At one point way back when, I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life. But later in life I found myself pursuing happiness rather than living happiness. That led to me searching Google for the answer to:
“What should I do with my life?”
Among the millions of results was an interview with Po Bronson about his book What Should I Do with My Life? – but I must say that I wasn’t inspired to read the whole book after reading sample chapters online. The quality of the writing is really disappointing, as if nobody read the book before it was published. Bronson spent two years interviewing 900 people who’d asked that same question; among the interviewees was a lawyer who’d become a truck driver and an investment banker who had switched to catfish farming. These men wanted to be closer to their children while doing something they liked.
These stories stayed with me, and in 2009 I gave up my stable job (and life) in NYC and moved to Paris when I met someone. I’d found myself increasingly asking what in the world I was doing at a desk in midtown Manhattan suffering from stress-related illnesses while I didn’t even aspire to the career I was pursuing anymore. Why not move to Paris? I’d established a savings fund and I figured in Paris, while trying a relationship with someone I thought was special, I’d have time to write and to travel — to pursue my biggest passion. Though it turned out I’d met the wrong someone, I still have my passions.
And I’m glad I left my unhappy job.
(Image courtesy of thephotographymuse under a Creative Commons Attribution generic license.)
Related Posts
Add a Comment
Ever experienced this? You’re sitting in front of your chosen medium – a blank page waiting to be filled with wit, a blank canvas waiting to be infused with the perfect collaboration of colours — or perhaps your trusty sitar, waiting to strum out your next opus…but you can’t think of a single idea to fill the void.
There are many ways to generate new ideas. You can use a mindmap, an online idea generator, or make a wheel of ideas and give it a spin when your well of creativity has gone dry. There’s even an app for your next million dollar idea.
Chances are, you are full of ideas. You have them all the time, but might not have a process to store them until you can actually do something with them. Find a way to store these ideas, and then take the time to review them on a daily or weekly basis. Record your ideas as you have them on your smartphone, tablet, iPod, or computer, or write them in your hipster PDA, moleskin, or even the cocktail napkin at your neighbourhood pub. When the idea hits you, write it down and look at it later. Some ideas seem brilliant at first glance, but a quick second look reveals that it probably should never see the light of day. (Battlefield Earth, anyone?)
If your ideas look good on the second or third glance, create a plan to put them into action. Or you could wait for someone else to do it so that you can tell everyone that it was your idea first – but you were too busy to make it happen.
Generate your ideas and make them a ritual. If you do, you will find that they develop from something stuck in your head to something that showcases your talents, creates additional value for your customers and makes you and your colleagues look really, really good.
(Image courtesy of TikTik under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 generic license.)
Related Posts
-
Look Backward, Look Inward, Look Forward for Success
-
What’s Your Workout Routine?
-
Pushing Through Urgent to Get to Important
Add a Comment
Getting organized can be a huge pain the butt. Tasks pile up, your to-do list gets out of control, you feel overwhelmed with all that needs done, and you dread home office organization. Yet, if you want to have peace of mind and a clean work space, you need to get organized. So how to get organized, then? Well, you’re in luck, because this article features three ways to get organized.
Learning how to get organized is very simple. The point is to get organized so that you then focus on your important task at hand. Or your life. But definitely not focusing on the organizing itself. Getting organized is a means to an end.
So without further ado, here are the three ways to get organized:
1. Productively Procrastinate
You will inevitably procrastinate during part of your week. It’s fine – we all do. We’re only human. But just because you procrastinate doesn’t mean you need to waste time. You should productively procrastinate.
When you want to avoid doing the major task in front of you, take care of some not-as-important-but-still-useful tasks on your to-do list. The ones that don’t require much thought are especially good. Maybe it’s cleaning and organizing files and folders on your computer, or doing some home office organization. Anything that’s been lingering on your to-do list.
While these tasks aren’t the really important ones, they’re still useful. And rather than wasting your time surfing the web or watching cat videos, you can more effectively spend your procrastination time. Plus, you don’t have to set aside special time for getting organized: you simply use the pockets of time for when you feel like procrastinating. Productive procrastination is actually some of the best moments to get organized.
2. Finish Your Current Task Now if Possible
A huge part of disorganization is putting off tasks. If you finish something on the spot, when it’s right on front of you, then you don’t need to organize it, or schedule it, or put it on your to-do list. It’s simply done.
