Lucky Google; Managing up; Efficiency enemies

I’m feeling reeeeally tired this weekend. I’m not sure if it’s just because I came back to work this week after a week off, or because the world is a lot right now.

I think it’s important to recognise when we’re not feeling 100%, or even 90%, and make adjustments to ensure safety in the long term. We need to feel comfortable explaining to our colleagues that maybe we need a bit of a break in the afternoon to re-sync – a walk in the afternoon, a quick 10 minute nap recharge.

If you spot that a colleague is feeling a bit low, provide them the space to take that needed break, we’ll all benefit from it. This thought is also extended in this week’s podcast recommendation, check it out.

Have a great week 👋

Firstly, why is it still there? Secondly, have you ever used it? It was previously estimated that because that button jumps you through to a webpage, Google lost approximately $100m in revenue per year from the lack of adverts being seen. We live in a hilarious world where frivolity is measured in terms of advertisement revenue, and user experience has to fight for its right in a corner.

This is definitely on the more “practical” style of article I’d normally share, but I found it really valuable and I’m sure you will too. “Managing up” is normally looked at in a bit of a bluergh way, but unfortunately it’s something that we all kind of need to get comfortable with to ensure healthy and successful work relationships. This piece goes through the different types of managers we may encounter, and the different types of communication styles we may employ to get..it..done.

Take the lame introduction of this article with a pinch of salt, because the rest is golden. It presents the concept of “slack” (not the messaging tool) in the workspace, and how we actually need time not working in order to be most effective. What this could look like is simply blocking your calendar off for a few hours every day where you’re not available, which means you can be a lot more reactive to the important stuff, and not be 100% maxed out all of the time.

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Oh lord, please. Anxiety is surging across the world, no doubt because of what’s been happening in the past 2+ years. This means that we’re all at breaking point, and there needs to be a solution before zombie mode fully sets in at a societal level. This short podcast from economist Juliet Schor explains why a 4 day week can benefit us, companies, and society. Yes pleeeease.

Listen to this podcast (12 minutes)

Spotify – Apple Podcasts