Posts
As I look back at my last post and realize it's been almost two weeks since I've written a blog entry - and as I wonder whether I should postpone writing this one to watch the NBA and NHL playoffs - I find myself pondering the issue of motivation, especially as it applies to hobbies.
For those of you who are still in high school or college, you may wonder what I mean. After all, it's academics that can be tough to find motivation for; extracurricular commitments are the best part of higher education. Especially in an era that calls for a greater variety of skills and experience, what can be better than doing things that are not your primary occupation?
There is something, though, about the post-college life that seems to dampen most people's enthusiasm for hobbies. Whether it's not having enough time, being tired from work, or just a change in mindset, people read, lead, and contribute less than they ever have. You know what's much easier? Sitting on the couch and catching up on the shows clogging up your DVR.
The impact of this, however, seems to be negative overall. After growing up as Renaissance men and women, twenty-somethings suddenly find themselves doing nothing more than going to work, eating dinner, and going to sleep - just to wake up and do it all over again. Weekends consist of doing all the errands that didn't get done all week long and then going out for dinner and a 3D movie, which may or may not be followed by a tame house party. This can be frustrating and mentally grating.
So, is that it? Or can something be done about it?
Glancing at my long-neglected guitar and several other abandoned projects, it would be amiss for me to say that I have found the answer to those questions. However, I can offer a few thoughts on characteristics of hobbies that might make them more appealing in the post-college world:
-Choose a hobby that involves very different physical and/or intellectual actions than what you do at work all day. If you spend all day mired in books, don't take up reading. If your job requires you to be on your feet, try something that allows you to stretch out and relax.
-If at all possible, find something that you can do with someone else. Having a friend or colleague to do something with gives you someone to hold you accountable as well as more of an incentive to do the activity in the first place.
-Try a hobby related to something that you've done before, and also try something absolutely different. Depending on your personality, one or the other might prove more rewarding, and you have nothing to lose by giving both a shot.
All that said, I'm still searching for the key to making extracurricular activities fun again. Any thoughts?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Leave the money and run
A trendy topic in digital media and advertising today is return on investment, or ROI. Given the volume and complexity of data that is available on the web, advertisers want to understand how their buys perform and what kind of benefit they are deriving from them. Whereas in the past, the lion's share of research used to go into understanding the initial investment, there is now a strong focus on the returns that can be produced.
A similar thing can be said for many twenty-somethings' approach to their careers today. If you're going to invest $200,000 dollars for a college education, shouldn't you pick a first job and career that can produce a commensurate return? Or, at the very least, shouldn't you chase an initial high-salaried position so that you can build up your savings before pursuing your passions?
From one perspective, there is little to fault with this approach. The reality is that most first-, second-, and third-year jobs will share many of the same disadvantages of undergraduate-level positions: low visibility, subjectivity to a manager's whims, and lots of "bitch work." If you're going to have to deal with those obstacles in most early-career corporate, government, and non-profit roles, why not get paid lots of money to do it? Dealing with bureaucracy is a little easier when you can drop $500 on a fancy dinner or bar tab later that night.
Nevertheless, there are some who choose to break the mold and travel the less-trodden paths, pursuing careers with high short-term risks or lower long-term salary potential (and often both).
It seems that an increasing number of people have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, although a large proportion of those people choose to pursue entrepreneurial roles at larger, more established firms rather than diving into a true startup. Similarly, while many people state they want to "help the world," most resort to donations and weekend charitable work rather than taking a position with an impact-generating non-profit organization.
What seems to be lost in all the hype around career ROI is that in general - and, of course, there are exceptions - it is never easier to be poor than when you are just out of college. You probably don't have a spouse or family to support; the interest on your student debt has just started to accumulate; you haven't yet developed expensive habits like eating caviar or jetting off to Rome for the weekend. (Again, there are exceptions to this, and having gone to a good college, you probably knew some of them.) If you're going to risk it all, why not risk it when you have the least to lose?
