Productivity

More Tips for Improving Your Workday

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope that your week has gone well and you are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Today I have a selection of articles that I’ve enjoyed and thought might be helpful for you, too. Because, really, who doesn’t want to improve their workday a little bit? We spend a lot of time at work, so we might as well make the experience as pleasant and productive as possible.

So, while I know there aren’t only two communication styles and that everyone communicates in multiple ways, it is still useful to read up on some ideas of how to listen better when confronted by a colleague who may not use your preferred way of communicating. At the end of the day, communication is the most important thing (in my mind) for making it easy to work productively and happily. So understanding communication styles is really important for that to happen.

I have to say that I’m very lucky in that I share an office with one other faculty member and we get along really well. I don’t think I would do well in an open office environment. But if you have to endure the fad of open working environment, you’ll most likely want to check out Lifehacker’s article on how to stay productive.

Communication and productivity are both crucial for having a good experience at work as is confidence. Everyone suffers from a lack of confidence sometimes, so I think it is helpful to read up on how to build your confidence. And also check out the top 10 tricks for a healthier high energy workday.

Finally, who isn’t excited that October equals complimentary access to all Sage journals? Share with your friends.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. I’ll be back next week. Allons-y!

Optimizing Work

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you had a good week and are ready for a lovely weekend. Today I just want to share a few articles I’ve read that I thought were good on helping to make work better. We spend so much time at work, that who doesn’t want to make their time at work better? So dive in for some tips and ways to change your perspective to make work, well, work for you.

I’m a big believer that your perspective and attitude make a large difference in how much fun and enjoyment you get from work. I really appreicated this article from Lifehacker on how to optimize for happiness at work. Being happy at work doesn’t have to be an oxymoron! I have found over the last, crazy, start-of-school week that by consciously bringing calmness and my most caring self to my work at the reference desk that my interactions seem to be less stressful than last year and that the students walk away calmer. It’s good to find a happy place at work, even when it gets crazy. Let me know what works best for you in comments.

As long-time readers know, I’m a bit of an introvert so small talk can be difficult at times. (Though if you want to have an in-depth conversation about teaching, letterpress, or any number of topics, I’m totally the one to talk to at parties.) And no one ever wants awkwardness in conversations, so check out how to avoid the most common awkward conversations mistakes.

Also, I have to give a shout-out for Online Northwest’s call for proposals. I really enjoyed this conference when I went a few years ago. (I’m also probably a little biased because I love Oregon and it was my first professional conference after moving back to the West Coast.) I learned a lot from the conference and recommend putting in a proposal.

Finally, I wanted to share this lovely comic from Stephen’s Lighthouse, 12 types of procrastinators. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back next week with more tips, news, and fun. Allons-y!

There is No Secret

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers. I hope you are all well. I wanted to share a bit of a different post today than my usual tech, library, and archives related findings from around the web. Today I want to let you in on a secret of success; there is no secret. I feel the need to elaborate on this a bit after another year of teaching and also talking with undergraduates, graduate students, recent graduates, and early career librarians. There is no secret, only intelligent, efficient hours of work that create success. And I promise to only stand on my soapbox for a little while and leave you with something fun at the end.

Now we could talk about nepotism or how favoritism undermines a true meritocracy, but I don’t want to. Life isn’t fair and sometimes people get to ride on other’s coat-tails or seemingly get all the luck with finding jobs or being successful. But I believe the majority of people in our professions, speaking specifically about libraries and archives because they are what I know best, become successful because of hard work, grit, and an ability to see past the day-to-day grind and use what they are doing today to create the opportunities for growth in the coming years. Not to mention they have these two qualities in spades: a simple recipe: empathy and generosity.

I think that sometimes people have the false assumption that they have to be mean or unkind to get ahead at work, but I don’t believe that is necessary. It hasn’t been the case in my career thus far. Showing genuine empathy for others, being generous with sharing expertise and sharing the workload for getting things done at my work have helped me far more than being negative and unwilling to help out when needed. Being generous and kind almost assuredly makes me a more pleasant person to be around as well.

Also, putting your head down and getting work done that is important for the entire department is integral to success. You can’t just do the flashy projects, and you probably won’t get much chance to do the flashy projects, if you don’t first show that you can be counted on to get the work done that keeps the department moving along. I do a lot of scheduling and coordinating for our teaching program that isn’t flashy work, but it is incredibly important work so we can serve our students and make sure they get the classes they need. Follow-through is a key ingredient to success and that takes time and commitment.

This year has been a great year so far, with lots of long-term projects finally coming to fruition, which has been lovely. But none of it would have been possible without years of hard work and persistence for my long-term goals.

So basically what I’m trying to say is keep doing your work, keep helping others, and do make sure to tell people about what you are doing sometimes, too (while hard work will eventually get noticed, you do need to let your supervisors know what you are doing, too). It’s not an overnight way to success, but it is a lasting way to build success.

