a few notes on what you learned. You can also write down notes on the back of the reps’ business cards.

Be sure to include the name of the person you spoke with, what specific jobs they plan to fill, and any other piece of information that can be used to follow up with the company.

Don’t wait until the end of the day, or after visiting several companies to write down your notes. You’ll only mix them up and forget valuable info.

After the fair

1. Compile your notes

After the job fair, sit down with your notes and expand on any conversations you had with the company reps.

Include names, phone numbers, interest level, and any other discussions you may have had about the company.

2. Send ‘Thank You’ notes

Preferably within 24 hours of the fair, while you’re still fresh in their memories, send a thank-you note to the company reps you met with.

Sending an email is perfectly acceptable. Be sure to thank them for their time, and reaffirm your interest in discussing a job with them in greater detail.

3. Attach an updated resume if needed

If your resume still needs updated to match the types of positions available, you can rework it and attach it to the thank you note.

Additionally, you can include a simple letter fleshing out some of your more relevant experience now that you know what they’re looking for.

Summary

Like any other opportunity, you can walk into a job fair with no research and no pre-work, and probably walk out without success.

However, if you take some time and approach it with the importance it deserves, a little work up front will certainly help your chances.

Good luck!

The post Some Tips to Find Success at the Job Fair appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Here’s how to get the best ideas from your entire team.

Getting the most out of your team is important. A great tool to use to generate ideas is Brainstorming.

However, many of your team members may not feel comfortable with the idea of shouting out ideas off the top of their heads through a traditional Brainstorming exercise.

Fortunately, there are a number of alternatives that will help the more introverted members get involved.

To start, let’s provide some quick definitions to make sure we’re on the same page…

Introversion vs Extraversion

We need to be careful when defining Introverts and Extraverts. There are a lot of different connotations and misuse of these terms.

When discussed in terms of personality types, such as in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Introversion and Extraversion are defined in terms of how we draw energy.

- Extraverts gain energy through contact with other people or through engaging in activities.

- Introverts, on the other hand, are energized through ideas, quiet time, or solitude.

Okay, we know who we’re dealing with, now let’s look at the activity.

Define Brainstorming

Brainstorming allows a team to quickly relate ideas in a round-robin fashion. A problem is spelled out, and we go around the room enthusiastically calling out ideas.

The rules are:

- Everyone participates in turn

- Ideas are written down on a board or flipchart

- No ideas are criticized.

The basic idea behind Brainstorming, and decision making in general, is that more heads means more ideas.

This is a great intention; however, all of the heads need to be participating.

The Conundrum

So we know that:

1. Introverts draw their energy through ideas and solitude.

2. Brainstorming requires participants to verbally communicate ideas quickly in a group setting.

Do we see a problem here?

Unfortunately, traditional Brainstorming, as defined above, involves several of the things that most Introverts find uncomfortable:

- Communicating ideas without thought

- A noisy atmosphere when trying to think

- A lack of alone time to work out their thoughts

Of course, this is not to say that Introverts can’t work in this environment, many can do very well especially if they’re comfortable with the group.

However, most Introverts won’t necessarily be able to provide their best ideas in a traditional Brainstorming session.

So, how about some other options?

Fortunately, there are a number of ways to improve on the Brainstorming session that’s more accommodating to Introverts.

Conversely, of course, at the same time we don’t want to take away any of the ingredients of Brainstorming that makes the tool useful for Extraverts.

Here are a few ideas.

When Brainstorming is to be used at a meeting

If you’re planning a Brainstorming session for your next meeting, one of the best things to do is to not keep it a secret.

Rather than just springing it on them at the meeting, make sure that ‘Brainstorming session on ideas for XYZ’ is on the agenda.

Of course, this only works if you send the agenda out in advance.

At the very least, shoot the team members an email beforehand that you plan to hold a Brainstorming session.

It doesn’t have to be a surprise. Letting everyone know before the day of the meeting will allow the Introverts to do some pre-work to come up with some ideas, and the Extraverts can still show up anticipating a good time.

