Tagged Kristen Walker:

Fall In Love with Your Work Life: Uncovering Your Passion and Finding Your Dream Career.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since we’re all completely over being told to pair off in order to signal to the rest of the world that our lives are (somewhat) on track, we thought ‘Why don’t we just focus on actually getting our lives in order?’ In that vein, Kristen Walker helps the Levo League to take a close look at what we find important in our lives and careers.

We’ve all been told that in order to love our job and achieve lasting career happiness and success, we simply have to follow our passion. Inspiring, right? While there is obviously plenty of truth to this cliché, the advice it provides is so vague that it can often feel almost totally useless. And if you’re anything like me, it can cause more anxiety than encouragement, especially if you don’t have a clue how to take that first step in following your passion. Or — and this can feel even scarier — what happens if you don’t even know what you’re passionate about to start with? What if you want to have a career that makes you feel fulfilled, but you just don’t know what that career is yet?

Some of you may already have a clear idea of exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Maybe you’re already working in your field and embarking on the journey to your ideal career. Those of you who fall into this category — you are the lucky few! But if you’re like the majority of Gen Y-ers, you’re likely struggling to uncover what you’re truly passionate about, much less determine how to make it into a viable career.

In her book 20 Something Manifesto, Christine Hassler compares finding your life direction to eating at the Cheesecake Factory. With 167 menu options to choose from, (not including beverages, sides, and, of course, cheesecake flavors), the Cheesecake Factory’s menu can induce mild panic, even to the most decisive of us. Hassler describes her reaction the first time she perused this menu: “How was I supposed to pick just one dish? What was the best thing? As everyone else around me ordered, I became even more anxious — should I get what someone else was having? Would it be better than what I thought I wanted?” You may feel this way when trying to uncover your passions or ideal career path. There are so many options available, the idea of choosing just one is daunting!

Some of us will decide that the best way to solve the mystery of our missing passion is to try out various new activities or jobs to see which one sticks. There’s an undercurrent of romance and excitement in the belief that one day you can try something completely new and have an epiphany: This is it! This is what I’m meant to do with my life! But Jonathan Acuff refutes this concept in his book Quitter.

Acuff believes that finding your dream job “is more than a revelation or an act of discovery. I believe it’s a process of recovery. More often than not, finding out what you love doing most is about recovering an old love or an inescapable truth that has been silenced for years, even decades. When you come to your dream job, your thing, it is rarely a first encounter. It’s usually a reunion.” 

So in order to help you on your path to recovering your passion, I’ve developed an interactive series of questions called “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” to help you reflect on your innate interests, talents, and strengths. Then, in the next article in this series, you’ll learn how to determine if your passion will make a sustainable and fulfilling career.

Ready to rescue your inner passion? Go to “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” now. 
Feb 08
Fall In Love with Your Work Life: Uncovering Your Passion and Finding Your Dream Career. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since we’re all completely over being told to pair off in order to signal to the rest of the world that our lives are (somewhat) on track, we thought ‘Why don’t we just focus on actually getting our lives in order?’ In that vein, Kristen Walker helps the Levo League to take a close look at what we find important in our lives and careers. We’ve all been told that in order to love our job and achieve lasting career happiness and success, we simply have to follow our passion. Inspiring, right? While there is obviously plenty of truth to this cliché, the advice it provides is so vague that it can often feel almost totally useless. And if you’re anything like me, it can cause more anxiety than encouragement, especially if you don’t have a clue how to take that first step in following your passion. Or — and this can feel even scarier — what happens if you don’t even know what you’re passionate about to start with? What if you want to have a career that makes you feel fulfilled, but you just don’t know what that career is yet? Some of you may already have a clear idea of exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Maybe you’re already working in your field and embarking on the journey to your ideal career. Those of you who fall into this category — you are the lucky few! But if you’re like the majority of Gen Y-ers, you’re likely struggling to uncover what you’re truly passionate about, much less determine how to make it into a viable career. In her book 20 Something Manifesto, Christine Hassler compares finding your life direction to eating at the Cheesecake Factory. With 167 menu options to choose from, (not including beverages, sides, and, of course, cheesecake flavors), the Cheesecake Factory’s menu can induce mild panic, even to the most decisive of us. Hassler describes her reaction the first time she perused this menu: “How was I supposed to pick just one dish? What was the best thing? As everyone else around me ordered, I became even more anxious — should I get what someone else was having? Would it be better than what I thought I wanted?” You may feel this way when trying to uncover your passions or ideal career path. There are so many options available, the idea of choosing just one is daunting! Some of us will decide that the best way to solve the mystery of our missing passion is to try out various new activities or jobs to see which one sticks. There’s an undercurrent of romance and excitement in the belief that one day you can try something completely new and have an epiphany: This is it! This is what I’m meant to do with my life! But Jonathan Acuff refutes this concept in his book Quitter. Acuff believes that finding your dream job “is more than a revelation or an act of discovery. I believe it’s a process of recovery. More often than not, finding out what you love doing most is about recovering an old love or an inescapable truth that has been silenced for years, even decades. When you come to your dream job, your thing, it is rarely a first encounter. It’s usually a reunion.”  So in order to help you on your path to recovering your passion, I’ve developed an interactive series of questions called “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” to help you reflect on your innate interests, talents, and strengths. Then, in the next article in this series, you’ll learn how to determine if your passion will make a sustainable and fulfilling career. Ready to rescue your inner passion? Go to “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” now. 

The Medium is the Message 

By Kristen Walker

In the third of her three-part series on controlling the role of communications technologies in professional life, Kristen Walker returns with an expert how-to on meshing technology preferences with work and personal contacts.

So far in this series, you’ve learned how to strategically disengage from technology to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to minimize distractions in the workplace. But since cutting out technology clearly isn’t always the answer, it’s critical that we learn to use each media form available to us in the most effective way possible.

Remember: no matter the situation, the medium you use to communicate plays a role in the way the message is understood and received. Breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or over the phone is far more insulting than having a face-to-face conversation with him. And hearing about the next company meeting via a phone call directly from your CEO holds far more weight than receiving an Outlook meeting request.

To help sort out what form of technology is most appropriate in any given situation, we here at Levo League have compiled a set of ground rules that can be applied to workplace communication, personal correspondence, and anything in between. While there are always exceptions to the rules, these suggestions are good guidelines to follow if you’re unsure, and a few may even challenge your current communication habits.

Ground Rules: Using written vs. in-person communication

  • According to a study conducted by Erasmus University, we think we’re better at communicating via technology than we actually are. The study suggests that “people routinely overestimate how well they can communicate over e-mail, particularly when the message is ambiguous.” This can cause serious miscommunication issues, and unless we receive direct feedback, we’re often not even aware the other person misconstrued our message. So before you hit “send” on an email or text, step back and read through your message as though you were the one receiving it from someone you don’t know well. If there’s any potential ambiguity, try rewording the message to ensure it’s as clear as possible.
  • When you’re angry, frustrated, or upset, address the issue through a textual media form, like an email or text message. In the same Erasmus study, researchers found that “writing down emotional messages changes the intensity of the emotion because there is time to read over the text and reflect one’s emotional state.” If you try to verbally confront the person who upset you, you’re at a high risk of saying something in the heat of the moment that you’ll likely regret. But the act of writing out your frustrations or disappointments puts you in conscious control of the emotions you choose to display, so you can express your feelings without completely losing your temper or alienating the other person.
  • Use written or recorded forms of media for direct, instructional, or factual messages. If you want to set a meeting date with coworkers, share a recipe with a friend, or tell your mom when your flight gets in, sharing this information in person or over the phone means they’ll likely forget it almost immediately. If your message contains dates, numbers, or detailed instructions — and you actually want the person to remember what you said — choose a form of media that the receiver can refer back to later. This information is best shared in an email, voicemail, or text message, all of which are most likely accessible 24/7 on the recipient’s phone or mobile device.

