should you be working right now?

Hi!

Allow me to brag: I redesigned my website. I really like the result. A bit less formal, a bit more personal. I didn't formally launch it yet.I would really appreciate it if you could take a look and tell me what you think about it. Go ahead.

Do we need distractions to focus?

You need to solve a problem, or you are just writing a long document for work, and you are feeling stuck. You write a phrase, erase it, re-write it and re-erase it. You reach out for advice to the highest authority out there, Google. "What do I do if I get stuck with my task?" Thousands of results are there to help. Most of them will say the same thing: take a break, take a walk, think about something else, bla bla bla. 

They have a point. When we sit down and put the work in to make progress, it will usually work very well if the task is simple, repetitive or technical. If the tasks requires creative approach or some degree of problem solving, our focus might not be the only tool we need to move forward. Taking a break helps: you start thinking about something else (whether it's your friends, that funny meme you saw, existential anxiety - whatever keeps you busy), you get lost in your thoughts, your neurons work their magic and BOOM! A new association is created and you have an interesting idea to work on.

Does it always work? No. There is one necessary condition to make it work: [Keep reading on Medium].

Scroll down to find some of the best ideas and stories I came across in the past few weeks, including what to do when colleagues lie to you, artificial office ambience and videogame-loving rats.

A few reminders:

• If you like what you read here, be a friend and forward this e-mail now to a couple of friends/colleagues that might enjoy it as well. 

• If you want to have a chat about work, feel free to reach out. I am always happy to make time for a coffee, virtual or IRL. Are we friends on LinkedIn yet?

• Would you like to learn more about my work? Please, step into my office.

All the best!

Avy

5 insights, 2 gems, 1 tweet

㊀  How do you react when you discover that a colleague told you a small lie? You might think that it doesn't really matter. It does.

㊁  Free ice-cream, ping pong tables and yoga classes clearly weren't enough to make people love their office, so now they are trying to design office sounds to provide an "immersive office experience".

㊂  If you are struggling with hiring like pretty much everyone on LinkedIn, you might want to go counter-intuitive and deconstruct the job. Here's how you do it.

㊃  KPIs are great. They are crucial to understand if you are getting closer to your goal or not. But have you aver heard about KDIs? Key Development Indicators. A must-have for enlightened managers.

㊄ Tell me about your last success. If you are having a hard time answering that question, you might be a victim of something called "Productivity Dysmorphia". This is what it means and what you can do about it.

🌊 UNRELATED • If you are tired of Netflix, tonight try watching this rat playing Doom II on Twitch. It started as an experiment, then it went viral.

☕️ UNCANNY: this guy just convinced me that time doesn't exist. He also did it in a surprisingly clear and inspiring way. Watch now, thank me later.

Hello, there!If someone forwarded you this e-mail, thank them. Also, you really should join my list. Here, let me help:

By the way, is there anything I can do to help?Just reply to this e-mail and tell me more about what challenge you are facing. I am always happy to have a chat.

Speak to you soon!

Avy