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• Wednesday, July 23, 2008 07:12 PM

  Experiment

  1) For the wallet, yes, a system helps.

  2) For not paying attention, experiment. Give yourself three months of a different type of behavior modification before deciding it didn't work. If you want to change yourself you can, but it takes time as well as finding out what works for you. I'm sure there will be many other ideas in the comments.

  a) For instance, take notes in meetings. That helps focus and keeps the mind from wandering. Try doing it with pen and paper. Try taking notes with a computer or palmtop (if allowed and if it doesn't distract with all the websurfing). You'll find the brain processes stuff differently depending on the method.

  b) Re-assess your current projects and goals if you find the mind wandering distracts from important work.

  c) Make sure to keep a strict work/personal life cutoff. If you're working too much at home or on weekends (perhaps late night debugging), it's very difficult to end up with enough time to be yourself to relax and let your mind wander and enjoy life. Or at least it is for all the lab types I know.

  d) Adhere to a schedule of some sort. Having regularity and structure in your life can help you focus. Get that regular exercise, giving yourself a minimum requirement of so many days a week can really make your mind less fuzzy.

  e) Make sure to have time for that fun creative musical outlet. Heck, give yourself a minimum requirement of so many hours a week at playtime.

  f) If schedules just aren't your thing, try to have it average out that you have a good work-home balance, allow yourself a plus or minus where you don't have to do a strict schedule, you just have reasonable goals of an average change in what you get done.

  g) Do a regular cleaning on the weekend.

  h) Reading those professional journal articles are the bane to many. Maybe you can find a colleague to discuss them with, or form a journal club. Having homework can force you to do the reading

  i) cut caffeine out

  j) cut alcohol out, or reduce sugar or something

  k) Most of all, accept that you are a fabulous wonderful person with great gifts, a good job, and valued friends. Yeah it's cheesy, but true.

  l) Is professional standing or your happiness the most important?

  —DM Read DM's other letters
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