At Work: Learn your colleagues’ preferences, be straightforward, and be professional

  • Read cues to see which media form your boss/colleagues prefer. When I started my first job post-college, I was often unsure of the most appropriate way to communicate with coworkers. If someone sat two cubes away from me, was it silly to send an email instead of walking over? Would my boss be annoyed if I walked into his office to ask a question instead of calling or sending an email? What I eventually learned is that there’s no hard-and-fast rule for interoffice communication — each person has his or her own preference. Once colleague loved to leave sticky notes or printed instructions on my desk, so I learned to provide him with tangible documents. Another coworker, even though she sat directly next to me, wanted all communication sent in email form so she could prioritize assignments in her inbox. If you’re not sure of someone’s communication preference, don’t be afraid to ask! It’s better than guessing wrong and risking frustration or miscommunication.
  • Try to refrain from using excessive sarcasm or humor in work emails. We get it, the work day can get boring at times, so it’s tempting to lighten the air by sending funny emails to coworkers. But email may not be the best way to crack a joke, especially with your boss or coworkers who may not know you as well. Humor can be easily misunderstood in written form, and sarcasm in particular is difficult to convey in when the reader can’t hear your tone or read your body language. Additionally, your company and HR department have access to all interoffice email communications, so make sure anything you send over email is appropriate and can’t be misinterpreted as offensive. We’re all about making the workplace a more fun environment, but try to keep the joking to verbal conversations.
  • No matter how relaxed your company culture, always err on the side of professionalism. Don’t use shorthand in emails — trust us, “C U @ the meeting 2day?” is not professional. And it’s smart to keep your social media profiles separated between work and play — if there are photos, comments, or info on your Facebook that you’d rather not share with coworkers, make LinkedIn your method of connecting with colleagues. And if you ever have to question whether an email you’re sending is appropriate or not, it’s better not to send it at all.

In Your Personal Life: Align level of friendship with type of contact

  • For the most part, ascending levels of friendship align with various modes of contact…and that’s OK. In the top tier we have video chatting and phone calls. Skype and Apple’s FaceTime are great ways to connect with your family, close friends, or boyfriend, but it would be pretty awkward to try with the cute guy who just asked for your number. Phone calls are also generally more personal and reserved for close friends and family because there’s no lag time to prevent long, awkward pauses. The middle and usually biggest tier is made up of the people you frequently text and/or email. Text messages can range from extremely personal to distantly impersonal, so they’re appropriate to use with almost anyone. Plus, they’re less intrusive than a phone call because the other person can respond at their convenience. Finally, you likely have a group of friends who you communicate with almost entirely via Facebook, Twitter, or games on your phone. I frequently receive comments or “Likes” from distant acquaintances on my Facebook, and I currently have several games of “Words with Friends” going with people who I wouldn’t communicate with otherwise. So don’t feel guilty if you have several contacts who fall exclusively in this last group. Without these less personal forms of media, you may have lost touch these people long ago.
  • Never break bad news in an email or text message. According to the Erasmus study, “individuals have difficulties in communicating negative evaluations face-to-face,” so communicating via technology “might decrease the psychological discomfort of the sender.” Although breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or firing an employee via email may ease your own discomfort in doling out the bad news, it’s socially callous and disrespectful to the other person. It can feel impossibly difficult, but these situations always call for an in-person conversation.

With so many options media and technology options available for communication, it can feel overwhelming to decide which is most appropriate with all the various people you contact on a regular basis. The suggestions above can help to elucidate many of your uncertainties, but remember that the social norms regarding technology are constantly shifting and evolving, so our most important advice to you is to be aware of your audience, use your best judgment, and always be as clear as possible when technology is involved.
Jan 17
The Medium is the Message  By Kristen Walker In the third of her three-part series on controlling the role of communications technologies in professional life, Kristen Walker returns with an expert how-to on meshing technology preferences with work and personal contacts. So far in this series, you’ve learned how to strategically disengage from technology to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to minimize distractions in the workplace. But since cutting out technology clearly isn’t always the answer, it’s critical that we learn to use each media form available to us in the most effective way possible. Remember: no matter the situation, the medium you use to communicate plays a role in the way the message is understood and received. Breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or over the phone is far more insulting than having a face-to-face conversation with him. And hearing about the next company meeting via a phone call directly from your CEO holds far more weight than receiving an Outlook meeting request. To help sort out what form of technology is most appropriate in any given situation, we here at Levo League have compiled a set of ground rules that can be applied to workplace communication, personal correspondence, and anything in between. While there are always exceptions to the rules, these suggestions are good guidelines to follow if you’re unsure, and a few may even challenge your current communication habits. Ground Rules: Using written vs. in-person communication According to a study conducted by Erasmus University, we think we’re better at communicating via technology than we actually are. The study suggests that “people routinely overestimate how well they can communicate over e-mail, particularly when the message is ambiguous.” This can cause serious miscommunication issues, and unless we receive direct feedback, we’re often not even aware the other person misconstrued our message. So before you hit “send” on an email or text, step back and read through your message as though you were the one receiving it from someone you don’t know well. If there’s any potential ambiguity, try rewording the message to ensure it’s as clear as possible. When you’re angry, frustrated, or upset, address the issue through a textual media form, like an email or text message. In the same Erasmus study, researchers found that “writing down emotional messages changes the intensity of the emotion because there is time to read over the text and reflect one’s emotional state.” If you try to verbally confront the person who upset you, you’re at a high risk of saying something in the heat of the moment that you’ll likely regret. But the act of writing out your frustrations or disappointments puts you in conscious control of the emotions you choose to display, so you can express your feelings without completely losing your temper or alienating the other person. Use written or recorded forms of media for direct, instructional, or factual messages. If you want to set a meeting date with coworkers, share a recipe with a friend, or tell your mom when your flight gets in, sharing this information in person or over the phone means they’ll likely forget it almost immediately. If your message contains dates, numbers, or detailed instructions — and you actually want the person to remember what you said — choose a form of media that the receiver can refer back to later. This information is best shared in an email, voicemail, or text message, all of which are most likely accessible 24/7 on the recipient’s phone or mobile device. At Work: Learn your colleagues’ preferences, be straightforward, and be professional Read cues to see which media form your boss/colleagues prefer. When I started my first job post-college, I was often unsure of the most appropriate way to communicate with coworkers. If someone sat two cubes away from me, was it silly to send an email instead of walking over? Would my boss be annoyed if I walked into his office to ask a question instead of calling or sending an email? What I eventually learned is that there’s no hard-and-fast rule for interoffice communication — each person has his or her own preference. Once colleague loved to leave sticky notes or printed instructions on my desk, so I learned to provide him with tangible documents. Another coworker, even though she sat directly next to me, wanted all communication sent in email form so she could prioritize assignments in her inbox. If you’re not sure of someone’s communication preference, don’t be afraid to ask! It’s better than guessing wrong and risking frustration or miscommunication. Try to refrain from using excessive sarcasm or humor in work emails. We get it, the work day can get boring at times, so it’s tempting to lighten the air by sending funny emails to coworkers. But email may not be the best way to crack a joke, especially with your boss or coworkers who may not know you as well. Humor can be easily misunderstood in written form, and sarcasm in particular is difficult to convey in when the reader can’t hear your tone or read your body language. Additionally, your company and HR department have access to all interoffice email communications, so make sure anything you send over email is appropriate and can’t be misinterpreted as offensive. We’re all about making the workplace a more fun environment, but try to keep the joking to verbal conversations. No matter how relaxed your company culture, always err on the side of professionalism. Don’t use shorthand in emails — trust us, “C U @ the meeting 2day?” is not professional. And it’s smart to keep your social media profiles separated between work and play — if there are photos, comments, or info on your Facebook that you’d rather not share with coworkers, make LinkedIn your method of connecting with colleagues. And if you ever have to question whether an email you’re sending is appropriate or not, it’s better not to send it at all. In Your Personal Life: Align level of friendship with type of contact For the most part, ascending levels of friendship align with various modes of contact…and that’s OK. In the top tier we have video chatting and phone calls. Skype and Apple’s FaceTime are great ways to connect with your family, close friends, or boyfriend, but it would be pretty awkward to try with the cute guy who just asked for your number. Phone calls are also generally more personal and reserved for close friends and family because there’s no lag time to prevent long, awkward pauses. The middle and usually biggest tier is made up of the people you frequently text and/or email. Text messages can range from extremely personal to distantly impersonal, so they’re appropriate to use with almost anyone. Plus, they’re less intrusive than a phone call because the other person can respond at their convenience. Finally, you likely have a group of friends who you communicate with almost entirely via Facebook, Twitter, or games on your phone. I frequently receive comments or “Likes” from distant acquaintances on my Facebook, and I currently have several games of “Words with Friends” going with people who I wouldn’t communicate with otherwise. So don’t feel guilty if you have several contacts who fall exclusively in this last group. Without these less personal forms of media, you may have lost touch these people long ago. Never break bad news in an email or text message. According to the Erasmus study, “individuals have difficulties in communicating negative evaluations face-to-face,” so communicating via technology “might decrease the psychological discomfort of the sender.” Although breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or firing an employee via email may ease your own discomfort in doling out the bad news, it’s socially callous and disrespectful to the other person. It can feel impossibly difficult, but these situations always call for an in-person conversation. With so many options media and technology options available for communication, it can feel overwhelming to decide which is most appropriate with all the various people you contact on a regular basis. The suggestions above can help to elucidate many of your uncertainties, but remember that the social norms regarding technology are constantly shifting and evolving, so our most important advice to you is to be aware of your audience, use your best judgment, and always be as clear as possible when technology is involved.

