It is Superbowl time again. My mom's birthday is the same day, so the family is having a huge Superbowl birthday party. Given the teams participating this year, I hope for a good game. Since we can't go to the party, I'm making chili to go with the Bountiful Baskets hostess pack I ordered. (Super Hostess Pack - Are you ready to get your snack on? Corn tortilla chips ready to bake or fry. Veggie tray fixings: hoping for carrot, grape tomato, green onion,jicama, mushroom, snap peas. Guacamole and Salsa fixings: hoping for avocado, cilantro, garlic, green onion, lemon or lime, jalapeno, tomato, yellow onion. ! ) I'm excited to see what I actually get so I can plan menus for next week.
For quite a few years, I didn't get to see very much of the Superbowl. I was working at ISMC-the Intel Sales and Marketing Conference. I was part of the Information Technology group supporting the event. In my case, that meant upgrading software on computers, configuring computers, explaining new features and new options. For at least a couple of years, the first night of ISMC coincided with the Superbowl. I got to see a few minutes of football and one or two of the lauded commercials. Many years earlier, my daughter's piano teacher always had a recital on Superbowl Sunday. We were usually home by the time the game started.
The Romans created spectacles to keep the populace entertained. Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, and European rulers did as well. From archaeological findings, we suspect that most civilizations have hosted events, whether religious or secular, to entertain, educate, and/or engage the populace. In our day, the Superbowl; cricket, soccer, or rugby world cup; Olympics; Majors in tennis and golf; NCAA basketball final four; MLB world series and other sporting events constitute a similar spectacle. Great Britain also has royal weddings that fit into this mix. In older times, we had to be present to participate. Now we can do so comfortably from our couch watching on our tv. We can watch on our mobile device wherever we are. We can watch things in almost every country on earth. These spectacles create a sense of community.
For most of civilization, community was the place where you lived. You knew your neighbors and participated in community events together. This is one reason for public executions. It helped preserve the sense of community (knitting at the guillotine, anyone?). Some of that community activity still exists. Here in Prescott, there are many community activities: Acker music scholarship night (my video blog about that), holiday lighting at the courthouse (another video blog), Christmas and Veteran's day parades, the rodeo, etc. For people who liver in smaller towns, the community in the older sense of the word still exists.
Do you watch Downton Abbey? Did you watch The Lizzie Bennet Diaries? Do you read Jane Austen fanfiction? These are things I enjoy-and all of them have communities associated with them. Most of this community is virtual, although many of the fans met the actors for Lizzie Bennet at Comic-Con. The Lizzie Bennet communities had Google hangouts where people could talk to the actors and ask questions. In all of the communities, people share with one another, comment, critique, praise, analyze, and discuss as if they were face to face. The Internet has created this ability to have true virtual communities.
Online gamers have virtual communities where they actually talk to one another as they participate in the game. They still don't generally meet face to face although there are venues for that. They talk through specific voice networks they've created as part of the game.
What has all this to do with the Superbowl? With its viewership, the Superbowl is surely one of the larger communities around. It is one of the true modern day mega-spectacles. Millions watch-some for the game, some for the half time show, some for the new commercials, some for the food at the parties. Lots of betting takes place. There are parties all over the United States. More than many other things in the US, the Superbowl is a shared event, creating a community if only for one evening (and the Monday morning quarterbacking afterwards). We're not attending a party-it will just be the two of us, the golf pro and me. However, we will be watching the game, cheering, eating, and critiquing the new commercials and play calling along with most of the rest of the US. We get to participate in this nationwide community event. And that is fun.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Focus and multi-tasking
We live in a culture that promotes multi-tasking and distractions. We reflexively check our inbox, whether in email or messaging. We text. We tweet. We often do these things while we are trying to do other things and try to split our attention. Tests show it isn't possible to do this, but we keep on trying.
When we focus on a task with our complete attention, we are more apt to be successful. We may find background noise (music, television, etc) relaxing or think it promotes our concentration, but when we are actually working, they are really a distraction. If we are completely focused on our task, we do not hear the background noise. If what we are doing doesn't require that level of concentration, then the background may be a pleasant distraction from a mundane task.
