The Overlooked Secret for Work Satisfaction

November 27, 2023Leave a comment

What drives people to do their best work every day? Is it a big paycheck? How about impressive benefits? Perhaps it is awards and other types of recognition? While all that is nice, none of these factors is the most important to a sense of meaningful work.

In fact, the secret to workplace satisfaction costs nothing.

It is simply a sense of progress.

There is an ancient Greek myth about a cruel king named Sisyphus, a mortal cursed by Hades to roll a boulder up a hill for all eternity. The catch was that just before he reached the top, the boulder would slip from his grasp and roll back to the bottom, forcing him to start over. For too many people their workday is Sisyphean in that they put in hours of effort with no sense of progress to claim for it.

According to Teresa M. Amabile, and Steven J. Kramer, authors of The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work, the best way to find satisfaction at work is to have a sense of daily, meaningful progress. In their surveys of workers, they found that 76% of people’s best days involved progress, while only 13% involved setbacks. As they summed up:

“Of all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most important is progress in meaningful work.”

What was more surprising to them was how little management understood and appreciated this fact. According to their surveys, a sense of progress was dead last in a list of possible motivating factors. This demonstrates a strong disconnect between perceived and actual reality. On the positive side, it means that managers who pay attention to workflow, clear barriers and set out clear goals will help their employees feel more successful and fulfilled.

A sense of progress is important to authors. There is an old adage that authors succeed by writing something every day. Even if the work they produce is ultimately not used, the dynamic of forward progress in the task of writing is essential to eventually finishing that novel or long essay.

To learn more about how a sense of progress can improve your everyday work, read The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.

Tidying Before the Holidays

November 12, 2023Leave a comment

As we approach the end of the year, invitations for parties and unexpected get-togethers start to fill the calendar. This often means having guests show up at your door. When hosting, it is important to have a warm and welcoming environment. Yet when the stress of the holiday season is combined with the normal day-to-day flow of life, how can one be ready for the festive times in time?

Helpful advice comes from Marie Kondo, founder of the Konmari Method of organization. She has devised a step-by-step guide to tidying before the holidays. The first step is to visualize your space.

Before starting, imagine how you want your holiday season to look and, more importantly, to feel. When you think of the perfect evening with your family, what do you picture? Do you see thoughtfully planned meals enjoyed around a table or a quiet night spent drinking tea with someone you love? Visualizing your ideal holidays will help you decide how to focus your energy.

A later step is designed to create space to accommodate the influx of new items into the home.

With holiday traditions that often include gifts and packages arriving by mail, more elaborate meals or perhaps a Christmas tree, you’ll likely need to rearrange certain spaces and temporarily store unneeded furniture and items. Start by choosing a place to store everything you plan to put away – preferably somewhere out of sight. Then, pack items away by category, so you can easily return them to their proper places after the holidays.

Read all the steps on the Konmari website.

7 Surprising Ways Your Library Card Can Save You Money

November 5, 2023February 4, 2024Leave a comment

Do you know which card in your wallet might save you the most money? It’s not your fancy points credit card, or your AAA membership. It is mostly likely your library card!

While it is common knowledge that people can check out books for free at the library, and in fact, many libraries have even dropped overdue fines! However, there are multiple ways to get value out of your local library than simply borrowing books. This past week NPR reports Marielle Segarra and Audrey Nguyen published an article called 7 surprising ways the public library can help you save money. For the first way they highlight unusual items that some libraries lend out.

Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “Video games, musical instruments, board games. Some libraries have bakeware collections where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.

Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a seed library. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”

Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island have tools you can check out. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.

Photo by Kampus Production on Pexels.com

Another way that the authors highlight the value of the library card is through the free activities and events happening monthly at your neighborhood library.

Save money on live music by checking out what your local branch has to offer. The New York Public Library’s performance art space, for example, has upcoming concerts featuring a choir and a quartet. And people can watch a classical guitarist or a harpist perform at different libraries in Los Angeles County.