The Multitasking Epidemic: How to Fight it, How to Master it

By Kristen Walker

Is technology scattering your focus? Levo’s Kristen Walker talks about way to learn to minimize the interruptions of technology in the second in her three-part series on communication technology.

Women are often known and praised for their multitasking abilities. As Gen Y women who have gown up in the technology era, we have by necessity become adept at observing, analyzing, and reacting to several forms of incoming information at once, what with TV, ads, cell phones, email, and, you know, real life all demanding our attention all at once.

I know I’m not the only one who has simultaneously g-chatted with my best friend, text messaged my mom, browsed Facebook on my laptop, scrolled through the day’s new headlines, and updated my Twitter status – and I still managed to fast-forward through every commercial break during my latest DVR’d episode of “New Girl.” If this sounds at all familiar, then you’ve mastered the multi-focused approach required by today’s Millennials to keep up with the constant stream of communication invading our lives.

What about at work?

It’s a given that you’ve mastered the art of multitasking in your everyday life, but have you ever stopped to consider how this may be affecting your productivity at work?
In the first article in this series, you learned how to prevent work from encroaching on your personal life by limiting how often you check your work phone or email when away from the office. Following those tips will surely help clear your mind during your off hours, but unfortunately none of us can escape the rapid influx of messages while at work.

You know the story: you’re laser-focused on a project that’s due to your boss before the end of the day and just figured out how to tackle the next section when, ding, you get an incoming email. Your natural reaction is most likely to stop what you’re doing and skim the contents of the message, which means diverting attention from the task at hand.

So what’s the problem?

In the psychological study I referenced in the first article in this series, “The Impact of E-mail Communication on Organizational Life,” the author cites an experiment that showed that “switching between tasks resulted in a delay before engaging effectively in a new task, even if the worker had been previously engaged in the task. Each fragmentation to a task adds to the total time required to complete it.”

Every time you shift your attention from your current project to your inbox – which could easily happen several times an hour or more – you delay the completion of the project because it takes extra time for you to fully engage once again. And considering that the majority of the emails you receive on a daily basis don’t require an immediate response, you could be wasting a significant amount of time.

To add in another layer of chaos, we surely can all admit to occasionally using work time to discuss non-work related topics with coworkers or to communicate with our friends, family, doctors, etc., be it by phone, text, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.With work and personal devices constantly beeping and buzzing, demanding our attention all day long, it’s a wonder we get any work done at all!

None of these interruptions would be such a hindrance to productivity if we didn’t feel so pressured to respond to every incoming message immediately. As the Erasmus study notes, most email recipients feel compelled or obligated to “answer messages the minute they arrive.” While this rapid exchange of information may be beneficial to your company as a whole, it can cause undue stress and lessened productivity in individual employees.

But what can I do about it?

Unfortunately most bosses won’t agree to let you hole up in a room alone with no means of contact with the outside world until you finish your current project. When you’re surrounded by communication technology all day, it can be nearly impossible to entirely cut out all distractions and interruptions, so here are a few new habits you can adopt to make sure technology is making your work like easier, not more chaotic:

  • Commit to reading and answering emails at set times each day, such as once an hour on the hour. In the in-between times, shut down your email so you can fully focus on your current task. The Erasmus study suggests that there are “two type of responders: those who responded as soon as they received an e-mail (constant responders) and those who delayed their responses to some later time when a number of messages had accumulated (batched responders).” Most batched responders experienced fewer workplace interruptions and reported a decreased feeling of disorganization. If you’re a constant responder, it may be more beneficial for your sanity to try out the batched approach and see if it helps you feel less stressed.
  • If you’re really focused on a project and you’re on a tight deadline, send an email to your boss and coworkers letting them know you’re going into “stealth mode” for a few hours, and ask them not to contact you unless it’s urgent. Then log out of your email, power down your phone, X out of your Internet browser, and turn off any other mode of electronic communication until you’re done with your project.
  • Allow yourself two short breaks each day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – to communicate with colleagues and personal contacts about non-work related subjects. If your best friend text messaged about weekend plans or your mom emailed reminding you to call and wish your grandma a happy birthday, wait until your designated break to read and respond to these messages so they don’t mentally jog you out of your current mindset.
  • Keep a notepad next to your keyboard to write down “to-do list” reminders as they pop into your mind, whether it’s responding to a coworker’s email or paying your rent online. It happens to all of us – no matter how absorbed you may be in a project, you may suddenly think of some task you forgot to do and be tempted to drop everything and take care of the issue ASAP. But instead of completely disengaging from your project, jot down a brief reminder in your notepad. You can deal with this during your next email or personal break.