And for fun, check out this lovely TARDIS Easter Egg courtesy of Google Maps via Gizmodo.

Have a wonderful weekend! Allons-y!

Work and (Some Semblance of) a Balanced Life

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you have had a good week and have a lovely weekend to look forward to, too. Today I just wanted to share some good links on advice for trying to find and maintain some semblance of a work life balance. I think it is really important to do more than just work and to also understand how to try to create boundaries, especially with the ease of being connected all the time to work. So let’s get into the work advice.

I think this article on Lifehacker is fantastic, Don’t be a work hero. It is so important to have boundaries and be firm about those boundaries so you don’t allow work to swallow your entire day. Balance, however you define it personally, is a very good thing.

Even though you don’t want to be a work hero, you might want more responsibility so you can advance your career. Lifehacker has another good article on how to take on more responsibility at work without being a pushover. It’s important to figure out how to take on more when you are ready for growth, but avoid taking on others’ workloads. Again, boundaries are a good thing.

Finally, as long-time readers of this blog know, I am a huge fan of productivity and efficiency. One of the best ways to get more done is to be organized. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I like this article on the top 10 ways to organize and streamline your workspace. Yay for organized workspaces! I always think better with an organized and clean workspace.

So enjoy your work, but do find a balance that works for you. I truly believe that there isn’t a one size fits all for people, but remember that burning out at work does no one any good. Doing so much that you are constantly stressed and frazzled is bad for you and bad for your colleagues, too. So remember to work well and relax well. What do you do for balance, dear readers? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

And now, I’ll leave you with a lovely photo from the Great Ocean Road:

12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Have a great weekend, full of whatever balance of play, work, fun, and productivity works for you! Allons-y!

Defining and Achieving Success

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you’ve had a good week and are ready for the weekend. I’m happy that this weekend I’ll be able to visit with a friend and relax a bit. I can hardly believe we are into August already. Where did July go? So for this Friday, I thought I’d share a round-up of articles on reaching your goals that may get you thinking over this weekend. I think that weekends are good times for planning goals and working towards achieving them. But first, of course, you have to define success for yourself.

I don’t believe that you should let anyone else define success for you and that it’s okay if your version of success isn’t the same as your parents’ or your siblings’ or Wall Street’s versions. I think success is personal and how we define it is personal. Just because I consider a career as an instructional librarian and archivist a success doesn’t mean other people do. But I think it is important to sit down and reflect on what you consider a successful career and a successful life because life goes by too quickly and if we don’t go though life with purpose and with mindfulness then we will most likely not reach our goals. But after you figure out what your goals are and what success looks like to you, it’s nice to have some help getting there.

Okay, now on to some helpful tips to get you on your way to success! This is a good post on how to hack the beliefs that are holding you back. We all have some that we need to get rid of. Plus here’s another post to help you understand how our brains stop us from achieving our goals and how to fight back.

I’m totally into faking it until you become it, a la Amy Cuddy and power poses. And this post shows that if you Feel like you’re faking it? That might not be a bad thing.

So how do you define success and what steps do you take to achieve your idea of success?

Have a wonderful weekend full of fun and maybe some work towards your goals. Allons-y!

Getting Rid of Clutter

/ dwakimoto

Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I feel that Tuesday often is an overlooked day of the week as it isn’t the dreaded Monday, nor over-the-hump day, or the much anticipated Friday. So I’m trying to post on Tuesdays, as well as Fridays, to at least mark Tuesdays here on The Waki Librarian blog. And today, I want to talk to something dear to my heart, getting rid of clutter.

I really enjoyed this post from Lifehacker on how clutter affects your brain and what you can do about it. I suggest reading it. I’ll wait if you’d like to click through and read it now. No worries.

Now being an archivist and librarian, a lot of people assume that it is hard for me to get rid of things or that I must have a hoarder mentality. Neither is true. What is true is that I like organization (not surprising given that archivists and librarians organize a lot of information) and do firmly believe that physical clutter makes it harder to be productive and creative. It also just saves time because you don’t always have to be searching for tools or resources to complete your project.

One of my favorite tips is being disciplined about not checking email at all hours of the day (definitely clears out mental headspace). I’m also a big fan of single-tasking; I get so much more done, in a shorter amount of time, than if I tried to multi-task. For physical clutter, doing a quick pick up in the evening helps keep everything put away in its proper place. Plus, I like to go through a do a bigger sort and clear out items at the change of the seasons. Also, for a fan of office supplies like I am, keeping organized and clutter-free is an excuse to get some new office supplies.

So what are your best tips for clearing out physical, digital, and mental clutter? I’d love to read them in the comments.

Have a great rest of your day and good week. I’ll be back on Friday. Allons-y!

Meetings

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your week has gone well. I’ve had a very busy week of teaching. I’m very much looking forward to some relaxation this weekend. But before we get into the weekend, let’s talk about meetings.

