Simpleology Blog

Though I don't fly off the handle easily, there are days when I encounter people who make me mad. Take the guy who lives in the apartment next to mine. He likes reading the magazines I've subscribed to--before I've even read them. I've talked to him about it, but he doesn't seem to understand the concept of respecting other people's magazines.

So, I called up the building superintendent--an old guy whom everyone describes as a grumpy version of Santa Claus--and told him about the magazine situation. "Get mad at him. Go nuts. You have every right to let him have a piece of your mind," he told me. I was taken aback by his suggestion. (But, heck, I was tempted to do as I was told.)

I was more shocked when I found out that there were experts who would give me the same advice. Psychologists Dr. Howard Kassinove and Dr. Raymond Chip Trafate--authors of Anger Management: The Complete Treatment Guidebook for Practice--say that anger "only gets a bad rap partly because it is often erroneously associated with violence." As such, Kassinove and Trafate state that people who get mad for a reason are simply "mentally healthy individuals."

Moreover, the findings of the anger research done by Catherine Stoney and her group at Ohio State University showed that people who always suppress their anger have significantly greater rises in blood pressure during a stressful event, as well as higher cholesterol and higher levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that contributes to heart disease. Bottom line: If you don't let out your "evil twin" from time to time, then your heart would suffer.

Fearing for my health, I finally cornered my next door neighbor in the hallway a few days ago and threw a fit. Mind you, I didn't cuss. I merely told him to lay off my magazines or else I'd be suing him for emotional trauma. I then stomped off to my place as he meekly murmured, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." For my final salvo, I turned to him before I shut my door and I told him: "You better follow through on that."

My building superintendent should be real proud of me.

Posted by Bean Jones at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (30) | TrackBacks (0)

I became the designated babysitter of my sister Holly's kids--three girls aged age of 10, 13, and 14--when she and her husband had to attend a formal dinner. I was in the living room quietly typing on my laptop when I became distracted by my nieces arguing over who was "the prettiest" on Gossip Girl.

Up until then, I knew next to nothing about the TV show. My nieces, who had purchased a DVD of the show's first season, gladly filled me in on the intrigue-laden world of teenagers from New York's posh Upper East Side. Call me old-fashioned, but I was disturbed by the tale of "best friends" who habitually stabbed each other in the back. In fact, my nieces even had a word for a fiendish friend: "frenemy."

Have I been living a sheltered life all this time? My friends and I certainly don't enjoy sabotaging each other.

Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz, author of Becoming Real: Defeating the Stories We Tell Ourselves That Hold Us Back, confirms that toxic friendships indeed exist. "These so-called toxic relationships will drain you and suck up your emotional energy," she says.

As such, friends who are too needy and negative are also classified as toxic. Florence Isaacs, author of Toxic Friends/True Friends, points out: "Toxic friends stress you out, use you, are unreliable, are overly demanding, and don't give anything back."

So, just what do you do when you have a "frenemy"?

Dr. Jenn Berman, author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy Confident Kids, suggests the following:

1. Learn to say, "No!" Start taking better care of yourself and forget about pleasing your toxic friend. Don't feel guilty when you refuse to do what he or she asks.

2. Get professional help. A toxic friend might need professional help at some point. Your "frenemy" may act toxic because of a mental disorder of some sort. Do as much as you can to help him or her get in touch with a psychiatrist who can give the appropriate treatment.

3. Call it quits. If your "frenemy" continues to be an emotional vampire even after you've tried everything to help him or her, then it's time for you to cut your losses and walk away. You also have to think of yourself.

As for my nieces, I hope that the only "frenemies" they encounter are fictional ones. Even a well-meaning uncle can't do much if they choose to hang out with friends who are really enemies in disguise.

Posted by Bean Jones at 3:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBacks (0)

When it comes to sleep, I'm an all-or-nothing guy. If I can't get it six to eight hours straight then I'd rather stay up--or else I'd wake up crabby. Then again--in light of my post-lunch lethargy--maybe it's time for me to learn a popular energy-boosting trick: power napping.

Siesta Awareness, a quirky site devoted to sleep, reveals that Leonardo da Vinci, Napoleon, and Albert Einstein were all power nappers. In fact, as the site's trivia reveals, Einstein napped frequently during the day to help him think more clearly. The genius would allegedly sit in his favorite armchair with a pencil in his hand and purposefully doze off. To make sure that he didn't go over the power nap time limit, he'd wake when the pencil dropped.

