Good Start to the Day

This week I am commuting to work near Boston from the Cape, which means that I am waking up at the crack of dawn in order to avoid traffic, and get to work early so I can leave early and beat traffic on the way back.  The first two days were actually OK, other than falling asleep on the couch by 9 PM after I got home.  This morning was a different situation all together.

First off, my father-in-law is at the Cape house with me and my wife, which is totally cool.  Not only because it is his house, but we don't mind him being there in the least.  This morning he decides to put on New York sports talk radio (WFAN), loudly, about a half hour before I have to wake up.  Realistically, its not a big deal, but you know that feeling when you are forced awake just long enough before your alarm goes off to be irritating?  That was today.

One thing that did go well this morning?  The outdoor shower.  Outdoor showers are the best; amazingly refreshing and invigorating.  It's like being in an Irish Spring commercial (who else see the leprechaun say "YEAH!"). 

I head out on the ride and there is an accident that just totally sabotages the commute and I get to work 45 minutes later than I wanted.  This prevents me from getting a spot in front of our building and having to drive in at the same time as our smug, PITA new hire who makes a show out of checking his watch has some smart ass comment for me.  

So I park, hike towards the office and stop in the coffee shop.  This is where karma starts poking me.  I get to the coffee shop and there is a guy taking his sweet ass time getting coffee.  I have no patience, so in my head I am thinking, "Let's go bro, move your ass."  Instantly, I bump into this hanging wire rack holding t-bags and sh!t.  

After paying I head upstairs and am behind the same slow coffee guy and he sees a guy he knows who looks tired and tells coffee guy that he went out last night.  Coffee guy's response:  "OOOOHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOO!  Good luck today, man."  Again, in my head, I am thinking, "Oh God, shut up and move on."  Then, instantly, my foot slips off a step and I spill coffee on my pants, shirt, and face.  However, I did come up with a good response to it courtesy of "Groundhog Day," and I said, "Ooh, you gotta watch that step, it's a doozy."

This was a long boring blog so I could vent.  I'll bring more heat later.

-Big Ran

That's What I'm Talking About!

Study Shows Most Successful People Work Four Hours a Day

Yahoo Canada - It sounds too good to be true: Leave work earlyfor greater success on the job.

Psychological Review recently published a study that claims that the key to success is working hard in short bursts of time.

It comes down to focus and choosing specific tasks over multitasking and taking breaks.

The study found that "deliberate" four-hourviolin rehearsals accomplished more than seven-hour sessions of steady practice. The best performers set specific goals, practiced with greater intensity for shorter periods of time, and took planned breaks.

The study graphed their hours of productivity, noting that the most intense periods of work were before noon and again after 4. Eventually they found that successful individuals in other professions mirrored this work-less-for-success model.

Business Insider quotes the study:

"While completing a novel, famous authors tend to write only for 4 hours during the morning, leaving the rest of the day for rest and recuperation. Hence successful authors, who can control their work habits and are motivated to optimize their productivity, limit their most important intellectual activity to a fixed daily amount when working on projects requiring long periods of time to complete."

Tim Ferriss' bestselling The 4-Hour Workweek made similar conclusions, subscribing to the Pareto principle; 80 percent of outputs come from 20 per cent on inputs.

So instead of slaving away for 12 hours a day, try focused work intervals; your new-found productivity will set you up for success.

Do I care that this came from Canada, America's Hat?  Meh, maybe, maybe not.  When you have a study that backs up your own, unfounded theories, you take it and you run with it.  My job is very streaky; sometimes I can go days without doing any real work, then other times when I am working 12 plus hours a day for weeks at a time.  Most of the time, when it is more normal, I could easily finish all my work in 3 days a week, or 5 half days, essentially.  So, do I bring this up at one of my favorite staff meetings or do I slip it into my self appraisal?

-Big Ran

PS:  How awesome are those dudes in the picture.  They totally look Canadian.

KC Jones concurs with your thoughts Big Ran. Like last week, I worked over 60 hours, my eyes were about to bleed and I was so foul I was about to lose my mind. This week, I'm still steady, and next week, I'll  have a lighter work load. I think most people would agree except for those who are 'so important' and they will be highlighted in future "Office Etiquette" posts.

PPS: The dudes are awesome. AND how about this: Canada: The Hideous Growth on the forehead of the United States while Mexico is the Painful Hemorrhoid on the Ass of the United States. HOLLA!


*Big Ran Note - Don't forget Mexican food.  I mean, Mexican food is friggin' awesome and makes all the drug killings easier to rationalize in my mind.  I actually love Canada, well, I loved Canada when the exchange rate was awesome for Americans.