Things to Read While Pretending to Work – Nov. 19, 2015
Did nyone else out there feel like doing zero work today? If you've been grinding all week, I've got a few things for you to check out that will break the monotony of work and might even give a bit of a boost before the weekend.
If you haven't seen this post before, here's what it's all about: I want to help turn your "dead time" at work into something more productive. Instead of going on Facebook or skimming random news sites to to kill the time, I'm going to post three awesome articles to read instead. Use this post to get a mental break from work, while also learning some tangible, actionable advice that will make your life better.
As always, please let me know your requests and suggestions by replying with a comment. Which article above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Let me know!
Enjoy the weekend,
Alistair
Work
How to Get Time Off for a Job Interview (link: https://goo.gl/YFMx1E) -- Last week a reader asked me the best way to sneak out of the office for job interviews. It's an awkward problem that almost everyone faces, and I didn't have a straightforward answer. I've used the "doctor's appointment" excuse in the past, but I felt guilty about lying. This article contains some good suggestions, including advice for getting around difficult questions from your boss.
What's your method for getting out of the office for an interview? Leave a comment I'll forward your suggestions to the reader looking for advice.
Life
Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy (link: http://goo.gl/q1hRo0) -- Do you sometimes feel frustrated, inadequate, or unhappy? Were you born between the late 1970s and the mid 1990s? If so, you may be a 'GYPSY' (a Gen Y Protagonists & Special Yuppie). Read this article for a frank analysis of your generation's approach to life, including recommendations for how to cure the underlying unhappiness that so many of us feel on a day-to-day basis.
P.S. This is article comes from one of my favorite blogs: Wait But Why. They do long, entertaining, and factual breakdowns of popular topics like Why Procrastinators Procrastinate and How (and Why) SpaceX Will Colonize Mars. And if that doesn't convince you to check it out, maybe this will: each article is accompanied by hilariously poor illustrations drawn in MS Paint.
Fitness
Brain.fm (link: https://goo.gl/q6U8up) -- If you listen to music when you work then you need to try Brain.fm. I've been using it for the past few weeks and love it. They have playlists designed to improve your focus, relaxation, and sleep, and the claims seem to be backed up by legitimate science. They have a free trial, so you can try it for yourself and see if it works.
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Is this post useful? What do you want to learn about next week? Let me know in the comments.