Use the 5-minute rule: if you come across a task that will take 5 minutes or less to complete, finish your current task now.
This way, you’ll avoid piling up a bunch of small tasks that could’ve easily been done on the spot. It’s like physically keeping your home office clean: instead of piling up garbage, you simply throw away that wrapper now. Or pick up clutter when you see it, rather than saving for later.
3. Keep Your To-Do List Short
This one’s forehead-slapping obvious, but that’s because it really works. When you have a short to-do list, you don’t have as many things you need to do. And with less tasks, you need to organize less, either with your tasks or related files and stuff for the tasks.
Now, when it comes to your to-do list, organizational skills require self discipline and being brutally honest with yourself. Only you can keep your to-do list short:
- Look through your items and decide which tasks ultimately don’t matter
- Remove them from your to-do list – if you really need to do that task, it’ll come up later, otherwise it didn’t need to be there
- Before adding a new item to your to-do list, go through the same process – decide if the task ultimately matters
By doing this, you’ll keep your to-do list short. However, if you absolutely, positively can’t shorten your to-do list anymore, then at the very least you need to segment your list. The reason is that you’ll have a much more manageable list of tasks to look at.
It shouldn’t seem like a big deal, but it really is. We’re emotional creatures, and things are all about perception. When you see a big mess o’ stuff in a long list, you feel overwhelmed. But a clean, segmented list is organized and easy to tackle.
You can segment your list by priority, type of task, project-related, or whatever else.
If you have a lot of tasks to do, it helps to have your list organized. Which it needs to be, anyway. It is a “to do”, not a “to gather and look at while deciding what to do”.
Get Organized Now
How to get organized is fairly simple. In fact, you need it to be if you want to effectively get organized and get on with your life. Otherwise, you spend most of your time trying to get organized rather than following these 3 simple disciplines.
The most important thing is to get started. These 3 ways are simple to do, so just start small – you’ll get better as you go on. Your procrastination will become more productive as you spend less surfing the web and more time getting organized. You’ll get better at finishing your current task at hand so you don’t need to think about and do it later. And you’ll keep your to-do list short and tidy.
To recap, here are the 3 ways to get organized:
- Productively procrastinate.
- Finish your current task now if possible.
- Keep your to-do list short.
Your turn: what are your most effective tips that helped you get organized?
(Image courtesy of ripkas under a Creative Commons 2.0 generic license.)
I can’t wait for the holiday party, either. The food is good. Everyone seems to have a good time. It’s a great way to actually relax with the people at work.
I have a new holiday tie picked out for the occasion. Rudolph’s nose actually glows. Hey, it’s the holiday party. There’s room for some frivolity in the dress code. But I’m drawing the line at antlers.
I even did some homework on holiday party small talk. Mingle all the way.
This is going to be so fun. Hey remember last year when Bob from accounting kept asking everyone to sit on his lap for some “Ho, Ho, Ho?” There’s an example of how too much punch can deliver a knockout punch to your career advancement.
Let’s not make that mistake. Let’s be careful even though we don’t want to look like teatotalers. Sometimes it feels awkward being the only one not holding a drink, but there are ways to keep clear heads:
- Respect the mocktail: Virgin daquiris or margaritas are basicaly smoothies with umbrellas. No one will know it’s zero proof. If you’re trying to look more manly or there is no blender, drop a lime wedge in any glass of soft drink.
- Sip not slam: Nurse that drink like it’s on its death bed. Say no to shots of anything.
- Go easy on the hard stuff: Beer and wine are pretty consistent with alcohol level as opposed to the mixed drinks that can get more potent as the night goes on.
- Or water down well drinks: A mixed drink isn’t so bad if you ask for a not-so-strong version. And as you sip, the ice is melting and making it weaker.
Have a good time. But remember you’re trying to impress your coworkers — not the bartender.
(Image courtesy of quinn.anya under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 generic license.)
Related Posts
-
How Not to Become an Overachiever
-
How to Beat Procrastination Permanently
-
8 Ways to Get Motivated When You Have a Bad Boss
Add a Comment
This week’s Awesome Links features a look at the desktop edition of Reeder, a new sync option for jailbroken iOS devices, a story of positivity and how to increase your financial willpower.