With a good degree, you're likely to bounce back from most failures, and there's always graduate school to bail you out and to raise your earning potential. And, more importantly, by pursuing your passions early on, you can start to better understand your calling in life as well as develop the experience you need to obtain more senior, meaningful roles in your late 20s instead of in your 30s and 40s.
Not everyone is cut out for the less glamorous world of startups, NGOs, and non-profits. But for those who are, an early gamble can have considerable payoffs.
Inspiration for this post came from Ravi Mishra, founder and CEO of Athleague, and Katie Kaplun, Associate for Insights at Teach for America, both based in Boston, Mass.
A similar thing can be said for many twenty-somethings' approach to their careers today. If you're going to invest $200,000 dollars for a college education, shouldn't you pick a first job and career that can produce a commensurate return? Or, at the very least, shouldn't you chase an initial high-salaried position so that you can build up your savings before pursuing your passions?
From one perspective, there is little to fault with this approach. The reality is that most first-, second-, and third-year jobs will share many of the same disadvantages of undergraduate-level positions: low visibility, subjectivity to a manager's whims, and lots of "bitch work." If you're going to have to deal with those obstacles in most early-career corporate, government, and non-profit roles, why not get paid lots of money to do it? Dealing with bureaucracy is a little easier when you can drop $500 on a fancy dinner or bar tab later that night.
Nevertheless, there are some who choose to break the mold and travel the less-trodden paths, pursuing careers with high short-term risks or lower long-term salary potential (and often both).
It seems that an increasing number of people have been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, although a large proportion of those people choose to pursue entrepreneurial roles at larger, more established firms rather than diving into a true startup. Similarly, while many people state they want to "help the world," most resort to donations and weekend charitable work rather than taking a position with an impact-generating non-profit organization.
What seems to be lost in all the hype around career ROI is that in general - and, of course, there are exceptions - it is never easier to be poor than when you are just out of college. You probably don't have a spouse or family to support; the interest on your student debt has just started to accumulate; you haven't yet developed expensive habits like eating caviar or jetting off to Rome for the weekend. (Again, there are exceptions to this, and having gone to a good college, you probably knew some of them.) If you're going to risk it all, why not risk it when you have the least to lose?
With a good degree, you're likely to bounce back from most failures, and there's always graduate school to bail you out and to raise your earning potential. And, more importantly, by pursuing your passions early on, you can start to better understand your calling in life as well as develop the experience you need to obtain more senior, meaningful roles in your late 20s instead of in your 30s and 40s.
Not everyone is cut out for the less glamorous world of startups, NGOs, and non-profits. But for those who are, an early gamble can have considerable payoffs.
Inspiration for this post came from Ravi Mishra, founder and CEO of Athleague, and Katie Kaplun, Associate for Insights at Teach for America, both based in Boston, Mass.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Reading for expertise
One of the things most twenty-somethings need to come to terms with is their own cluelessness.
As much as we strive to learn in high school and college, the reality is that we will likely graduate into the real world with little to no knowledge in many areas our jobs and social circles require. Sure, we may be experts in mechanical engineering. But can we have an intelligent conversation about the government's clean energy policy? Or do we have a good understanding of the significance of Stravinsky's music?
In an era where the proliferation of content seems never-ending, we can be excused for not knowing everything. After all, if we are going to compartmentalize and limit our extracurricular learning to certain times of day, it may be impossible to be as cultured and knowledgeable as Renaissance men and women of yore.
So what can we do to compensate for this inherent weakness?
If the proliferation of content is a double-edged sword, the benefit of this proliferation is that it is usually easy to find basic information on any topic. And I don't mean just Wikipedia (although that is often a good place to start); the explosion in niche blogs and news aggregators has led to a steady stream of content relating to just about anything.
If there isn't a book, newspaper, or encyclopedia to answer a question, there is likely a blurb or posting somewhere on the web that can help start your research. A well-curated blogroll or Twitter feed can be a great way to keep track of the latest news in the areas you are most interested in. Combine this broad and up-to-date awareness with in-depth reading from subscriptions to a few choice magazines, and you, too, can sound as intelligent as those square-frame glasses-wearing, satchel-toting, cappuccino-drinking know-it-alls in the movies.