No one seems to like meetings and it isn’t hard to understand why. Lots of meetings are poorly run, have no clear agendas, and no clear steps for follow-up after they finally are finished. But although books like The Org can tell us why meetings are a necessity of modern organizations, that doesn’t really help when you are stuck in a meeting that just keeps going and going. Instead, what does help is when you can run a meeting and do it well.

To that end, check out Lifehacker’s article on the simple equation to run great meetings. Then get out there and run great meeting.

As, in a meeting related vein, check out the article, again from Lifehacker, on what if you could truly be yourself at work? I am just in awe of this kind of community in a work environment and think it would be wonderful to implement. What are your thoughts?

Finally, I want to leave you with this lovely video that I finally watched and am so glad I did:

Have a wonderful weekend! Allons-y!

Tips on a Monday

/ dwakimoto

Hello, dear readers! I hope your Monday is going well. I just thought I’d share some quick tips and information that have come across my feeds that may be of interest today.

First, if you are like me (or most people, I’d imagine), Mondays can be stressful as you try to get back into the flow at work and organize yourself for the coming week. All of that can lead to stress and as we know, too much stress is a bad thing. Luckily for us Lifehacker has a lovely post on the top 10 instant stress busters. A good, quick read packed with usable tips.

If you need a bit of quirky fun and a short break, check out the lovely round-up of Doctor Who crafts over on the Make: Craft blog.

Finally, to share with all the geeks in your life, this lovely art piece via Gizmodo on old world translation for modern day social networks. It’s good for a laugh, or at least a smile.

Hope you have a fantastic week! Allons-y!

Some Tips and Fun for Friday

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope that your day is going well and that you have a wonderful weekend planned. Apparently the Super Bowl is happening on Sunday, so if you are excited about that, I hope your favorite team wins. For myself, I’m looking forward to a sunny weekend of catching up on reading and having a potluck with friends. Before we get to the weekend, I want to share a few things that have come across my digital dashboard that I think might be of interest to you and your patrons.

This quarter has been absolutely crazy busy. Between teaching, committee work, interns, and reference hours, I barely have a minute to pause during the week. It has made for very long days and less reflection time than I would normally like, but hopefully I’ll make it through the quarter without anything falling through the cracks. Therefore it is unsurprising that I found this post by Lifehacker on why you need more margin in your life particularly timely. I really do need to create more margins in my life, and I suspect that you do too, dear reader.

For those looking for ways to get ahead in the career department, I suggest taking a look at Lifehacker’s futureproof your job with a career insurance policy. Just don’t forget about building in some margins as you are building up your career.

Also, an article that would be good to share with all your colleagues, friends, and patrons: top 10 good tech habits everyone should have. I plan on sharing this with my students when we talk more about technology, security, and privacy in class.

Now, on to some fun, this Gizmodo article on 19 adorable animals using technology adorably is sure to make you smile. But if it doesn’t, perhaps you’ll have to break out some chocolate and make Joy the Baker’s chocolate and peanut butter pudding.

Finally, I leave you with this lovely photograph from Beautiful Portals Tumblr, which reminds me that I should really go get a cup of tea (and perhaps you should, too).

Teapots by Gloomtreehouse via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

Teapots by Gloomtreehouse via Beautiful Portals Tumblr

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and a relaxing weekend, dear readers. I’ll be back soon with more musings and useful links. Allons-y!

Some ideas and fun for Friday as I'm off to Portland for WACES!

/ dwakimoto

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope your week has gone well and you have a relaxing weekend before you. It is hard to believe we are halfway through November already. The time does seem to start going more quickly at this time of year. I’m off this weekend to speak with one of my colleagues at WACES (Western Association for Counselor Education & Supervision) this weekend. I’m really excited to be speaking at a conference that isn’t in my field and can’t wait to see how we are received. I’ll hopefully post some thoughts and photos next week. But first let’s get to the ideas and fun for the weekend.

First, check out the great post from Lifehacker on Idea Rot: Why Ideas Have a Two Week Shelf Life. Short article and it will get you motivated (hopefully) to take some of your ideas and make them real. I’m a huge believer in setting aside time away from distractions for getting things done. I had to carve out lots of time when I was writing my dissertation and I still have to carve out time away from people and the Internet in order to get articles written or any of my design projects finished. It is so important to give ourselves the permission to really work and ignore other things, like email, in order to accomplish more in a day then eight hours on email.

I’m also thrilled that ArchiveGrid will become free in January 2013 (via INFOdocket)! Very exciting news and definitely great to share with anyone you know who does archival research.

Finally, because it is Friday, I wanted to share this video that is sure to make you smile (HT to Collin for sharing this with me).

Have a wonderful weekend full of relaxation, fun, and maybe getting into that project you’ve been dreaming about for months! I’m off to rainy Portland, but will be back next week with more. Allons-y!