A Geek's Guide to Productivity and Motivation

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* This post was originally featured on The Student Affairs Hub.

Productivity is a fickle thing. It's objectively different for all of us (and our students) and what works best in terms of our personality (morning or night, at home or a coffee shop, etc.). Nevertheless, there are some general tips that can be beneficial to anyone as we all work towards getting the most we can out of each day.

1. Celebrate Each Little Milestone

A personal habit of mine is to have a little internal celebration for each of the small achievements I reach with any project. It could be a particular metric (views, downloads, etc.) or a specific first in my life (first guest post on my blog, or my first eBook). They don't have to be the best or the biggest, they just have to be important to you. Making sure to appreciate how far you've come, even when you're first starting, helps to motivate you when the going gets tough. I know that some of my projects have grown a lot over time, and it is nice to value all of the benchmarks along the way so that I don't forget where I came from.

2. Fall in Love with the Process

Something that can be difficult for a lot of people is the hard work that goes into all the details in something as simple as a blog post. It's awesome being able to share ideas with people, but before you get it out into the world as a blog post, you have to actually write, edit, choose a title, choose a header photo, format, pick categories and tags, and then you can push it out. Even then, you'll probably need to continue to promote the content to get it out to everyone you want to check it out. If you're not prone to wanting to put in the detailed work, you're most likely going to eventually give up since you don't want to do all the work that goes into whatever it is you're doing. You have to see how all the pieces come together and fall in love with the process to fully commit to any project you're undertaking.

3. Go Big (or Go Small)

When it comes to our to-do lists, there are the simple things we need to get done which may be incremental steps in a project, and then there are those big, ugly, hairy to-do list items that we'll do anything else possible to avoid. I totally can attest to these feelings and after reading some other articles on productivity (read my original thoughts here), I've found some helpful ways to combat never getting around to those pesky tasks we don't want to do, but should get to. On a given day, either commit to doing a bunch of little things (in order of priority) and have the momentum carry you through the get as many done as you can, or commit to just getting that one big task out of the way, and if you accomplish nothing else, at least you can feel satisfied in getting that one thing done.

Hopefully by following these general ideas you (or your students) can hack your productivity and crush whatever projects you're working on, big or small.

Thanks for stopping by!

Geeky Office Décor Series: Kristen Abell

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This week we're featuring the awesome office of Kristen Abell, Web Coordinator at University of Missouri - Kansas City.

Here's what Kristen had to say about her space:

"Over the course of my career, I have moved offices several times and managed to accumulate my fair share of decorations. Admittedly, if you had come by one of my first couple of offices, you would have seen mostly bare walls with a few things here and there on the desk. My current cube is easily the most decorated one in our office.

One of the things I keep at work is my Wonder Woman collection. I do this for two reasons. The first is that I find it gives me personality. I’m an introvert by nature, so I am sometimes not the most talkative office mate. This gives my co-workers a glimpse into something I love and a topic we can easily discuss. I have a few Doctor Who items thrown in here, as well as some trinkets I’ve collected at previous universities or in my work with organizations. The second reason I keep this collection at work is because I simply have no idea where I would put it at home.

This cabinet and wall are a mishmash of geekery and family. You’ll see some of my son’s artwork and pictures of him and my husband, but you’ll also see Wonder Woman featured prominently there, as well as my Rosie the Riveter poster - because what feminist doesn’t need one of these? I also have the front of the book I edited - Committed - front and center because it is such an important piece of who I am. Finally, just in case you weren’t sure if I was into tech or anything as a web developer, I have an award presented to me by my NASPA regional advisory board claiming me as a “Techno Goddess.” One of the best awards, ever.

A lot of people neglect the space that is behind them when they decorate, but I find this to be almost as important as the space in front of me. When I do hangouts or video meetings, this is my backdrop. And without fail, it tends to impress people. I mean, who wouldn’t want Buffy fighting a demon behind them? Or Wonder Woman in many artistic forms? (By the way, if you look closely at the Wonder Woman image with the blue sky, you’ll recognize it from my blog header). There’s also a couple more pieces of art from my son in here proclaiming that his mom loves salad (he is so wrong about that) and is as pretty as a butterfly.

So welcome to my little corner of geekdom. I hope you've enjoyed your visit."

What I really enjoy about this space is that even with a cubicle, Kristen really fully decorates what she has and makes it her own. A lot of people might get discouraged by the lack of an actual office, but a cubicle can work just as well! Another neat point of interest is how Kristen intentionally covers her back wall since it is always going to be showcased during video calls (smart move!). I'm also a big fan of her plethora of Wonder Woman stuff. She is such a great, iconic character and I appreciate all the different little trinkets Kristen has embodying and representing the character.

Many thanks to Kristen for sharing her story and space with us!

Stay tuned for more awesome offices in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 10/16/15

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Geek-and-proud

Greetings!

Here's what is going on in my world this week:

Over my long weekend break back in NJ (the reason for no posts on this past Monday or Friday), I sat with my partner and watched the entire first season (only six episodes) of Fear the Walking Dead (FTWD), the new companion series to hit show, The Walking Dead (TWD). My partner and I are big fans of TWD so we wanted to check out FTWD to see how it holds up. The answer is that FTWD is both similar and different to it's counterpart, in good ways and bad (I'm a very relative person). It's slower moving and smaller scale but also leads nicely to a different focus than our badass survivors in TWD. These people are still figuring everything out and aren't as hardened yet but are becoming acquainted with their new normal in terms of what kind of things they'll have to do to get by. I'm intrigued to see where the show goes, and I hope it doesn't just become The Walking Dead: Los Angeles since they have an opportunity here to tell a very different kind of story with FTWD.