Plus, since you never find time to make it through an entire novel anymore, you might as well as get in snatches of reading on your mobile device of choice. Do it on a 3G iPad, and you can be trendy as well as educated.
Inspiration for this post came from Shekhar Lodha, a serial entrepreneur and scholar of the world from Saratoga, Calif.
As much as we strive to learn in high school and college, the reality is that we will likely graduate into the real world with little to no knowledge in many areas our jobs and social circles require. Sure, we may be experts in mechanical engineering. But can we have an intelligent conversation about the government's clean energy policy? Or do we have a good understanding of the significance of Stravinsky's music?
In an era where the proliferation of content seems never-ending, we can be excused for not knowing everything. After all, if we are going to compartmentalize and limit our extracurricular learning to certain times of day, it may be impossible to be as cultured and knowledgeable as Renaissance men and women of yore.
So what can we do to compensate for this inherent weakness?
If the proliferation of content is a double-edged sword, the benefit of this proliferation is that it is usually easy to find basic information on any topic. And I don't mean just Wikipedia (although that is often a good place to start); the explosion in niche blogs and news aggregators has led to a steady stream of content relating to just about anything.
If there isn't a book, newspaper, or encyclopedia to answer a question, there is likely a blurb or posting somewhere on the web that can help start your research. A well-curated blogroll or Twitter feed can be a great way to keep track of the latest news in the areas you are most interested in. Combine this broad and up-to-date awareness with in-depth reading from subscriptions to a few choice magazines, and you, too, can sound as intelligent as those square-frame glasses-wearing, satchel-toting, cappuccino-drinking know-it-alls in the movies.
Plus, since you never find time to make it through an entire novel anymore, you might as well as get in snatches of reading on your mobile device of choice. Do it on a 3G iPad, and you can be trendy as well as educated.
Inspiration for this post came from Shekhar Lodha, a serial entrepreneur and scholar of the world from Saratoga, Calif.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The art of small talk
Try this experiment.
Pop out those white iPod buds the next time you are on the subway, at Starbucks, or even when you're sitting in your cubicle. Listen to the conversations around you. Don't participate if at all possible; just observe and note. Ideally, do this sometime between 9 AM and noon.
Anything seem strange to you?
What you may notice - if you haven't already - is that people talk an incredible amount about the weather. It's not just, "Oh, isn't it beautiful / miserable outside!" No, not all. Typically, it's an extensive conversation about how the weather will affect their commute, how unseasonable it is (no matter what season it is), and why they should just pick up and move to California / Florida / the Bahamas.
And, as luck would have it, you'll probably hear the same conversation from them... tomorrow.
It's true that especially in a politically correct era, there are few topics as universal and inoffensive as the weather. Everyone is affected by it, and generally, that effect is not shaped by gender, sexual orientation, or race. What is easier to talk about than the weather?
Precisely for that reason, the weather seems to dominate small talk wherever groups of unrelated people gather. Unfortunately, it is just about the most uninteresting and least memorable subject of conversation.
So if you meet someone new and want this person to like you, remember you, or even just not be mind-numbingly bored by you, what can you do to avoid talking about the weather?
It's true that topics like politics are probably good to steer clear of. However, there are plenty of other things two unfamiliar people can talk about. Sports, television shows, current events, emerging technology, this day in history, favorite flavor of coffee, a crazy advertisement they just saw... this partial list is only the beginning. If you want to be considered someone worth talking to, just being spontaneous and different will increase the likelihood of you achieving your goal.
And, if you get really good at the art of small talk, you might even make yourself memorable. But that's a topic for another day.
Pop out those white iPod buds the next time you are on the subway, at Starbucks, or even when you're sitting in your cubicle. Listen to the conversations around you. Don't participate if at all possible; just observe and note. Ideally, do this sometime between 9 AM and noon.
Anything seem strange to you?