Just what is the power nap time limit?

According to the data cited in the National Institute of Mental Health Power-Nap Study, a 30-minute nap ensures better performance on tasks. Experts emphasize that a power nap should not exceed this time frame. The goal is not to enter stage five REM sleep, but to remain at the alpha-wave level of sleep, which gives a feeling of meditative relaxation.

You see, as the day progresses at the office (or any other work environment for that matter), workplace stress begins to take its toll on employees. Aside from becoming irritable and easily frustrated, they falter at mental tasks. The nap gives them their second wind and prevents further performance deterioration.

In particular, research done by Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals that power naps can boost productivity, lower stress, and improve memory. Looking at magnetic resonance imaging or MRI photos of power nappers' brains, the researchers found that their brain activity stays high throughout the day. Meanwhile, the brain activity of non-nappers declines later in the day. This explains why non-nappers like me feel as if our brains have been squeezed dry by dinner time.

So, now, I'm beginning to think that what worked for Einstein may very well work for me. Now, if I can only figure out how I can snooze comfortably at my desk, I'm on my way to becoming a genius. Or, at the very least, committing less typos.

Posted by Bean Jones at 4:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

My mother is probably one of the most devoted to-do list fans. Unfortunately, she's become a slave to the list. She agonizes over not being able to put a check mark on the tasks she hopes to do each day. Last Saturday, right after lunch, my father finally pointed out this fact. "Honey," he told her, "you spend way too much time making that list. You're beginning to scare me."

I didn't stick around to find out what happened after that. (But I was quite relieved when my father called the next day to report that he and my mother were still sharing the same roof.)

In the article "Is the To-Do List Doing You In?," Kathleen McGowan, explains my mother's to-do list addiction: "Plenty of us create a to-do list to address feelings of being overwhelmed, but we rarely use these tools to their best effect. They wind up being guilt-provoking reminders of the fact that we're 'overcommitted' and losing control of our priorities."

Often, the people who have such detailed lists turn out to be "closet procrastinators."

"Too often, the list is seen as the 'accomplishment' for the day, reducing the immediate guilt of not working on the tasks at hand by investing energy in the list," observes procrastination researcher Dr. Timothy Pychyl, a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

So what's the first step to kicking one's procrastination problem?

Dr. Bill Knaus, author of The Procrastination Workbook, offers these tips:

1. Learn to prioritize. Don't get bogged down by tasks that could wait. Alphabetizing your DVD collection isn't such a good idea when you have a leaky water pipe to fix. To help you stay focused, use the Daily Target Praxis (DTP) highlighted in Simpleology 101.

2. Do it ASAP. To borrow a popular tagline from a sports apparel ad: Just do it. Don't make excuses to dawdle.

3. Resist "procrastination thinking. " Don't get distracted by things that suddenly come up. So, when a friend invites you to go on a road trip on the day you're supposed to get a lot of writing done, you should resist the urge to use the romanticized adage, "Carpe diem," to justify ditching your responsibilities.

As for my mother, I'd like to tell her that she doesn't really need to feel guilty about not doing that much anymore. Her to-do lists were only somewhat useful when she had to manage a household that had six kids, five or so hamsters, and a couple of dogs. (It's time to take it easy, mom. You've earned the right to procrastinate.)

Posted by Bean Jones at 4:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)

Nitpicking my own work has always been my specialty--and it proved to be my undoing about a week ago. Unable to sleep, I decided to go online and check out my posts for the nth time. My eyes were already bleary when I spotted a runaway comma. I had just clicked the "Save" button when a power surge had my computer shutting down. Still, I put my faith in the "Save" button and crawled to bed at about four in the morning.

Imagine how mortified I was when I checked my e-mail later that day and saw one from my boss that came with the heading, "Post Disappeared." Of course, I hurried to restore the missing post.

Over the next few days, I became obsessed with editing and re-editing my posts. I clicked on the "Save" button every five minutes. I got on a lot of people's nerves at work and they all said the same thing: "Get over it already!"

But I couldn't. (At least, not right then.) I needed help. So, I turned to some experts. Their advice seemed tailored for folks who act like the sky is falling when they goof up:

1. Let it die. Walter Anderson, in his book The Confidence Course: Seven Steps to Self-Fulfillment, says, "You must practice what I call RIP, which stands for responsibility, insight and perspective. It also means, as you know, Rest in Peace, which in itself may not be a bad way to look at your mistakes." So, when you goof up, take responsibility for it right away. Then, take to heart the lessons you learn from it. After that, all that's left for you to do is let go.