Learn about the other five ways to save money with your library card by reading the rest of the article on the NPR website.

How to Tell What Kind of Procrastinator You Are

October 29, 2023Leave a comment

You do it. Your work colleagues do it. I did it before starting this post. What is it?

Procrastination!

Throughout the day, we all experience that lack of desire to move forward on projects or tasks. Yet, the question is why does this happen? According to journalist Lindsey Ellefson, writing in Life Hacker, procrastination comes in at least six different flavors. In her recent article, she highlights each one, starting with perfectionism:

The perfectionist. You’re worried that your work might not meet a high expectation, so you don’t finish your work or, in some cases, don’t even start it at all.

For each of the six types of procrastination, Ellefson offers a possible solution. For example, with perfectionism:

If you’re the perfectionist, remind yourself that it’s your own personal standards that are stressing you, not necessarily the work itself, and you can do the work by setting realistic, incremental goals before getting started. I struggle with this one, and a tactic that helps me is working out what the absolute worst possible outcome might be if I don’t do well on a task. Even if I get a zero on a test, what will it do to my overall grade? When I think realistically about how I’m almost certainly going to get way higher than a zero—but even if I didn’t I’d be okay—I feel better, and get to work.

To discover the other five types of procrastination, please read the rest of the article. Of course, you could always put off doing this for later …

Thoughts on Management: Improving Meetings and Communication

October 24, 20231 Comment

Adapted from my presentation to the Library Journal Management Training group on Oct. 24, 2023.

No organization can succeed without effective management. Grand strategic plans and lofty visions mean nothing without dedicated middle managers mobilizing the boots on the ground to turn these dreams into reality.

For six years I was a branch manager in the Palm Beach County Library System. Those years were some of the most enjoyable, challenging, and growth inducing I have faced as a professional. During that time, I honed skills and sought understanding of how to make my role more effective not only carry out the library’s mission, but also to support my branch staff in the process. During this time, I discovered that there are many factors that impact managers. Some of the most important ones are running productive meetings, handling change, and practicing effective communication.

While middle managers are often derided, such as famously on the TV show The Office, for many people they are wonderful positions. A middle manager in libraries is often in a sweet spot where they are close enough to the front lines to see the direct impact of the service, while also far enough back to get perspective and be part of broader system-wide projects. The key tension for managers is handling the responsibilities that flow to them from both above and below. Managers need to ensure that the front-line work is done effectively by offering support and guidance to their staff. At the same time, they must interpret policy and directives coming from administration and communicate those effectively to their team.

Read the rest of the article on the Efficient Librarian web site.

Favorite David Allen Quotes

October 15, 2023Leave a comment

Getting Things Done was a book that changed my life. David Allen’s seminal work on productivity provided me with the skills I needed to succeed in knowledge work. With it being one of the bestselling businesses books of the last 25 years, its impact on millions of people around the world is very apparent.

For this post, I am simply sharing some of my favorite David Allen quotes. Enjoy!

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”

“You must use your mind to get things off your mind.”

“Sometimes the biggest gain in productive energy will come from cleaning the cobwebs, dealing with old business, and clearing the desks—cutting loose debris that’s impeding forward motion.”

“Things rarely get stuck because of lack of time. They get stuck because the doing of them has not been defined.”

“There are no problems, only projects.”

“There is usually an inverse relationship between how much something is on your mind and how much it’s getting done.”

“There is no reason to ever have the same thought twice, unless you like having that thought.”

“(1) collect things that command our attention; (2) process what they mean and what to do about them; and (3) organize the results, which we (4) review as options for what we choose to (5) do.”

Learn more about David Allen by visiting the Getting Things Done web site.

Marie Kondo’s Top Five Productivity Tips

October 9, 2023Leave a comment

It is easy to find top 10 lists online with suggestions about productivity. Most of them offer similar advice, such as to tune out distractions or focus on one th i ng at a time. Marie Kondo, founder of the Konmari Method, recently shared her top five productivity tips. However, they featured items not normally found on the common lists.

