Posted on
by
Listened

This was an enjoyable book crammed with scientific studies, practical advice and thoughts about our relationship with time. Lots of info on when to do all kinds of things as hold meetings, change jobs or make other life decisions….as well as tips to improve productivity such as short breaks and getting away from your desk for lunch. Here’s a couple things I thought were interesting…
When book cover

When should you go first?

  • If you’re on a ballot
  • If you’re not the default choice
  • If there are relatively few competitors (tendency to remember things earlier in a short series)
  • If you are up against several strong candidates (strong applicants upfront cause flaws in later ones to seem greater)

When should you NOT go first?

  • When you are the default choice
  • If there are many competitors (later on is better, last is strongest)
  • Operating in an uncertain environment (watch others go first)
  • Meager competition (highlight your differences)

On mid-point malaise:

When team commitment to achieving a goal is high, it is best to emphasize the work that remains, but if team commitment is low, it’s wiser to emphasize the progress that has already been made, even if it’s not massive.

File under things I’ve definitely experienced first-hand:

Feelings of belonging boost job satisfaction and performance. Research by Alex Pentland at MIT has shown that the more cohesive and communicative a group is – the more they chat and gossip – the more they get done.

 

This bit right here has made me resolve to get my diary keeping restarted: Harvard researchers asked people to make small time capsules of mundane recent moments…favorite songs, recent conversation, etc. Then they asked people to guess how curious they’d be about seeing the contents in the future.

“When the time came to view the time capsules, people were far more curious than they had predicted. They also found the contents of what they had memorialized far more meaningful than they had expected. …people underestimated the value of rediscovering current experiences in the future. By recording ordinary moments today, one can make the present a “present” for the future.

I was so good at keeping up my “daily pages” for about five years, but for the last couple I have largely neglected it. I love to go back and read up on what little Felix was doing and compare that to now (or to Dexter at the same age) and I have regrets about not keeping up more recent times. So much has happened and so many little details are mostly gone to time now. Need to find a way to make it the first thing I do when I hit the couch at night!

Posted on
by
Read ( )
chicken orzo dish

6 Servings | 35 min prep, 50 min cook

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1-1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced pitted green olives, drained
  • 1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives, drained
  • 1 large carrot, halved lengthwise and chopped
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Directions

1. In a 6-qt. electric pressure cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients; stir to combine. Lock lid; make sure vent is closed. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high and set time for 8 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure.

2. Add orzo. Lock lid; make sure vent is closed. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to low and set time for 3 minutes. When finished cooking, allow pressure to naturally release for 4 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure. Let stand 8-10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 415 calories, 19g fat (5g saturated fat), 86mg cholesterol, 941mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 27g protein.

Posted on
by
Listened

The Little Book of Hygge book coverI didn’t intend to read/listen to this book, but I had seen it mentioned in a couple places lately and took a chance on it while browsing available audiobooks at my library.

It attempts to describe the Danish concept of Hygge (HUGH-guh) — which the author goes to great lengths to explain cannot be literally translated — but basically it is about cozy togetherness and everyday pleasures….the times when you are comfortable enough to be yourself, enjoy people’s company and feel good. Candles, soft blankets, fireplaces, warm drinks, good conversation. Makes me want to snuggle underneath a fluffy comforter even though it’s sweltering out right now.

One aspect that is really emphasized is spending intimate time with close friends. It’s been bothering me lately that I feel so much closer to my coworkers than any of my “real” friends. Realizing that it’s because we share a bunch of inside jokes, eat together all the time and are actually in one another’s presence…things that I almost never have with my non-work friends anymore. (Doesn’t help that I’m boycotting Facebook these days either.)

I’ve been thinking about trying to start an informal supper club or drinking night to create a standing excuse reason to regularly meet up with friends. I think we’re all busy living our lives and it’s not that we don’t want to spend time with each other…but it’s hard to make time for it if there isn’t a reason, like a major holiday or a kid’s birthday party. Does anyone just hang out anymore when you have a family in your 40’s or am I just missing out?

Side note: If you’re interested in this I would definitely recommend listening to the audiobook over reading it yourself. Totally worth it to hear a native speaker pronounce everything properly! The author (CEO of the Danish Happiness Research Institute no less) is very charming. Favorite quote, from the home decor chapter: “Basically you want to ask yourself, how would a Viking squirrel furnish a living room?”

Posted on
by

Welp, here goes. First official post on the “new” site. This’ll hopefully get lost in the stream as I post some older stuff behind it, but it’s definitely a milestone if I manage to keep this site going.

I’ve been itching to get all this rolling but I didn’t want to put anything out there until I got my child theme into decent shape. Feeling the pressure to have a polished site since I’m in the web biz, but I have to temper that with accepting when it’s good enough. (Although, *ahem* it’s still a work in progress…)

I’ve decided to backfill the site a bit with some content – mostly images – before I try syndicating. I have lots of random photos on my phone that I always imagined I’d post to Instagram but I never could get up the enthusiasm to actually upload them. We’ll see how much I end up syndicating and how much just stays right here. One of my biggest issues with social media is self-censoring; hopefully running my own site can help me work to overcome that insecurity.

Well, at least for now I’m excited to get started so let’s just get this out of the way! Onward…