2. Laugh it off. "[When people feel] very depressed in the wake of having failed at something, they cancel plans and withdraw from social opportunities. They don't feel 'up to it,'" observes Dr. Nando Pelusi, a psychologist, in "How to Cultivate Humor." These people need to learn how to laugh at themselves. He explains: "Humor fosters acceptance of our humanness and our foibles." As long as your mistake didn't cause harm to anyone--you can go ahead and laugh about it.

3. Make it work. "Making mistakes is the key to making progress," says Daniel C. Dennett, a Philosophy professor at Tufts University and author of books like Brainstorms and Kinds of Minds. He adds: "There are times, of course, when it is important not to make any mistakes--ask any surgeon or airline pilot. But there are also times when making mistakes is the secret of success. They are, in an important sense, the only opportunity for learning something truly new."

Indeed, the missing blog post incident did me some good, as I've resolved never to try to do any work when my brain is running on empty. Thank goodness I'm not a surgeon or a pilot. (And, hey, at least I got a blog post out of it.)

Posted by Bean Jones at 3:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBacks (0)

My computer crashed recently and I lost a great deal of work with it. I wanted to go bonkers. When one of my workmates encouraged me to "think positive," I snapped, "How exactly do I do that?" He shrugged and said, "I don't know...maybe you should write about it."

So, I started to do research on how to stay positive. I must admit that I was doing it half-heartedly at first. Fortunately, I came across Craig Lambert's "The Science of Happiness: Psychology Explores Humans at their Best," a cheery feature about the highlights of the Gallup International Positive Psychology Summit in Washington, D.C. last year.

The summit was hosted by the Gallup Institute for Global Well-Being, an organization which promotes expert research on the quality of life. Naturally, positive psychologists took center stage at the event.

Call me strange, but I felt much better after I read about these get-happy mind tricks from the experts:

1. Think about tomorrow. Psychology professor Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, says that we all need to practice "prospection"--the ability to believe that the future holds infinite possibilities for happiness. Sometimes, you just need to take time out so you can gain a positive perspective of a negative experience. There are times, for example, when you literally just have to "sleep off" whatever's bothering you so that you'd view the world with fresh eyes the next day.

2. Just get the good stuff. You have to keep yourself from going numb. Psychologist Ellen Langer, author of On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself through Mindful Creativity, advises people who've got the blues to just be "mindful" of the good things. Being on the lookout for things to cheer you up will keep you from breaking down.

3. Get some air. Evolutionary psychologist Nancy Etcoff, author of Survival of the Prettiest, says that places that offer refuge seem to support a sense of well-being . This is why most people get a boost when they're away from their usual environments. They are able to smile again when they're, say, on top of a hill or walking by the beach.

And you know what? Now that I think about it, having my computer crash might not be so bad after all. I'll finally get around to getting one that won't glitch out every now and then. I didn't even need to go to the beach to feel good after I realized that.

Posted by Bean Jones at 2:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (29) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't like talking about money--mostly because I always think that I don't have enough that's worth discussing. On top of paying my bills and my college loan, I confess that I tend to splurge on comic books and talking key chains. So, whenever my mother calls and asks me, "Do you have enough money?" (It comes with being the youngest kid, I guess.) I just cut the conversation short by threatening to move back in with her and my dad. Of course, my mother laughs at this and then hangs up.

Recently, though, I got hold of Andrew Matthews' Being Happy!: A Handbook to Greater Confidence and Security and realized that my money phobia was costing me a lot. "Many people are uncomfortable about money and hence they keep themselves poor," says Mathews. He also adds: "If we are too attached to money, it becomes difficult to make it and difficult to hang on to it."

Needless to say, those statements hit real close to home. Thankfully, Matthews offered some mentally enriching tips that'll help me and others who are also suffering from money phobia:

1. Save first and spend what is left. People who see themselves as "perennially broke" often spend first and figure out what they will save later. So, figure out a savings plan and stick to it. For this task, I found the first Simpleology 102 lesson ("The Grand Law of Wealth: Increase Your Incomings and Decrease Your Outgoings") very helpful.