Many people find it very hard to completely focus. Our culture does not really train us to accomplish this.If you suffer from ADD or ADHD, you are often given meds to help with the concentration but more rarely given tricks or tips on how to focus your attention. Most of us need to eliminate multi-tasking to get that serious focus or concentration.
When I am really focused, I do not hear someone talking to me. I do not notice other people in the room. Occasionally, I completely lose track of time and am startled at how much time has passed. This happens often when I read. It happened frequently when I was a PC trainer and creating training material. Since that job, I have more often multi-tasked and hence frequently been less focused on the task at hand.
When athletes have this concentration, it is known as being 'in the zone.' A famous example of this was Ben Hogan who was so focused on lining up a putt that he did not see a dog run across the green. Most athletes in the zone say that they do not even hear the crowd. That is focused.
I view multi-tasking as scrambled priorities. We think both tasks equally important, or one boring and the other interesting but both required, so we try to both at the same time. In actuality, neither gets done as well as both would get done if we did them serially. There have been times when I was so engrossed in a book that I forgot to pick up my daughter from a friend's, or I burned something on the stove. I have learned I cannot read and cook at the same time.
I am as guilty as the next at trying to accomplish something else during a dull meeting. However, if I were more engaged in the meeting, fully present and participating, the meeting wouldn't be so dull. I actually create the environment that drives me to want to multi-task by my own attitude. There are, however, some meeting organizers who really need to learn to run effective meetings. No one can be blamed for tuning out in those situations.
Our technology also encourages lack of focus. I turned off new email notifications so that I would not be distracted and want to check what the new email says. I chose not to synchronize any of my email clients with my phone so that I would not be tempted to be always connected. I did not get a texting plan for my phone so that I would not be tempted to text all the time. I pay for each text-which makes me more conscious of them. Texting, tweeting, instant messaging, and other technologies encourage us to constantly check and reflexively use our phone or tablet instead of consciously. This benefits our carriers as we consume more time, more data, and run up our costs. I do not think it benefits us in being focused on the present.
On Monday, January 27, Marketplace ran a segment on whether the teen or the parent was more addicted to their mobile phone. The parent used more talk minutes, the teen more texts, and the parent more data because of shows he had watched. Neither can function without the phone-and even when she was interviewing her father for the segment, he was checking his phone. This inability to focus, the need to be doing many things at once, is why so many people who know better will text and drive. Really, how bad would it be to wait 15 minutes to answer a text?
If you want improve any skill, you must focus on it and practice. That includes the skill of focus. You probably want a quiet environment free of external distractions. That might mean turning off the phone (gasp) or shutting down email. If you are in a cube farm, it might mean wearing noise canceling headphones. Amazingly, focus is a skill you can strengthen with practice. When you do so, you will find that your results also improve. This is true whether it is for work, school, in relationships, games, or specific skills. An additional benefit of such focus is less stress. Switching back and forth between tasks is also more stressful than completing one and moving on to the next. If you drop multi-tasking and focus instead, you become more productive and have less stress. To me, that is getting into the 'zone' and winning all around.
When we focus on a task with our complete attention, we are more apt to be successful. We may find background noise (music, television, etc) relaxing or think it promotes our concentration, but when we are actually working, they are really a distraction. If we are completely focused on our task, we do not hear the background noise. If what we are doing doesn't require that level of concentration, then the background may be a pleasant distraction from a mundane task.
Many people find it very hard to completely focus. Our culture does not really train us to accomplish this.If you suffer from ADD or ADHD, you are often given meds to help with the concentration but more rarely given tricks or tips on how to focus your attention. Most of us need to eliminate multi-tasking to get that serious focus or concentration.
When I am really focused, I do not hear someone talking to me. I do not notice other people in the room. Occasionally, I completely lose track of time and am startled at how much time has passed. This happens often when I read. It happened frequently when I was a PC trainer and creating training material. Since that job, I have more often multi-tasked and hence frequently been less focused on the task at hand.
