Increase Productivity by Changing Your Environment

I write a lot about gadgets, tools, tips, and tricks for productivity. Those things are important for productivity, but there is one aspect that I often take for granted that is a huge factor in productivity: your environment. 

I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, and this time of year we see a lot of short, gray days. I've noticed that the weather here can affect my energy level, concentration, and focus. The good news is I can do something about this by altering the environment where I work to tweak the color, lighting, and layout around me -- and you can, too.

Color

Colors have been used to subtly influence emotion and productivity for centuries, dating back as far as ancient Egypt and China, according to About Education. Having the right colors in the right rooms has been shown to affect both your mood and how detailed or creative you are, explains Return Customer. For instance, colors like blue and green can increase your creativity and imagination while reds can stimulate, excite and increase your attention to detail and reaction times. Yellows and oranges can brighten a room as well as the mood of those within. Blues are great for conference rooms so as to boost friendliness and brainstorming. On the other hand, reds are often used in entryways to instill a feeling of power and excitement.

However, too much of any color can have negative effects. For example, a lot of yellow can be distracting and over-stimulating, and darker reds are often associated with anger and anxiety. Before you start painting, take a look at your workspace to see where you can incorporate new colors without going overboard.

Lighting

The right lighting can have a dramatic effect on productivity and effectiveness. A study by the California Energy Commission shows that the use of natural lighting can result in a 20 percent increase in productivity and a 25 percent boost for your mental functions and memory.

But again, it’s all about finding the right balance. Too much direct lighting can create glare, leading to headaches and other difficulties. To give you more flexibility, install custom shades that can control the amount of natural sunlight coming in and can impact the room temperature, which can lead to lower heating and cooling costs.

Layout

After you work on your colors and lighting, look at the layout and condition of your office furniture. Not only should your furniture be comfortable and in good condition, but it also should fulfill whatever needs your office has. Look for ergonomically-designed chairs, desks and furniture to help you stay safe and comfortable at work.

Additionally, make sure that the layout and flow of your office works for you. Don't just focus on how the office looks but also how effective it is for your overall 

Location

Of course, a lot of these thoughts pertain to the office I work in. There is another way to change your environment: change your location.

I use a lot of mobile devices (laptops, tablets, etc.) to get work done, and I also get an energy and productivity boost from getting up and moving to a different location from time to time. For example, I often work out of a library or coffee shop, and I really like the change of pace. That approach is also a lot faster than remodeling your workspace, so it can really help in a pinch.

What about you? What kinds of changes have you made that have enhanced your productivity?

Why Getting Out of Your Comfort Zones Can Make You Happier

What do you do when things are "going fine?" Think about it: generally speaking, you like your job; your boss and co-workers are cool (for the most part); you have a pretty short commute, and the work that you do is interesting and fulfilling. If all that is true, why do you catch yourself daydreaming throughout the workday about learning how to rock climb, or heading out for an epic road trip with some of your buddies?

Actually, the desire to try new things is a normal and natural feeling. As Life Hacker notes, stepping out of your daily routine can actually help you to be more productive and happier at work, as well as in the rest of your life.

Some of the many benefits of getting out of your comfort zone

By expanding your boundaries and taking on new hobbies and interests, you can actually learn to handle any and all of life’s uncertainties. Whether it’s signing up for a cooking class or deciding it’s finally time to take those sky diving lessons, you are ultimately challenging yourself to do something you normally wouldn’t. Once you start stepping out of your comfort zone, you’ll probably find it gets easier to do, in part because you’ll get used to that vague sense of anxiety and fear that trying new things can cause. Over the long term, learning new skills and experiencing all sort of adventures can even help you to become more creative, as well as broaden your mind.

Fortunately, getting out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to be difficult and there are several simple changes you can make to help you ease into the idea of breaking from your comfortable routine once in awhile. Consider the following:

Vary your everyday routine

Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn’t have to involve stepping out of a perfectly good airplane to free fall into space — unless you want it to, of course. As it turns out, even some seemingly simple and innocuous activities can stretch the bounds of your day to day life and open you up to new ideas and experiences. For example, if your commute doesn’t involve only freeway driving, consider riding a bike to work every day for a week. Give up your Wednesday-is-pizza-night tradition once in awhile and try a cuisine that is new to you, like Indian or vegetarian. If you normally wait for a movie to come out on DVD before seeing it, head to your local theatre and catch a matinee of the latest comedy or adventure — and don’t read the reviews first, just go and have fun. These small but different activities can help to jump start your creativity and help you see the world in a different way.