What you may notice - if you haven't already - is that people talk an incredible amount about the weather. It's not just, "Oh, isn't it beautiful / miserable outside!" No, not all. Typically, it's an extensive conversation about how the weather will affect their commute, how unseasonable it is (no matter what season it is), and why they should just pick up and move to California / Florida / the Bahamas.
And, as luck would have it, you'll probably hear the same conversation from them... tomorrow.
It's true that especially in a politically correct era, there are few topics as universal and inoffensive as the weather. Everyone is affected by it, and generally, that effect is not shaped by gender, sexual orientation, or race. What is easier to talk about than the weather?
Precisely for that reason, the weather seems to dominate small talk wherever groups of unrelated people gather. Unfortunately, it is just about the most uninteresting and least memorable subject of conversation.
So if you meet someone new and want this person to like you, remember you, or even just not be mind-numbingly bored by you, what can you do to avoid talking about the weather?
It's true that topics like politics are probably good to steer clear of. However, there are plenty of other things two unfamiliar people can talk about. Sports, television shows, current events, emerging technology, this day in history, favorite flavor of coffee, a crazy advertisement they just saw... this partial list is only the beginning. If you want to be considered someone worth talking to, just being spontaneous and different will increase the likelihood of you achieving your goal.
And, if you get really good at the art of small talk, you might even make yourself memorable. But that's a topic for another day.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Sustaining the love for learning
In college and in high school, teachers and administrators often speak of fostering a love for learning. Beyond the grades, test scores, and accomplishments, students are encouraged to consider how they can change as scholars and as people by the things they learn. A love for learning is inherently intangible; there is little that can be done to measure it or to bottle and serve it. It must come from within, but for those who find it, the rewards can be plentiful: passion, perseverance, and even the success that follows.
Perhaps one of the most difficult adjustments from college to the working world is a shift from working for yourself to working for The Man. Gone are the days when you set goals for yourself and molded your effort and expectations accordingly; instead, you are forced into tasks, deadlines, and evaluations that are created by an entity above you. It's worse than being subject to the occasionally arbitrary nature of grades - now, almost everything you do can seem arbitrary or imposed.
Suddenly, all thoughts about loving learning seem distant. No matter how much you learn - and you will likely learn a lot - it may feel like you are doing it for the paycheck and for the career advancement. Looked at one way, every job is simply a stepping stone to the next.
Not only can this be extremely frustrating, but it can also be self-defeating. In your focus on tangible success, which is generally only evident through infrequent performance reviews and/or raises, you may find yourself doing not what is right for the product or the client, but you think is right for you.
Of course, if you stop and think about it, is that in fact right for you? Liberal arts curricula are based on the idea that the tools you acquire, the way you learn to think - that is the most important asset an institution of higher learning can bestow upon you. Can something similar be said about your career and the jobs along the way?
I don't know the answer to that question. What I do know, however, is that the times that I've felt most enthused about my job and my career is when I've learned something new, gleaned an insight that I did not anticipate, or otherwise added something to my mental toolkit. At the end of the day, learning is fun; just like a two-year-old is overjoyed by stacking blocks successfully, piecing together the puzzles that we encounter day-to-day can give us a sense of accomplishment that is very fulfilling.
So what does this mean for our careers? It seems to be important to seek out positions and roles that challenge us in ways that enable us to think and learn about issues that are important to us. Don't choose the job that you can do easily or the one that will be nearly impossible; find one that builds off of your expertise but that will force you to stretch your faculties. If you can reintroduce that little bit of intellectual stimulation in your job, I think you'll find that working for The Man won't seem quite as tedious. And, in the course of rediscovering a love for learning, you may find a way to do what's right for both you and your organization.
Inspiration for this post came from Chris Nikoloff, current Head of School at The Harker School in San Jose, Calif.
Perhaps one of the most difficult adjustments from college to the working world is a shift from working for yourself to working for The Man. Gone are the days when you set goals for yourself and molded your effort and expectations accordingly; instead, you are forced into tasks, deadlines, and evaluations that are created by an entity above you. It's worse than being subject to the occasionally arbitrary nature of grades - now, almost everything you do can seem arbitrary or imposed.