Forbes.com accurately describes our rapidly changing work environment: “In today’s age of technology, we’re expected to work quicker, think faster and be more productive. Between your desk computer, laptop and iPad – not to mention your smart phone that’s within sight at all times or your intra-office Instant Messenger that constantly blinks in the corner of your screen – information is currently being received and disseminated through our high-tech devices.”

It’s easy to feel mentally scattered in this type of environment, and it’s a safe bet that this technology boom won’t slow down anytime soon. So by getting in the habit of minimizing these interruptions early on in your career, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of mental stress in the long run.
Dec 12
The Multitasking Epidemic: How to Fight it, How to Master it By Kristen Walker Is technology scattering your focus? Levo’s Kristen Walker talks about way to learn to minimize the interruptions of technology in the second in her three-part series on communication technology. Women are often known and praised for their multitasking abilities. As Gen Y women who have gown up in the technology era, we have by necessity become adept at observing, analyzing, and reacting to several forms of incoming information at once, what with TV, ads, cell phones, email, and, you know, real life all demanding our attention all at once. I know I’m not the only one who has simultaneously g-chatted with my best friend, text messaged my mom, browsed Facebook on my laptop, scrolled through the day’s new headlines, and updated my Twitter status – and I still managed to fast-forward through every commercial break during my latest DVR’d episode of “New Girl.” If this sounds at all familiar, then you’ve mastered the multi-focused approach required by today’s Millennials to keep up with the constant stream of communication invading our lives. What about at work? It’s a given that you’ve mastered the art of multitasking in your everyday life, but have you ever stopped to consider how this may be affecting your productivity at work?In the first article in this series, you learned how to prevent work from encroaching on your personal life by limiting how often you check your work phone or email when away from the office. Following those tips will surely help clear your mind during your off hours, but unfortunately none of us can escape the rapid influx of messages while at work. You know the story: you’re laser-focused on a project that’s due to your boss before the end of the day and just figured out how to tackle the next section when, ding, you get an incoming email. Your natural reaction is most likely to stop what you’re doing and skim the contents of the message, which means diverting attention from the task at hand. So what’s the problem? In the psychological study I referenced in the first article in this series, “The Impact of E-mail Communication on Organizational Life,” the author cites an experiment that showed that “switching between tasks resulted in a delay before engaging effectively in a new task, even if the worker had been previously engaged in the task. Each fragmentation to a task adds to the total time required to complete it.” Every time you shift your attention from your current project to your inbox – which could easily happen several times an hour or more – you delay the completion of the project because it takes extra time for you to fully engage once again. And considering that the majority of the emails you receive on a daily basis don’t require an immediate response, you could be wasting a significant amount of time. To add in another layer of chaos, we surely can all admit to occasionally using work time to discuss non-work related topics with coworkers or to communicate with our friends, family, doctors, etc., be it by phone, text, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.With work and personal devices constantly beeping and buzzing, demanding our attention all day long, it’s a wonder we get any work done at all! None of these interruptions would be such a hindrance to productivity if we didn’t feel so pressured to respond to every incoming message immediately. As the Erasmus study notes, most email recipients feel compelled or obligated to “answer messages the minute they arrive.” While this rapid exchange of information may be beneficial to your company as a whole, it can cause undue stress and lessened productivity in individual employees. But what can I do about it? Unfortunately most bosses won’t agree to let you hole up in a room alone with no means of contact with the outside world until you finish your current project. When you’re surrounded by communication technology all day, it can be nearly impossible to entirely cut out all distractions and interruptions, so here are a few new habits you can adopt to make sure technology is making your work like easier, not more chaotic: Commit to reading and answering emails at set times each day, such as once an hour on the hour. In the in-between times, shut down your email so you can fully focus on your current task. The Erasmus study suggests that there are “two type of responders: those who responded as soon as they received an e-mail (constant responders) and those who delayed their responses to some later time when a number of messages had accumulated (batched responders).” Most batched responders experienced fewer workplace interruptions and reported a decreased feeling of disorganization. If you’re a constant responder, it may be more beneficial for your sanity to try out the batched approach and see if it helps you feel less stressed. If you’re really focused on a project and you’re on a tight deadline, send an email to your boss and coworkers letting them know you’re going into “stealth mode” for a few hours, and ask them not to contact you unless it’s urgent. Then log out of your email, power down your phone, X out of your Internet browser, and turn off any other mode of electronic communication until you’re done with your project. Allow yourself two short breaks each day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – to communicate with colleagues and personal contacts about non-work related subjects. If your best friend text messaged about weekend plans or your mom emailed reminding you to call and wish your grandma a happy birthday, wait until your designated break to read and respond to these messages so they don’t mentally jog you out of your current mindset. Keep a notepad next to your keyboard to write down “to-do list” reminders as they pop into your mind, whether it’s responding to a coworker’s email or paying your rent online. It happens to all of us – no matter how absorbed you may be in a project, you may suddenly think of some task you forgot to do and be tempted to drop everything and take care of the issue ASAP. But instead of completely disengaging from your project, jot down a brief reminder in your notepad. You can deal with this during your next email or personal break. Forbes.com accurately describes our rapidly changing work environment: “In today’s age of technology, we’re expected to work quicker, think faster and be more productive. Between your desk computer, laptop and iPad – not to mention your smart phone that’s within sight at all times or your intra-office Instant Messenger that constantly blinks in the corner of your screen – information is currently being received and disseminated through our high-tech devices.” It’s easy to feel mentally scattered in this type of environment, and it’s a safe bet that this technology boom won’t slow down anytime soon. So by getting in the habit of minimizing these interruptions early on in your career, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of mental stress in the long run.

The Levo League

Posted on Wednesday February 8th 2012 at 12:48pm. Its tags are listed below.