Alternatives to traditional Brainstorming

Also keep in mind that Brainstorming is just one of the tools for quickly generating ideas. Here are two others that will accomplish the same thing.

The Nominal Group Technique can be described as Brainstorming for Introverts.

Rather than shouting out ideas off the top of their heads, the team takes a few minutes to write as many ideas as they can on paper.

Now we go around the room allowing team members to shout out ideas listed on paper, or other ideas as they build on the other members.

Using the Nominal Group Technique, we remove the more uncomfortable components of Brainstorming for the Introverts, but we also keep the more spontaneous aspects for Extraverts on the team.

Brain Writing is another method I’ve used with great success. There are many variations to this technique, but they all work about the same.

Like the other techniques, team members are provided a problem statement and are asked to write down a few ideas. However, rather than listing the ideas, each one is written on a separate sheet of paper.

Each sheet is then passed to the right, and the team member receiving the sheet adds to the idea, or can even provide a new idea if inspiration strikes.

Members continue passing the papers to the right for a set number of rotations, or until the ideas run out.

Once complete, each member reads the idea and follow-up threads from the sheet in front of him. Further discussion can occur for each one.

Summary

Brainstorming is a great tool to get a diversity of thoughts from your team.

However, it’s important to understand that all personality types aren’t comfortable with shouting ideas out around the table.

Hopefully, the info provided will help you get the most from all of your team members.

If you’ve been successful with other techniques, please provide some info via a comment.

The post Alternative Brainstorming Ideas for Introverts appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Finding balance in a busy life.

‘Wellness’ is a matter of making the right choices, and striking a positive balance in those areas that have the most impact on your life.

The information provided below is just one way to look at this balance through the lenses of the Physical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual dimensions.

If you do a few searches on ‘Pillars of Wellness’ or ‘Dimensions of Wellness,’ you’ll no doubt come across quite a few variations on the info provided below. You’ll see anywhere from 4 to 11 dimensions, and a variety of areas of discussion.

My suggestion is that you do review as much information as you can on the subject.

The important thing is that you’re looking at a way to balance your life, and begin the process of introspection.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the information provided.

1. Physical

This blog contains numerous articles on health and fitness, so I’d suggest reviewing these if you’re interested in learning more about exercise and good nutrition.

Remember that your exercise routine should include cardio, weight training, and flexibility routines such as yoga to be truly effective.

In addition to exercise, it’s important to pay attention to how you fuel your body. The occasional cheat day is okay, but should be the exception rather than the norm.

The amount of sleep you’re getting is also an important part of the equation. If you regularly sleep less than 7-8 hours a night, you’re probably not operating at peak performance during the day. And no, you can’t make it up on the weekends.

Finally, make sure you’re providing the proper care and maintenance ‘under the hood’.

Listen to your body when there’s something wrong, and rest it or get it fixed. Also make sure you’re getting the checkups as appropriate for your age.

2. Mental

Like the Physical dimension, the Mental aspect of wellness should also be exercised. Also like your physical health, if you ignore problems your mental health will continue to degrade.

The Mental dimension of wellness includes both intellectual and emotional components. It’s important to work on both of these to ensure this dimension stays well balanced.

Many studies have shown one of the best ways to ensure your intellectual skills stay sharp throughout your entire life is to exercise them regularly.

Challenging your mind by learning new skills, solving problems, etc. will keep the neurons firing and the brain active.

Enrolling in workshops, teaching classes, and starting new hobbies are all great ways to increase this component of the Mental dimension.

Just as important is the emotional component. Many of us fail to realize this also needs to be exercised regularly.

How do you react in stressful situations? Do you try to think things through, or are your reactions typically ‘knee-jerk’? Do you find the good in tough situations, or do you see catastrophe every time something simple goes wrong?

A tool that I’ve used in a number of workshops is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which provides insight into your personality type. Are you introverted or extraverted, are you detail oriented, do you typically ‘go with the flow’?

Understanding your own personality provides you a better understanding of others, and helps you identify areas that may need some work.