Suddenly, all thoughts about loving learning seem distant. No matter how much you learn - and you will likely learn a lot - it may feel like you are doing it for the paycheck and for the career advancement. Looked at one way, every job is simply a stepping stone to the next.
Not only can this be extremely frustrating, but it can also be self-defeating. In your focus on tangible success, which is generally only evident through infrequent performance reviews and/or raises, you may find yourself doing not what is right for the product or the client, but you think is right for you.
Of course, if you stop and think about it, is that in fact right for you? Liberal arts curricula are based on the idea that the tools you acquire, the way you learn to think - that is the most important asset an institution of higher learning can bestow upon you. Can something similar be said about your career and the jobs along the way?
I don't know the answer to that question. What I do know, however, is that the times that I've felt most enthused about my job and my career is when I've learned something new, gleaned an insight that I did not anticipate, or otherwise added something to my mental toolkit. At the end of the day, learning is fun; just like a two-year-old is overjoyed by stacking blocks successfully, piecing together the puzzles that we encounter day-to-day can give us a sense of accomplishment that is very fulfilling.
So what does this mean for our careers? It seems to be important to seek out positions and roles that challenge us in ways that enable us to think and learn about issues that are important to us. Don't choose the job that you can do easily or the one that will be nearly impossible; find one that builds off of your expertise but that will force you to stretch your faculties. If you can reintroduce that little bit of intellectual stimulation in your job, I think you'll find that working for The Man won't seem quite as tedious. And, in the course of rediscovering a love for learning, you may find a way to do what's right for both you and your organization.
Inspiration for this post came from Chris Nikoloff, current Head of School at The Harker School in San Jose, Calif.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tools for compartmentalization
Last week, I wrote about the importance of compartmentalization in today's world of enlightened consumption - with the amount of content that is out there, it is essential to develop good habits that enable you to stay current without sacrificing productivity and accuracy.
There are several tools you can use to help yourself do this. First, you can just impose self-discipline - limiting your email-checking to certain intervals, switching off your personal cellphone at work, etc. This is simple and can be enough, but it also is subject to problems when you choose to ignore your own rules.
Another way is to use a calendar client to organize your day. Don't just put meetings in the calendar; use it to set aside time for personal or extracurricular events or tasks as well. This will enable you at a glance to maximize time for working while being aware of when best to do everything else.
And then, of course, there are tools available online to help you compartmentalize. One of these is Mac Freedom. (As the name indicates, this program is only available for Macintosh, although the website insists a Windows version is in the works.) The concept is simple: enter an amount of time, and Mac Freedom will disconnect you from the Internet for that duration of time. There's no way to get around the wall except for restarting, an option assumed to be onerous enough that few people will resort to it. And best of all, there's a freeware version of the program available, meaning greater productivity doesn't have to cost you a dime.
Of course, this option may not be great for many reasons: you need access to the Internet for your work; you rarely need to concentrate for hours at a time; you're just too worried that you may have to restart when an Internet "emergency" arises. At the end of the day, the freedom these tools provide is as much mental as literal.
There are several tools you can use to help yourself do this. First, you can just impose self-discipline - limiting your email-checking to certain intervals, switching off your personal cellphone at work, etc. This is simple and can be enough, but it also is subject to problems when you choose to ignore your own rules.
Another way is to use a calendar client to organize your day. Don't just put meetings in the calendar; use it to set aside time for personal or extracurricular events or tasks as well. This will enable you at a glance to maximize time for working while being aware of when best to do everything else.
And then, of course, there are tools available online to help you compartmentalize. One of these is Mac Freedom. (As the name indicates, this program is only available for Macintosh, although the website insists a Windows version is in the works.) The concept is simple: enter an amount of time, and Mac Freedom will disconnect you from the Internet for that duration of time. There's no way to get around the wall except for restarting, an option assumed to be onerous enough that few people will resort to it. And best of all, there's a freeware version of the program available, meaning greater productivity doesn't have to cost you a dime.