Fall In Love with Your Work Life: Uncovering Your Passion and Finding Your Dream Career. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since we’re all completely over being told to pair off in order to signal to the rest of the world that our lives are (somewhat) on track, we thought ‘Why don’t we just focus on actually getting our lives in order?’ In that vein, Kristen Walker helps the Levo League to take a close look at what we find important in our lives and careers. We’ve all been told that in order to love our job and achieve lasting career happiness and success, we simply have to follow our passion. Inspiring, right? While there is obviously plenty of truth to this cliché, the advice it provides is so vague that it can often feel almost totally useless. And if you’re anything like me, it can cause more anxiety than encouragement, especially if you don’t have a clue how to take that first step in following your passion. Or — and this can feel even scarier — what happens if you don’t even know what you’re passionate about to start with? What if you want to have a career that makes you feel fulfilled, but you just don’t know what that career is yet? Some of you may already have a clear idea of exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Maybe you’re already working in your field and embarking on the journey to your ideal career. Those of you who fall into this category — you are the lucky few! But if you’re like the majority of Gen Y-ers, you’re likely struggling to uncover what you’re truly passionate about, much less determine how to make it into a viable career. In her book 20 Something Manifesto, Christine Hassler compares finding your life direction to eating at the Cheesecake Factory. With 167 menu options to choose from, (not including beverages, sides, and, of course, cheesecake flavors), the Cheesecake Factory’s menu can induce mild panic, even to the most decisive of us. Hassler describes her reaction the first time she perused this menu: “How was I supposed to pick just one dish? What was the best thing? As everyone else around me ordered, I became even more anxious — should I get what someone else was having? Would it be better than what I thought I wanted?” You may feel this way when trying to uncover your passions or ideal career path. There are so many options available, the idea of choosing just one is daunting! Some of us will decide that the best way to solve the mystery of our missing passion is to try out various new activities or jobs to see which one sticks. There’s an undercurrent of romance and excitement in the belief that one day you can try something completely new and have an epiphany: This is it! This is what I’m meant to do with my life! But Jonathan Acuff refutes this concept in his book Quitter. Acuff believes that finding your dream job “is more than a revelation or an act of discovery. I believe it’s a process of recovery. More often than not, finding out what you love doing most is about recovering an old love or an inescapable truth that has been silenced for years, even decades. When you come to your dream job, your thing, it is rarely a first encounter. It’s usually a reunion.”  So in order to help you on your path to recovering your passion, I’ve developed an interactive series of questions called “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” to help you reflect on your innate interests, talents, and strengths. Then, in the next article in this series, you’ll learn how to determine if your passion will make a sustainable and fulfilling career. Ready to rescue your inner passion? Go to “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” now. 
Fall In Love with Your Work Life: Uncovering Your Passion and Finding Your Dream Career. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since we’re all completely over being told to pair off in order to signal to the rest of the world that our lives are (somewhat) on track, we thought ‘Why don’t we just focus on actually getting our lives in order?’ In that vein, Kristen Walker helps the Levo League to take a close look at what we find important in our lives and careers. We’ve all been told that in order to love our job and achieve lasting career happiness and success, we simply have to follow our passion. Inspiring, right? While there is obviously plenty of truth to this cliché, the advice it provides is so vague that it can often feel almost totally useless. And if you’re anything like me, it can cause more anxiety than encouragement, especially if you don’t have a clue how to take that first step in following your passion. Or — and this can feel even scarier — what happens if you don’t even know what you’re passionate about to start with? What if you want to have a career that makes you feel fulfilled, but you just don’t know what that career is yet? Some of you may already have a clear idea of exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Maybe you’re already working in your field and embarking on the journey to your ideal career. Those of you who fall into this category — you are the lucky few! But if you’re like the majority of Gen Y-ers, you’re likely struggling to uncover what you’re truly passionate about, much less determine how to make it into a viable career. In her book 20 Something Manifesto, Christine Hassler compares finding your life direction to eating at the Cheesecake Factory. With 167 menu options to choose from, (not including beverages, sides, and, of course, cheesecake flavors), the Cheesecake Factory’s menu can induce mild panic, even to the most decisive of us. Hassler describes her reaction the first time she perused this menu: “How was I supposed to pick just one dish? What was the best thing? As everyone else around me ordered, I became even more anxious — should I get what someone else was having? Would it be better than what I thought I wanted?” You may feel this way when trying to uncover your passions or ideal career path. There are so many options available, the idea of choosing just one is daunting! Some of us will decide that the best way to solve the mystery of our missing passion is to try out various new activities or jobs to see which one sticks. There’s an undercurrent of romance and excitement in the belief that one day you can try something completely new and have an epiphany: This is it! This is what I’m meant to do with my life! But Jonathan Acuff refutes this concept in his book Quitter. Acuff believes that finding your dream job “is more than a revelation or an act of discovery. I believe it’s a process of recovery. More often than not, finding out what you love doing most is about recovering an old love or an inescapable truth that has been silenced for years, even decades. When you come to your dream job, your thing, it is rarely a first encounter. It’s usually a reunion.”  So in order to help you on your path to recovering your passion, I’ve developed an interactive series of questions called “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” to help you reflect on your innate interests, talents, and strengths. Then, in the next article in this series, you’ll learn how to determine if your passion will make a sustainable and fulfilling career. Ready to rescue your inner passion? Go to “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” now. 

Fall In Love with Your Work Life: Uncovering Your Passion and Finding Your Dream Career.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Since we’re all completely over being told to pair off in order to signal to the rest of the world that our lives are (somewhat) on track, we thought ‘Why don’t we just focus on actually getting our lives in order?’ In that vein, Kristen Walker helps the Levo League to take a close look at what we find important in our lives and careers.

We’ve all been told that in order to love our job and achieve lasting career happiness and success, we simply have to follow our passion. Inspiring, right? While there is obviously plenty of truth to this cliché, the advice it provides is so vague that it can often feel almost totally useless. And if you’re anything like me, it can cause more anxiety than encouragement, especially if you don’t have a clue how to take that first step in following your passion. Or — and this can feel even scarier — what happens if you don’t even know what you’re passionate about to start with? What if you want to have a career that makes you feel fulfilled, but you just don’t know what that career is yet?

Some of you may already have a clear idea of exactly what it is you want to do with your life. Maybe you’re already working in your field and embarking on the journey to your ideal career. Those of you who fall into this category — you are the lucky few! But if you’re like the majority of Gen Y-ers, you’re likely struggling to uncover what you’re truly passionate about, much less determine how to make it into a viable career.

In her book 20 Something Manifesto, Christine Hassler compares finding your life direction to eating at the Cheesecake Factory. With 167 menu options to choose from, (not including beverages, sides, and, of course, cheesecake flavors), the Cheesecake Factory’s menu can induce mild panic, even to the most decisive of us. Hassler describes her reaction the first time she perused this menu: “How was I supposed to pick just one dish? What was the best thing? As everyone else around me ordered, I became even more anxious — should I get what someone else was having? Would it be better than what I thought I wanted?” You may feel this way when trying to uncover your passions or ideal career path. There are so many options available, the idea of choosing just one is daunting!

Some of us will decide that the best way to solve the mystery of our missing passion is to try out various new activities or jobs to see which one sticks. There’s an undercurrent of romance and excitement in the belief that one day you can try something completely new and have an epiphany: This is it! This is what I’m meant to do with my life! But Jonathan Acuff refutes this concept in his book Quitter.

Acuff believes that finding your dream job “is more than a revelation or an act of discovery. I believe it’s a process of recovery. More often than not, finding out what you love doing most is about recovering an old love or an inescapable truth that has been silenced for years, even decades. When you come to your dream job, your thing, it is rarely a first encounter. It’s usually a reunion.” 

So in order to help you on your path to recovering your passion, I’ve developed an interactive series of questions called “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” to help you reflect on your innate interests, talents, and strengths. Then, in the next article in this series, you’ll learn how to determine if your passion will make a sustainable and fulfilling career.

Ready to rescue your inner passion? Go to “7 Steps to Uncover Your Passion and Dream Career” now. 

The Levo League

Posted on Tuesday January 17th 2012 at 05:49pm. Its tags are listed below.