Bringing iOS to the Desktop: Why You Should Get Excited
Mac.appstorm, one of our sister sites, has profiled an interesting RSS reader for the Mac. Called Reeder, it started as an iPhone app which offered a better interface for Google Reader. They’ve now released a desktop version (Reeder for Mac beta) and it looks like it’s going to be as popular as the original iPhone app. Check it out.
iFile Lets You Transfer Files From PC to iPhone Over WiFi, Without iTunes
Staying with iOS, here’s an app for jaibroken iPhones and iPods that can help you bypass iTunes and transfer files over the air. Known as iFile (covered by GT Mobiles), the app makes wireless file transfer extremely easy. It’s a common complaint that iTunes can be a real pain sometimes. You might want to try this out and see if that makes you more productive with such tasks.
The Art of Positivity (And How it Saved My Life)
This post is written by Darren Rowse (you know him, right?) on his new blog FeelGooder– and – it’s very, very personal. It gives you a deep insight into the life of a successful man who once was so depressed that he considered throwing himself in front of a truck. And then he met someone who taught him the art of positivity and how to change for good. The rest, as long time bloggers like me would say, is history. A must read for everyone.
New in Labs: Smart mute and easier ways to unmute
The Gmail team has introduced a new labs feature called Smart Mute which, in my opinion, could make some people a lot more productive with email. The mute feature lets you stop discussion threads (like emails between multiple team members) from appearing in your inbox, but that means you can also miss a conversation addressed to you. Smart Mute will take care of that effectively.
How to Improve Your Financial Willpower
And lastly, the NY Times has a cool post by financial whiz kid Ramit Sethi on how to manage your finances productively and make your life better. Every one of us can learn something from this article. (I think I need to spend less on coffee!)
Related Posts
-
Paying Your Dues As An Entry-Level Employee
-
Declutter Your Desktop In 6 Steps
-
Handling Interruptions Realistically
Add a Comment
When everything is marked important, then nothing is important. But AwayFind makes it easy to choose which messages are worth your attention.
You might already have “push” notification on your phone, but chances are you’ve turned it off due to the high volume of emails you receive. The challenge of keeping your inbox at a manageable level just got a bit easier for iPhone/iPad owners. AwayFind has launched their newest app – AwayFind for iPhone.
There’s no native iPad app yet, but the iPhone app looks fine. You’ll need to setup an account on AwayFind first and then go to the App Store to try out the free app.
Consider this app as the executive assistant of your inbox – the one that knows you’re very busy and you only have the time and desire to see important messages. You get to choose what’s important – not the sender. Set up the filters on your phone or on the website. You can make the messages from your spouse or boss a high priority, while everything else just rests in your inbox until you get the time to read it.
Don’t let your email inbox suck the time out of your day – respond to your critical messages and use the rest of your time to be awesome.
“Life is good: your AwayFind Inbox is empty”
These are magical words to see in the world of inbox management. Thanks for making it a bit easier, AwayFind!
AwayFind and AwayFind for iPhone
Related Posts
-
How to Balance Your Internet Life with Your Real Life
-
Why Complaining Doesn’t Work
-
9 Ways To Improve Your Writing
Add a Comment
t’s time for another edition of the weekly Netsetter column. This week, Thursday Bram interviews Nancy Nally of ScrapbookUpdate.com, where she asks Nancy about what it’s like to work in an area that seems outside of the realm of “tech” and how she gets work done.
Thursday Bram: Nancy, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your site?
Nancy Nally: Well, my site is basically a scrapbook industry trade journal, although I actually have quite a few consumer readers as well who are interested in the interior workings of the scrapbook industry as far as the news and all of that stuff.
TB: Are you a scrapbooker yourself? Is that what got you interested in this niche?
NN: Oh yes, definitely. Definitely. I’ve been involved in scrapbooking as a hobby for 12, 13 years, something like that now. And then this is actually not even the first time I’ve worked in the scrapbook industry, because before I started writing in the scrapbook industry I actually worked in a local scrapbook store.
TB: Very cool. So you run a trade publication basically which I know that a lot of the scrapbook sites that have been successful online are focused more on tutorials and information for consumers. What made you choose the industry side of things instead of that tutorial and examples side?
NN: It’s funny, it wasn’t really a conscious choice. I started out the site as a personal blog. I was working a little bit as a designer in the industry designing sample work, that’s what we call it when you design sample scrapbook pages for publication and for product samples in the industry. And I started out blogging about doing that work and it just, over time the site evolved into me talking more and more about the news in the industry, about companies that were having problems, closing down as the industry has been undergoing this major amount of change and realignment. And before I knew it I had stopped doing the submission and design work altogether and I was only writing. It just kind of happened.