For instance, her first tip focuses on the power of morning rituals.

I usually wake up around 6am with my children. When I get up, I open all the windows to let fresh air in and then burn incense. I strive to keep my home comfortable and filled with clear energy throughout the day, so starting my morning with these rituals keeps me on track.

Another tip that I found useful was about the importance of coordinating with your partner.

Sharing and discussing to-do lists is a productive habit for partners. When we got married, my husband and I wrote out every household chore in a shared spreadsheet. When I finished a task, I would put a check next to it – and when my husband noticed it, he would send a simple thank you note (and vice versa). This process helped us realize the number of tasks necessary to live comfortably together, and what kinds of tasks are best suited for each person.

Read the other three tips on the Konmari website.

Six Things That Drive a Sense of Purpose

October 2, 2023Leave a comment

For any organization to be successful, solid leadership is a key component. There are many factors that create a great leader, but one vital piece is a sense of purpose. That alone can be the difference between an average leader and a leader who truly inspires.

In an article titled, Purpose in L e adership: Why & How, on the Center for Creative Leadership web site, authors Stephanie Wormington and Paige Graham describe what they mean by purpose-based leadership:

Purpose-driven leadership means helping employees find personal meaning in their work and fostering a deeply committed workforce that thrives on shared goals and aspirations. Purpose-driven leaders model value-based decision-making, take time to learn what truly matters to their employees, connect work to a greater objective, and help employees understand their organization’s mission and find ways to personally connect to it.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

The authors proceed to identify six specific items that drive the sense of purpose. Purposeful leaders help their followers experience the following in their work:

Utility: Work is practically relevant to our goals and aspirations, either now or in the future.
Personal Development: Work facilitates opportunities for self-growth, developing either skillsets or mindsets in personally meaningful ways.
Impact: Work empowers us to make a tangible and positive difference in the world, contributing to the greater good of society, our communities, or those close to us.
Identity Reinforcement: Work reinforces our sense of self, aligning with the core elements of who we are.
Intrinsic Interest: Work is inherently fun and energizing, offering enjoyable experiences that naturally appeal to our interests.
External Rewards: Work leads to a desirable payoff, from a paycheck to a promotion.

Read the rest of the article to learn the two specific ways to cultivate greater purpose in your leadership.

The Overwhelming Cost of Book Banning

September 24, 2023Leave a comment

BOOK CHALLENGES in libraries are nothing new, but until recently they generally involved a single title, in a single library, being filed by one person. Such challenges are best handled locally, where those raising questions have, in most cases, acted in good faith. But today we are seeing the weaponization of school and public library policies by a small number of people, filing an unmanageable number of challenges that grind our public institutions to a halt.

Thus begins an article called The Overwhelming Cost of Book Banning published in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Written by Katherine Towler, Sy Montgomery, and Peter Bromberg, the article explores the current state of book challenges. It notes that the vast majority of challenges are being done by very few people. Amazingly, their impact on operations was deep.

How few people are filing complaints? The Washington Post studied more than 1,000 book challenges and found that 11 people were behind the complaints. In one Utah school district, a married couple were behind 199 out of 205 challenges. The district reported that the challenges required 10,000 hours of staff time and cost more than $100,000. In Texas, documents show that more than 16 employees spent more than 225 hours at a cost of $30,000 on a single book challenge at the Spring Branch ISD.

How can libraries respond to this sort of disruption? The trio propose several things that would remove the ability for a few people to have an oversized impact on library operations. One of the ideas has to do with placing appropriate limits on public complaint.

One policy proposal is simply to allow for public comment and feedback on public policy and law, but clarify that feedback about operations (book selection, programming, spaces, services, etc.) while welcomed, will not automatically lead to a formal, time-consuming review.

To learn more, please read the rest of the article.