Of course, this option may not be great for many reasons: you need access to the Internet for your work; you rarely need to concentrate for hours at a time; you're just too worried that you may have to restart when an Internet "emergency" arises. At the end of the day, the freedom these tools provide is as much mental as literal.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The proliferation of content and the importance of compartmentalization
Here's a scenario.
It's your first real week on the job. You've made it through the well-meaning but excruciatingly boring orientation and training. You've even taken care of those initial softball tasks that your manager lobs at you to see whether you're actually paying attention -- and to see whether your company has just wasted thousands of dollars in recruiting and perhaps even relocating you.
You're feeling pretty good.
After all, you're an intelligent 22-year-old, you went to a better college than most of the saps you work with, and you already know that you could easily replace your manager after a few months on the job. What's more, you're not even convinced this job will be challenging. Please! After holding down a six-class workload along with being the president of three extracurricular clubs, what can be more difficult? I mean, let's face it, it never takes you more than an hour to finish anything you are asked to do.
So you do what every smart kid does when under-stimulated: you consume content.
Slashdot, The New York Times, ESPN.com, your Twitter feed, Facebook pictures, your Gmail and Yahoo! Mail inboxes, the third song of the new Taylor Swift album, and that addicting Internet game that you just can't get enough of -- you read, listen to, and interact with all of these things, often simultaneously in different tabs of your favorite browser. This is how you work; in fact, this is how everyone you know works. How else can you stay abreast of everything that is happening in your world?
Of course, this doesn't slow you down at all. You send off the assigned task hours before the deadline, completing it all while engaging in an email debate with 10 geographically separated friends about the merits of universal healthcare. Man, this is easy. When do you get promoted?
And then you get the email from your manager.
You forgot that today, your work was going to your manager's manager's manager. What's worse, the senior executive already shared the findings with several of his colleagues and peers, only to be taken aback when one of them noted an error.
Your error.
Suddenly, you're not feeling so confident anymore. You've been publicly outed as careless and perhaps even lazy -- and it's just your fourth day with the firm. All those dreams of becoming the youngest CEO in recorded history are quickly fading away. You know that this is a mistake you won't live down easily. Like with those high school students on 90s' TV shows, this is going on your permanent record. Permanent.
How did you get here?
It's a fundamental paradox in today's society. The proliferation of content and avenues of distribution has led to a diverse, ever-changing, and incredibly rich compendium of information. Instead of turning to a definitive source like an encyclopedia or a newspaper for historical and current knowledge, our generation turns to Wikipedia, Google News and Google Reader, RSS feeds, and their peers for answers. The Wall Street Journal can't cover in a single day's paper everything that we want to or need to know; that's why we turn to blogs and tweets for additional details about the things we are most interested in and passionate about.
While being an invaluable resource, this trove of information and wisdom is a burden as well. Because all this knowledge is out there to be gained, you are at a competitive disadvantage if you don't consume enough content. Applying to Netflix but haven't read about the company's history and future plans? Someone else has. Joining an advertising agency without in-depth knowledge of mobile applications and location-based targeting? You're behind the times. Trying to become a banker in the consumer goods space but didn't catch the excerpts from P&G's latest conference call? There's the door. Employees and applicants are expected to have completely immersed themselves in the details and minutiae relevant to the job, and if they're not keeping up with the latest industry news, they're falling behind.
Trying frenetically to keep up, smart kids consume content whenever and wherever they can. When we wake up, a Blackberry red light flashes to remind us to read those emails from the vendor in India and to get up to date with our early-morning newsletters. As we sit in our cars, we listen to NPR on the radio while we flick through our iPhone apps at traffic lights. Between tasks at work, we catch up on what experts have been saying and watch a key interview from yesterday's conference. We can't sit down at a table without laying all our electronics in front of us.
The constant fractionalization of our attention makes pure, undiluted concentration a thing of the past. Generation X looks at our generation and calls it the promulgation of attention deficit disorder; we call it enlightened consumption. Nevertheless, both can agree that it is increasingly difficult to focus on a single task today without feeling the need to remain connected, whether by email, phone, or other means. Consequently, an inadvertent change to a number here, a sentence accidentally paraphrased there, and before we know it, small inaccuracies are compounding into greater problems hampering efficiency and productivity. With everyone in a rush to move on to the next thing, quality can often take more of a backseat than it should.
