A Better Way of Working Blog

Thoughts and ideas about transforming the way the world works

Digital Incivility: The Unseemly Rise of Rudeness
Email, Mental Needs, Technology | 1 COMMENTS | September 14, 2010
In its early days, one of the joys of email was the access it provided to people who might otherwise be inaccessible, or very difficult to reach. I still remember a New Yorker article written by John Seabrook in 1994, which was effectively my introduction to this new technology. Titled "Email from Bill," it was written as an exchange of a series of emails between Seabrook and Bill Gates.
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Tony Schwartz
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The Energy Coach: Dean: "Dean? Are You There?"
Email, Energy Coach, Focus, Mental Needs, Technology | COMMENTS | August 2, 2010
“I hate conference calls,” Dean admitted to me on a break during a recent session I was facilitating.  “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to focus during them.”  As part of a select group of leaders chosen for a high potential program at a global food company, Dean was a bit sheepish about his conference call behavior. The Rationalization: “I know that I shouldn’t multi-task while on them, but I’m on so many conference calls every day that I need to use the time to get other things done.” 
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Catherine McCarthy
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Energy Saver: RescueTime
Email, Energy Saver, Mental Needs, Technology | 1 COMMENTS | July 28, 2010
Do you ever feel like you’re working for hours and not getting enough done? Do you feel yourself getting constantly distracted by the ping of a new email or an update on facebook? It is almost impossible to stay focused on our most important tasks when we are constantly barraged by communications from every direction.
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Emily Pines
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The Energy Coach: Carol: Disconnecting to Connect
Email, Energy Coach, Leadership, Spiritual Needs | COMMENTS | July 12, 2010
Carol is a partner at a prestigious law firm. She works more than 60 hours a week, not including time on the weekend. Carol came to us for coaching because she felt completely out of control. She couldn’t find time to get her hair cut, let alone work out regularly, cook a meal, or see her friends. The time she spent with her husband and two teenage children was catch-as-catch-can and largely transactional. Carol’s husband and children frequently had to compete with her BlackBerry for attention.
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Annie Perrin
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Email Addicts Anonymous
Email, Mental Needs, Technology | COMMENTS | June 29, 2010
Do you wake up in the morning and bring your laptop into bed with you, or check it before you brush your teeth? Do you check email while you're driving, even though you're four times as likely to have an accident when you do? Are you answering email on your iPhone or Blackberry when you walk between meetings, or on your way to the parking lot? Do you keep answering while you're sitting in your car in your driveway or garage when you get home?
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Tony Schwartz
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