TB: You do some freelance writing outside of your site, right?
NN: I did for a while, especially when I first started the site. But the site requires so much attention now that I barely do any freelance work anymore. Until recently I was writing in the tech industry for Web Worker Daily, but trying to keep up with two industries is more than I had time for. I do some writing for other scrapbook industry publications as part of just the kind of cooperative networking that I engage in in the scrapbook industry, as well as of course marketing.
TB: How important do you feel is it for a publication to reach out like that to other publications in your niche or your industry?
NN: I think it’s very important to share your resources back and forth, especially in the industry that I’m working in where the online publications are just now getting a foothold. Technologically, that industry, the audience is somewhat older and they’ve been slow to adopt the technology. So the concept of getting your information from blogs and e-publications, and things like that has not gained traction the way it has with like an 18 to 25 type audience. We’re just now getting into doing that so it’s been very important for those of us who are on the leading edge of doing that in the industry to support each other and back each other up, and share our efforts together.
TB: I’m very interested in the fact that you’re working in an industry that isn’t necessarily known for being technically savvy, I guess would be the term. So how have you reached out and found readers beyond working with other publications? How have you been able to find the people who are going to be interested, but might not necessarily be reading a lot of blogs or online publications?
NN: I get a lot of referral traffic from Google. Whenever there’s a big news story in the industry that people are “googling”, I will end up with a lot of Google traffic. I also end up – it’s a lot of word of mouth from my existing readers who will post links to me through social media of various different kinds: Twitter, Facebook, their own blogs, scrapbook message boards. There’s a huge network of scrapbook message boards and people post a link to a story saying, “Hey, did you hear about such and such that’s happening? Here’s where I read about it.” That is where word of mouth just spreads on the Internet, in the scrapbook industry.
TB: All right. How have you been able to monetize the site? I know that you’ve got some advertisers or some sponsors, but how have you built that up?
NN: Slowly, over time. There’s some outside efforts that I’m engaged in, like the freelance writing, some of which is paid work. But mostly it’s advertising on the Web site itself, some of which is contracted banner ads, some of its affiliate ads. We have some other projects that we are working on developing, which I’m not prepared to announce yet, but that will hopefully be financially viable additions to the company. It’s all about diversifying your income streams really. The advertising is never going to pay 100 percent of the bills, so you have to find other ways like freelance writing for other people and doing some of these other outside projects to help do that share of the income from.
TB: Definitely. Can you tell us if those outside projects, are they for the site or are they going to be launched separately?
NN: Some of them will be launched via the site and some of them are with outside companies.
TB: Very interesting. I see that we will need to stay tuned.
NN: Yes, those darn NDA’s. (laughter)
TB: So one of the things that I know that a lot of our listeners have struggled with is the idea of starting something like a publication when they don’t necessarily have a background that really supports it. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to the writing industry?
NN: I do have a BA in communications, which qualifies me to do exactly nothing pretty much, it feels like at times. (laughter) But I guess the one thing that I did take out of that is that I do have a strong writing background as a result. But there’s so much else that goes into this that there’s no training that could ever prepare you for. There’s all the nuts and bolts of actually running the business, as far as all the accounting and management and all that sort of stuff, and all the legal issues of all hat paperwork. Nothing can ever prepare you for that as an entrepreneur; you just have to dive in and do it.
There’s all the, of course since I’m online, there’s all of the Web structure management of managing my Web site. Designing it from the ground up. I run more press now, I was originally on TypePad, and all of those technical issues.
My husband works in IT, or he did, for quite some time, and he now works for me managing, among other things, my website full time. But originally, including making the transition from TypePad to WordPress, he was not available to me full time. I had to dive in and just figure out, okay, how do you run a WordPress Web site?
TB: Yeah.
NN: And they didn’t teach me that when I was earning a BA in communications. (laughter) So you just figure – a lot of it is how much are you willing to learn through trial and error.
TB: Have you been bringing in other writers to help you with the site as well as the tech support that you’re getting from your husband?
NN: Yeah. I actually have a pretty strong team of support in general that I have assembled over the course of the last eight months. It started, I brought in a contributing writer. I tend to write the hard news stories, I do not have the creative skills on the design side of the scrapbook industry to write hard core creative content, design content for the scrapbooking stuff. So I brought in a contributing writer who is an absolutely gifted designer, and she writes content that’s kind of that type of content.