When athletes have this concentration, it is known as being 'in the zone.' A famous example of this was Ben Hogan who was so focused on lining up a putt that he did not see a dog run across the green. Most athletes in the zone say that they do not even hear the crowd. That is focused.
I view multi-tasking as scrambled priorities. We think both tasks equally important, or one boring and the other interesting but both required, so we try to both at the same time. In actuality, neither gets done as well as both would get done if we did them serially. There have been times when I was so engrossed in a book that I forgot to pick up my daughter from a friend's, or I burned something on the stove. I have learned I cannot read and cook at the same time.
I am as guilty as the next at trying to accomplish something else during a dull meeting. However, if I were more engaged in the meeting, fully present and participating, the meeting wouldn't be so dull. I actually create the environment that drives me to want to multi-task by my own attitude. There are, however, some meeting organizers who really need to learn to run effective meetings. No one can be blamed for tuning out in those situations.
Our technology also encourages lack of focus. I turned off new email notifications so that I would not be distracted and want to check what the new email says. I chose not to synchronize any of my email clients with my phone so that I would not be tempted to be always connected. I did not get a texting plan for my phone so that I would not be tempted to text all the time. I pay for each text-which makes me more conscious of them. Texting, tweeting, instant messaging, and other technologies encourage us to constantly check and reflexively use our phone or tablet instead of consciously. This benefits our carriers as we consume more time, more data, and run up our costs. I do not think it benefits us in being focused on the present.
On Monday, January 27, Marketplace ran a segment on whether the teen or the parent was more addicted to their mobile phone. The parent used more talk minutes, the teen more texts, and the parent more data because of shows he had watched. Neither can function without the phone-and even when she was interviewing her father for the segment, he was checking his phone. This inability to focus, the need to be doing many things at once, is why so many people who know better will text and drive. Really, how bad would it be to wait 15 minutes to answer a text?
If you want improve any skill, you must focus on it and practice. That includes the skill of focus. You probably want a quiet environment free of external distractions. That might mean turning off the phone (gasp) or shutting down email. If you are in a cube farm, it might mean wearing noise canceling headphones. Amazingly, focus is a skill you can strengthen with practice. When you do so, you will find that your results also improve. This is true whether it is for work, school, in relationships, games, or specific skills. An additional benefit of such focus is less stress. Switching back and forth between tasks is also more stressful than completing one and moving on to the next. If you drop multi-tasking and focus instead, you become more productive and have less stress. To me, that is getting into the 'zone' and winning all around.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Success
How do we determine success? This is something I've been thinking about recently. I'm recovering from a bout with something that was probably flu. It has given me lots of time to think-there is only so much television that I can watch. Success is a word that is often used but has a very flexible meaning. Success differs from one person to another and from one situation to another.
I watched a lot of the 2014 Australian Open tennis matches. I really enjoy tennis. In each arena, only one person can be the champion. However, everyone who is able to participate is a success in one way or another. Most tennis players lose in every tournament, and yet they continue to play tournament after tournament. To be a professional tennis player or golfer, you have to be comfortable with not being the winner. You must strive to win but realize that it will not be every week. Many professionals seldom win the championship although they may win a number of matches before the loss. Loss is not failure, it is simply one aspect of the competition. The losers are still successful-after all, they love and play tennis for their jobs. To be able to compete professionally is to succeed.
In school, there are again varying measures of success. For some, a passing grade is a success. For others, only an A is success. Some audit classes and avoid the grades completely. For them, new learning means success. Some combine the goal of learning and the grade to define success. The school recognizes success in the form of the grade or test results. A community often defines success as the standardized test results. When I was in school, success was the A. Until graduate school, I think I learned more on my own than in a formal school setting. Graduate school combined both my desire to learn and the desire to get the degree to define success. That time, I defined my own goals and success.
In the workplace, many determine success by regular pay raises. Others seek promotions or external recognition. Some want the visible signs of success-the fancy car, home, watch, clothes, tech gadgets, etc. For others, success is found in the contribution they make. At work, although I love a positive performance review, for me, success is the ability to make a positive contribution. I particularly love it when I help someone else, whether to solve a problem or to master a new skill. If I do not have an opportunity to help, the day is not as fulfilling.
