Published January 31st, 2009
in plan and energy.
Having something to look forward to is very important to feel energized. Longing for something is in most cases even more rewarding then the actual moment itself. It keeps you going because you know a good time is coming. Whether it’s a concert of your favourite band, a romantic dinner, a trip abroad or even a project you always wanted to do at work. Don’t wait till the last moment to decide what you’re going to do, plan things in advance, you’ll feel calm and at ease when everything is already arranged.
At least do something you’ve never done before every six months, be open minded. Let fear guide you to do things you’d never thought you were capable of, later you’ll see these things as the biggest victories of your life.
(Interesting project: http://www.dayzeroproject.com - Plan 101 things in 1001 days)
(Plan ahead FAIL!)
Published January 29th, 2009
in energy.
“You really are as thick as clotted cream that’s been left out by some clot until the clots are so clotted you couldn’t unclot them with an electric declotter, aren’t you, Baldrick?” - Edmund Blackadder
You have to get rid of things you don’t need. Even if you have some doubts about keeping some stuff, throw them away anyway. You’ll feel relieved afterwards. If you can’t make those decisions you’re suffering from ‘Disposophobia‘.
After decluttering your desk your focus is direct and prominent. Now we can move onto the next thing: de-clutter your mind. Try to focus on ‘being‘ after work and ‘doing‘ during work. Stop thinking, worrying, wondering about. Keep telling yourself everything will be allright, even if you don’t have the slightest idea it will work out. It will give you a lot more courage and energy to pull through.
Published January 28th, 2009
in energy.
Try to break down your work into little parts. See these parts as individual tasks. Mark them on your list when they’re done, you’ll feel satisfied, confident and full of energy to take on the next task. Even when I’m working on a 4 month projects, I split the project up in milestones (4 to 6) and these milestones into tickets (or whatever you want to call it) of half a day to 2 days each which you then again can split up into tasks. Make sure mentally demanding tasks are interrupted by simple actions (answer mail, check up on your colleague, breaks, write a manual, …). You’re going to notice the project isn’t as hard as you thought it was in the first place. Just minimize your goals (finish one task) and see them in perspective (the whole project).
Published January 27th, 2009
in energy.
…at least 6 up to 8 hours a day. Try to sleep regular hours, if that’s from 2AM till 10AM that’s fine too! Don’t eat a hot meal just before hitting the sack. Power naps are great but not always easy to do on a daily basis at work unless you do it like this…
Published January 26th, 2009
in energy and simplicity.
If there is more than one electron around the atom, electron-electron-interactions raise the energy level.
Off course, everybody knows that. But instead if getting help from electrons like an atom does what can we do to increase our energy level during a long day at and after work? Here is number one of 5 secrets to survive the next day…
#1. Stop being lazy
Lazyness … is according to wikipedia: a disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to do so
Ok - you should all recognize this-, when I got home from work around 5.30PM I did this:
- opened the door (you kinda have to if you want to get in..)
- fed my kitten
- ate a rice biscuit
… and jumped with my lazy ass on the couch pressing the power button on the remote control of my tv.
Now, that’s bad. Crashing in front of tv is bad for your energy levels. If you lie down, you tell your body it can rest now. You’ll feel sleepy and energy-less. Your mind is all like “Dude, you should do something”, but it takes a lot of effort and determination to hit the power button again, get up and do something. TV is the number one time-waster and it’s the most passive thing there is. So stop watching fucking LOST! (Gary Vaynerchuk) - get up and do something! The hardest part is not the work you do, it’s to convince yourself you should do it! So stop reading this blog! You have a million better things to do! Go (but please come back tomorrow for another tip, #2)!
Published January 26th, 2009
in mobile, iphone, ipod touch and tutorial.
(screenshot from the new Ice Age III movie)
Following up our Edumatic mobile development you can find my new tutorial on integrating audio and video in an iphone/ipod touch web page in the create section (or read it here).
2008 is dead. Finished. It’s over. Good year after all. A few old loves slightly disappeared and created some space for new ideas and insights. I couldn’t be more happy with the choices I made. My head is idea-floating-pool for 24/7 and a few ideas are coming close to realisations but more about that in 2009 for sure. Happy new year to all of you - may it be the start of an adventureous journey! I really got inspired by more then a few people, twits, talks and books, but here is my 2008 top 3:
1. Gary Vaynerchuk (link)
No BS, just do it!
2. Eckhart Tolle - The power of now (book)
Leave your ego behind.
3. Tim Ferris (eg link book)
Fear is your friend!
Professionally 2008 wasn’t easy, we got the company split up (indiegroup-televic education), the moving to Marke and the merging with Televic and it took quite a while before some pieces started to fall into the right places. I am now settled at our new office - I have a large desk which I love :p and a 5 minute drive to work (it used to be 8 so one more step and my office will be my home :p).
We created some cool interactive white board/smartboard projects in 2008 with the first digital atlas application (http://www.algemenewereldatlas.be) and an online creator/offline player for digital books which will be released somewhere around the end of January. There are certainly needs for more interactive whiteboard software as the schools/universities are really buying the boards now and starting experimenting with it. 2009 looks promising with some new technologies to explore (eg mobile) and a new version of our online Edumatic authoring tool. Hopefully we can stay together as a team in 2009 and continue to develop some kick ass educational software for everyone who needs it. Let’s rock!
(On a personal note I moved in with my g/f and we are now enjoying the benefits of our own space and time. I started taking cooking lessons with a few friends and tested my skills on colleagues and family with success. 2009 is going to be a big family-year cause my sister is getting married in April and my older brother’s and g/f are having their first baby -if everything goes the way it’s planned- in May and me - yes I am already saving - gets to be the godfather! woohoow!)
(PS. 2008 was also very twittery - follow me)
Continue reading ‘The road ahead…’