Then of course now I have brought in an accountant and a lawyer to advise me on those areas as those parts of the business have gotten more complicated. I also have a team of marketing consultants that I call on for help. But all of those people are not full time doing 100 percent of the work in those areas. They’re more like the people I call on to say, “Okay, did I screw this up or not?” (laughter)
So that, 100 percent of the work in that area is pretty much getting done by us with the then safety net of other people checking our work after the fact.
TB: Having been on both sides of the freelance writing business, is there any advice you’d give to somebody who was thinking about hiring a writer?
NN: Oh my goodness, that’s a big question. I guess I would say that, other than finding somebody who has good, solid skills, make sure you find somebody you can communicate with. Because finding a writer with good skills doesn’t ensure that you will get a good product if you can’t communicate to them what it is that you really want.
TB: That definitely makes sense.
NN: It’s like, there’s plenty of talented writers out there, but you have to pick the one that you are in sync with as far as being able to understand each other, as far as what it is that the project is about and what the goal is and what you want.
TB: Very interesting. Do you think in the future you’ll work on bringing in more writers? Or do you feel that you’re at kind of the right level for content?
NN: No, definitely we’re actually looking in the very near future at expanding the number of writers that are working on the site. We actually have periodically been bringing in guest writers to work. Last fall I had surgery, the site was basically taken over by guest writers for several weeks, and then periodically some of those same writers have been doing guest spots for me. We’d like to make that a more regular thing because it is valuable to have other perspectives when you’re writing, especially about an industry that’s as broad and even international as the one I’m working in. And it’s nice to have perspectives from people who play different roles in the industry and stuff.
So I’m definitely looking at expanding that.
TB: Very cool. You mentioned that you work with your husband now, that he works in your business. I know a lot of people are always looking for business opportunities that allow them to spend more time with their families, have you been able to add flexibility to your schedule? How has that worked out with your family with your business?
NN: Well, this is something we’ve been wanting to do for quite some time. t is not the first time we have worked together. We worked together for a while when we were both first out of school. Health insurance issues pushed us, unfortunately, to have him working for an outside employer at that point.
So we knew we could work together without killing each other, which some couples cannot do. (laughter)
TB: Definitely.
NN: But we knew we could do it, and yeah, it is something that works very well for us. It does not bother us to have that flexibility because we also have a unique situation; we have autistic seven year old, which especially like the last couple months she’s been on summer vacation and trying to care for her while she’s on summer vacation and she has unique needs, requires some flexibility. We’re perfectly happy, the two of us, sitting down and having a business meeting at 10:30 at night after she’s gone to bed. (laughter) We don’t mind running our family/work that way.
That might not work for some people, but it works for us.
TB: Good. It sounds like you’ve really put together something very cool there.
NN: Yeah. We really enjoy working together. We share an office and, like I said, it’s like we segue very easily back and forth between, “okay, we’re discussing work” and “now we’re figuring out when we’re going to go to the grocery store”. It doesn’t bother us to flip back and forth between those two things. I know some couples have a lot of trouble doing that and have a lot of trouble with those boundaries.
We’re very comfortable with that. We don’t have an issue flexing back and forth and having boundary issues with that. We just, we flex our schedules and try to figure out when to get things done. We both tend to work very long hours right now because we’re still in startup mode, which is a lot, a time commitment. But because we’re flexible, we work from home, we work together, we can. We can work weekends together, we can work evenings together when we’re doing something. So it works out.
TB: Great.So I have one last question for you: if you had the opportunity to give just one piece of advice to somebody thinking about starting up their own business, what would you tell them?
NN: I would tell them to make sure they have a realistic view of what it is like (laughter) because on an hourly basis that I put in, I would make more working at Wal-Mart. But in return for that I get the independence of directing my own work and control, to a certain extent, of what projects I do and when. I get the flexibility of being able to say, “Okay, between 1:00 and 3:00 this afternoon I was going to drop everything and go to my daughter’s school orientation.” And in return for that I’m going to be working at 11:00 tonight, but since I control my schedule I can do that.
You have to realistic about the people who think they’re going to start their own business and it’s like life is going to be easy and I’m going to be in charge – no. You trade one set of problems for another, but for some people the entrepreneur’s set of problems is preferable.