In my home life, success is harder to measure. How do I know that I have been a success as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend? I must measure myself against what I want to be. These measurements are often full of self-doubt and criticism. However, in the end, this is the place where success matters the most.
While my contribution at work is important, my contribution to my family and friends is what I value the most. Steven Covey calls these things important, but frequently not urgent. Stuff at work is frequently urgent but not necessarily important. Success in this area requires a focus on the important that is easily overlooked in the press of things. Setting goals helps create visible tracking of focus in the area. Creating routines can also assist.
Over the years, I have found that if I plan laundry for light colors on Monday, towels on Wednesday, and dark colors on Friday, I can see 'success' in this aspect of my life. I can celebrate some success as a homemaker. I plan menus once a week with similar results. I can see that I have successfully served healthy, tasty meals for my family. That does not mean I do so all the time. I do succeed more often than not. This success is sort of like the tennis player-I may not win the tournament (always serving as I would like to), but I do win many matches (mostly serving the kinds of meals I want).
So, what is success? If we want to be truly successful, I think we must each decide for ourselves. This will likely be a work in progress, with personal definitions of success continuing to change over time as life circumstances change. Those who do not make these changes often find retirement challenging as they identify success only through work.
I watched a lot of the 2014 Australian Open tennis matches. I really enjoy tennis. In each arena, only one person can be the champion. However, everyone who is able to participate is a success in one way or another. Most tennis players lose in every tournament, and yet they continue to play tournament after tournament. To be a professional tennis player or golfer, you have to be comfortable with not being the winner. You must strive to win but realize that it will not be every week. Many professionals seldom win the championship although they may win a number of matches before the loss. Loss is not failure, it is simply one aspect of the competition. The losers are still successful-after all, they love and play tennis for their jobs. To be able to compete professionally is to succeed.
In school, there are again varying measures of success. For some, a passing grade is a success. For others, only an A is success. Some audit classes and avoid the grades completely. For them, new learning means success. Some combine the goal of learning and the grade to define success. The school recognizes success in the form of the grade or test results. A community often defines success as the standardized test results. When I was in school, success was the A. Until graduate school, I think I learned more on my own than in a formal school setting. Graduate school combined both my desire to learn and the desire to get the degree to define success. That time, I defined my own goals and success.
In the workplace, many determine success by regular pay raises. Others seek promotions or external recognition. Some want the visible signs of success-the fancy car, home, watch, clothes, tech gadgets, etc. For others, success is found in the contribution they make. At work, although I love a positive performance review, for me, success is the ability to make a positive contribution. I particularly love it when I help someone else, whether to solve a problem or to master a new skill. If I do not have an opportunity to help, the day is not as fulfilling.
In my home life, success is harder to measure. How do I know that I have been a success as a wife, mother, grandmother, friend? I must measure myself against what I want to be. These measurements are often full of self-doubt and criticism. However, in the end, this is the place where success matters the most.
While my contribution at work is important, my contribution to my family and friends is what I value the most. Steven Covey calls these things important, but frequently not urgent. Stuff at work is frequently urgent but not necessarily important. Success in this area requires a focus on the important that is easily overlooked in the press of things. Setting goals helps create visible tracking of focus in the area. Creating routines can also assist.
Over the years, I have found that if I plan laundry for light colors on Monday, towels on Wednesday, and dark colors on Friday, I can see 'success' in this aspect of my life. I can celebrate some success as a homemaker. I plan menus once a week with similar results. I can see that I have successfully served healthy, tasty meals for my family. That does not mean I do so all the time. I do succeed more often than not. This success is sort of like the tennis player-I may not win the tournament (always serving as I would like to), but I do win many matches (mostly serving the kinds of meals I want).
So, what is success? If we want to be truly successful, I think we must each decide for ourselves. This will likely be a work in progress, with personal definitions of success continuing to change over time as life circumstances change. Those who do not make these changes often find retirement challenging as they identify success only through work.
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