Keeping an Eye on Your Employees

Did you know that it is estimated that companies spend more that $750 billion paying people for work that is actually not being done? I am not a huge fan of someone alway watching my affairs but when it comes to being in a work place getting place for their work, they should not expect privacy. That is the bottom line. There are some things that employers can do to mitigate the expenses that are associated with people not doing what they are supposed to be doing. Software development and services have come far enough that you can access your employees' computer whenever you want and see what is happening in real time. You can also install video and audio surveillance systems that can record everything and that you can access from any remote location via your laptop and watch and listen in real time. You can also install GPS tracking devices on company vehicles to track salespeople, installers, delivery drivers, and the like who are out in the field.

Do One Thing at a Time

If I can juggle five things at once, I’ll be more effective. If more effective, more productive. If more productive, more successful. The more successful, the happier. It all makes sense. Have you ever been caught in that line of thought? We think that if we do more things now, we will have more time later. The truth of the matter is that when we try to do too many things at once, we are not giving out full attention to any one thing. I bet you are even multi-tasking right now. Do you have music playing somewhere? It there an internet phone service that is demanding your attention? I thought so. Now imagine what would happen if we did one thing at a time? There would be more focus and better decision making which would lead to more productivity because we are able to make better choices. We would also be living more in the moment which research has shown that it is connected to being happier. And isn't that the whole point?

End the Day on a Great Note

All is well that ends well. For the most part anyway. If you are one of those people that feel utterly stressed and worn out at the end of the day and can hardly relax, there are things that you can do before hitting the sack that will help make you feel more positive and get tomorrow off to a great start. The first thing that you should do is get a pencil and paper and write down the things that you are grateful for in your day. Did that video conference go well? Or did you have a good lunch with a friend? You cannot let bad incidents in the day determine your mood. Another great way to de-stress is to take a break from social media and find time to exercise. Take a walk after dinner or if the weather is not good, do some yoga in the house. Lastly, keep things in perspective. No matter how much we plan, things can take longer and get carried over into the next day. It is important to make time for your home life nonetheless. Keep that balance and you will feel better and ready for the next day.

Become a Morning Person

Are you one of those people that hit the snooze several times before you get up in the morning? If you really think about it, it is absolutely ridiculous that we hit the snooze button. It is like saying that you hate getting up in the morning so you do it over and over again. So the question becomes how in the world do you get up in the morning when it is so hard? You could try some mobile applications to get up in the morning and get moving. The key is to consciously decide the next-day's intentions every night to actively and mindfully create a positive expectation for the next morning. Another great trick is to move your alarm clock to the other side of the room. This will make you get up and moving. While you are up, brush your teeth and drink some water. You might be feeling dehydrated which can make you tired.

Big Data and Being Happy

Big data is a good thing in more than one way. It has great advantages in the way of being able to get a glimpse of the trends and some other analyses. It is used for software development as well as in laboratories. There are some things that we as humans can do to really take advantage of it. First of all, since it can be used to remember things, our minds can be less crowded and we can appreciate the moment more fully. Of course, this is easier said than done because we still seem to have our noses in our phones constantly so this "present moment" can get a bit fuzzy. Big data can also know your preferences which means that you will be having to make less choices which in turn will free you from decision paralysis as well as decision regret. We can offload tasks to digital assistants and be able to focus more on the things that make us happy.

Ways to Reduce Stress in the Office

If I were to ask a group of people who feel overwhelmed, most of them are going to raise their hands. As business professionals it is very common to end up feeling overworked as well, no matter how great the content management systems are or the cloud services. One of the solutions is to be able to understand how you work best and be in tune with the rhythm. Do some experiments to figure out what works best for you. While you won't always be able to stick to your plan, you will always have a plan to return to. You will need to schedule the most important tasks first so you can do the things that add the most value either to your career or life. Also, if you are faced with hard tasks, take a walk and use that time to take you might off of the task or decision. You will be surprised with what you come up with. Lastly, make sure that you are in control of your distractions such as phone calls, emails, and office drop-ins. It is important to set boundaries.

Really Fast Internet

What do you think that life would be like if the internet was 100 times faster? Cloud services would become the norm for one thing. There would also be a significant increase in the usage of telepresence technology. Just imagine being able to be together for a dinner when the people are in several different parts of the world. This is the rise of a virtual world where we have avatars and holograms. A faster internet would also mean that humans and robotics would come that much closer and smart devices will be the standard. Not to mention the rise of smart transportation. With less human errors in robotic cars, there will be less accidents and transportation will be more efficient. Of course, this might also open many more doors for hackers and people that want to jump on the network for malice. What other things do you think will be the norm with a larger bandwidth?