3. Social

The third component is the Social dimension of wellness. An important part of how we live our lives is our interaction with family, friends, co-workers, and all the other people we come in contact with each day.

Are your social interactions at home and work rewarding? Are you carrying around any emotional baggage because of conflict? Do you have someone that you can vent to at work?

These are important questions, as your Social dimension plays a huge role in how you live your life day to day.

You can think of your social interactions as a series of circles around you (get it, social circles). The level of intimacy and thoughts you share increase as the circles get smaller. For example, your spouse and family are the smallest circle, with your work contacts on the outer circles.

Going back to the MBTI mentioned above, if you’re Extraverted then you probably share a great deal of information even in the outer circles. Us Introverts, however, will tend to have just a few close friends that we’re willing to open up to.

At some level, we’re all social animals, and need the contact of others

4. Spiritual

Finally, your Spiritual domain of wellness rounds out the four quadrants.

When we talk about this domain, we’re describing a set of beliefs and values that help direct and maintain our purpose and sense of well-being.

Religion is certainly a major component for many of us, and our faith and philosophy is what guides us in this area. While many of us think of religion when we think of spiritual matters, this isn’t necessarily the only place we should review when talking about this domain.

What is your attitude about life? Where do you fit in? What is your sense of purpose? These are some of the questions that come up when reviewing the Spiritual domain.

Our value system is also a large part of this component of wellness. How do you behave when no one is looking? This definition of integrity, for example, shapes how we react to the rest of the world.

Finally, a personal philosophy or mantra can help you take a few breaths and let some of life’s minor problems pass by more easily. My favorite is “Receive With Simplicity All That Happens to You.”

Putting it all together

Of course, each of these dimensions doesn’t work in a vacuum, and we don’t have to focus on each one individually.

Just understanding that they interrelate, and that they’re all important will help guide decisions day to day.

For example, volunteering for a cause like Habitat for Humanity will provide fuel for each of the four dimensions:

Social – Working with a new group of people allows new friendships to grow.

Mental – Learning a new skill and working in an unfamiliar trade requires new abilities, and helps expand the mind.

Physical – Swinging a hammer, lifting materials, working up a sweat.

Spiritual – Volunteering on a project that helps others will improve your self-worth and how you view the rest of the world.

Summary

As stated in the beginning, there’s nothing magical about this particular model.

Any plan that provides an opportunity for introspection and growth will greatly help to improve your overall wellness.

Please feel free to share any comments.

The post The 4 Pillars of a Healthy and Happy Life appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..

Choosing between door frame, freestanding, or mounted.

Pull-ups and chin-ups are among the best upper body exercises you can do.

There’s just something satisfying about being able to pull your body weight above the bar, and seeing yourself improve over time.

As you add this to your fitness routine, it’s important that you choose the right pull up equipment to do the job.

There are a lot of options out there, but the information below should help you make right choice.

Do your research

While you may find the best price on-line, take the time to stop by a local store that actually carries the apparatus you’re interested in.

Larger fitness outlets will often have a demo available that you can try out to test stability and construction.

If nothing else, you can take a closer look at the boxed item to see what you’re actually paying for.

Even if you’ve had the chance to try it out at the store, take the time to read some on-line reviews.

Go to Amazon and other sites and see what others have said about it. Trust me, they won’t be shy about their comments.

Materials and construction

As you’re trusting this piece of equipment to hold your weight safely, it’s important you take a close look at what’s holding it together.

What types of materials are used in the design? If you assembled it at home, does everything fit together properly? Are all the pieces included? This isn’t something that you want to leave to chance.

How sturdy is it? Both in the store (if possible), and after you’ve assembled it at home, does it feel like it’s going to hold your weight? Does it feel at all wobbly?

Range of handholds

How many different exercises can you do? Most pull-up bars will allow for shoulder-width distance between your hands. But how about other positions?

Will you want to do exercises that require narrow or wide grips? How about palms facing? Look to the future and make sure this will allow for variation as you improve.