Try a new hobby

Another great way to step out of your comfort zone is to take up a new hobby. As Thought Catalog notes there are plenty of fun, new activities that you can try. If you have always wanted to learn a new language, Duolingo offers free language courses in Spanish, French and more (my daughter loves their Spanish lessons, by the way). If you daydream about owning a motorcycle, why not turn that fantasy into reality by joining a motorcycle club? You can purchase a pre-owned bike or a basic model and then shop for accessories at an affordable company like BikeBandit.com. Once you have your needed gear, look up local clubs that will introduce you to new community of people and some like-minded souls who love the feel of the wind in their face. Other ideas include checking out the community center calendar for dance or cooking lessons or joining the choir at church and giving your pipes a good workout. If you love animals, try adopting a new pet. All of these activities will provide you with new experiences that will help make leaving your predictable routine a positive and desirable thing.

Volunteer

Finally, think about volunteering to do something fun that helps others. Personally, I spend a lot of my time volunteering at a Boy Scout Horse Ranch which allows me to get outdoors, do some physical labor (very different than my routine during the week), and help young men and women develop leadership skills. It is extremely fulfilling.

Whatever you decide to do, don't just do "the usual" - adding some new variety to your life can do wonders for your outlook.

Sharper Minds Through Video Games?

I play a lot of video games during my travels - it is a great release to unwind in my hotel room, and I find it very relaxing (yes).  I flit from one to another quite often, but my current favorites are Borderlands 2, Diablo III, and Call of Duty: Black Ops.  I also tend to apply lessons I learn from video games into how I view the world; for example, I have given multiple talks about what information security can learn from video games - such as this brief talk the RSA Security Conference earlier this year).  

With that in mind, I wanted to make sure I wasn't deluding myself - to find out if there really is something to this "learning from video games" thing I preach about all the time.

According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, 59 percent of Americans regularly play video games, with the industry earning more than $10.5 billion in revenue annually. The survey also showed 44 percent of respondents play video games on their smartphones and 33 percent play on wireless devices. The rise in popularity of gaming has also led to the rise of studies investigating the potential negative effects they have. The Ohio State University found an increase in violent video game playing resulted in a spike in aggression.  

For what it's worth, I can definitely tell the difference between video games and reality and I think this resultant increase in aggression might be true of any competitive activity, such as organized sports.  Of course, that is just my theory...  

Since I know I benefit from playing video games and I don't feel they are harming me, I was curious about the "other end of the spectrum" when it comes to the impact of video games.  As it turns out, more researchers are looking into how video games can benefit us and report surprising results. Boosting memory, delaying cognitive decline and increasing multitasking ability and confidence are just some of the ways we can benefit from regularly playing video games.

Boost your memory

Recent studies from the Georgia Institute of Technology show gaming won't necessarily improve reasoning and problem solving, but can help boost your memory. Working Memory Capacity (WMC), is our ability to recall information relatively quickly even while distracted. The study showed that gaming can help strengthen our memory skills, along with our ability to work on a variety of tasks or switch between them quickly.

That makes sense, since practice with just about anything - including retention of data - tends to improve your abilities in that area.

Prevent cognitive decline

Playing games and using the computer may help prevent cognitive decline and preserve brain function. Staying mentally and physically active — whether by socializing, exercising or playing games — could also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. Game resources like iWin carry a variety of puzzle games and mind teasers that could help strengthen memory, improve hand-eye coordination and encourage problem solving on convenient mobile devices or tablets.

I used to play Brain Age on my Nintendo DS to help in this area, and I know people who swear by Sudoku and other puzzles as a way to keep their memories and minds sharp.  I say you enjoy it and it doesn't cause any harm, why not?

Improve Multitasking

Researchers at UC San Francisco discovered video games, especially 3-D varieties, can actually improve overall cognitive performance in older, healthy adults. Senior citizens who played the games for 12 hours over the course of a month showed an improvement in working memory and sustained attention. Their ability to multi-task also improved as they became more skilled at switching focus during their gaming activities.

