Started from the top, now we’re here
Today’s post is about how to get a company to listen to you, whether it’s for a job application or a business deal. As Melvyn Lubega says, it’s about starting at the top:
Strategist. Lecturer. Consultant
Today’s post is about how to get a company to listen to you, whether it’s for a job application or a business deal. As Melvyn Lubega says, it’s about starting at the top:
Yesterday, my senior on a project paused for a moment to talk about the vision for the project. The potential impact it could have, the policy it could inform.
By taking a moment to remind me of the vision, I was re-energized to get to the end of the project.
Now I know I’m speaking in abstract terms here, because the vision for the project is confidential.
But I was inspired again. Ready to wade through the work
So when you’re lacking inspiration, don’t forget to look to the future impact of you’re doing.
Image is from my work spot at Truth coffee yesterday 🙂
Blog: 294/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: I like me better - Lauv
I love people who get excited about what they do.
Regardless of what it is.
You love accounting? Awesome!
You get giddy when talking about coding? Brilliant!
You are passionate about global development? Wonderful!
I spent my lunch break today chatting to someone about innovative finance mechanisms for fighting poverty. She got so animated that I almost exclusively became interested in her excitement. Her eyes lit up as she discussed all the work that she was doing
My favourite people are not one that are in a specific field.
My favourite people are those that get amped about their own.
Image is of one of my favourite people, Thabo, when we were having drinks at the Gin Dock earlier this
Blog: 291/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Ariana Grande - Break Free ft Zedd
We all know about the Sunday blues. They sound like the theme music from Carte Blanche and taste like day old leftovers. It feels like a weight that sits heavy on your chest, until you are released from it by a deep sleep.
One of the key reasons that we use to explain Sunday blues is that the weekend is over and that we have to work the next day.
And I can understand this if you absolutely hate your job. (In which case, you should probably get out of it)
But I think that Sunday blues are more than that. I think that they’re likely the lack of flow that comes about on a Sunday evening.
There’s no work to do, you’ve finished all your Sunday plans and exhausted your entertainment options. Now, all that’s left is to wait for the next day.
So the solution to beating the Sunday blues is easy. Bring in other colours and find things that excite you. Have a regular event, like a Sunday dinner, or a hobby to bring you through the evening.
The reason you’re feeling blue is that you’re probably just bored. So take the opportunity to find something great to do
Image is of a rainbow, taken from our flat 🙂
Blog: 290/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Solomun - Kackvogel
When I sit down to write my blogs in the evening, I’m often surprised at how many of my thoughts are recurrent. There are similar ideas that pop up again and again, and I sometimes have to check that I haven’t written about them before.
Reflecting on this, I realised that much of my environment and belief system exists on a handful of concepts and thoughts. And my days are often reflective and reinforcing of these thoughts.
So based on this, there are two important things to remember. Firstly, we need to take our thoughts to first princles. We might hold on to them dearly without checking if they are founded on truth
Secondly, we need to get out of our echo chambers as much as we can. To understand what’s going on outside of our bumble, and update our understanding accordingly.
There’s nothing wrong with having recurrent thoughts and philosophies. Just unpack them every now and again to see if they’re still valid 🙂
Image was taken in the canals at the Cape Town conference centre
Blog: 289/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Rudemental et al. - These days
I know I’ve written a post very similar to this one before. But it still astounds me how many great things I get to work on and do.
Today was a fairly “ordinary” day, and comprised of:
And after this, I spent the afternoon with my mom, which included a little boat cruise and drinks at the Silo hotel.
Three years ago, I would never have imagined a day like this in my wildest dreams.
And today it was a very normal reality
Image was taken at the Silo 🙂
Blog: 288/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Suzanne Vega - Toms Diner
The amount of work that a person produced in a day used to be proportional to the time they spent at the job. If an employee worked from 9 until 5, you could be fairly certain of the volume and value of output that they produced.
So, because time = output, you wanted to maximise the time that the employees spent at work
But in the modern era, time is no longer proportional to output. There are two reasons for this:
Because of these two changes, keeping employees around for a mandatory 8 hours no longer guarantees a certain level of output.
Instead, creating output involves motivating the employees effectively. And part of this is giving them autonomy over their work.
The simplest way to do this: flexitime
As long as an employee finishes their work to an acceptable standard, they can go home when they want. Some structure can be placed on this, like a minimum amount of time at the job or being present for certain meetings.
But by allowing an employee to be flexible, they’re likely to produce more output in the allotted time AND get less distracted. Because if they finish their work, they can go home.
The world of work has changed. Forcing your employees to stay around is no longer the best way to do things. Give them some freedom, and watch their motivation soar.
Image was taken outside the economics building earlier this year 🙂
Blog: 287/365. Click here to read about my #365of25 journey
Song of the day: Father John Misty - I love you, honeybear
We made it through another week of healthy eating. And to celebrate we had man day.
This included a wagyu burger, steak, chips and onion rings. And a quart of beer
I felt a little bit sick afterwards.
But it was great.
And it also reminded me that eating healthy feels so much better 🙂
Image is of our fantastic man day spread.
Blog: 257/365
Song of the day: Right Said Fred – You’re my mate