After what many deemed (myself included) to be a rocky third season, this new season of Arrow is hopefully going to right the ship a bit. I like the bit of a lighter tone the show has been taking, as well as getting deeper into the relationship Oliver has with his team. I'm still a big fan of this show and have been for a while since I think it has some of the best action sequences on TV and builds up in its own way to the expanded, shared universe with The Flash. I look forward to it helping to expand the universe even further as it works to set up the new mid-season series, Legends of Tomorrow.

The first two episodes of season 2 have aired so far and this show is keeping the positive momentum going from their debut season. They're still going all in on pulling from their awesome comic book lore, introducing the multi-verse, the original Flash Jay Garrick, and continuing to maintain the expanded, shared universe of the show. I can't wait to see threads from season 1 picked back up as well as fun uses of the multiverse such as seeing different versions of our core cast in Earth 2 for example. If you haven't watched this show yet, get on Netflix and watch the whole first season, you'll be glad you did!

Thanks for stopping by!

Geeky Office Décor Series: Dan McDowell

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This week we're featuring the office of Dan McDowell, Residence Director at Stonehill College.12053125_10205323796474555_105078933_n Here's what Dan had to say about his office:

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"I recently moved to my new office in June and slowly but surely I’ve been adding my own personal nerdy touch to it. It started with bringing a growing collection of Funko POPs from a variety of fandoms like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and (my largest collection) The Avengers, including my recent additions of Miles Morales and the new Thor. Since they are the first thing students usually see when they walk into my office they are quick to ask questions about them or my interests. It’s been especially helpful during conduct hearings- particularly with students I haven’t sat with before. In one meeting I was able to spend a good 5 to 10 minutes discussing the upcoming Deadpool film with a student which I think humanized me and allowed the student to feel more comfortable and open throughout the remainder of the hearing.

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They have also been a great tool connecting to RAs. It isn’t unusual for RAs from other areas to stop by and say hello when visiting friends or coworkers in the area. On one occasion an RA and I were able to chat about the comics we were both reading which led to a variety of other conversations involving shared interests and a stronger relationship. Finally, the latest additions to my office are my Star Wars Lego sets and decor. I had bought them over the summer just before moving and had intended to keep them in my apartment, but quickly discovered after moving I just didn’t have anywhere where they would be a good fit and so they came to my office. They have been a great conversation piece and allowed for me to share a bit more of my interest in science fiction with my residents and RAs as well.

Showing off my geekier interests in my office has been an incredible way to connect with students. Even something as small as my Game of Thrones-themed “Where’s the RD?” sign (not pictured) has residents stopping by to discuss their excitement over a shared interest and is able to jumpstart a conversation about any communities they’ve found on campus- whether friends or a club- that tie into these interests. It provides incredible leverage in breaking the ice with residents and helping them find new ways to get involved.

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Now that I’ve started showing off my geeky side, I don’t think I’ll ever go back!"

What I really like about Dan's office (besides the Star Wars Legos and Marvel Funko POP! toys) is the simple, positive effect some small tweaks in his office had to change his interactions with students. I've had a similar experience, even with some staff members who pass by my office. I feel like there is no downside to bringing some of our authentic selves into our work spaces, it always gives the benefit of genuine connections to those around us.

Many thanks to Dan for sharing his story and space with us!

Stay tuned for more awesome offices in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Geeky Office Décor Series: Jon Bartlett

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This week we're featuring the office of Jon Bartlett, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life at Texas Wesleyan University.

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Here's what Jon has to say about his office:

"My Funko POP! collection started with a single Thor figure that my RA staff gave me for my birthday three years ago. Since then, it has become something of an obsession. I only buy ones that are in my geek wheelhouse, so to look at my collection is to get a quick glimpse into my interests. One look at my shelf will tell you that I obviously prefer Marvel over DC and am a huge fan of the Walking Dead. It tends to immediately put students at ease, especially when they are in my office for less-than-exciting reasons like a conduct meeting. All the geek decor also opens up points of connection with students, so conversations can begin naturally with something we both like rather than the difficult thing we are there to discuss. I really believe that everyone "geeks out" about something, so it's just a matter of figuring out what it is. Like the poster of the Wil Wheaton quote says, "It's not about what you love, it's about how you love it." It brings me a lot of joy to discover what students love and hear their passion come out in our conversation. All the geek stuff in my office definitely helps facilitate that. My boss is a geek too, so I'm thankful he lets me keep my office this way!"

I'm a huge fan of the Funko POP! figures myself, and I'm sure you saw many of mine from my office photos (I have more in my apartment). They're a fun way to showcase some of my favorite characters from my favorite shows, movies, and comics. I like how Jon makes a point of stating how we all geek out about something, which I've written about before and wholeheartedly agree with. It is so great to be able to help support and nourish our students' (and our own) hobbies and interests. It leads to such genuine connections which can lead to deep conversations and learning about ourselves as well as the world.

Appreciate Jon sharing his space with us!

Stay tuned for more offices in the coming weeks!

Thanks for stopping by!