The Medium is the Message  By Kristen Walker In the third of her three-part series on controlling the role of communications technologies in professional life, Kristen Walker returns with an expert how-to on meshing technology preferences with work and personal contacts. So far in this series, you’ve learned how to strategically disengage from technology to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to minimize distractions in the workplace. But since cutting out technology clearly isn’t always the answer, it’s critical that we learn to use each media form available to us in the most effective way possible. Remember: no matter the situation, the medium you use to communicate plays a role in the way the message is understood and received. Breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or over the phone is far more insulting than having a face-to-face conversation with him. And hearing about the next company meeting via a phone call directly from your CEO holds far more weight than receiving an Outlook meeting request. To help sort out what form of technology is most appropriate in any given situation, we here at Levo League have compiled a set of ground rules that can be applied to workplace communication, personal correspondence, and anything in between. While there are always exceptions to the rules, these suggestions are good guidelines to follow if you’re unsure, and a few may even challenge your current communication habits. Ground Rules: Using written vs. in-person communication According to a study conducted by Erasmus University, we think we’re better at communicating via technology than we actually are. The study suggests that “people routinely overestimate how well they can communicate over e-mail, particularly when the message is ambiguous.” This can cause serious miscommunication issues, and unless we receive direct feedback, we’re often not even aware the other person misconstrued our message. So before you hit “send” on an email or text, step back and read through your message as though you were the one receiving it from someone you don’t know well. If there’s any potential ambiguity, try rewording the message to ensure it’s as clear as possible. When you’re angry, frustrated, or upset, address the issue through a textual media form, like an email or text message. In the same Erasmus study, researchers found that “writing down emotional messages changes the intensity of the emotion because there is time to read over the text and reflect one’s emotional state.” If you try to verbally confront the person who upset you, you’re at a high risk of saying something in the heat of the moment that you’ll likely regret. But the act of writing out your frustrations or disappointments puts you in conscious control of the emotions you choose to display, so you can express your feelings without completely losing your temper or alienating the other person. Use written or recorded forms of media for direct, instructional, or factual messages. If you want to set a meeting date with coworkers, share a recipe with a friend, or tell your mom when your flight gets in, sharing this information in person or over the phone means they’ll likely forget it almost immediately. If your message contains dates, numbers, or detailed instructions — and you actually want the person to remember what you said — choose a form of media that the receiver can refer back to later. This information is best shared in an email, voicemail, or text message, all of which are most likely accessible 24/7 on the recipient’s phone or mobile device. At Work: Learn your colleagues’ preferences, be straightforward, and be professional Read cues to see which media form your boss/colleagues prefer. When I started my first job post-college, I was often unsure of the most appropriate way to communicate with coworkers. If someone sat two cubes away from me, was it silly to send an email instead of walking over? Would my boss be annoyed if I walked into his office to ask a question instead of calling or sending an email? What I eventually learned is that there’s no hard-and-fast rule for interoffice communication — each person has his or her own preference. Once colleague loved to leave sticky notes or printed instructions on my desk, so I learned to provide him with tangible documents. Another coworker, even though she sat directly next to me, wanted all communication sent in email form so she could prioritize assignments in her inbox. If you’re not sure of someone’s communication preference, don’t be afraid to ask! It’s better than guessing wrong and risking frustration or miscommunication. Try to refrain from using excessive sarcasm or humor in work emails. We get it, the work day can get boring at times, so it’s tempting to lighten the air by sending funny emails to coworkers. But email may not be the best way to crack a joke, especially with your boss or coworkers who may not know you as well. Humor can be easily misunderstood in written form, and sarcasm in particular is difficult to convey in when the reader can’t hear your tone or read your body language. Additionally, your company and HR department have access to all interoffice email communications, so make sure anything you send over email is appropriate and can’t be misinterpreted as offensive. We’re all about making the workplace a more fun environment, but try to keep the joking to verbal conversations. No matter how relaxed your company culture, always err on the side of professionalism. Don’t use shorthand in emails — trust us, “C U @ the meeting 2day?” is not professional. And it’s smart to keep your social media profiles separated between work and play — if there are photos, comments, or info on your Facebook that you’d rather not share with coworkers, make LinkedIn your method of connecting with colleagues. And if you ever have to question whether an email you’re sending is appropriate or not, it’s better not to send it at all. In Your Personal Life: Align level of friendship with type of contact For the most part, ascending levels of friendship align with various modes of contact…and that’s OK. In the top tier we have video chatting and phone calls. Skype and Apple’s FaceTime are great ways to connect with your family, close friends, or boyfriend, but it would be pretty awkward to try with the cute guy who just asked for your number. Phone calls are also generally more personal and reserved for close friends and family because there’s no lag time to prevent long, awkward pauses. The middle and usually biggest tier is made up of the people you frequently text and/or email. Text messages can range from extremely personal to distantly impersonal, so they’re appropriate to use with almost anyone. Plus, they’re less intrusive than a phone call because the other person can respond at their convenience. Finally, you likely have a group of friends who you communicate with almost entirely via Facebook, Twitter, or games on your phone. I frequently receive comments or “Likes” from distant acquaintances on my Facebook, and I currently have several games of “Words with Friends” going with people who I wouldn’t communicate with otherwise. So don’t feel guilty if you have several contacts who fall exclusively in this last group. Without these less personal forms of media, you may have lost touch these people long ago. Never break bad news in an email or text message. According to the Erasmus study, “individuals have difficulties in communicating negative evaluations face-to-face,” so communicating via technology “might decrease the psychological discomfort of the sender.” Although breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or firing an employee via email may ease your own discomfort in doling out the bad news, it’s socially callous and disrespectful to the other person. It can feel impossibly difficult, but these situations always call for an in-person conversation. With so many options media and technology options available for communication, it can feel overwhelming to decide which is most appropriate with all the various people you contact on a regular basis. The suggestions above can help to elucidate many of your uncertainties, but remember that the social norms regarding technology are constantly shifting and evolving, so our most important advice to you is to be aware of your audience, use your best judgment, and always be as clear as possible when technology is involved.

The Medium is the Message 

By Kristen Walker

In the third of her three-part series on controlling the role of communications technologies in professional life, Kristen Walker returns with an expert how-to on meshing technology preferences with work and personal contacts.

So far in this series, you’ve learned how to strategically disengage from technology to maintain a healthy work/life balance and to minimize distractions in the workplace. But since cutting out technology clearly isn’t always the answer, it’s critical that we learn to use each media form available to us in the most effective way possible.

Remember: no matter the situation, the medium you use to communicate plays a role in the way the message is understood and received. Breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or over the phone is far more insulting than having a face-to-face conversation with him. And hearing about the next company meeting via a phone call directly from your CEO holds far more weight than receiving an Outlook meeting request.

To help sort out what form of technology is most appropriate in any given situation, we here at Levo League have compiled a set of ground rules that can be applied to workplace communication, personal correspondence, and anything in between. While there are always exceptions to the rules, these suggestions are good guidelines to follow if you’re unsure, and a few may even challenge your current communication habits.

Ground Rules: Using written vs. in-person communication

  • According to a study conducted by Erasmus University, we think we’re better at communicating via technology than we actually are. The study suggests that “people routinely overestimate how well they can communicate over e-mail, particularly when the message is ambiguous.” This can cause serious miscommunication issues, and unless we receive direct feedback, we’re often not even aware the other person misconstrued our message. So before you hit “send” on an email or text, step back and read through your message as though you were the one receiving it from someone you don’t know well. If there’s any potential ambiguity, try rewording the message to ensure it’s as clear as possible.
  • When you’re angry, frustrated, or upset, address the issue through a textual media form, like an email or text message. In the same Erasmus study, researchers found that “writing down emotional messages changes the intensity of the emotion because there is time to read over the text and reflect one’s emotional state.” If you try to verbally confront the person who upset you, you’re at a high risk of saying something in the heat of the moment that you’ll likely regret. But the act of writing out your frustrations or disappointments puts you in conscious control of the emotions you choose to display, so you can express your feelings without completely losing your temper or alienating the other person.
  • Use written or recorded forms of media for direct, instructional, or factual messages. If you want to set a meeting date with coworkers, share a recipe with a friend, or tell your mom when your flight gets in, sharing this information in person or over the phone means they’ll likely forget it almost immediately. If your message contains dates, numbers, or detailed instructions — and you actually want the person to remember what you said — choose a form of media that the receiver can refer back to later. This information is best shared in an email, voicemail, or text message, all of which are most likely accessible 24/7 on the recipient’s phone or mobile device.

