Some weeks make it easier than others to have a positive attitude. Luckily for me, this week was a great week and having a positive attitude really wasn’t that difficult. First, we got the overhead lights working again in the archives thanks to our awesome electricians. That was enough to keep me smiling all day (we haven’t had working overhead lights for months due to some truly interesting electrical wiring issues). Everyone liked the cookies I brought in to celebrate having lights in the archives and to thank the electricians. It is finals week on campus which means next week is break week and I’ll be able to get a ton of work done. The weather is absolutely glorious in the Bay Area this week. Plus, I just accessioned the first faculty collection in the archives which makes my archivist heart happy. But in case your week hasn’t been going as well, at least we can all be happy it is Friday!

I am really enjoying reading the blog, zen habits and thought the post How to be a positive person, in under 300 words was wonderful. Being positive doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand and ignoring what is going on in the world; it means that you don’t get discouraged and cynical when setbacks and challenges occur. Besides, just as colds and yawns are contagious, so is a positive attitude. If for no other reason, go look at the post because it ends with my favorite quote about why it’s worth having a positive attitude.

I like reading books that are outside of my professional areas of interest and research areas and seem to read a lot of business and marketing books. I found out about this this book, Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity while reading Seth Godin’s latest, Linchpin. Hugh MacLeod’s Ignore Everybody is fantastic–short, funny, great cartoons, and even better advice. For a taste of it check out this snippet on his gapingvoid blog.

If you are finding it a little difficult to focus at work because of the lovely spring weather, check out Lifehacker’s Keep Your Daily Momentum Going with a 10/15 Split. I am a fan of taking a few minutes each day to organize what I need to get accomplished during the day. What methods do you use to keep organized and stay productive?

Another great way to keep your momentum going and actually get things done is to Keep Projects Manageable by Limiting Scope and Features. This post reminds me a lot of the Cult of Done Manifesto. Both give very good advice and it is freeing to “laugh at perfection” because “done is the engine of more.”

Before leaving you to watch a great cartoon, here is my one piece of shameless self-promotion: my first peer-reviewed article, Information Literacy Instruction Assessment and Improvement through Evidence-Based Practice: A Mixed Method Study, has been published! I’m very excited and just wanted to share. And I have to give public praise to Hanna over at …fly over me, evil angel… who graciously reviewed multiple drafts of the article and gave great feeback–thank you! Please check out the entire issue; this is a great publication that is truly advancing library and information science research.

Finally, here’s something to make you smile and give you a short break today (because you deserve it), the wonderful Simon’s Cat “Let me in!” short:

Have a lovely weekend and read a lot (and if you are looking for a quick, fun, library-related read, check out Pearl North’s Libyrinth).