Of course, we can't truly "multi-task," but the better we can context switch and get back on our mental feet when switching from one task to another, the better.  I've noticed that my eyes take longer to adjust from close vision to far vision as I get older, and I suspect that resistance to switching from one context to another is a challenge from a mental perspective.

Build Confidence

Scientists at the University of Essex explored if people's self-esteem improves while gaming because it gives them the chance to experiment with characteristics they envision their ideal self possessing. The Researchers discovered gamers enjoyed gaming the most when there was little overlap between their actual and ideal self. Participants reported feeling better about themselves after playing with the personality traits they wanted, such as being outgoing.

I definitely agree with this.  Even though it is an artificial world, I find that taking risks in video games makes it easier for me to take risks in the real world - it can help you feel less anxious in the face of the uncertain.

Improve your vision

While some say excessive video gaming can hinder your eyesight, some new studies show the opposite to be true. Researchers at the University of Rochester discovered action video gamers who play a few hours a day over a month improved their vision by 20 percent. This improvement came from being able to pick out letters from a clutter of images. Gamers played for about 30 hours and saw a significant increase in their vision's spatial resolution.

Again, this feels right to me.  Not only do video games improve my reaction time, they force me to expand my attention to take in more things - this is true from a visual point of view, but also from an overall situational awareness perspective.  I need to keep tabs on where I am, how I'm doing versus my objectives, how the others in my party are faring, pay attention to new threats and opportunities, etc.

The bottom line

OK, so maybe I'm guilty of contrived rationalization, but in my book, the data says playing video games is good for me.  Enough said - I'm sticking with it!

Conquering Burnout, and Achieving a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Do you have to drag your body out of bed on weekday mornings? Does the idea of spending another day at the office fill you with dread? Are you finding it harder and harder to get excited about your job and the work that you do?

If so, chances are good that you are suffering from job burnout. This has been a big topic at tech conferences in the past year (I'm in the tech industry) but I think it applies far beyond tech.

According to the Mayo Clinic, work-related burnout is a form of stress that can cause us to feel mentally, emotionally or physically tired. It can give us unusual doubts about our abilities to perform as well as we usually do. Job burnout can also lead to unpleasant symptoms like headaches, a change in appetite, and poor sleep.

Why Do We Get Burned Out?

Although the reasons we feel burned out at work vary from person to person and job to job, some common culprits include feeling out of control at work. For example, having little or no say over your schedule or assignments, or having a micromanager as a boss can be triggers. When you're spending so much of your day at work, that it feels like there's never enough time or energy to be with your family and friends doing activities that you enjoy, that's when burnout sets in.

Fortunately, these negative and unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms do not have to last forever. There are steps that you can take to reduce job burnout.

Identify What is Causing the Stress

One of the best ways to reduce job burnout is to have an honest conversation with yourself about what is causing you to feel so miserable in the first place. If you feel you spend too many hours in the office, consider approaching your supervisor about the possibility of telecommuting. Or, ask if you can have more of a say in the projects or assignments you're part of in the future.

Take Responsibility For Your Own Well-Being

This is a saying I use a lot, and it relates to the previous point.  When they feel stuck, sometimes people need to be reminded that they can take action to shape their lives - maybe that's you, sometimes.  

For example, take the initiative to share your goals and aspirations with your boss; that can help them see you in a different light and reduce the risk that you'll be "type cast" in a specific, confining role.  Or, you may have skills and talents that they don't know about, so you can make them aware the things you're good at doing.  Or, perhaps a particular aspect of the job is energizing to you and you can ask them to let you do more of that type of work.

Realize That Your Job is Not Set in Stone

As the Huffington Post notes, if your best efforts to change the negative work environment do not pay off, you might want to consider changing your job. Sometimes giving yourself permission to start looking for a new career can be incredibly freeing. Take some time to research different jobs that might appeal to you, and if you can, talk to folks who are already working in those fields. For example, if you have always dreamed about owning your own restaurant, maybe you could speak with some local café owners to get an idea of how much work might be involved. Or, if you have always wanted to work with children, you might consider volunteering at a school to see if being around kids is truly for you. There are websites and services can also help you determine which new career path might be best, and they can even offer educational opportunities to turn your dreams into reality. For instance, if a career in the pharmaceutical field sounds appealing, organizations like the Penn Foster school offer convenient online education opportunities, including a pharmacy technician career diploma.