At Work: Learn your colleagues’ preferences, be straightforward, and be professional

  • Read cues to see which media form your boss/colleagues prefer. When I started my first job post-college, I was often unsure of the most appropriate way to communicate with coworkers. If someone sat two cubes away from me, was it silly to send an email instead of walking over? Would my boss be annoyed if I walked into his office to ask a question instead of calling or sending an email? What I eventually learned is that there’s no hard-and-fast rule for interoffice communication — each person has his or her own preference. Once colleague loved to leave sticky notes or printed instructions on my desk, so I learned to provide him with tangible documents. Another coworker, even though she sat directly next to me, wanted all communication sent in email form so she could prioritize assignments in her inbox. If you’re not sure of someone’s communication preference, don’t be afraid to ask! It’s better than guessing wrong and risking frustration or miscommunication.
  • Try to refrain from using excessive sarcasm or humor in work emails. We get it, the work day can get boring at times, so it’s tempting to lighten the air by sending funny emails to coworkers. But email may not be the best way to crack a joke, especially with your boss or coworkers who may not know you as well. Humor can be easily misunderstood in written form, and sarcasm in particular is difficult to convey in when the reader can’t hear your tone or read your body language. Additionally, your company and HR department have access to all interoffice email communications, so make sure anything you send over email is appropriate and can’t be misinterpreted as offensive. We’re all about making the workplace a more fun environment, but try to keep the joking to verbal conversations.
  • No matter how relaxed your company culture, always err on the side of professionalism. Don’t use shorthand in emails — trust us, “C U @ the meeting 2day?” is not professional. And it’s smart to keep your social media profiles separated between work and play — if there are photos, comments, or info on your Facebook that you’d rather not share with coworkers, make LinkedIn your method of connecting with colleagues. And if you ever have to question whether an email you’re sending is appropriate or not, it’s better not to send it at all.

In Your Personal Life: Align level of friendship with type of contact

  • For the most part, ascending levels of friendship align with various modes of contact…and that’s OK. In the top tier we have video chatting and phone calls. Skype and Apple’s FaceTime are great ways to connect with your family, close friends, or boyfriend, but it would be pretty awkward to try with the cute guy who just asked for your number. Phone calls are also generally more personal and reserved for close friends and family because there’s no lag time to prevent long, awkward pauses. The middle and usually biggest tier is made up of the people you frequently text and/or email. Text messages can range from extremely personal to distantly impersonal, so they’re appropriate to use with almost anyone. Plus, they’re less intrusive than a phone call because the other person can respond at their convenience. Finally, you likely have a group of friends who you communicate with almost entirely via Facebook, Twitter, or games on your phone. I frequently receive comments or “Likes” from distant acquaintances on my Facebook, and I currently have several games of “Words with Friends” going with people who I wouldn’t communicate with otherwise. So don’t feel guilty if you have several contacts who fall exclusively in this last group. Without these less personal forms of media, you may have lost touch these people long ago.
  • Never break bad news in an email or text message. According to the Erasmus study, “individuals have difficulties in communicating negative evaluations face-to-face,” so communicating via technology “might decrease the psychological discomfort of the sender.” Although breaking up with a boyfriend through a text message or firing an employee via email may ease your own discomfort in doling out the bad news, it’s socially callous and disrespectful to the other person. It can feel impossibly difficult, but these situations always call for an in-person conversation.

With so many options media and technology options available for communication, it can feel overwhelming to decide which is most appropriate with all the various people you contact on a regular basis. The suggestions above can help to elucidate many of your uncertainties, but remember that the social norms regarding technology are constantly shifting and evolving, so our most important advice to you is to be aware of your audience, use your best judgment, and always be as clear as possible when technology is involved.

The Levo League

Posted on Monday December 12th 2011 at 05:48pm. Its tags are listed below.

The Multitasking Epidemic: How to Fight it, How to Master it By Kristen Walker Is technology scattering your focus? Levo’s Kristen Walker talks about way to learn to minimize the interruptions of technology in the second in her three-part series on communication technology. Women are often known and praised for their multitasking abilities. As Gen Y women who have gown up in the technology era, we have by necessity become adept at observing, analyzing, and reacting to several forms of incoming information at once, what with TV, ads, cell phones, email, and, you know, real life all demanding our attention all at once. I know I’m not the only one who has simultaneously g-chatted with my best friend, text messaged my mom, browsed Facebook on my laptop, scrolled through the day’s new headlines, and updated my Twitter status – and I still managed to fast-forward through every commercial break during my latest DVR’d episode of “New Girl.” If this sounds at all familiar, then you’ve mastered the multi-focused approach required by today’s Millennials to keep up with the constant stream of communication invading our lives. What about at work? It’s a given that you’ve mastered the art of multitasking in your everyday life, but have you ever stopped to consider how this may be affecting your productivity at work?In the first article in this series, you learned how to prevent work from encroaching on your personal life by limiting how often you check your work phone or email when away from the office. Following those tips will surely help clear your mind during your off hours, but unfortunately none of us can escape the rapid influx of messages while at work. You know the story: you’re laser-focused on a project that’s due to your boss before the end of the day and just figured out how to tackle the next section when, ding, you get an incoming email. Your natural reaction is most likely to stop what you’re doing and skim the contents of the message, which means diverting attention from the task at hand. So what’s the problem? In the psychological study I referenced in the first article in this series, “The Impact of E-mail Communication on Organizational Life,” the author cites an experiment that showed that “switching between tasks resulted in a delay before engaging effectively in a new task, even if the worker had been previously engaged in the task. Each fragmentation to a task adds to the total time required to complete it.” Every time you shift your attention from your current project to your inbox – which could easily happen several times an hour or more – you delay the completion of the project because it takes extra time for you to fully engage once again. And considering that the majority of the emails you receive on a daily basis don’t require an immediate response, you could be wasting a significant amount of time. To add in another layer of chaos, we surely can all admit to occasionally using work time to discuss non-work related topics with coworkers or to communicate with our friends, family, doctors, etc., be it by phone, text, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.With work and personal devices constantly beeping and buzzing, demanding our attention all day long, it’s a wonder we get any work done at all! None of these interruptions would be such a hindrance to productivity if we didn’t feel so pressured to respond to every incoming message immediately. As the Erasmus study notes, most email recipients feel compelled or obligated to “answer messages the minute they arrive.” While this rapid exchange of information may be beneficial to your company as a whole, it can cause undue stress and lessened productivity in individual employees. But what can I do about it? Unfortunately most bosses won’t agree to let you hole up in a room alone with no means of contact with the outside world until you finish your current project. When you’re surrounded by communication technology all day, it can be nearly impossible to entirely cut out all distractions and interruptions, so here are a few new habits you can adopt to make sure technology is making your work like easier, not more chaotic: Commit to reading and answering emails at set times each day, such as once an hour on the hour. In the in-between times, shut down your email so you can fully focus on your current task. The Erasmus study suggests that there are “two type of responders: those who responded as soon as they received an e-mail (constant responders) and those who delayed their responses to some later time when a number of messages had accumulated (batched responders).” Most batched responders experienced fewer workplace interruptions and reported a decreased feeling of disorganization. If you’re a constant responder, it may be more beneficial for your sanity to try out the batched approach and see if it helps you feel less stressed. If you’re really focused on a project and you’re on a tight deadline, send an email to your boss and coworkers letting them know you’re going into “stealth mode” for a few hours, and ask them not to contact you unless it’s urgent. Then log out of your email, power down your phone, X out of your Internet browser, and turn off any other mode of electronic communication until you’re done with your project. Allow yourself two short breaks each day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – to communicate with colleagues and personal contacts about non-work related subjects. If your best friend text messaged about weekend plans or your mom emailed reminding you to call and wish your grandma a happy birthday, wait until your designated break to read and respond to these messages so they don’t mentally jog you out of your current mindset. Keep a notepad next to your keyboard to write down “to-do list” reminders as they pop into your mind, whether it’s responding to a coworker’s email or paying your rent online. It happens to all of us – no matter how absorbed you may be in a project, you may suddenly think of some task you forgot to do and be tempted to drop everything and take care of the issue ASAP. But instead of completely disengaging from your project, jot down a brief reminder in your notepad. You can deal with this during your next email or personal break. Forbes.com accurately describes our rapidly changing work environment: “In today’s age of technology, we’re expected to work quicker, think faster and be more productive. Between your desk computer, laptop and iPad – not to mention your smart phone that’s within sight at all times or your intra-office Instant Messenger that constantly blinks in the corner of your screen – information is currently being received and disseminated through our high-tech devices.” It’s easy to feel mentally scattered in this type of environment, and it’s a safe bet that this technology boom won’t slow down anytime soon. So by getting in the habit of minimizing these interruptions early on in your career, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of mental stress in the long run.