2. Always carry some cash. Aside from making you feel more prosperous, having money in your pocket will help you learn how to have self control. Just because you have cash, it doesn't mean you have to spend it. Take responsibility for your spending habits. Leaving your cash at home because you don't trust yourself not to spend every penny is the ultimate cop-out.

3. Spoil yourself occasionally. You have to realize that you can afford to spoil yourself. As you enjoy the money you have, you gain incentive to make more. But then again, put emphasis on the word, "occasionally." That certainly doesn't mean each time your paycheck comes in.

Hopefully, I can ditch my money phobia for good by doing these three things successfully and consistently for the long haul. Yes, I know that I should have resolved my money issues years ago, but, hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?

Posted by Bean Jones at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (35) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a regular commuter and I've seen a lot of people get nasty while in transit. There are those who shove like mad at rush hour and those who "steal" the cabs you hail. But before you despair entirely, be assured there are still some kind souls out there.

The other day for example, I saw a young woman give her cab to an old man. As the cab sped off with the grateful gentleman, the young woman's friend, who was standing on the sidewalk with her, said irritably, "You can't be too kind all the time!"

Was the young woman's friend right?, I wondered. Is being kind all the time really a bad thing?

In the past, I myself have been guilty of chiding some of my friends for being "too nice." After all, in this highly competitive world we live in, we're taught to believe that nice guys and gals always finish last.

So, I decided to do a little research into the concept and it turns out several experts have undertaken studies that prove nice guys and gals may very well rule the world. Here's why:

1. They take control. In Kindness: Changing People's Lives for the Better, Zelig Pliskin, an Orthodox rabbi, says that being kind "helps you feel in control." By doing a good deed, you're saying, "Here's something I can do to make the world better."

2. They're on a high. Each time you do a kind deed, you get "a rush of endorphins that lasts for hours," says trainer Kimberly Kingsley, author of The Energy Cure: How to Recharge Your Life 30 Seconds at a Time. (By the way, this endorphin surge is aptly named "helper's high.")

3. They're the fittest. Allan Luks, the former executive director of the Institute for the Advancement of Health, undertook a kindness study for his book, The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. His survey of 3,000 volunteer workers revealed that these kindhearted people were able to overcome health problems--like ulcers, respiratory ailments, and stress--right after they played Good Samaritan.

Still, you must keep in mind that the acts of kindness that you do should really matter. "Passing out smiley-face stickers or leaving lucky pennies on the sidewalk may not yield fulfillment," says University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis. Thus, he recommends choosing deeds that strengthen social ties. After all, as he put it, "it's really all about building relationships."

So, the next time I hear someone getting flak for being "too kind," I'll step in and set the record straight. The world needs all the nice people it can get.

Posted by Bean Jones at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (58) | TrackBacks (0)

In the hope of increasing productivity through goodwill, some companies go overboard. A friend who works for a bank recently told me that he dreaded their upcoming Flashback Day. When I asked what that was, he gave me a disgusted look before explaining, "That's when we dress up as historical figures every Monday. That's how the higher ups are fighting the Monday morning slump."

Only my friend's miserable look stopped me from laughing.

Indeed, a productivity study done by Cambridge University researcher Peter Fleming found that instead of increasing productivity, a workplace that institutes a "culture of fun" actually breeds rampant cynicism. Fifty percent of Fleming's respondents doubted the authenticity of the so-called "fun programs"--which ranged from relay races, scavenger hunts, and variations of other party games. Fleming stated that his subjects probably didn't like the "blurring of traditional boundaries that usually distinguish work and non-work."

Just what sort of fun works for the office?

Lynn Harland's "Attitudes Toward Workplace Fun: A Three Sector Comparison," a study published in the Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, reveals that the most universally-liked and accepted fun workplace activity involves food. So, while many employees may be up in arms (or secretly griping) when you make them put on costumes on Mondays, they won't whine when you serve them, say, cookies while you're having your morning meeting.

In any case, there are some companies that have managed to turn "play" into productivity enhancers. I hear the folks at Nokia encourage their employees to play with Lego blocks so that their creative juices flow freely. Then again, as my banker-friend pointed out, "Playing with Lego blocks has a purpose. Dressing up as Benjamin Franklin on a Monday morning is just plain ridiculous."

Enough said. (No offense to Ben Franklin, of course.)

Posted by Bean Jones at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)

Just the other day, I wandered into a health food store and found myself baffled by an entire wall of vitamins--some of which I've never even heard of until that moment. Upon closer inspection, I found out that there were vitamins specifically targeting hair, skin, sleep regulation, and so on. You name it, they probably had it. Overwhelmed with the choices, I ended up not buying anything at all.