(You can find Nancy on Twitter at @NancyNally and on the web at ScrapbookUpdate.)
A significant part of the WorkAwesome audience uses Macs — and there’s this eye-popping deal on productivity apps currently going on at the MacPromo site that is just too good to pass up.
They are offering 10 cool Mac time-saving apps at a discount of 85%! So the bundle is available at a price of only $49.99!
The list of apps include TypeIt4Me, PathFinder, MacFreelance and many more. You can find a brief description of each of those tools on their site. On top of that, they’re giving free gifts worth $50 to the first 5000 buyers. Amazing deal to say the least.
10 Time-saving Mac Apps in One Great Bundle
Related Posts
-
Awesome Links #22: On Distraction, Stress Relief, Reminders
-
The Netsetter: The New Google Keyword Tool – Love It or Leave It
-
What is a Dream Job?
Add a Comment
Well, December is here.
As the year comes closer to an end, the current atmosphere around the workplace falls somewhere between ultra-stressed for some and collective relief for others. It’s more likely that if you’re reading this post you’re feeling more of a sense of accomplishment, mixed with optimism for what’s to come — and perhaps a little dash of regret as well. To that end, the holiday season has begun, and if your office is like so many others you’re holding a piece of paper with someone’s name on it that reminds you as much.
That’s because you’re their Secret Santa.
The tradition of Secret Santa-hood is outlined as follows, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group are randomly assigned other members to whom they anonymously give a gift. Often practiced in workplaces, or amongst large families, participation in it is usually voluntary. It offers a way for many people to give and receive a gift at low cost to those involved.
There are variations of how the whole Secret Santa exchange plays out (one involves thieving, one involves gambling and another even involves more than one day!), but the basic idea is still an inexpensive exchange of gifts that serves to further goodwill and the holiday spirit amongst a group with something in common. The only thing that comes close to this is the annual work retreat and the holiday office party. All three, however, have an equal opportunity of hurting your reputation unless you go in prepared and with the right attitude.
So for those of you who are new to the practice, or simply have fallen prey to putting forth a lackluster effort when taking part in the tradition, I present to you some tips to make this year’s Secret Santa ritual one that can serve you well byond the holiday season.
Meet Them In The Middle
The most commonly broken rule during a Secret Santa exchange is spending too much or too little. Doing the former often happens when you draw the name of someone who you’re more friendly with (i.e. might even spend some time out of the office with them, work alongside or closely with them, etc.) and the latter occurs when you’re not too familiar with the person or maybe even don’t like them all that much. Hey, it happens.
The best way to avoid conflict on either side is to stay close to the middle when it comes to the price limit when buying your gift. For example, if the gift is supposed to be no more than $20, spend anywhere from $8 to $15. There’s lots of low cost gifts out there, and while you may have to spend a bit of time looking for something that falls within the range it’s a smart move on many levels. Try to add the gift to a larger errand to maximize your time.
Reservations On Repeating The Regift
There is a statute of limitations on regifting. If it’s been at the office Secret Santa before, it shouldn’t rear its unwanted head again. That said, some offices do have the ceremonial “regifted regift” that comes and goes every year as sort of a trophy prize for the one who gets stuck with it. This is the only exception to the rule.
Clothes = Bad
Do not buy them any articles of clothing. There is so much that can go wrong there. Size issues, style issues and many other ones can crop up. Steer clear of the wardrobe, my friends. It’s a no-win Secret Santa situation.
Equal Billing Above All
If you draw one of your superiors, treat them as you would any other. That’s the whole idea of Secret Santa – the whole tradition serves to encourage another watchword that begins with an “s” – synergy.
Pay Attention
Clues are everywhere. Check out the receiver’s environment. You never know what you might stumble upon. Just don’t go through their desk. That’s not cool.
The office Secret Santa ritual should be the time when you can take a break from your work day, spend some time with your colleagues and have fun. It’s a team-building exercise that, when done right, can last far beyond the holiday season and into the new year. It allows you to leave a lasting impression — so you should do your best to make it a good one.
One final note…since this is essentially a lesson and an article rolled into one – you’ve got some homework. The assignment is to regift this post so that others can benefit from it. We’ve made it easy for you already…you can find sharing services right at the bottom of the post itself. After all, I won’t know who did it so you can all practice being my Secret Santa (and, in turn, WorkAwesome’s) in preparation for your own office party.
(Image courtesy of gesika22 under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 generic license.)