The Multitasking Epidemic: How to Fight it, How to Master it

By Kristen Walker

Is technology scattering your focus? Levo’s Kristen Walker talks about way to learn to minimize the interruptions of technology in the second in her three-part series on communication technology.

Women are often known and praised for their multitasking abilities. As Gen Y women who have gown up in the technology era, we have by necessity become adept at observing, analyzing, and reacting to several forms of incoming information at once, what with TV, ads, cell phones, email, and, you know, real life all demanding our attention all at once.

I know I’m not the only one who has simultaneously g-chatted with my best friend, text messaged my mom, browsed Facebook on my laptop, scrolled through the day’s new headlines, and updated my Twitter status – and I still managed to fast-forward through every commercial break during my latest DVR’d episode of “New Girl.” If this sounds at all familiar, then you’ve mastered the multi-focused approach required by today’s Millennials to keep up with the constant stream of communication invading our lives.

What about at work?

It’s a given that you’ve mastered the art of multitasking in your everyday life, but have you ever stopped to consider how this may be affecting your productivity at work?
In the first article in this series, you learned how to prevent work from encroaching on your personal life by limiting how often you check your work phone or email when away from the office. Following those tips will surely help clear your mind during your off hours, but unfortunately none of us can escape the rapid influx of messages while at work.

You know the story: you’re laser-focused on a project that’s due to your boss before the end of the day and just figured out how to tackle the next section when, ding, you get an incoming email. Your natural reaction is most likely to stop what you’re doing and skim the contents of the message, which means diverting attention from the task at hand.

So what’s the problem?

In the psychological study I referenced in the first article in this series, “The Impact of E-mail Communication on Organizational Life,” the author cites an experiment that showed that “switching between tasks resulted in a delay before engaging effectively in a new task, even if the worker had been previously engaged in the task. Each fragmentation to a task adds to the total time required to complete it.”

Every time you shift your attention from your current project to your inbox – which could easily happen several times an hour or more – you delay the completion of the project because it takes extra time for you to fully engage once again. And considering that the majority of the emails you receive on a daily basis don’t require an immediate response, you could be wasting a significant amount of time.

To add in another layer of chaos, we surely can all admit to occasionally using work time to discuss non-work related topics with coworkers or to communicate with our friends, family, doctors, etc., be it by phone, text, instant messaging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.With work and personal devices constantly beeping and buzzing, demanding our attention all day long, it’s a wonder we get any work done at all!

None of these interruptions would be such a hindrance to productivity if we didn’t feel so pressured to respond to every incoming message immediately. As the Erasmus study notes, most email recipients feel compelled or obligated to “answer messages the minute they arrive.” While this rapid exchange of information may be beneficial to your company as a whole, it can cause undue stress and lessened productivity in individual employees.

But what can I do about it?

Unfortunately most bosses won’t agree to let you hole up in a room alone with no means of contact with the outside world until you finish your current project. When you’re surrounded by communication technology all day, it can be nearly impossible to entirely cut out all distractions and interruptions, so here are a few new habits you can adopt to make sure technology is making your work like easier, not more chaotic:

  • Commit to reading and answering emails at set times each day, such as once an hour on the hour. In the in-between times, shut down your email so you can fully focus on your current task. The Erasmus study suggests that there are “two type of responders: those who responded as soon as they received an e-mail (constant responders) and those who delayed their responses to some later time when a number of messages had accumulated (batched responders).” Most batched responders experienced fewer workplace interruptions and reported a decreased feeling of disorganization. If you’re a constant responder, it may be more beneficial for your sanity to try out the batched approach and see if it helps you feel less stressed.
  • If you’re really focused on a project and you’re on a tight deadline, send an email to your boss and coworkers letting them know you’re going into “stealth mode” for a few hours, and ask them not to contact you unless it’s urgent. Then log out of your email, power down your phone, X out of your Internet browser, and turn off any other mode of electronic communication until you’re done with your project.
  • Allow yourself two short breaks each day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – to communicate with colleagues and personal contacts about non-work related subjects. If your best friend text messaged about weekend plans or your mom emailed reminding you to call and wish your grandma a happy birthday, wait until your designated break to read and respond to these messages so they don’t mentally jog you out of your current mindset.
  • Keep a notepad next to your keyboard to write down “to-do list” reminders as they pop into your mind, whether it’s responding to a coworker’s email or paying your rent online. It happens to all of us – no matter how absorbed you may be in a project, you may suddenly think of some task you forgot to do and be tempted to drop everything and take care of the issue ASAP. But instead of completely disengaging from your project, jot down a brief reminder in your notepad. You can deal with this during your next email or personal break.

Forbes.com accurately describes our rapidly changing work environment: “In today’s age of technology, we’re expected to work quicker, think faster and be more productive. Between your desk computer, laptop and iPad – not to mention your smart phone that’s within sight at all times or your intra-office Instant Messenger that constantly blinks in the corner of your screen – information is currently being received and disseminated through our high-tech devices.”

It’s easy to feel mentally scattered in this type of environment, and it’s a safe bet that this technology boom won’t slow down anytime soon. So by getting in the habit of minimizing these interruptions early on in your career, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of mental stress in the long run.

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