I don't know if that happens to you, too--but I always get confused when I'm confronted with too many things to choose from.

As it turns out, my multiple-choice confusion is shared by many others. A well-being assessment study done by social scientists David G. Myers of Hope College and Robert E. Lane of Yale University reveals that increased choice and increased affluence have been accompanied by decreased well-being in the U.S. They observe: "As the gross domestic product doubled in the past 30 years, the proportion of the population describing themselves as 'very happy' declined by about five percent, or by some 14 million people."

Echoing their findings, psychologist Barry Schwartz, in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, explains why we become blue when we have too much of a good thing. "Choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures," he states.

Schwartz goes on to reveal that people can be classified as either a "maximizer" or a "satisficer" when it comes to making choices. Maximizers always obsess over "making the best possible choice," while satisficers are "content with 'good enough' and don't obsessing about better selections being 'out there.'" (Guess which group I belong to.)

To make life easier for people who like me who overload when they're asked to make a choice, Schwartz offers these tips:

1. Set limits. You can decide to restrict your options when the decision is not crucial. For example, make a rule to visit no more than two stores when you go shopping for clothing.

2. Learn to accept "good enough." Settle for a choice that meets your core requirements rather than searching for the elusive "best." Then, stop thinking about it.

3. Don't worry about what you're missing. Consciously limit how much you ponder the seemingly "more attractive" features of options you have just rejected. Teach yourself to focus on the positive parts of the selection you made.

With these tips in mind, I suppose it'll be safe for me to go back to that health food store soon, right? I swear I'll stop myself from reading all the bottle labels.

Posted by Bean Jones at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (26) | TrackBacks (0)

As a kid, I always wanted to take drawing lessons. Sadly, my fifth grade buddy Winston told me, "You have to have art in your blood. Like even when you're still a baby you're already painting or something." Now, I don't know where he got his outlandish pronouncements, but I was dismayed after hearing it. (Yes, Winston and I were proud young nerds.) I even went as far as to ask my mother if being "artistic" ran in the family. "I don't think we're related to anybody artistic," she said. And that was the end of my "art craze."

But, when I came across the latest offering in Simpleology's Great Teachers Series, "Jacque Fresco Teaches Drawing," I wanted to get on a time machine and tell Winston, "I don't believe you." The things that I found out from the course were nothing short of astounding:

1. You don't need to be born with an artistic gene. Anyone from age 9 to 90 can learn how to draw. It doesn't matter if you have an artistic gene or not. It helps if you have an art teacher like Fresco who can simplify things for you.

2. You don't have to undergo years of training. You can learn how to draw in a matter of minutes. You don't need to spend years getting an art degree just so you can draw.

3. You're not required to have a lot of "stuff." You don't have to buy a whole arsenal of drawing materials. Even if you just have a few pencils and a piece of paper, you can create a work of art. Fresco reveals the techniques you can use in holding your pencil in order for you to come up with varying shades.

4. You won't get bogged down with complicated techniques. Drawing is not rocket science. When it comes to drawing particular objects, Fresco uses everyday things as points of reference. You won't feel a single moment of frustration as you draw, say, a bird's eye view picture of the city you live in.

5. You don't have to spend a lot of money to learn how to draw. You can learn the basics of drawing all on your own. It's just a matter of knowing where you can get the right sort of instruction. It'd be a good idea for you to try out the first five lessons of the "Jacque Fresco Teaches Drawing" course for free. Who knows? Those lessons may be all you--and I--need to become this generation's Michelangelo. (I hope you're reading this, Winston.)

Posted by Bean Jones at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I used to be such a great fan of multitasking--but an embarrassing incident that happened a few days ago made me change my mind.

I was writing an e-mail to a workmate while composing a text message on my mobile phone with an old college friend. Guess what happened? I ended up writing this in the e-mail message to my workmate: "See you at your Fourth of July shindig, man. I'll stop you from getting smashed." You can imagine how mortified I was when I realized what I had just done--right after I clicked on "Send." It's a good thing my workmate just e-mailed back this: "Huh? Bean, I don't drink."

So much for doing more than one thing at the same time--it probably only works with walking while chewing gum.

