via Jeff Rogers
Just a reminder to sometimes ask yourself this simple question.
Want to see more inspirational words? Follow me on Pinterest.
motivation
From a great collection of quotations from startup founders:
Happy Monday.
P.S. Check out the Hanes giveaway post to see who won the Silk Reflections.
In this footage from 1930, Anne Sullivan explains how Helen Keller, blind and deaf, learned to speak. Keller sits eagerly at her side, aiding Sullivan’s demonstration of how Keller learned to vocalize words by strategically placing her hand on Sullivan’s throat, mouth, and nose.
In the end, Keller proclaims, “I am not dumb now.”
Very cool. Helen Keller was a childhood hero, as I think she is for most children. Discovered via The Eloquent Woman.
Julian Bialowas, a photographer and graphic design student, began a 365 day project. Every day, he posts one of his photographs along with his own uplifting words. Many of the photographs are the most jaw-dropping images of nature. His words aren’t too bad either. Subscribe to his Tumblr to get your daily dose. You can also purchase the images here.
In a talk available on TED, Jason Fried addresses why people never say the office is the best place for getting work done. Most people, he says, will say things like, “I get my best work done early in the morning at home,” or “on my commute.” Employers spend all this money renting and outfitting office space, but employees don’t view the office as a place for productivity.
The reason? Interruptions.
I’ve enjoyed reading what my favorite bloggers have resolved to do in 2011. Grace of Design*Sponge wants to document her life more, Heather at Dooce wants to read more books, and Kat at Corporette is going to eat healthier dinners.
And me? I want to create a more structured blogging schedule (right now, I just post as the spirit moves me) and resolve arguments with my boyfriend more constructively (we’re both on board for this one).
Labor Day’s come and gone, and that means fall is on the horizon. Fall’s my favorite season — not least because it reminds me of going back to school (nerd alert!) and all the inspiration that comes with that. The chance to start anew, tackle fresh challenges, and see what the year has in store.
I spent most of this weekend, unfortunately, working. And because I knew it’d be difficult to buckle down, I tried out a new work method that’s supposed to increase efficiency and concentration.
And boy did it work. My usual problem is that, dreading a marathon work session, I delay diving into the work for as long as possible — to my own detriment, since this means I’ll start too late and then be overwhelmed by all I have left to do. But this new method allowed me to avoid that psychological pitfall, and just get going — no procrastination. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique, and all I needed was a free web application.
[Ed.: Gwendolyn Ward, a personal development adviser, offers her expert advice on how to face and overcome professional challenges in an uncertain economy.]
One definition of ‘challenge’ is a call to engage in a contest, fight, or competition. We hear a lot about challenges these days, especially in reference to the economy…“These are challenging times” or “Especially in these economically challenging times.”
To adapt in “challenging” times it is critical to put the boxing gloves on and accept the call to engage.
Let’s face it, time is one of the rarest and most valuable commodities out there. Especially for us women who juggle a million different things, like our jobs, significant others, emails from friends who need a shoulder, and the great race at 11am and 12pm to snag the best deals on Gilt Groupe and Rue La La.
Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed, like there’s nothing you can do to climb out from under that mountain of work and obligations. But it’s not so! Here are 10 tried-and-true methods for enhancing your productivity at work and freeing up more time.