Types of pull-up bars available

For the most part, your options will consist of three types:

• Door frame pull-up bars
• Power Towers
• Permanently mounted pull-up bars

The information below provides more detail into each alternative, as well as my recommendation in each category.

Clicking on the picture will take you to Amazon.com for more info on the product.

Door frame pull-up bars

There are a great many of these available. With a few exceptions, most attach to the door frame in the same way using a combination of leverage and gravity. These will cost anywhere from $15-$60.

Most will require you to install a couple of hooks on the opposite side of the door above the molding. The back of the apparatus mounts onto these hooks, and two rails press against the front of the door frame on either side.

As all doors aren’t the same, it’s important to read the advertisements to see what size door these are made for. Many won’t fit non-standard doors.

Even with the right sized doorframe, make sure the door has decent clearance on either side, as the apparatus will normally stick out beyond the side molding. If the door is too close to the side wall, it won’t fit.

I’ve also read quite a few reviews where the user found these damaged the door frames. Several folks mentioned there are ways to limit this by adding extra padding where the apparatus comes in contact with the doorframe.

If you just installed $500 woodwork around your doors, this probably isn’t the way to go. However, if you’re mounting it in a space that’s already beaten up (basement, garage, etc.) that’s your call.

One other consideration is the height of the bar. Most users will have to bend their knees to use door frame pull-up bars so their feet don’t drag on the floor.

Power Towers

If you have a little more room for your workout area, you may consider one of the many ‘power towers’ available.

These are essentially free standing pull-up stations providing a sturdier construction than the door frame variety, while also giving you more options for placement.

There are quite a few out there, and they can cost anywhere from $99 to well over $200 depending on design and built-in extras.

In addition to the pull-up bar itself, most of these will also provide some type of dip and/or knee lift station. Primarily because a cross beam is needed for stability, and it’s a great place to mount a padded backrest and arms.

Some will also provide push-up handles welded to the base. Personally, I found these to be more of a tripping hazard, and never used them.

Most of these are designed to fit against the wall, or even in a corner. When I owned one, I purchased one with flip up arms to give me a little more room when not in use.

Also, pay close attention to the handholds available, as many won’t provide a solid bar. Rather, they’ll have separate hand-holds, making it impossible to perform closer grip exercises.

Finally, keep in mind that ‘movable’ isn’t the same thing as ‘portable.’ These things tend to be heavy and cumbersome to move, so don’t plan to slide this in and out of a closet when not in use.

Permanently mounted pull-up bars

If this works for you, this is probably the best way to go. Mounting a heavy duty bar to a joist or stud will ensure a sturdier and safer piece of equipment. These will normally run around $40-$80.

It’s pretty easy to find several variations of handles with these, including wide and neutral grips if you check around a little.

There are a number of mounting choices available depending on your needs. For example, if your exercise area is in the basement or garage, you can mount this to an exposed joist.

Even if the ceiling is finished, you can cut a couple of small holes to mount it to the joist in the attic above.

You can also purchase wall mounted bars that are designed to attach to the studs in the wall. Note it’s best to verify that your studs are the standard 16 inches apart to make sure everything will line up.

For that matter, be sure to read the reviews to make sure the apparatus is designed for 16 inch studs, as I’ve read several angry comments when the users found out this wasn’t the case.

Yet another variation is designed to mount in the corner of a room. Again, make sure you have something sturdy to tie it to inside the wall.

One other consideration for wall mounted bars is to ensure clearance between your body and the wall. If you tend to ‘kip,’ that is, jerk your body forward and back to get over the bar, you may skin your knees, or at the very least, mark up the wall.

Keep in mind these are a pain to move around, so map out your location and be sure you’ll be satisfied with it for the foreseeable future. Lag screws can be removed, but it’s really something you only want to do once.

Summary

And you thought it was as simple as just hanging a bar on the wall…

Like any other piece of fitness equipment, it’s important that you do your research and choose wisely.

Hopefully the information provided will help you make the best decision for your health.

The post How to Buy a Pull Up Bar for Your Home appeared first on More Better Smarts | Knowledge, carefully rationed..