However, it occurred to me that most people think that multitasking is the SOP. A 2005 study of employees by the Families and Work Institute in New York City showed 45 percent of U.S. workers believe that "they are asked or expected to work on too many tasks all at once." Unfortunately, these people may actually be wasting a lot of time.

As part of a study, a group led by psychologist David E. Meyer of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor asked test participants to write a report and check their e-mail at the same time. As it turns out, those who jumped back and forth between the tasks took about one and a half times longer to finish than those who completed one job before turning to another.

Other scientific studies also show that trying to juggle jobs rather than completing them one at a time can leave multitaskers with a reduced ability to perform each task well, as the brain constantly "resets" itself with each new task. This, in turn, may lead to inefficiency, sloppy thinking, and mistakes.

Up to a point, people can improve their multitasking skills with practice--at least those that can become routine. Yes, you can sing a song and scrub yourself with your loofah while taking a shower. But, surely, it's wrong for you to answer your boss' call on your cell phone while you're driving. (If this happens, pull over before you take the call.) So--to be on the safe side, avoid goof-ups like mine, and do your office tasks much better--try to just do one thing at a time. Think quality versus quantity.

Posted by Bean Jones at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBacks (0)

If you've ever tried getting up at the crack of dawn to do some exercise and failed--don't feel so bad. Your inner body clock probably didn't deem it an appropriate time for you to sweat it out right then. And, hey, you're not alone. I have the same sort of body clock, too.

Besides, David Dinges, chief of the Division of Sleep and Chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, advises that we should all time our workouts according to our respective body clocks or circadian rhythms. In other words, you have to figure out whether you're a morning person or a night owl so you can schedule your workouts accordingly.

Then again, even if you're naturally a morning person or a night person, varying work schedules, hormonal changes, and environmental factors (like jet lag) mess up your body clock's schedule. A lot of people often don't realize that their inner clocks are already out of whack, which, of course, makes them too exhausted to keep up with their workouts or resort to bingeing to deal with the stress.

Dr. Matthew Edlund, head of the Center for Circadian Medicine in Sarasaota, Florida and author of Designed to Last, has come up with a Body Clock Quiz that will help determine how your body clock is running right now.

But whether or not you decide to switch back to the body clock you were born with or reset it to fit your lifestyle, body clock experts offer the following "timely" tips to help you stay fit:

1. Wait it out. Regardless of your inner clock, the optimal workout time is in the afternoon and early evening. During the second half of the day, the body's systems are primed for action. It's when the heart and lungs are performing most efficiently and the body is most limber.

2. Keep it regular. Weight lifters who exercise at the same time consistently get more power than those who work out at different times. This need for routine is considered important enough that circadian rhythm specialists help organize Olympic event scheduling.

3. Eat on time. Body clock experts stress that consistent meal times are crucial in keeping the clock running smoothly. Being a night owl shouldn't be an excuse to miss breakfast.

So, I guess this means I can no longer use my "I'm not a morning person" spiel whenever I'm tempted to skip my daily run and just stay warm and toasty in bed. Sometimes it takes science to rub in the fact that I no longer have any "biologically sound" excuse to be lazy.

Posted by Bean Jones at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

It's tough when you get negative feedback, but imagine how difficult it is to dish it out without hurting anyone's feelings. So how do you criticize someone nicely? I myself have yet to learn to do this. That's why I'm so thankful I'm not the boss.

While criticism is necessary for quality control and to ensure productivity at the office, it could disrupt the work flow when it's taken the wrong way. "We are universally reluctant to trigger the hurt feelings, angry defenses, or counter attacks that criticism so frequently arouses," observes psychologist Judith Sills, author of Excess Baggage: Getting Out of Your Own Way.

To make sure that criticism is truly constructive, Sills lists five ways to deliver negative feedback in the most positive light:

1. Don't be one-sided. You have to pair every negative with a positive. You can say: "You are an amazing problem solver, but you aren't following up with the paper work."

2. Stick to the facts. Give feedback on observable behavior only--don't speculate on internal attitudes. At the very least, wait for or encourage the person in question to tell you what's really causing him or her to turn in less-than-excellent work.

3. Make it clear. You have to be very specific about both the problem and the expected solution: "When you do X, it creates problem Y. Next time, try this..."

4. Go the distance. Extend yourself to maintain the relationship. After being criticized, most people withdraw. Counter that by making friendly conversation.

5. Look for the silver lining. Remember that reward is the most powerful change agent. Point out what's wrong and be heavy-handed with what's working will work in the future.