This, then, brings us back to the mistake. It is seemingly inevitable. How can we be informed and knowledgeable while still delivering all that is asked of us without stumbling every now and then?
The answer is compartmentalization.
One by one. Finish a task, then move onto another. As much as we are tempted to be on our email, monitoring news feeds, and keeping an eye on the latest college basketball box score while doing our work, our minds can only handle so much. No one denies that we need the time to do all of the aforementioned things; the key is finding the right times to do all of them.
So check your personal email when you get into work -- or better yet, on your phone before you get there -- and then log out for a few hours. Save links to the articles you need to read and skim through them when you take a break or over lunch. And, as far for March Madness... well, no one has really found a solution to that productivity problem (and let's hope no one ever does).
Our generation may be the most informed and most adept at multitasking yet. But that doesn't mean that we don't need the right habits to make sure we keep our productivity and accuracy at their optimal levels.
It's your first real week on the job. You've made it through the well-meaning but excruciatingly boring orientation and training. You've even taken care of those initial softball tasks that your manager lobs at you to see whether you're actually paying attention -- and to see whether your company has just wasted thousands of dollars in recruiting and perhaps even relocating you.
You're feeling pretty good.
After all, you're an intelligent 22-year-old, you went to a better college than most of the saps you work with, and you already know that you could easily replace your manager after a few months on the job. What's more, you're not even convinced this job will be challenging. Please! After holding down a six-class workload along with being the president of three extracurricular clubs, what can be more difficult? I mean, let's face it, it never takes you more than an hour to finish anything you are asked to do.
So you do what every smart kid does when under-stimulated: you consume content.
Slashdot, The New York Times, ESPN.com, your Twitter feed, Facebook pictures, your Gmail and Yahoo! Mail inboxes, the third song of the new Taylor Swift album, and that addicting Internet game that you just can't get enough of -- you read, listen to, and interact with all of these things, often simultaneously in different tabs of your favorite browser. This is how you work; in fact, this is how everyone you know works. How else can you stay abreast of everything that is happening in your world?
Of course, this doesn't slow you down at all. You send off the assigned task hours before the deadline, completing it all while engaging in an email debate with 10 geographically separated friends about the merits of universal healthcare. Man, this is easy. When do you get promoted?
And then you get the email from your manager.
You forgot that today, your work was going to your manager's manager's manager. What's worse, the senior executive already shared the findings with several of his colleagues and peers, only to be taken aback when one of them noted an error.
Your error.
Suddenly, you're not feeling so confident anymore. You've been publicly outed as careless and perhaps even lazy -- and it's just your fourth day with the firm. All those dreams of becoming the youngest CEO in recorded history are quickly fading away. You know that this is a mistake you won't live down easily. Like with those high school students on 90s' TV shows, this is going on your permanent record. Permanent.
How did you get here?
It's a fundamental paradox in today's society. The proliferation of content and avenues of distribution has led to a diverse, ever-changing, and incredibly rich compendium of information. Instead of turning to a definitive source like an encyclopedia or a newspaper for historical and current knowledge, our generation turns to Wikipedia, Google News and Google Reader, RSS feeds, and their peers for answers. The Wall Street Journal can't cover in a single day's paper everything that we want to or need to know; that's why we turn to blogs and tweets for additional details about the things we are most interested in and passionate about.
While being an invaluable resource, this trove of information and wisdom is a burden as well. Because all this knowledge is out there to be gained, you are at a competitive disadvantage if you don't consume enough content. Applying to Netflix but haven't read about the company's history and future plans? Someone else has. Joining an advertising agency without in-depth knowledge of mobile applications and location-based targeting? You're behind the times. Trying to become a banker in the consumer goods space but didn't catch the excerpts from P&G's latest conference call? There's the door. Employees and applicants are expected to have completely immersed themselves in the details and minutiae relevant to the job, and if they're not keeping up with the latest industry news, they're falling behind.