Nurture Your Non-Work Interests

As Lisa Gerry's article in Forbes explains, it is important to have interests and hobbies that have absolutely nothing to do with work. For example, consider volunteering your time with a local charity. You can involves with a pet rescue group, sign up for a fun fitness class at the gym, or pick up that old box of stamps you collected as a kid and see if you can renew your love of all things philatelic. When you are passionate about something other than work, it can help to keep your life in a better balance.

This can also be a good reminder to create better boundaries between work and home or hobbies.  If you check email all the time when you aren't at work, your whole life can feel like work.  Try to consciously "switch" from work to home when you leave, to give yourself that physical and psychological break that you need to recharge.

Make Sure You are Getting Enough Z’s

Speaking of recharging, if you are routinely burning the midnight oil, do what you can to get more rest. Being sleep deprived can not only impact your mood and job performance, but it can also make you less motivated, making it more difficult to focus and get work done in a timely manner. Getting more sleep will probably help you get your work done sooner, which will allow you to spend less time in the office and more time doing things you enjoy.

Take Care Of Your Physical Health

A lot of what I've presented here is psychological, but don't overlook the value of your physical health.  As I mentioned recently, I've been focusing more of my attention on diet and exercise, and it has helped me a lot - not just from a 'vital signs' perspective, but by increasing my energy level, improving my sleep, and helping me feel better about what I'm doing both at work and away from the job.

The bottom line? If you are feeling burned out, don't just settle for a life of drudgery.  There is plenty you can do to improve things.

Make 2014 The Year of Getting and Staying Healthy

What was your resolution for 2014 on New Year's Eve? It may seem like a lifetime has passed, but a couple of months ago you decided to make some healthy lifestyle changes and become a brand-new you. If all of that went out the window in week two, now is the time to get back on track. Start the spring of 2014 with a plan to be healthier and happier.

1. Ditch the list of ailments and set the stage for real change

Make a list, check it once and discover what pain or unhealthy cycle you seem to be repeating year after year. Changing unhealthy behaviors can be difficult because those changes are attached to fears that we won't succeed or that lasting change is not possible. To demolish the fear, try this:

• Make a list of your health concerns.
• Next to each concern, write a few words about how you'd like to feel instead. For example, if back pain plagues you, think about how it affects you. If you have trouble walking, set a goal for being able to skip (in a meadow, why not?) without pain. Work toward your goal by talking to a specialist, or beginning a spine exercise routine from Laser Spine Institute. If you wake in pain daily, it's important to think about a way to make a change that will really take hold, such as looking up resources for minimally invasive procedures. Imagine all of the activities you could participate in again if you could walk free from back pain.
• Begin with three health concerns on the list you made, create a scenario in writing for each like the one above, take action and get ready to experience real change.

2. Stay young by rejuvenating your diet

Try this: In 2014, I'm going to eat for life and skip the fad diets." There's a difference between establishing an everyday healthy diet and dieting. Discovering the foods that serve you best and sticking with them is easier than you think.

• Try new things. Make your regular grocery list and leave three to five blank spaces. When you get to the store, choose three to five new fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats or fish that you haven't tried before. As you walk the aisles, pick from your list to create meals centered around the new food choices.
• Stay organized. Some of the new foods you try will become your favorites. You'll want to remember how you made these dishes and how you can continue to enhance them for optimal nutrition. Try an app like Food Planner to keep your favorites fresh.
• Fooducate yourself. Don't want to get stuck in the diet trap! Stay on top of the good and bad trends for an even keel with the Fooducate app. This app helps you understand where your food came from and whether it's a healthy choice to match your goals.

3. Keep your brain on point

A youthful mind is one that plays games. Keep your mental skills sharp and you'll be surprised what falls into place. Give Lumosity a try — their scientifically designed brain gaming program helps you:

• Recall and organize daily improvements
• Keep track of several concepts simultaneously without traditional multi-tasking

By the way, I have had some practice in getting back in shape lately because I'd fallen out of good eating and exercise habits in the last few years.  Since last summer I've lost over 50 pounds and gotten my vitals (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) back under control. I used some gadgets and apps to help with this, and will share more information about what I did and what I used in my next post.