In light of these tips, Sills adds that you have to make the recipients of criticism understand that they can use the negative feedback as guides to being more efficient or productive. Moreover, she advises that you have to make them understand that "the more they matter, the more managers will try to polish their strengths and file their rough edges."

Last but not least, keep in mind that courtesy and honesty go a long way when it comes to dishing out criticism. Most people will welcome the truth, no matter how bitter it is--as long as you don't force it down their throat.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a font fanatic. I can't begin to type anything unless I find a font that feels right. My favorites are the trusty Times New Roman, Courier New, Comic Sans, and Arial. I wondered what my font choices say about me, so I did some research and found out that there's more than meets the eye when it comes to fonts.

"Perception of Fonts: Personality Traits and Uses," a 2006 psychology study done at Wichita State University, revealed that people associate fonts with particular moods.

After going through the study's survey charts, I was amused to find out that my font choices present me as a "stable conformist" who could also be funny and "cuddly." (Me? A conformist?) Go figure. Check out the study and see how you might be judged by your favorite fonts.

In any case, the Wichita State University study confirms that fonts have indeed become significant elements of communication. In the old days, a person's handwriting was thought to be the key to his or her personality. Now--with technology as the great equalizer and a blessing to those with horrible penmanship--a person's font choices are supposed to show the world how his or her mind works.

As such, knowing the right fonts to use could spell the difference between the failure and success of communication.

It seems that the advertising industry has tapped into this "hidden power" of fonts. John Doyle, a marketing researcher at Cardiff Business School in the U.K. says that "consumers prefer consistency" and that "congruence between a typeface and an ad's message results in a more memorable product."

To illustrate his point, Doyle presented some of his findings:

1. Ornate, scripted fonts are associated with elegance.

2. A font that is slanted to the right connotes action. It's best for fast, high-paced products.

3. Products meant to exude strength and power are best shown off with heavy, block-like fonts.

Then again, I think we should all remember that the message we want to communicate or the product we're selling should be substantial enough to begin with. While fonts do pack a subtle-yet-powerful psych punch, they can only enhance a good idea or a wonderful product. People won't believe what you're saying or buy what you're selling if it's not any good--never mind if you used the right font in your marketing letter.

Side Note from MJ: Great stuff, Bean. The Direct Marketing world universally seems to agree that the standard serif fonts (12 pt. Times New Roman and 10 pt. Courier) will have a very positive impact on the response rate of any print ad. The theory is that these fonts increase readability and it's only logical that this would increase the response rate of your ads. You can have the best-written ad in the world and if no one reads it, it just doesn't matter. On the web, since serif fonts don't render so well in browsers, the preferred font tends to be Arial, Verdana, and Tahoma. Of course marketers will argue this point from every which direction, but the above seems to be the most universally agreed upon standard in the Direct Marketing world. The brand marketers are looking at things from an entirely different lens, so for them short ads with fonts selected for emotional impact can make good sense.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (25) | TrackBacks (0)

In my job interview with Mark way back in May, he asked me a question that had me stomped: "Can you work with minimal supervision?" Wow, I thought, is he kidding me? I nearly jumped out of the chair to do an Irish jig. I was ecstatic.

You see, in my first job right out of college, I had a boss who liked looking over my shoulder all the time. I hardly got any work done. I was too busy being scared that I was doing something wrong.

It turns out I'm not the only one who gets the creeps when this happens.

A study published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior reveals that closely monitoring employees will only slow down productivity. Thus, 134 office workers got distracted from their data correction tasks by prompts that popped up on their computer screens. The notifications revealed that they were being "monitored for quality, quantity, or both." Rather than drive them to work harder, the prompts caused the workers to second-guess their performance

Study co-authors by Jeffrey Stanton, Ph.D., an assistant professor of information studies at Syracuse University, and Amanda Julian of Somerville and Company Inc., a Denver-based consulting firm, add that employees also react the same way when they're subjected to video and other types of electronic surveillance.

Stanton pointed out that an "efficient supervisor won't resort to any of these tactics." He then went on to advise bosses to simply get their employees aligned with the goals of the organization.

Bottom line: Bosses should trust the people they hire to do their jobs. Otherwise, why hire them at all? Playing "Big Brother" might be a cool premise for a reality show, but it's not something people (especially those who do their jobs right) want to experience at the office.

Posted by Bean Jones at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)