Trying frenetically to keep up, smart kids consume content whenever and wherever they can. When we wake up, a Blackberry red light flashes to remind us to read those emails from the vendor in India and to get up to date with our early-morning newsletters. As we sit in our cars, we listen to NPR on the radio while we flick through our iPhone apps at traffic lights. Between tasks at work, we catch up on what experts have been saying and watch a key interview from yesterday's conference. We can't sit down at a table without laying all our electronics in front of us.
The constant fractionalization of our attention makes pure, undiluted concentration a thing of the past. Generation X looks at our generation and calls it the promulgation of attention deficit disorder; we call it enlightened consumption. Nevertheless, both can agree that it is increasingly difficult to focus on a single task today without feeling the need to remain connected, whether by email, phone, or other means. Consequently, an inadvertent change to a number here, a sentence accidentally paraphrased there, and before we know it, small inaccuracies are compounding into greater problems hampering efficiency and productivity. With everyone in a rush to move on to the next thing, quality can often take more of a backseat than it should.
This, then, brings us back to the mistake. It is seemingly inevitable. How can we be informed and knowledgeable while still delivering all that is asked of us without stumbling every now and then?
The answer is compartmentalization.
One by one. Finish a task, then move onto another. As much as we are tempted to be on our email, monitoring news feeds, and keeping an eye on the latest college basketball box score while doing our work, our minds can only handle so much. No one denies that we need the time to do all of the aforementioned things; the key is finding the right times to do all of them.
So check your personal email when you get into work -- or better yet, on your phone before you get there -- and then log out for a few hours. Save links to the articles you need to read and skim through them when you take a break or over lunch. And, as far for March Madness... well, no one has really found a solution to that productivity problem (and let's hope no one ever does).
Our generation may be the most informed and most adept at multitasking yet. But that doesn't mean that we don't need the right habits to make sure we keep our productivity and accuracy at their optimal levels.
Why smart... yet clueless?
So, you're pretty smart.
Okay, maybe you're really smart. Maybe you invented Blogger before Google bought it. Or maybe you invented blogging itself. Whatever.
Maybe you went to a good college. Maybe you will soon go to a great college. You're well educated.
But if you're between the ages of 15 and 25, you either have realized or will realize the following soon: no matter what your IQ and how rigorous your courseload, some things will catch you absolutely off-guard the moment you step out of that campus bubble.
Your problems may be small, or they may be big; regardless of their nature, many of them will probably be unexpected.
That's where I come in. In some ways, I've learned more in the past two years after college than all four years during. I don't have all of the answers -- hell, I probably don't have most of them -- but what I do know is how I've been able to deal with the issues I've faced so far.
I'll offer my thoughts when I have them, and I hope you'll offer yours, too. Perhaps together, we'll be able to crack the confusion that is being in your 20s in the 2010s.
Figuring out your place a new media universe? Or just sick of living with horrible roommate after horrible roommate? This is your outlet.
Okay, maybe you're really smart. Maybe you invented Blogger before Google bought it. Or maybe you invented blogging itself. Whatever.
Maybe you went to a good college. Maybe you will soon go to a great college. You're well educated.
But if you're between the ages of 15 and 25, you either have realized or will realize the following soon: no matter what your IQ and how rigorous your courseload, some things will catch you absolutely off-guard the moment you step out of that campus bubble.
Your problems may be small, or they may be big; regardless of their nature, many of them will probably be unexpected.
That's where I come in. In some ways, I've learned more in the past two years after college than all four years during. I don't have all of the answers -- hell, I probably don't have most of them -- but what I do know is how I've been able to deal with the issues I've faced so far.
I'll offer my thoughts when I have them, and I hope you'll offer yours, too. Perhaps together, we'll be able to crack the confusion that is being in your 20s in the 2010s.
Figuring out your place a new media universe? Or just sick of living with horrible roommate after horrible roommate? This is your outlet.
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